Rise Of The Renting And Sharing Economy Could Have Catastrophic Ripple Effects - Business Insider
▻http://www.businessinsider.com/rise-of-the-renting-and-sharing-economy-2013-8?op=1
What’s to blame? A few main effects are at play here, according to the ConvergEx team: (1) the bursting of the housing bubble and the attendant rise in personal bankruptcies; (2) lower disposable incomes as wage growth in America remains elusive; and (3) the introduction of new apps and websites in the past few years that enable more renting and sharing opportunities.
“The potential impacts of renting/leasing as a long-term trend, though, are worrisome: Renting and sharing could lead to lower home sales (and, subsequently lower home values and net worths), as well as lower auto and retail sales,” write the strategists. “The ripple effects could also be catastrophic: Adjusting to a consumer who does not necessarily buy, but rather rents, would necessitate a shift in production, sales, and even employment structures. Everything interesting in economics happens at the margin, so if the nth consumer chooses to rent an apartment instead of buying a house or making do with a car-share program instead of purchasing a new vehicle, then demand for new houses and cars drops.”