EASY BEING US:

Americans' Net Worth Increases (JEFF BATER and LUCA DI LEO, 12/10/09, WSJ)

The net worth of Americans rose for the second consecutive time during the third quarter, the U.S. Federal Reserve said in a report Thursday, an important step toward restoring the spending power of U.S. consumers.

The Fed said total net worth of households increased 5.0% in the July-to-September period, to $53.42 trillion from $50.76 trillion in the second quarter.