US consumers earned and spent more in November, data showed on Thursday, boosting expectations for a strong holiday shopping season.

Christmas shoppers crossing street in New York

Consumer spending increased by 43.3 billion dollars, or 0.4 percent from October in the fifth consecutive month of gains.

Personal income rose 0.3 percent to 42.3 billion dollars, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said.

Personal spending levels fell slightly short of a 0.5 percent rise forecast by most analysts, but the income increase was just a notch higher than the 0.2 expected.

The data also showed that consumer prices, excluding the more volatile food and energy, rose 0.1 percent after being flat for four straight months.