Consumer Confidential: Recovery, video games, Exxon

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Here’s your thrilling Thursday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--The economy’s on the upswing. Jobs, not so much. All eyes are now fixed on whether consumers will keep spending into next year, pushing corporate profits higher and maybe, just maybe, prompting one or two employers to start hiring again. I’m thinking that since the cash for clunkers program was such a boon to the auto industry, how about cash-for-pretty-much-every-other-big-thing? I’m sure there are lots of appliances and beds and other stuff that people would be more than happy to replace, if the price was right. Just saying.

--Despite the fact that my family finally took the plunge and bought a Wii this year, committing us to a never-ending cycle of splurging on new games, our friends at Nintendo say their profit fell by more than 50% since April. The main reason: Wii sales are on the wane. I’ll cut you a deal, guys. Slash your game prices and I’ll buy everything with ‘Mario’ in the title. A win-win for us both.

--Exxon Mobil says its profit fell by 68% in the most recent quarter as oil prices came down. Man, that just breaks my heart. Last year, lest we forget, the oil giant pocketed the biggest wad in U.S. corporate history -- more than $45 billion.

-- David Lazarus