1.   But in the real world, credit was still getting tighter.

2.   Consumers, meanwhile, want to keep their big-ticket purchases and hold on to their credit cards, even when credit gets them into trouble.

3.   Credits have gotten longer, she says, because films are growing more technical, and because music rights have grown more complicated.

4.   If credit does get tighter, that will have a dampening effect on the economy.

5.   Others, though, read the stampede of premier companies to issue debt as a sign that credit is getting tight.

6.   They fail to see a gain in profits from new investment, no matter how cheap credit gets.

7.   On top of this, credit got tight and governments had less money to spend, the study said.