Americans Concerned About Interest Rate Hikes, Mark Volatility, Survey Shows
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate hike and a rocky start to the year in global financial markets is hurting consumer confidence, according to a new survey. It showed that, on average, American believe there is a 36% chance the U.S. economy will fall into a recession this year. The COUNTRY Financial ... Read More »
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate hike and a rocky start to the year in global financial markets is hurting consumer confidence, according to a new survey. It showed that, on average, American believe there is a 36% chance the U.S. economy will fall into a recession this year.
The COUNTRY Financial Security Index, a survey of 1,000 American adults on personal financial security topics, revealed that many Americans are feeling uncertain about the state of the economy. They are unsure how the recent interest rate hike — as well as potential future increases — will influence both the economy and their personal finances.
This wariness comes on the heels of a slight dip in the most recent measure of overall financial security by COUNTRY Financial in December 2015. After reaching post-recession highs in June 2015, the Financial Security Index dipped from 66.9 to 66.6 following months of financial market volatility and interest rate uncertainty.
“While the Federal Reserve has taken its first steps in normalizing U.S. monetary policy, future rate hikes will be measured,” said Troy Frerichs, director of wealth management at COUNTRY Financial. “Right now we don’t view U.S. monetary policy as a major headwind for the U.S. economy in 2016. Despite the rocky start to the year in the financial markets, the U.S. economy continues to grow with strong support from the labor markets and low energy prices.”
Less than 20% of consumers surveyed believe raising interest rates in 2016 will help the U.S. economy, while even fewer (11%) believe it will benefit them personally. In contrast, many Americans have a negative outlook on interest rate increases, but an even larger group doesn’t know what to expect:
31% of Americans report that they “don’t know” what the Federal Reserve’s actions on interest rates will do to the economy
Nearly one in four (23 percent) don’t know how slowly raising interest rates will impact their personal financial situation
“While the Fed usually begins to raise short-term interest rates to keep the economy from overheating, the economy, in this instance, isn’t showing signs of excess and this is more of a normalization process of historically low rates,” said Frerichs. “Initially consumers won’t be deterred from buying homes or cars simply because of this initial rate hike. Financing costs are still very low.”
When the Federal Reserve increased interest rates at its December 2015 meeting, it was the first exposure to an interest rate increase for many millennials. According to COUNTRY Financial, 40% of millennials are unsure how rising rates will impact the economy and 32% do not know how rising rates will influence their own financial situation.
However, more than half of millennials believe that the likelihood of rising interest rates will matter when it comes to making major purchases, such as buying a car or home.
“The initial rate hike was more important for headlines than for the health of the economy, and the economy will need to continue to show improvement for the Fed to keep raising interest rates,” Frerichs noted. “A strong economy should buffer concerns about rising interest rates, especially given the current levels of interest rates.”
More Industry

Penske Auto Group Deal a Record
The deal to take the dealership and transportation services company private sets a new pace for industry buy-sell transactions.
Read More →
War Toll a Damper on Used Auto Prices
Cox Automotive found wholesale depreciation to be elevated in September amid high fuel prices and this year's unusual hurricane season.
Read More →
Bridge the Maintenance Gap
With many drivers missing recommended maintenance, service departments offering transparency and efficiency have a better chance of reaching financially strained consumers.
Read More →
California Store Has New Owner
The longtime dealership in the northern part of the state is known for robust fleet sales and has served the state capital for 115 years.
Read More →
BMW Plant Pursues Cleaner Energy
BMW Group Plant Leipzig has utilized hydrogen to help power its production since 2013, but a new pipeline is planned to take it to another level.
Read More →
Auto Affordability Inches Up
The latest Cox Automotive and Moody’s Analytics index shows a slight increase in new-vehicle affordability despite high prices.
Read More →
Ohio Auto Group Under New Ownership
After 79 years with the Schluter family, Mansfield Auto Group has been acquired by Missouri-based Clement Auto Group.
Read More →
RV Group Expands Carolina Footprint
Blue Compass RV Columbia Northeast is the 13th RV dealership owned by Blue Compass in the Carolinas.
Read More →
Agent Acumen
An Agent Summit panel of people who’ve been supporting auto dealers for years gave both timely and timeless advice for those starting out or mulling the prospect.
Read More →
Missed Maintenance Creates Opportunity
As families get back on the road and into daily school routines, service drives have an opportunity to capture customers who are behind on recommended vehicle maintenance.
Read More →