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Has durable goods spending become less sensitive to interest rates?

Author

Listed:
  • John Carter Braxton
  • Willem Van Zandweghe

Abstract

Despite record-low interest rates, the pace of the current economic recovery has been only moderate. One reason is that the positive impact of lowered interest rates on consumer purchases of durable goods has diminished. Comparing the current economic recovery with those that followed the recessions of 1981-82, 1990-91 and 2001, Van Zandweghe and Braxton explore the way movements in key interest rates have affected consumer spending on durable goods. They find that if the boost from lowered interest rates to durable goods spending in the current recovery had stayed as strong as it was on average in previous recoveries, durable goods spending from the beginning of 2012 to midway through 2013 could have contributed almost half a percentage point more to the United States? quarterly GDP growth.

Suggested Citation

  • John Carter Braxton & Willem Van Zandweghe, 2013. "Has durable goods spending become less sensitive to interest rates?," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, issue Q IV, pages 5-27.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedker:00001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Mary A. Burke & Ali Ozdagli, 2023. "Household Inflation Expectations and Consumer Spending: Evidence from Panel Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 105(4), pages 948-961, July.
    2. Carola Conces Binder & Gillian Brunet, 2022. "Inflation expectations and consumption: Evidence from 1951," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(2), pages 954-974, April.
    3. Bhatt, Vipul & Kishor, N. Kundan, 2023. "(In)Stability of the relationship between relative expenditure and prices of durable and non-durable goods," MPRA Paper 117688, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Guangye Cao & Jonathan L. Willis, 2015. "Has the U.S. economy become less interest rate sensitive?," Macro Bulletin, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 1-3, July.
    5. Carola Binder, 2018. "Interest Rate Prominence In Consumer Decision‐Making," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(2), pages 875-894, April.

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