Jan 17, 2012

Marketplace Index for Tuesday, January 17, 2012

A credit-reporting agency crunched the numbers and found that Americans cut their credit card balances by 11 percent in 2011 to an average of $6,576. Lynn Franco, the director of the Consumer Research Center at the Conference Board, points out an annual average doesn't tell the whole story. And the Daily Pulse is up today on news that many Americans may finally be ready for a new car in 2012. According to a recent study, the average age of our cars hit an all-time high of 10.8 years in 2011, and that could mean Americans are ready for a new ride sooner rather than later.

Segments From this episode

Daily Pulse

Age of U.S. cars hits record high 10.8 years

by Joel Patterson

Jan 17, 2012

Experts see bright days ahead for the auto industry as Americans look to replace their clunkers in droves.

Americans paying down on credit card debt

by David Brancaccio

Jan 17, 2012

Americans cut their credit card balances by 11 percent in 2011, bringing the national average balance down to $6576.

A credit-reporting agency crunched the numbers and found that Americans cut their credit card balances by 11 percent in 2011 to an average of $6,576. Lynn Franco, the director of the Consumer Research Center at the Conference Board, points out an annual average doesn’t tell the whole story. And the Daily Pulse is up today on news that many Americans may finally be ready for a new car in 2012. According to a recent study, the average age of our cars hit an all-time high of 10.8 years in 2011, and that could mean Americans are ready for a new ride sooner rather than later.