Despite rising gasoline prices, SUV sales topped three million in 1999, up from 909,925 in 1991. Corks pop The booming economy put many Americans in a mood to splurge. Champagne sales to retailers bubbled from 945,000 cases in 1991 to an estimated 1.7 million in 1999, according to the Impact Databank. The jewelry sector is sparkling, too. Sales rose 45 percent from 1991 to 1998, the Census Bureau found.
Homes grow The size of the average new home has expanded along with the economy.
Square footage grew 5.5 percent from 1991 to 1998, says the National Association of Home Builders. Some 16 percent of houses are now built with garages for three or more cars. Stocks jump The bull market has drawn more Americans into stock ownership. Nearly 49 percent of US households owned equities last year, up from 36 percent in 1992, according to the Investment Company Institute. The same study found that 11 percent of investors traded over the Internet during 1998.