When leverage is already high, however, even steady credit growth may be dangerous.
Much has happened since February: house prices have continued to dive south; losses have spilled across financial institutions, and some have gone under, unprecedented levels of government money have been made available to steady credit markets.
In Sweden, a steady credit expansion through the late 1980s led to a property boom.
But in 2008, taxi officials began noticing a trend: Cab business was staying steady, and credit card use was on the rise.
They have great credit, steady incomes and a good-size down payment at hand, having recently sold their one-bedroom Chelsea apartment for cash.
The bond and loan markets do, of course, matter quite a bit to companies and to individuals, because no economy can run without a steady supply of credit.
Private equity needs willing investors, access to credit, steady economic growth (so that the debt can be repaid) and rising asset markets (so that acquired companies can be sold again).But conditions are now less favourable.
They do, however, emphasize some caveats, including the stubbornly high unemployment rate (New York City's rate is marginally lower than the national average, and it has been on a steady decline), tight credit and an overall economy that is not exactly poised to fuel an imminent housing comeback.
Once a steady stream of credit card numbers come in, the hackers will sell the data — often on the dark web, making it easier to hide their activities from the law.
But when your income is steady, and your credit card bills are still swelling with smaller charges, it may be time to take a closer look at where your money is going.
THE company has credited steady growth in sales of Dockers, its casual men's clothing brand, with offsetting erosion in blue-jean sales.
