Booming luxury travel and a jump in ‘relief’ loans

Booming luxury travel and a jump in ‘relief’ loans

At American Express, consumers are continuing to open high-fee credit cards and splurge on luxuries like travel. But for lending firm Upstart, there’s a strong interest in microloans as cash-strapped Americans try to scrape by. That juxtaposition underscores the growing picture of bifurcation among income brackets in America. And adds to an increasingly popular view … Read more

Laid-off techies struggle to find jobs with cuts at highest since 2001

Laid-off techies struggle to find jobs with cuts at highest since 2001

The Google office in New York on February 2, 2023. Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images Allison Croisant, a data scientist with about a decade of experience in technology, was laid off by PayPal earlier this year, joining the masses of unemployed across her industry. Croisant has one word to describe the process of … Read more

Affirm’s stock quintupled this year, beating all tech peers

Affirm’s stock quintupled this year, beating all tech peers

Drew Angerer / Getty ImagesĀ  A year ago, there was little holiday cheer at Affirm. The point-of-sale lender was confronting rising interest rates, recession fears and weakening consumer spending. Affirm shares ended 2022 down 90%, wiping out billions of dollars in market value. Affirm investors are wrapping up 2023 in a much different mood. The … Read more