The State of the American Debt Slaves, Q4 2019 by Wolf Richter • Feb 7, 2020 • 223 Comments Consumer credit rose to 19.3% of GDP, the highest ever.
“In Aggregate,” Consumers Are Doing Pretty Good, But America’s Vast Income Disparity Skew the Data by Wolf Richter • Jan 31, 2020 • 101 Comments Consumers that added $1.3 trillion to their savings last year are not the ones who owe $1 trillion on their credit cards.
US GDP Rose by $850 Billion in 2019 as US National Debt Surged by $1.2 Trillion. Debt-to-GDP Ratio Hit 108% by Wolf Richter • Jan 30, 2020 • 133 Comments Dream of 3% economic growth remained a dream despite surge in government borrowing and spending.
THE WOLF STREET REPORT: What’s Behind the Screwed-Up Student Loan Fiasco? by Wolf Richter • Jan 26, 2020 • 225 Comments Student enrollment has dropped 11% since 2011 while student-loan balances have surged 74%. Why?
College Enrollment Skids for 8th Year in a Row in 2019, But Student Loans Skyrocket. What Gives? by Wolf Richter • Dec 16, 2019 • 225 Comments The stunning decline of men in the student headcount.
The State of the Canadian Debt Slaves, How They Compare to American Debt Slaves, and the Bank of Canada’s Response by Wolf Richter • Dec 13, 2019 • 160 Comments “The high household debt load is the most important risk facing the financial system.”
The Chilling Thing Subprime Retailer Conn’s Said About the Sudden Deterioration in New Accounts by Wolf Richter • Dec 11, 2019 • 84 Comments Rising first-payment defaults and 60-day delinquencies, which are “leading indicators,” caused the retailer to become “prudent.” Shares plunged 33%.
What’s Driving the Decline in the Goods-Based Sector, After the Boom of 2018? by Wolf Richter • Dec 6, 2019 • 74 Comments And a special word on apparel sales, as a sign of our times.
What Worries me About “Hedonic Quality Adjustments” by Wolf Richter • Dec 5, 2019 • 80 Comments An arcane device that impacts so much and papers over the struggles many Americans face in a world that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable for them
THE WOLF STREET REPORT: What’s Behind the Subprime Consumer Loan Implosion? by Wolf Richter • Nov 24, 2019 • 170 Comments These are the good times, but why are subprime credit cards, auto loans, and short-term installment loans blowing out?
