What about Spending on Consumer Goods?
In a recent Liberty Street Economics post, I showed that one major category of consumer spending—spending on discretionary services such as recreation, transportation, and household utilities—behaved very differently in the 2007-09 recession and subsequent recovery than in previous business cycles: specifically, it fell more steeply and has recovered much more slowly.
Discretionary Services Spending Has Finally Made It Back (to 2007)
The Slow Recovery in Consumer Spending
One contributor to the subdued pace of economic growth in this expansion has been consumer spending.
Young Student Loan Borrowers Retreat from Housing and Auto Markets
Student loans have soared in popularity over the past decade, with the aggregate student loan balance, as measured in the FRBNY Consumer Credit Panel, reaching $966 billion at the end of 2012.
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