News In Brief

December incomes up - and so was spending

US personal income climbed 0.9 percent in December and, fed by a year of recovery, gained 6.3 percent for all of 1983, the government said Thursday. Reporting on another category, the government said personal spending on both goods and services jumped 1.3 percent in December, 13 times the earlier reported increase in retail sales alone for the month.

Also on Thursday, the Labor Department reported new claims for state unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level in 4 1/2 years during the first week in January.