Now that the stimulus sugar rush has worn off, consumers are going back to their old ways of spending with their credit cards
Between July and September, US household debt climbed to a new record of $15.24 trillion, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Tuesday.
It was an increase of 1.9%, or $286 billion, from the second quarter of the year.
Now that the stimulus sugar rush has worn off, consumers are going back to their old ways of spending with their credit cards. Credit card balances rose by $17 billion, just as they had during the second quarter. But they’re still $123 bullion lower than at the end of 2019 before the pandemic hit.
Auto loans and student loan balances also increased, rising by $28 billion and $14 billion, respectively.
Even though credit card debt has yet to get back to its pre-pandemic level, total debt is already $1.1 trillion higher than at the end of 2019.
High spending spurred by even higher inflation
Americans are spending big at the moment. Economists’ explanation is, for the most part, “because they can”.
With the labor market recovery chugging along and the worker shortage driving up wages, people’s wallets are getting filled ahead of the holidays.
That’s a good thing, because everything is getting more expensive.
Inflation is sitting at multi-year highs thanks to supply chain disruptions that have increased the costs of shipping and raw materials. At the same time, consumer demand is also going through the roof.
Businesses can only absorb so much of the increase in prices before passing the higher costs down to end-consumers.
Stripping out energy and food prices, as well as trade services, the producer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% last month, or 6.2% over the 12-month period.
The price index tracking intermediate demand — that’s goods and services sold to businesses — for processed goods jumped 2.1%, its biggest advance since May, mostly driven by higher energy costs.
Over the 12-month period ended October, the index has climbed 25.4%, the biggest increase since January 1975.
Consumer price inflation, which tracks prices paid for food, housing and the like in October is due Wednesday morning.
