Two important economic indicators — personal spending and personal income – showed positive signs in August, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce report released today.

However, first-time filers for unemployment insurance jumped for the first time in three weeks.

Personal income increased $19.3 billion, 0.2 percent above July, and personal consumption expenditures increased $129.6 billion, 1.3 percent above July, according to the report.

Consumer spending increased at its fastest pace in eight years during August and advanced for its fourth straight month according to a Reuters report. Based on a Briefing.com poll of economists, the pace beat the estimated 1.1 percent increase in August.

The rate of increase for personal income outdid the Briefing.com poll, which had projected a 0.1 percent increase. Disposable personal income in August increased $15.5 billion, 0.1 percent above July’s rate.

Private wage and salary disbursements increased $8.5 billion, down slightly from an $8.6 billion increase in July.

Personal saving was $324.1 billion in August, down from $436 billion in July. Personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income was 3.0 percent in August, compared with 4.0 percent in July.

Concerns remain, however, that weak domestic consumption might stall the economy’s recovery, and many analysts worry that high unemployment might stifle incomes and thereby slow growth in the economy, according to the Reuters report.

Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to a seasonally adjusted 551,000 from 534,000 in the previous week, according to a report from the U.S. Labor Department released today. That increase was 16,000 more than the 535,000 a Briefing.com survey of economists had projected. Initial claims are often considered a gauge of layoffs and can be an indication of companies’ likelihood to hire new employees.

See the full report.