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☆ Americans are savings less these days. Here’s why and what that means
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —Americans haven’t been stashing money into their savings accounts like they used to, according to government statistics. Put together, this may have resulted in “a structurally lower saving rate,” according to the report. What does the lower saving rate of nowadays say about the US consumer? Households are continuing to spend at these elevated rates and one reason is because of the lower saving rate. You’re just not seeing a reversal back to pre-Covid levels, which isn’t shocking when you look back historically to what has happened to the saving rate.

Persons: haven’t, “, Wells, Bell, Shannon Seery Grein, There’s, they’ve, we’ve, Matt Egan, ” Paul Knopp, Read, Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab, Lorie Logan, Mary Daly, Johnson, Morgan Stanley, Jerome Powell, Loretta Mester, John Williams, Raphael Bostic, Austan Goolsbee Organizations: Washington CNN, Wells, KPMG, CNN, Gallup, T Bank, US Commerce Department, National Association of Home Builders, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Johnson, Bank of America, PNC, The Bank of New York Mellon, Northern Trust, United Airlines, Federal Reserve, Abbott Laboratories, Discover, Citizens, Cleveland Fed, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Netflix, Alaska Air, National Association of Realtors, Fed, US Labor Department, Procter & Gamble, American Express . Chicago Fed Locations: Wells Fargo, United States, Europe, UnitedHealth, Blackstone

☆ The 'phantom debt' of buy now, pay later is growing and will soon hit some Americans hard
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Buy now, pay later plans gained popularity in 2023 as an alternative to high-interest credit cards. Buy now, pay later use surged recently and those bills are now dueThe use of buy now, pay later plans skyrocketed during the 2023 holiday season. According to Adobe, which tracks online sales, buy now, pay later plans use was up 47% on Black Friday and 43% on Cyber Monday. According to PYMNTS' survey, 39.6% of respondents used buy now, pay later plans for clothing and accessories and 33.7% used them for groceries. Buy now, pay later debt can be advantageous if used correctly.

Persons: —, Rather, Peter Cade, PYMNTS, Tim Quinlan, Shannon Seery Grein, Selcuk, Mark Luschini, Janney Montgomery Scott, Maria Bartiromo, Luschini, Warren Buffett, Buffett, I've Organizations: Service, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Adobe, Household Economics, Science Research Network, Economic, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Wells, US Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ Stocks week ahead: Here’s how America’s economy could begin to weaken
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The job market or spending? The spending argument: But there have been instances in which spending weakened before the job market. “I think it starts with the perception of the labor market,” Drew Matus, chief market strategist at MetLife Investment Management, told CNN. The ticket-industry giant said it has sold a record 140 million tickets so far this year, up 17% year-over-year and has already surpassed the 121 million tickets sold in all of 2022. In the third quarter, Ticketmaster sales surged 57% to $833 million and 90 million fee-bearing tickets were sold in the period.

Persons: can’t, ” Shannon Seery, “ It’s, ” Seery, Luke Tilley, ” Tilley, Jerome Powell, ” Drew Matus, ”, Taylor Swift, Parija Kavilanz, Swifties, Taylor, Michael Rapino, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Bunny, Jonas Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Lisa Cook, Michael Barr, Jeffrey Schmid, Christopher Waller, John Williams, Lorie Logan, Ralph Lauren, Steve Madden, Phillip Jefferson, Raphael Bostic, Tom Barkin, Christine Lagarde Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, CNN, Employers, Investment Advisors, Companies, National Bureau of Economic Research, CNN Wednesday, Federal, MetLife Investment Management, Ticketmaster, Ryanair, Goodyear, Fed, Reserve Bank of Australia, Uber, Occidental Petroleum, KKR, The Carlyle Group, US Commerce Department, Biogen, Warner Bros, Teva Pharma, The New York Times Company, Armour, SeaWorld, MGM Resorts, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Sony Group, Astrazeneca, Tapestry, News Corp, US Labor Department, Soho House, National Statistics, European Central Bank, University of Michigan Locations: Washington, Wells, Wilmington, Lyft, Brookfield, Soho

☆ Student loan payments are back. Here’s where some Americans are trimming their budgets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Student debt relief activists participate in a rally at the US Supreme Court on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. “Of course, the lowest-earning households still collectively owe around $7 billion a year in student loan repayments. After the Supreme Court dashed any hopes of loan forgiveness, more Americans started making loan payments before the official repayment period, as well as interest, kicked in. “It’s just all the supplemental spending, a lot of that will disappear so that we can make room for the [student loan] payments,” he said. Jonnisha McCleod was able to wipe out $12,000 of her student loan debt.

