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This page contains all of the posts and discussion on MemeStreams referencing the following web page: The Rise in US Household Indebtedness: Causes and Consequences | FRB. You can find discussions on MemeStreams as you surf the web, even if you aren't a MemeStreams member, using the Threads Bookmarklet.

The Rise in US Household Indebtedness: Causes and Consequences | FRB
by possibly noteworthy at 6:41 am EDT, Aug 31, 2007

Damn that innovation!

The ratio of total household debt to aggregate personal income in the United States has risen from an average of 0.6 in the 1980s to an average of 1.0 so far this decade.

In this paper we explore the causes and consequences of this dramatic increase.

Demographic shifts, house price increases, and financial innovation all appear to have contributed to the rise. Households have become more exposed to shocks to asset prices through the greater leverage in their balance sheets, and more exposed to unexpected changes in income and interest rates because of higher debt payments relative to income. At the same time, an increase in access to credit and higher levels of assets should give households, on average, a greater ability to smooth through shocks.

We conclude by discussing some of the risks associated with some households having become very highly indebted relative to their assets.


 
 
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