SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian household spending edged higher in September as gains in food, health, and petrol were offset by drops in air travel and accommodation, suggesting only a patchy recovery in consumer demand.

Monday’s data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed its monthly household spending indicator (MHSI) rose 0.2% in September, after a flat result in August.

The annual pace of spending growth picked up to 5.1% from 4.9%. However, in real terms, spending for the whole third quarter rose a modest 0.2%, slowing from a strong 0.9% gain in the June quarter.

That added less than 0.1 percentage point to economic growth in the third quarter, suggesting the much anticipated recovery in consumer spending is not guaranteed yet.

“We expect recent momentum to fade through the

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