Finance news

The pace of borrowing by U.S. consumers increased in January for the first time in four months as rising joblessness caused Americans to pull out their credit cards to take advantage of post-holiday discounts.

Consumer credit unexpectedly rose by $1.76 billion, or 0.8 percent at an annual rate, to $2.56 trillion, the Federal Reserve said today in Washington. Credit decreased by $7.48 billion in December and a record $9.13 billion in November, more than previously estimated in both months. The Fed’s report doesn’t cover borrowing secured by real estate.

The value of car and truck loans rose 0.7 percent while deep discounts at retailers such as Limited Brands Inc. and Macy’s Inc. boosted consumer spending in January for the first time in seven months. Still, the gains in credit and spending may be short-lived as payrolls drop and banks remain reluctant to lend.

“Consumer credit bounced in January on the heels of sharp declines in November and December,” Steven Wood, president of Insight Economics LLC in Danville, California, said in a note to clients. Overall, Wood said, “consumers are deleveraging along with the rest of the economy, which “does not bode well for real consumer spending in the months ahead.”

Economists had forecast consumer credit would drop $5 billion in January, according to the median of 27 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Projections ranged from an $8.1 billion drop to a gain of $3.2 billion.

Revolving debt such as credit cards increased by $926.5 million. Non-revolving debt, including auto loans and mobile home loans, rose by $830.2 million.

Consumer Spending

Other reports indicated consumer spending improved in the first two months of the year as Americans seized on retailers’ discounts. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., TJX Cos. and Aeropostale Inc. yesterday reported better-than-anticipated February sales free instant credit reports.

Retailers had less merchandise left over from the holidays in February and offered new spring items, bringing more people out to shop than the month before, Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. analyst Richard Jaffe said.

Retail Metrics, a researcher, said U.S. comparable-store sales rose 0.7 percent in February, better than the 1.1 percent decline analysts had estimated and the first positive result since September. The outcome was helped mostly by Wal-Mart, Retail Metrics President Ken Perkins said.

Still, the unemployment rate jumped in February to 8.1 percent, the highest level in more than a quarter century, the Labor Department said today, a surge likely to send more people into bankruptcy and force further cutbacks in consumer spending.

‘Remained Tight’

Payrolls fell by 651,000. Losses have now exceeded 600,000 for three straight months, the first time that’s happened since the data began in 1939. Revisions to the previous two months lopped off an additional 161,000 positions.

Lending fell across the U.S. and credit availability “remained tight” over the last two months, the Fed said March 4 in its regional business survey.

More than 8.3 million U.S. mortgage holders owed more on their loans in the fourth quarter than their property was worth, First American CoreLogic said the same day. Households at or near negative equity account for a quarter of mortgage holders.

Declining U.S. auto sales in February indicate auto loans will drop. Sales slid to a 9.1 million annual pace during the month, the lowest rate since December 1981, according to Autodata Corp. The drop was led by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC.

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