US household net worth was $77 trillion as of the end of Q3, up $1.9T Q/Q. In the third quarter, the value of corporate equities and mutual funds owned by households expanded $917 billion and the value of residential real estate owned by households increased about $428 billion. As a byproduct/result, household "deleveraging" is leveling off. With the recovery in household wealth that has taken place over the past two years, the personal saving rate is now better aligned with its historical relation to wealth. Household mortgage debt increased at a 0.9% rate, the first increase since the recession, which helped to flip the household sector from a net lender to a net borrower for the first time since 2007. ( Read More... )