Rate Questions

From: Josh Kalish (joshua.nospam.kalish_at_verizon.nospam.net)
Date: 12/19/04 

Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2004 23:09:44 GMT

Does anyone know:

1. When people talk about the US savings rate, do they mean long-term
deposits? Do they include things like muni bonds? What about investments,
like stocks? Or holding hard assets? Does anyone know how the official
definition defines this (as used in government surveys)?

2. When people talk about the high rate of American indebetness, people
often object that they are not including all of the revolving debt as people
no longer use cash, but instead use their credit cards. This, it is agued,
makes it look like there is more debt than there really is. Does anyone
know how this is computed?

Thanks,

Josh