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ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Nasdaq employee works at his computer at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York, on Feb. 14.
WASHINGTON >> A soaring U.S. stock market and healthy home price gains lifted Americans’ net worth to $98.7 trillion in the final three months of last year, a gain that could lift household spending.
The Federal Reserve says the value of U.S. stock portfolios jumped $1.3 trillion in the October-December quarter compared with the previous three months. Home values, which make up the bulk of middle-class wealth, increased $500 billion.
The figures are at a record high, though they are not adjusted for inflation or population growth. They predate February’s sharp gyrations in the stock market, though stock market indexes are still up about 2 percent this year.
The solid gain in wealth could make many Americans more confident and lead them to spend more, which typically fuels economic growth.
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