Last week's economic news included readings on consumer credit, inflation and consumer sentiment. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and first-time jobless claims were also released. Fed Reports Consumer Credit Jumps in July The Federal Reserve reported that consumer credit rose from $9 billion in June to $17 billion in July. Analysts said a majority of consumer credit was issued for education loans and auto loans. June's reading was revised downward to $8.50 billion from the original … [Read more...]