Persons: Minneapolis CNN —, they’re, ”, Justine Lyons, “, pesky, Lyons, — Lyons, Robin Nathan “ It’s, you’ve, it’s, Kevin Dietsch, Emerson Sprick, Biden, Sprick, Shannon Seery, Wells, ” Seery, Nancy Vanden Houten, Brian Snyder, Snyder, “ It’s, Megan Lopez, ” Lopez, you’re, Logan Ricketts, Jamie, they’ve, ” Logan, Jonnisha, ” McCleod, ’, McCleod, Jonnisha McCleod, I’m, “ I’m, Katrice Williams, Williams couldn’t, Edna Monroy “, Williams Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, National Student, Federal Reserve Bank of New, US, Biden, New York Fed, Coalition, Department of Education, Education Department, CNN, Oxford, Oxford Economics, SAVE, Cleveland State University College of Law, Trump Locations: Minneapolis, Decatur , Georgia, States, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Washington , DC, Wells Fargo, Baltimore , Maryland, Las Vegas, Cedar Park , Texas, Omaha , Nebraska, undergrad, Cleveland , Ohio

☆ In Lululemon and Dollar General earnings, signs of a possible economic split
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

One reported strong sales on Thursday, while the other warned it may experience a sales decline for the year. Dollar General’s earnings report on Thursday painted a different picture. “Core customers continue to tell us they feel financially constrained,” said Dollar General’s CEO, Jeff Owen, on the company’s earnings call. Brian Nagel, a retail analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. who covers Lululemon, said he sees still strong spending across all retailers he covers. “Generally speaking, consumer spending has held in,” he said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Calvin McDonald, Lululemon, Jeff Owen, Neil Saunders, Brian Nagel, Nagel, ” Nagel, Richard Dreiling, John Rainey, ” Rainey, Shannon Seery Organizations: CNN, Oppenheimer, Co, Federal Reserve, Fed Locations: Wells, United States, —

☆ The Fed’s preferred inflation measure stayed high in July — and consumers are continuing to spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Minneapolis CNN —US inflation may have remained elevated in July, but consumers just wanted to have some fun. It’s the strongest monthly spending gain since January; however, underlying data indicates this type of activity may be on borrowed time. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index showed that prices increased 0.2% on a monthly basis and 3.3% annually. Economists were expecting monthly increases of 0.2% for the headline and core indexes and 3.3% and 4.2%, respectively, for the annual numbers. Even when adjusted for inflation, spending surged in July, rising by 0.6% from the month before.

Persons: ” Eugenio Alemán, Raymond James, “, ” Gregory Daco, EY, Jerome Powell, ” Powell, Wells, Shannon Seery, Wells Fargo, ” Seery, ” Daco, Powell, Jackson, ” Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, New Commerce Department, Federal, Commerce Department, Amazon’s, PCE, CNN, “, of Labor Statistics Locations: Minneapolis, Jackson Hole , Wyoming

☆ Massive home-price appreciation might be the secret to keeping consumers afloat as savings dry up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Homeowners' equity is the highest it's been in 25 years, which could provide a cushion as consumer savings dwindle. That trend could be set to continue as the massive accumulation of home equity provides a lifeline that consumers can tap into if things get tough. Bankrate data shows that home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, are currently carrying an average rate close to 7%. Home equity revolving credit balances climbed for the fourth straight quarter leading up to March 2023, which presents another factor that could help sustain consumer spending. Now, real estate accounts for about 25% of total household assets, and despite deteriorating savings, still-rising equity presents a potential path forward for consumers to keep spending, Quinlan and Seery said.

Persons: Tim Quinlan, Shannon Seery, that's, Quinlan, Seery Organizations: Soaring, Service, Homeowners, Federal Reserve Board, Wells Locations: Wells, Wall, Silicon, Wells Fargo

☆ The Fed’s favorite inflation measure cooled down even further in June
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

When stripping out energy and food prices, the core PCE index showed prices increased 4.1% in June from the year before. Economists were expecting the core index to increase 4.2% on an annual basis. In May, the core PCE rose 4.6% annually. The Fed uses the core PCE index as the benchmark for its 2% inflation target. When adjusting for inflation, spending increased 0.4%, driven by a surge in goods-related purchases, specifically of new trucks and recreational products and vehicles, according to the report.

Persons: Kathy Bostjancic, “, it’s, “ It’s, ”, “ They’re, ’, Shannon Seery, Wells, we’re, Seery, ‘ Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Commerce Department, Fed, Nationwide Mutual, CNN Locations: Minneapolis, May’s, Wells Fargo, “

☆ The US economy grew stronger than expected in the second quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The US economy picked up steam in the second quarter despite punishing rate hikes and still-high inflation, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Economic growth in the second quarter was driven by business investment, government purchases, inventory investment and consumer spending, though at a much weaker pace than in the first quarter. Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of economic output, grew at just a 1.6% rate in the second quarter, down sharply from a 4.2% rate in the first three months of the year. Nonresidential business investment rose sharply to a 7.7% growth rate in the second quarter, up from a 0.6% rate in the beginning of the year. The GDP report showed that spending on structure slowed to a 9.7% rate in the second quarter from a 15.8% rate in the prior one.

