One of the industries that will be most keyed in on what the Fed does with interest rates is the automobile sector, which has used seven years of cheap rates to rebound after nearly capsizing during the financial crisis.
Outside of banks, autos are arguably the most rate-dependent business. Light vehicle sales have about doubled since the crisis lows, from just more than 9 million in February 2009 to just more than 18 million in November 2015. That’s still well below the 21.7 million peak in October 2001, but still a strong rebound.
