Importance:

Definition: The Personal Saving Rate (PSR) is the fraction of personal income that is not consumed. Is is in the 4% range in the United States.
 

Related Indicators:  It is closely related to the concept of consumption.
 

Source: Department of Commerce, BEA, NIPA dataset.

Frequency: Quarterly, revised monthly. The PSR for a given quarter is released together with the GDP figures  in the first month following a quarter as the "advance estimate". The "preliminary estimate" is published in the second month, followed by the "revised" estimate in the third month.

Availability: Three to four weeks following the reported quarter
 
Direction:

Timing:

Volatility:

Likely Impact on Financial Markets:

Interest Rates: Larger-than-expected quarterly increase or increasing trend is considered inflationary, causing bond prices to drop and yields and interest rates to rise.

Stock Prices: ….

Exchange Rates: ....

The GDP report also includes inflation information: the implicit deflator, which measures price changes and changes in spending patterns, and the fixed-weight price deflator, which measures price changes for an established basket of over 5,000 goods and services.
 

WEB Links

Graphs of the latest personal savings rate data from The Economic Statistics Briefing Room of the White House

A table with the most recent Personal Savings data  from the BEA

The latest GDP report from BEA includes an analysis of the savings trends in the latest quarter

You can see Savings charts with the Economic Chart Dispenser

You can create customized consumption charts with the Economic Chart Maker  Tip: type "SAVINGS" in the Label section of the form and choose the transformation of the data you are interested in.

An analysis of the latest GDP report from First Union

An Analysis of the GDP report from Morgan Stanley's Stephen Roach