U.S. household debt jumps to $16.90 trillion

(Reuters) – U.S. household debt jumped to a record $16.90 trillion from October through December last year, the largest quarterly increase in 20 years, as mortgage and credit card balances surged amid high inflation and rising interest rates, a Federal Reserve report showed on Thursday.

（路透社）——美联储周四的一份报告显示，由于高通胀和利率上升导致抵押贷款和信用卡余额激增，去年 10 月至 12 月美国家庭债务跃升至创纪录的 16.90 万亿美元，这是 20 年来最大的季度增幅.

Household debt, which rose by $394 billion last quarter, is now $2.75 trillion higher than just before the COVID-19 pandemic began while the increase in credit card balances last December from one year prior was the largest since records began in 1999, the New York Feds quarterly household debt report also said.

上个季度家庭债务增加了 3940 亿美元，现在比 covid-19 大流行开始前高出 2.75 万亿美元，而去年 12 月信用卡余额较一年前的增幅是自 1999 年有记录以来的最大增幅，纽约美联储季度家庭债务报告也称。

Mortgage debt increased by $254 billion to $11.92 trillion at the end of December, according to the report, while mortgage originations fell to $498 billion, representing a return to levels last seen in 2019.

报告称，截至 12 月底，抵押贷款债务增加了 2540 亿美元，达到 11.92 万亿美元，而抵押贷款发放额下降至 4980 亿美元，回到了 2019 年的最低水平。

Meanwhile credit card balances increased by $61 billion in the fourth quarter while auto loan balances rose by $28 billion, the report said.

与此同时，报告称，第四季度信用卡余额增加了 610 亿美元，而汽车贷款余额增加了 280 亿美元。

Much of the rise in overall debt can be attributed to a tumultuous 2022 in which the U.S. central bank raised its benchmark interest rate from near zero last March to more than 4% by the end of December, the fastest pace of monetary tightening since the early 1980s, as it fought to quash an inflation rate that had surged to a 40-year high.

整体债务的增加在很大程度上可归因于动荡的 2022 年，美国中央银行将基准利率从去年 3 月的接近零上调至 12 月底的 4% 以上，这是自年初以来最快的货币紧缩步伐1980 年代，当时它正在努力遏制飙升至 40 年来最高水平的通货膨胀率。

The aim has been to dampen demand in order to sap heat from the economy, which early last year was severely out of balance with too much money chasing too few properties and goods, and labor shortages in various sectors.

目的是抑制需求以消散经济的热度，去年年初经济严重失衡，资金过多追逐过少的财产和商品，以及各个部门的劳动力短缺。

Russias invasion of Ukraine also caused a spike in food and energy costs around the world.

俄罗斯入侵乌克兰也导致全球食品和能源成本飙升。

While the interest rate increases immediately cooled the interest-rate sensitive housing market by jacking up the cost of mortgages and healing supply chains have improved the flow of some goods, the labor market remains unusually tight with the unemployment rate in January reaching the lowest level since 1969.

虽然加息通过抬高抵押贷款成本和修复供应链改善了一些商品的流动，立即冷却了对利率敏感的房地产市场，但劳动力市场仍然异常紧张，1 月份的失业率达到自以来的最低水平1969.

Delinquency rates rose too for credit cards, auto loans and mortgages although the overall share of debt in arrears by more than 90 days still remains below pre-pandemic levels for now. However, younger borrowers appear to be struggling more to make repayments for both credit card and auto loans.

信用卡、汽车贷款和抵押贷款的拖欠率也有所上升，但目前拖欠 90 天以上的债务的总体比例仍低于大流行前的水平。然而，年轻的借款人似乎更难以偿还信用卡和汽车贷款。

“Although historically low unemployment has kept consumer‘s financial footing generally strong, stubbornly high prices and climbing interest rates may be testing some borrowers’ ability to repay their debts,” said Wilbert van der Klaauw, an economic research advisor at the New York Fed.

纽约联邦储备银行经济研究顾问威尔伯特·范德克劳表示：“尽管处于历史低位的失业率使消费者的财务基础总体上保持强劲，但居高不下的物价和攀升的利率可能正在考验一些借款人偿还债务的能力。”

The Fed has since raised its policy rate again and it is now currently in a target range between 4.50% and 4.75%, with investors seeing at least two more 25 basis point hikes as likely before the Fed pauses to give time for its actions to permeate through the economy in order to reduce the risk of it tipping into recession.

美联储此后再次上调政策利率，目前处于 4.50% 至 4.75% 的目标区间，投资者认为在美联储暂停以使其行动有时间渗透之前至少有可能再上调两次 25 个基点通过经济，以减少它陷入衰退的风险。

(Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

（lindsay dunsmuir 报道；andrea ricci 编辑）