IMO, there have been some pretty robust (comparatively) wage gains in America since 2020, relatively few layoffs until recently, a lot of savings from a bunch of places (deferred travel, a break from commuting and childcare costs), some other benefits (mortgage deferrals, locking in low mortgage rates, initially paying down debt, inheritances from dead relatives), and some really strong equities performance. Added together there are a lot of folks with sufficient resources to handle high interest rates so far when otherwise they wouldn’t have.
Of course, this is also why consumer spending and inflation have also been so resilient in the face of higher interest rates.
Surprised it’s not higher. How are people living in constant debt while still managing paying bills?
IMO, there have been some pretty robust (comparatively) wage gains in America since 2020, relatively few layoffs until recently, a lot of savings from a bunch of places (deferred travel, a break from commuting and childcare costs), some other benefits (mortgage deferrals, locking in low mortgage rates, initially paying down debt, inheritances from dead relatives), and some really strong equities performance. Added together there are a lot of folks with sufficient resources to handle high interest rates so far when otherwise they wouldn’t have.
Of course, this is also why consumer spending and inflation have also been so resilient in the face of higher interest rates.