Where’s My Credit?

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This recovery is anemic because total (household and government) debt is high and falling! Consumer credit actually declined by 2.5% in ’11 and total debt fell from 203% of GDP to 202% in ‘11; about $160,000/working age person. At the end of the ’01 recession debt was $80,000, and at the end of the ’91…

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Not all Debt is Equal

Logo showing two fists bumping with text 'GRAPHS and LAUGHS' in the center.

While being in debt is not so great for a household–because interest payments leave the household and go to a bank, or credit card company, debt can be tolerable for a country. If the debt is largely internally held (Japan), interest payments go from the government to domestic creditor households. The problem is that to…

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