Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Personal Savings Rate Climbs to 1-Year High

From CNNMoney.com:

Americans saved a slightly larger chunk of their disposable income for a third straight month in June, pushing the personal savings rate to its highest level in a year, according to government data released Tuesday.

The Commerce Department reported that personal savings totaled $725.9 billion, or 6.4% of post-tax income, up from $713.9 billion, or 6.3%, in May. The rate was the highest since June 2009, when the reading came in at 6.7%.

"The rebound in the savings rate is encouraging," said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo. "It means that spending is likely to rise more in line with income whenever it grows."

In addition to lifting spending, a higher savings rate also means that households have a better cushion to pay down debt.

The report showed that personal income and spending were virtually unchanged during the month.

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