US groups Amex and Visa reported last week an increase in credit card payment volumes of 7 to 8% in their results for the fourth quarter of 2022. It confirms the increase in consumer credit from more than 27.962 billion dollars to 4.757 billion dollars at the end November (according to the latest Fed figures available). From there to envisioning a black scenario, marked by payment defaults by American households, there is only one step, while their savings rate has fallen and interest rates have continued their course towards 5%. The US Federal Reserve (Fed) is expected to announce a further increase in its key rate on Wednesday, expected at 0.25%.
