Debt surged and household net worth tumbled in the first three months of the year as the initial impact of the coronavirus pandemic hit, according to Federal Reserve data released Thursday.
Total domestic nonfinancial debt jumped by 11.7% to $55.9 trillion, the Fed said in its quarterly statement on domestic financial accounts. Debt had increased by 3.2% in Q4 of 2019.
At the same time, plunging stock market values took a bite out of net worth, which fell $7.4 trillion to $110.8 trillion. Wall Street, however, staged a sharp recovery off its March lows, so much of that loss likely has been made up.
