No Light in the Tunnel
By MIKE WHITNEY
On Monday, the Federal Reserve released its Consumer Credit Report which showed that consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 2.5% in January. That might sound like good news, but there's more here than meets the eye. Non-revolving credit increased at a rate of 7% per anum, while revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 6.5%. So, people are taking out more loans, but using their credit cards less.
What's disturbing about the report is that the two main areas of improvement are auto loans and student loans. Both sectors are built on foundations of sand. After all, the reason that auto sales are booming this year is because the big car dealers are giving away the farm to people with poor credit. As Autonation's President Michael Maroone said last week on the Nightly Business Report:
The uptick in auto sales has nothing to do with "organic demand" for autos. That's baloney. It's about getting anyone who can fog a mirror to sign on the dotted line so the contract can be sold to gullible investors looking for higher yield.
Even so, sales did increase on the month, so, technically speaking, there was a boost in credit. The question is whether subprime auto lending is a sign of recovery or not? The answer is "No".
The other area of nonrevolving credit that improved was student loans, which basically represented all of the increase in non-revolving credit aside from auto sales. Think about that for a minute. In other words, the commercial banks, finance companies, credit unions, savings institutions, nonfinancial business and pools of securitized debts all barely squeaked-by or lost ground in January. That's amazing. Virtually every area of non-revolving credit is still flat on its back a full 30 months after Lehman Bros collapsed except for student loans. And the media tries to spin this as good news?
The credit issued via student loans soared from $317 billion to $342 billion from December to January, a $25 billion windfall in just one month. But, as we pointed out in an interview with Professor Alan Nasser, the student loan business is the biggest swindle of all. Bigger than subprime by many orders of magnitude. Here's an excerpt from the interview:
MW--Is it fair to say that the student loan industry is a scam that targets borrowers who will never be able to repay their debts?
Professor Alan Nasser--"It's as fair as fair can be....How many of these students are subprime borrowers? That is, how closely do student loans resemble junk mortgages? The answer hinges on three factors: how these loans are rated, how likely the borrower is to repay, and the default rate on student loans.
Repeat: A default rate of 51%. This is predatory lending writ large.
So, when we talk about student loans, we're not talking about something that strengthens economic recovery. We're talking about a scam that targets vulnerable young people who want to play by the rules so they can make a positive contribution to society. These kids are getting fleeced by shyster banksters and loan sharks whose only interest is lining their own pockets. Most of these students will be in debt until the day they die. (Students are not afforded any of the consumer protections of other borrowers. They cannot shed their debts through bankruptcy.)
So, apart from these dubious "improvements" in non-revolving credit, the Fed's credit report is really pretty grim, much as one would expect when households are still deleveraging from a gigantic financial meltdown that cost them $11.4 trillion in personal wealth and home equity.
So, why does it matter? What difference does it make if people are borrowing or not?
It matters a lot. Economists watch credit expansion very closely to see how the economy is doing. You see, when wages stagnate--as they have for the last 30 years---the only way that working people can increase their spending is by borrowing. And since consumer spending is roughly 70% of GDP, if consumers don't borrow, then the economy doesn't grow.
So, the credit report is really bad news on many levels. First, it shows that the only thing that has kept the economy on life-support has been the government deficits which have made up for the loss in private spending. Second, it shows that consumers are only slightly better off than they were in 2008. (and less inclined to take on more debt) And, finally, it shows that the Fed's QE2 (bond buying program) has had NO measurable effect of consumer spending/credit at all. While it's been a god-send for the equities markets, it's been a total bust for consumers.
Don't believe the "Happy Day's Are Here Again" blabber. Two and a half years into the so-called recovery and the country is still in the throes of a severe multi-year depression. The Fed's Credit Report proves it.
By MIKE WHITNEY
On Monday, the Federal Reserve released its Consumer Credit Report which showed that consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 2.5% in January. That might sound like good news, but there's more here than meets the eye. Non-revolving credit increased at a rate of 7% per anum, while revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 6.5%. So, people are taking out more loans, but using their credit cards less.
