By Doug Barrett Apr 11, 2021 3:56 PM Americans are proving remarkably reliable in how they are spending their federal stimulus payments. The New York Federal Reserve released a study this week that showed Americans are using most of the money for paying down debt and for savings, with a smaller portion going to actual spending. According to the report, households, on average, are using or plan to use about 41.6% of the latest relief payment toward savings, 33.7% toward debt and 24.7% for spending. The percentage for each category has stayed relatively stable for each of the three rounds of payments.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications increased by 16,000 from 728,000 a week earlier.