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ck4829

(35,900 posts)
Sun Jun 5, 2022, 03:12 AM Jun 2022

There's a vastly overlooked factor that's stoking record inflation: Rich people

Perhaps the most overlooked engine fueling inflation is the "wealth effect," the extra spending from Americans feeling flush as their stock portfolios and home prices jumped by trillions during a tag-team, Olympic sprint for both. By far the biggest share of the extra outlays on the likes of new cars, home improvements, and laptops comes from America's top income tiers. Besides opening their wallets as their net worth swelled, those high-earners—who own the most expensive houses—tapped the fast-rising value of their manses as ATM-style fonts for cash. The sudden spike in their nest eggs and their cash-out refis keep the cohort spending at rates far faster than before the pandemic struck. And because that elite group accounts for such a huge share of overall consumption, it's also a leading, and widely ignored, force in driving inflation that reached 7.5% in the January CPI reading, the highest level in four decades.

Put simply, the well-to-do, hugely compensated Americans contributing greatly to soaring prices is the class least damaged by the rampant inflation. So far, higher prices don't seem to bother them and have done nothing to curb their record shopping spree. If deep-pocketed families feel the inflation pinch at some point, they harbor plenty of wiggle room to trim back by shortening vacations, ordering fewer features on a new Chevy Suburban, or dining out once instead of twice a week.

https://fortune.com/2022/02/16/record-inflation-fed-outlook-wealth-effect/

Billionaires cause inflation? I'd say they are a factor.

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There's a vastly overlooked factor that's stoking record inflation: Rich people (Original Post) ck4829 Jun 2022 OP
February was a long time ago Shermann Jun 2022 #1
Well, there's a lot of catch-up to do ck4829 Jun 2022 #2

Shermann

(8,636 posts)
1. February was a long time ago
Sun Jun 5, 2022, 06:17 AM
Jun 2022

We're well into a bear market at this point. So much for those stock portfolio gains. And the rich don't take equity out of their rising home values at every opportunity like the lower class.

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