A major reason why new home building has not substantially recovered is because outside of the upper classes real wages have been stagnant since the end of Great Recession. Worse, despite a rising stock market, a majority of Americans own no stock. Lastly, among households headed by individuals under 40, net worth is still, on average, lower than it was before the housing bust. We desperately need wage growth.
Tag Archives: wealth
Wealth Matters
The stock market has fallen by about 10% in the last two weeks, destroying about $2 trillion of wealth. If the market does not rebound quickly this will cut GDP by about $70 billion; half a percent. Here’s why. Suppose you just lost $10,000 due to the market decline, will you cut your annual spending by $350 as a result? Probably. Welcome to the wealth effect; it matters.