The Indicator from Planet Money · Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Investors in the US stock market are increasingly using margin trading, with total borrowing reaching an all-time record of over $1.5 trillion, a 50% increase from the previous year. This amount of margin debt now exceeds the total outstanding credit card debt in the United States.
“Investors in the US stock market are making a lot of these margin trades these days. The total amount of borrowing is at an all-time record level over $1.5 trillion. That's up by 50% from a year ago.”
“The amount of margin debt at US brokerages is now greater than the total amount of American credit card debt. More money is being borrowed to play with the stock market than we've raked up on our AMXs.”