COMMENTARY: Move over real estate, Wall St now drives US spending ↧ ↧ COMMENTARY: Move over real estate, Wall St now drives US spending U.S. household wealth rose at a record pace in the second quarter, thanks to an unprecedented rise in the value of equity holdings. This is good news for the economy, as it keeps the "wealth effect" burning bright, but it also means growth is increasingly vulnerable to a downturn on Wall Street.