Persons: “, Lydia Boussour, ’, ” Shannon Seery, Seery, —, ”, Diane Swonk, Thursday’s, Carol Schleif, Jerome Powell Organizations: Washington CNN, Commerce Department, Gross, Federal Reserve, Fed, CNN, Employers, Wells, Investment Bank, Manufacturers, KPMG, restrengthens Investors, BMO Family Office, Investors, “ Locations: EY

☆ US inflation outlook brightening; consumer sentiment near two-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Data for May was revised to show import prices declining 0.4% instead of the previously reported 0.6%. Though consumer inflation remains above the Fed's 2% target, the pace of increase has slowed sharply since peaking in June 2022, giving consumers some relief. INFLATION EXPECTATIONS ANCHOREDThough the survey's inflation expectations increased this month, that was probably because most consumers were interviewed before the release of June's consumer price index report. "Import prices are subtracting from the pernicious trend of the goods inflation Americans have been paying." There were decreases in the cost of nonagricultural industrial supplies and materials as well as food, which canceled out rises in prices for capital goods, consumer goods and motor vehicles.

Persons: Jeffrey Roach, Joanne Hsu, Shannon Seery, Christopher Rupkey, Lucia Mutikani, Christina Fincher, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, LPL Financial, Reuters, University of Michigan, University of Michigan's, Consumers, Treasury, Labor, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Charlotte , North Carolina, Wells, New York, United States, China

☆ US consumer spending flattens; core inflation still hot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The unchanged reading in consumer spending last month, reported by the Commerce Department, followed a downwardly revised 0.1% gain in February. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, was previously reported to have increased 0.2% in February. Last month's flat reading in consumer spending set consumption and the overall economy on a lower growth path in the second quarter. Consumer spending is plateauing likely as Americans become more averse to higher prices. The so-called core PCE price index gained 4.6% on a year-on-year basis in March after rising 4.7% in February.

☆ US business spending on equipment weakening as demand for goods slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Even though business spending on equipment weakened, demand remained strong for goods like computers and electronic products as well as electrical equipment, appliances and components. Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, dropped 0.4% last month. Core capital goods shipments are used to calculate equipment spending in the gross domestic product measurement. Goods imports dropped $2.5 billion to $257.3 billion, pulled down by decreases in industrial supplies, capital goods and other goods. While the decline in imports is supportive of higher GDP, the drop in capital goods underscored weakening business spending.

☆ Layoffs loom in the US manufacturing sector as backlogs shrink
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And surveys from the Institute for Supply Management show that the manufacturing sector has been contracting for several months, while fewer manufacturers report an increase in backlogs. “We’re only seeing a gradual pullback in hiring for manufacturing, even as new demand slows, because these backlogs are still helping sustain activity,” she said. Manufacturing saw job losses in February for the first time in 21 months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were additional manufacturing job losses in the following month. However, while manufacturing layoffs are expected, they are likely to be limited.

☆ Consumers keep spending. That might not be good news for them or the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And by November and December, those predictions appeared to be materializing, when data showed consumers had pulled back during the holiday shopping season. During a month chock full of suprisingly strong economic data, the Commerce Department’s retail sales and consumer spending reports far surpassed expectations. “It’s not sustainable to keep spending above their means.”Eyes on the FedHearty consumer spending at a time like this is a double-edged sword, said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst for Bankrate and CreditCards.com. “The resilience of consumer spending is probably the biggest thing that’s pushed this recession timetable out,” Rossman said. The Home Depot (HD) warned of flat sales for 2023 as consumers continue shift spending from goods to services.

☆ U.S. core capital goods orders post largest gain in five months; shipments surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Dan KoeckSummarySummary Companies Core capital goods orders increase 0.8% in JanuaryCore capital goods shipments surge 1.1%Durable goods orders drop 4.5% on aircraftPending home sales increase 8.1% in JanuaryWASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - New orders for key U.S.-manufactured capital goods increased by the most in five months in January while shipments of those so-called core goods rebounded, suggesting that business spending on equipment picked up at the start of the first quarter. These core capital goods orders dropped 0.3% in December. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders edging up 0.1%. Core capital goods orders increased 5.3% on a year-on-year basis in January. Shipments of core capital goods bounced back 1.1% after declining 0.6% in December.

☆ U.S. services industry regains steam; factory orders accelerate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Economists shrugged off a survey from S&P Global confirming its services PMI was stuck in contraction territory in November. Thirteen services industries including construction, healthcare and social assistance, retail trade as well as professional, scientific and technical services reported growth last month. But information, wholesale trade and management of companies and support services reported a decline. Factory ordersIn November, the ISM's measure of services industry employment increased to 51.5 from 49.1 in October. The survey's measure of services industry supplier deliveries fell to 53.8 from 56.2 in October.

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