Economy Consumer borrowing rose $19.3 billion in December

By Martin Crutsinger AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans accelerated their borrowing in December for the second straight month, running up more credit card debt and taking out loans to buy cars and attend school. Consumer borrowing rose by $19.3 billion in December after a $20.4 billion gain in November, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday. The two increases were the biggest monthly gains in a decade. Total consumer borrowing is now at a seasonally adjusted $2.5 trillion. That nearly matches the pre-recession borrowing level. And it is up 4.4 percent from the September 2010 post-recession low. The rise in borrowing could be a sign that Americans are more confident in the economy. But consumers are also borrowing more at a time when their wages haven't kept pace with inflation. The outlook for hiring has improved, which could help boost consumer spending. In January, companies added 243,000 net jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years. Still, without higher pay, many could pull back further on spending. Consumer spending was flat in December, and the savings rate rose. Consumer spending is important because it accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. Americans borrowed more on their credit cards in December, likely to buy holiday gifts. A measure of that debt increased by $2.8 billion. But the bulk of December's increase was because consumers took out more auto loans and student loans. The category that includes both rose by $16.6 billion. Gregory Daco, an economist at Global Insight, said that the consumer sector was still facing significant problems. "Despite recent good economic news from the January employment report and business surveys, euphoria should be tempered by still-high unemployment, still-high levels of debt and still-low household wealth," Daco said. Published: Thu, Feb 9, 2012