Consumers Got Whacked by Inflation, High Interest Rates, Layoff News, Asset Prices Falling from Lofty Peaks… And They’re Still Not Slowing Down by Wolf Richter • Mar 31, 2023 • 114 Comments The banking turmoil is seen as next test for consumers. Would be a hoot if they just go ahead and blow that off too.
Retail Sales Dip a Tad in Feb after Huge Spike in Jan. Year-over-Year: +5.4% Despite Price Drops in Durable Goods & Gasoline by Wolf Richter • Mar 15, 2023 • 132 Comments Consumers are still spending like drunken sailors, especially online, now that they don’t have to blow so much on gasoline anymore.
People Got Used to Higher Prices and Are Outspending even Raging Inflation. They Don’t Want this Thing to Land by Wolf Richter • Feb 24, 2023 • 261 Comments Year-over-year growth in consumer spending, adjusted for inflation, outpaced pre-pandemic average. Month-over-month, growth spiked.
Why the Fed Can Let the Housing Bust Rip: Mortgages, HELOCs, Delinquencies, Foreclosures, and Who’s on the Hook by Wolf Richter • Feb 17, 2023 • 272 Comments Mostly taxpayers, not the banks.
Where Households Are on their Credit Card Balances, Credit Limits, Available Credit, Delinquencies, and Collections by Wolf Richter • Feb 16, 2023 • 95 Comments Credit cards are used as payment method and mostly paid off monthly. But some people use them as borrowing method – and get in trouble.
Consumers in No Mood for a Landing: Retail Sales and Seasonal Adjustments by Wolf Richter • Feb 15, 2023 • 102 Comments “Not seasonally adjusted” sales plunged from the big record in December, but not as much as in pre-pandemic Januaries.
Consumer Spending on Services Keeps up with Raging Inflation in Services. Spending on Goods Falls as Prices Drop, Demand Fizzles after Pandemic Binge by Wolf Richter • Jan 27, 2023 • 88 Comments Raging inflation is a tough nut to crack for income.
No Landing Yet: Consumers Refuse to Give Up, Government Spending Jumps, Inventories Rise toward Trend, Trade Deficit Less Horrible by Wolf Richter • Jan 26, 2023 • 114 Comments Annual GDP for 2022 rose at average pre-pandemic rate, strong second half, weak first half. “Freak event” that sunk Q1 GDP completely unwound.
Subprime Auto-Loan Delinquencies Rise to 2019 Levels: a Dive into Subprime Lending and Securitizations by Wolf Richter • Jan 23, 2023 • 67 Comments Surge of delinquencies not caused by unemployment, but by taking Big Risks, hoping for Big Profits, and getting slapped, just as in 2019.
Consumer Spending on Services Blows Past Inflation, Fuels Services Inflation Further. Spending on Goods Fizzles by Wolf Richter • Dec 23, 2022 • 61 Comments Inflation isn’t going to just vanish: 62% of consumer spending went to services where demand is growing and where inflation is raging.