What's disturbing about the report is that the two main areas of improvement are auto loans and student loans. Both sectors are built on foundations of sand. After all, the reason that auto sales are booming this year is because the big car dealers are giving away the farm to people with poor credit. As Autonation's President Michael Maroone said last week on the Nightly Business Report:
"The big driver of the recovery in 2010 was the restoration of credit. The change in 2011 is we`re now seeing an improving environment for sub-prime. So last year prime and near prime were more normal and this year we`re starting to see the sub- prime segment come along and that`s very important for our industry." (The Nightly Business Report)So, we're back to "Square 1", right? GM is offering "72 months zero percent financing" to people with dodgy credit. And then the dodgy loans are being chopped up, glued together, and sold to as bonds to "yield seeking" institutional investors around the world. That's the way the new financial system works, and that's why the system broke down when investors tried to ditch these crappy bonds in the autumn of '08. It triggered a run on the shadow banking system that led to worst financial crisis in 70 years. Now car dealers are back for a double-dip reviving subprime loans to inflate another bubble.
The uptick in auto sales has nothing to do with "organic demand" for autos. That's baloney. It's about getting anyone who can fog a mirror to sign on the dotted line so the contract can be sold to gullible investors looking for higher yield.
Even so, sales did increase on the month, so, technically speaking, there was a boost in credit. The question is whether subprime auto lending is a sign of recovery or not? The answer is "No".
The other area of nonrevolving credit that improved was student loans, which basically represented all of the increase in non-revolving credit aside from auto sales. Think about that for a minute. In other words, the commercial banks, finance companies, credit unions, savings institutions, nonfinancial business and pools of securitized debts all barely squeaked-by or lost ground in January. That's amazing. Virtually every area of non-revolving credit is still flat on its back a full 30 months after Lehman Bros collapsed except for student loans. And the media tries to spin this as good news?
The credit issued via student loans soared from $317 billion to $342 billion from December to January, a $25 billion windfall in just one month. But, as we pointed out in an interview with Professor Alan Nasser, the student loan business is the biggest swindle of all. Bigger than subprime by many orders of magnitude. Here's an excerpt from the interview:
MW--Is it fair to say that the student loan industry is a scam that targets borrowers who will never be able to repay their debts?
Professor Alan Nasser--"It's as fair as fair can be....How many of these students are subprime borrowers? That is, how closely do student loans resemble junk mortgages? The answer hinges on three factors: how these loans are rated, how likely the borrower is to repay, and the default rate on student loans.
Repeat: A default rate of 51%. This is predatory lending writ large.
So, when we talk about student loans, we're not talking about something that strengthens economic recovery. We're talking about a scam that targets vulnerable young people who want to play by the rules so they can make a positive contribution to society. These kids are getting fleeced by shyster banksters and loan sharks whose only interest is lining their own pockets. Most of these students will be in debt until the day they die. (Students are not afforded any of the consumer protections of other borrowers. They cannot shed their debts through bankruptcy.)
So, apart from these dubious "improvements" in non-revolving credit, the Fed's credit report is really pretty grim, much as one would expect when households are still deleveraging from a gigantic financial meltdown that cost them $11.4 trillion in personal wealth and home equity.
So, why does it matter? What difference does it make if people are borrowing or not?
It matters a lot. Economists watch credit expansion very closely to see how the economy is doing. You see, when wages stagnate--as they have for the last 30 years---the only way that working people can increase their spending is by borrowing. And since consumer spending is roughly 70% of GDP, if consumers don't borrow, then the economy doesn't grow.
So, the credit report is really bad news on many levels. First, it shows that the only thing that has kept the economy on life-support has been the government deficits which have made up for the loss in private spending. Second, it shows that consumers are only slightly better off than they were in 2008. (and less inclined to take on more debt) And, finally, it shows that the Fed's QE2 (bond buying program) has had NO measurable effect of consumer spending/credit at all. While it's been a god-send for the equities markets, it's been a total bust for consumers.
Don't believe the "Happy Day's Are Here Again" blabber. Two and a half years into the so-called recovery and the country is still in the throes of a severe multi-year depression. The Fed's Credit Report proves it.
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