As stocks rose to their largest monthly gain since February, consumer spending unexpectedly fell in July, highlighting disparities in the economic recovery that persist to this day.

Household spending declined a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent in July from a month earlier, the first time spending fell in a month since January, according to figures released by the Commerce Department on Friday. Economists attribute the decline to stagnant wages and income, which rose only 0.2 percent in July, the smallest increase this year.

“On the income side, we’re still lagging a bit, so consumers are having a hard time getting out of second gear,” Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors, told the Wall Street Journal.

With consumer spending accounting for almost 70 percent of the economy, its sudden drop is concerning. Of the 79 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, not one of them projected a decrease in consumer spending for last month.

The news is particularly worrisome as other data indicates a strengthening recovery. Real GDP increased at an annual rate of 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2014, the Commerce Department said Friday.

“Today’s second estimate of real GDP upholds initial data showing that economic growth was strong in the second quarter of this year,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in a statement. “Our economy continues to make positive strides, but we must do all we can to build on this momentum by continuing to facilitate investment in American manufacturing, infrastructure and innovation.”