**Consumer companies from Levi’s to Target brace for a hit from student loan repayments**.
New York – Consumer companies are bracing for a potential hit to sales as millions of Americans prepare to resume making student loan payments after a nearly three-year pause..
The Biden administration announced in August that the暂停还款of federal student loans, which was first implemented in March 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, would end on Dec. 31. Payments are set to resume in January, and experts say the end of the moratorium could have a ripple effect on the economy..
One area that is likely to be affected is consumer spending. A recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that households with student loan debt spend less money on other goods and services when they are making payments..
This could be a particular concern for retailers, which have been struggling to keep up with inflation and rising interest rates. A decline in consumer spending could further weigh on the retail sector, which is already facing headwinds..
