U.S. consumers increased their spending in April by a solid 0.3%. The increase reported today by the Commerce Department came after a brisk 0.5% advance in March.

Personal incomes, meanwhile, rose by a strong 0.6% in April, marking the largest gain since January 2001. The growth in income followed a 0.4% rise in March.

Consumer spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of all economic activity in the United States.

The report was slightly better than economists were expecting. They were forecasting spending to go up by 0.2% and incomes to grow by 0.5% in April.

Meanwhile, U.S. consumer confidence declined in May for the second month in a row.

The sentiment index in the University of Michigan’s final survey of consumer confidence for May fell to 90.2, its lowest point since December, from April’s final reading of 94.2.

Economists had looked for an unchanged reading of 94.2 in May.

The current conditions index fell for a second month in a row to 103.6 from April’s final reading of 105. This matches the current conditions measured in February.

The expectations index declined sharply to 81.6 from April’s final reading of 87.3, also a second consecutive monthly drop. Consumer expectations have not been this low since September.

More positive news came from a report that showed buoyant business activity in the U.S. Midwest.

The Chicago Purchasing Management Index for May was 68.0, above economists’ expectations for a reading of 61.0 and up from April’s reading of 63.9.