Shares of Block fell more than 20% Friday (May 2), as slowing growth has prompted management to issue cautious guidance. As PYMNTS noted in its own coverage, there’s a bit of brand repositioning in the works, and a strong embrace of artificial intelligence (AI) to...
For several consumer-facing companies, the best thing that can be said is that households are cautious, or rather outright fearful, with tariffs as the catalyst. Many of these firms have been cautious as well, at least in the Wall Street give-and-take of offering guidance. They’re...
Consumer sentiment continues to be buffeted by tariffs and worries about inflation. Sentiment is souring so much that, as the University of Michigan found in its final reading for April, consumers think prices are going to increase at the fastest pace since 1981. The overall reading...
As earnings season kicked off last week, JPMorgan’s CFO Jeremy Barnum said on the conference call with analysts that consumers had been front-loading their spending ahead of anticipated price increases from tariffs. That scramble to buy goods showed up in the latest data on retails...
As seen in current events such as LVMH’s lackluster revenue picture announced Monday (April 14), which showed a decided pullback in luxury spending due to uncertainty in the economy, consumer spending patterns are changing. But know this: When the economy seems uncertain, consumers still get...
If consumer spending forms the foundation of the American economy, tariffs could represent an earthquake. That’s according to a report Saturday (April 12) by the Financial Times (FT), which said Americans are signaling financial stress as they prepare themselves for tariff-related price hikes. The report...
The latest data on consumer borrowing indicates that households pared back on debt — overall — in February amid headlines and uncertainty about tariffs. Spending on credit cards inched up, at an anemic pace. In the latest reading from the Federal Reserve, total credit slipped...
In recent years, the narrative of financial insecurity has predominantly centered on middle and lower-income groups. However, a subtle but significant shift is emerging among high-income earners, as economic pressures drive increasingly reactive financial behaviors. The latest research by PYMNTS Intelligence reveals that as of...
Flexibility is the best weapon against uncertainty, especially during times of economic uncertainty. We pivot in the face of inflation, adjust our discretionary spending, trade down or make trade-offs. And in this environment, some flexibility when we make the transactions themselves at the register or...