The COVID-19 shock and consumer credit: Evidence from credit card data.
J Bank Financ
; 152: 106854, 2023 Jul.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2296599
ABSTRACT
We study the dynamic effect of the COVID-19 shock on credit card use in 2020. Local case incidence had a strong negative effect on credit card spending in the early months of the pandemic, which diminished over time. This time-varying pattern was driven by the fear of the virus, rather than government support programs, consistent with the "pandemic fatigue" of consumers. Local pandemic severity also had a strong effect on credit card repayments. These spending and repayment effects offset each other, resulting in no effect on credit card borrowing, consistent with credit-smoothing behavior. The local stringency of nonpharmaceutical interventions also had a negative effect on spending and repayments, albeit smaller in magnitude. We conclude that the pandemic itself was a more important driver of changes in credit card use than the public health policy response.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
J Bank Financ
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.jbankfin.2023.106854
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS