I. Background Credit cards have become a common form of payment. Average balances have increased and use of credit cards is more widespread across income groups (Yoo 1998). Figure 1 shows that outstanding credit card loans increased steeply during...
I. Housing in the National Economy Residential investment's share of GDP fell from about 6 percent in the early 1960s to 4 percent in the late 1990s (Figure 1). But more striking than any long-term trend is the sharp cyclical movement. Residential...
I. Savings, Investment, and the Current Account Simple national accounting identities help to shed light on the macroeconomic determinants of current account fluctuations. For this purpose, it is useful to start with the definition of a country's...