{"id":56974,"date":"2025-12-05T16:38:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T20:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-consumer-credit-falls-below-estimates-in-october-tech-giants-face-renewed-scrutiny\/56974\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:38:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T20:38:48","slug":"us-consumer-credit-falls-below-estimates-in-october-tech-giants-face-renewed-scrutiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-consumer-credit-falls-below-estimates-in-october-tech-giants-face-renewed-scrutiny\/56974\/","title":{"rendered":"US Consumer Credit Falls Below Estimates in October; Tech Giants Face Renewed Scrutiny"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>U.S. consumer credit increased by $9.18 billion in October 2025, significantly missing analyst expectations of $11.80 billion and falling from September&#39;s $13.09 billion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Total U.S. consumer debt reached $18.09 trillion as of October 2025, marking a 2.9% increase year-over-year.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Republican Attorneys General launched a probe in May 2025 into Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) and Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) over their handling of Chinese-owned applications like TikTok and Deep Seek, citing data privacy concerns and federal law.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>U.S. consumer credit saw a notable slowdown in October 2025, with a reported increase of <strong>$9.18 billion<\/strong>. This figure came in below the market&#39;s estimated <strong>$11.80 billion<\/strong> and represented a decrease from the <strong>$13.09 billion<\/strong> recorded in September 2025, indicating a potential cooling in consumer borrowing.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, total U.S. consumer debt reached <strong>$18.09 trillion<\/strong> by October 2025, reflecting a <strong>2.9%<\/strong> rise compared to the same period last year. Within this, outstanding bankcard balances climbed to <strong>$1.08 trillion<\/strong>, an increase of <strong>3.7%<\/strong> year-over-year, while auto loans and leases saw a <strong>1.3%<\/strong> rise to <strong>$1.685 trillion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, tech giants Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) and Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>), the parent company of Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>), continue to face scrutiny over app-related issues. In May 2025, Republican Attorneys General initiated a probe into both companies concerning their distribution of Chinese-owned applications such as TikTok and Deep Seek. The inquiry focuses on potential violations of state consumer protection laws and the &quot;Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,&quot; raising ongoing data privacy concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways U.S. consumer credit increased by $9.18 billion in October 2025, significantly missing analyst expectations of $11.80 billion and 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