WASHINGTON -- The Dow roared to a record Tuesday. Yet the market's run-up feels worlds away from the lives of many Americans.
Wages have only recently started to recover after months of declines that stretched family budgets thin. Unemployment is stuck near 8 percent, high enough that most Americans still know people who are out of work. Signs of a housing recovery have boosted stocks, yet millions of people face foreclosure.Here are reasons why many Americans don't share Wall Street's cork-popping mood:Fewer people have money invested in the stock market, so many missed out on the rally.Americans sold more stocks than they bought for a fifth straight year in 2012, despite unprecedented efforts by the Federal Reserve to juice the market and encourage investment. Americans have sold hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of stock -- the first time on record that's happened during a sustained bull market.Wages are stagnant and incomes are shrinking.The weak job market is limiting pay. With so many applicants to choose among, employers need not compete for workers by boosting salaries.Hourly wages increased 2.1 percent last year, barely enough to keep up with inflation. Median household incomes fell 4.8 percent between June 2009 and June 2012, after adjusting for inflation.The Social Security tax break is no more.Nearly 80 percent of working Americans are taking home less pay because of a tax hike that took effect on Jan. 1. The last-minute deal between Congress and President Barack Obama to extend some lower tax rates failed to renew a reduction in Social Security payroll taxes. So the rate increased to 6.2 percent from 4.2 percent.The extra 2 percentage points will cost someone making $50,000 about $1,000 a year, and a household with two high-paid workers up to $4,500.Housing may have hit bottom, but it hasn't fully recovered.In a healthy housing market, builders start work on about 1.5 million houses and apartments a year. Last year, they began 780,000. That's a 41 percent increase from 2009, but not enough to revive big industries like construction that rely on the production of new homes.Home price gains also suggest a slow, uneven healing process. Prices nationwide remain about 30 percent below the peak reached in mid-2006.For many Americans, their home is their most valuable asset. When it loses value, they feel less wealthy.Despite recent gains, hiring remains slow. The unemployment rate is 7.9 percent, better than the 10 percent peak during the recession but still well above the 5 percent that policymakers strive for during good times.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
