In the past two decades the widely reported personal saving rate in the United States has dropped from double digits to below zero. First, we attempt to account for the decline in the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) saving rate. The macroeconomic literature suggests that about half...

In the past two decades the widely reported personal saving rate in the United States has dropped from double digits to below zero. First, we attempt to account for the decline in the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) saving rate. The macroeconomic literature suggests that about half...

The aggregate saving indicator does not directly reflect changes in individuals' microeconomic behavior. From the official statistics' point of view, households choosebetween spending, which generates additional income and consumption in the economy, and setting money aside, which does not....

The aggregate saving indicator does not directly reflect changes in individuals’ microeconomic behavior. From the official statistics’ point of view, households choose between spending, which generates additional income and consumption in the economy, and setting money aside, which does not....

We evaluate official saving rate measures in light of the recent decline of NIPA personal saving to effectively zero. We find, like others, that official saving measures are not representative of basic economic concepts, and that various adjusted measures of saving have moved in markedly...