Posts Tagged ‘consumer’
Post Archive
Will Consumers Power our Economic Engine in 2012?
Consumers are an integral cog in the American economic engine, but since the financial crisis hit its crescendo, consumers have been under high attack. By most traditional measures, the economy is larger today than any time in our history, but it is hard to argue that consumers are feeling the benefits of that expansion. That…
Read MoreAdvisers deluge investors with advice over debt crisis
Barry speaks with Lauren Young of Reuters about what the debt ceiling dilemma may mean to investors. Read more.
Read MoreConsumers Decide Enough is Enough
Questions about why the recovery is so slow have cropped up lately. Economists and strategists alike are baffled by the sluggish nature of this recovery, particularly considering our previous experiences after deep recessions. The answer this time around may be very simple – consumers are unable or unwilling to leverage their personal balance sheets –…
Read MoreSome Economic Improvement
Consumer data entered the fray last week to mixed results. Personal income was up 0.3% in May, but concerns about the stagnating recovery resulted in no gains to personal spending. With income and spending little changed, the personal savings rate also held steady at 5.0%. The personal savings rate spiked in 2009, but fell after…
Read MoreThe Incredibly Resilient American Consumer
One of the most disheartening aspects of the past several years was the abysmal state of consumer finances heading into the recession. In the first quarter of 2008, the personal savings rate was a meager 0.8% of disposable income and household liabilities as a share of disposable income reached an astounding 130%. Levels that severe…
Read More