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The Asset Price Meltdown, Rising Leverage, and the Wealth of the Middle Class

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  • Edward Wolff

Abstract

This article investigates wealth trends from 1983 to 2010. The most telling finding is that median wealth plummeted by 47 percent over the years from 2007 to 2010. The inequality of net worth, following two decades of little movement, was up sharply between 2007 and 2010. Relative indebtedness continued to expand during the late 2000s for the middle class, although the proximate causes were declining net worth and income, rather than an increase in absolute indebtedness. In fact, the average debt of the middle class in real terms was down by 25 percent. The sharp fall in median net worth and the rise in its inequality from 2007 to 2010 are traceable to the high leverage of middle class families and the high relative importance of homes in their portfolio.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward Wolff, 2013. "The Asset Price Meltdown, Rising Leverage, and the Wealth of the Middle Class," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(2), pages 333-342.
    • Handle: RePEc:mes:jeciss:v:47:y:2013:i:2:p:333-342
    DOI: 10.2753/JEI0021-3624470205
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    Cited by:

    1. Elinder, Mikael & Erixson, Oscar & Waldenström, Daniel, 2018. "Inheritance and wealth inequality: Evidence from population registers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 17-30.
    2. Russell Davidson, 2018. "Statistical Inference on the Canadian Middle Class," Econometrics, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Filip Chybalski, 2022. "Intergenerational income distribution before and after the great recession: winners and losers," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(3), pages 311-327, September.
    4. Thomas Fischer, 2017. "Can Redistribution by Means of a Progressive Labor Income-Taxation Transfer System Increase Financial Stability?," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 20(2), pages 1-3.
    5. Balcilar, Mehmet & Berisha, Edmond & Gupta, Rangan & Pierdzioch, Christian, 2021. "Time-varying evidence of predictability of financial stress in the United States over a century: The role of inequality," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 87-92.
    6. Maude Pugliese & Céline Le Bourdais & Shelley Clark, 2021. "Credit Card Debt and the Provision of Financial Support to Kin in the US," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 616-632, December.
    7. Jacob Lundberg & Daniel Waldenström, 2018. "Wealth Inequality in Sweden: What can we Learn from Capitalized Income Tax Data?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 64(3), pages 517-541, September.
    8. Di Muzio, Tim & Robbins, Richard H., 2015. "Debt As Power," EconStor Books, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 161429.
    9. Thanh Cong Nguyen, 2022. "The effects of financial crisis on income inequality," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(6), November.
    10. Mathieu Dufour & Özgür Orhangazi, 2016. "Growth and distribution after the 2007–2008 US financial crisis: who shouldered the burden of the crisis?," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 4(2), pages 151-174, April.
    11. María del Rosario Ruiz Hernández. & Leonardo Adalberto Gatica., 2021. "Efectos de la gran recesión sobre la distribución del ingreso en México. (The Effects of the Great Recession on the Income Distribution in Mexico)," Ensayos Revista de Economia, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Economia, vol. 0(1), pages 55-88, May.
    12. Timothy Bates & Alicia Robb, 2015. "Has the Community Reinvestment Act increased loan availability among small businesses operating in minority neighbourhoods?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 52(9), pages 1702-1721, July.
    13. Bodea, Cristina & Houle, Christian & Kim, Hyunwoo, 2021. "Do financial crises increase income inequality?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    14. Koddenbrock, Kai, 2017. "What money does: An inquiry into the backbone of capitalist political economy," MPIfG Discussion Paper 17/9, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    15. Benoit Mahault & Avadh Saxena & Cristiano Nisoli, 2017. "Emergent inequality and self-organized social classes in a network of power and frustration," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-23, February.

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