As the final bells of the 2025 holiday shopping season ring out this Christmas Eve, the financial markets are closely dissecting a paradox of record-breaking spending and underlying consumer exhaustion. Mastercard (NYSE: MA) reported that U.S. retail sales (excluding automotive) rose a steady 3.9% year-over-year between November 1
As the United States heads into the final week of 2025, a sobering milestone has cast a shadow over the holiday season. Total U.S. household debt has surged to a record $18.59 trillion (frequently rounded to $18.6 trillion) in the third quarter of 2025. This staggering figure,
As the final full trading week of 2025 unfolds, the traditional end-of-year "quiet tape" is proving to be anything but silent. Despite the holiday-shortened schedule and trading volumes plummeting to nearly 50% of their annual averages, a series of high-stakes economic data releases and corporate breakthroughs have injected unexpected volatility
As the 2025 holiday season reaches its crescendo, Visa (NYSE:V) has emerged as a dual-threat powerhouse, leveraging resilient consumer spending and a groundbreaking leap into blockchain-based settlement infrastructure. Preliminary data released on December 23, 2025, indicates a 4.2% year-over-year increase in U.S. holiday retail spending, a figure
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping customer loyalty programs within the convenience store sector, moving beyond rudimentary point systems to deliver hyper-personalized offers and insights. This paradigm shift, driven by advanced data analysis and predictive capabilities, promises to redefine customer engagement, boost retention, and significantly enhance the overall shopping experience. The immediate significance lies in enabling [...]
Mastercard has been treading water for the past six months, holding steady at $570.97. The stock also fell short of the S&P 500’s 14.4% gain during that period.
Action on Visa stock was busy in Thursday's trading. Share volume was nearly double its 30-day average, and options volume was almost three times the monthly average. More importantly, its unusual options activity offers three ways for investors to p...
We've seen some sky-high valuations among AI companies lately, and it appears that Anthropic wants to use investor optimism to go public as early as next year.
