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Personal Finance

Holiday Shoppers Brace for 2026 Payments on Record BNPL Loans

Photo via Richard B. Levine/Newscom

Brace for the bill: Shoppers put $10 billion worth of purchases on buy now, pay later plans in November and $1 billion just on Cyber Monday.

2 min read

Photo via Florian Gaertner/picture alliance / photothek.de/Newscom

Consumer

Online Shoppers, Say Goodbye to Free Returns

In the US, 72% of merchants charge for at least some return options, up from 66% last year, according to a recent report.

1 min read
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Consumer

Another No Good, Very Bad Year for Retail Stores

As of early December, US retail store closures were up 13.2% from the same period in 2024, according to a report from Coresight Research.

1 min read
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Personal Finance

Lagging 401(k) Balances Give Gen Xers Retirement FOMO

The group born from roughly 1965 to 1980, Gen Xers are the test subjects in America’s experiment of replacing pensions with 401(k) plans.

5 min read
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Private Equity

Exit Strategizing: Private Equity Carries Record Backlog of Companies into 2026

Despite a recent pickup in dealmaking, the industry is sitting on a backlog of at least 31,000 companies valued at $3.7 trillion.

1 min read
Photo via Richard B. Levine/Newscom

Consumer

Consumer Spending Surge Sets Stage for Year-End Market Rally

Commerce Department data released this week showed US GDP rose 4.3% in the third quarter, with the American consumer to thank for it.

2 min read
Photo via Vernon Yuen/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Media & Entertainment

Video Game Console Sales Lag Behind Previous Holiday High Scores

Holiday-season console sales haven’t been this soft since kids found original Sony Playstations under their Christmas trees back in 1995.

2 min read

ETF Upside

VanEck Ties Latest Funds to Positive Analyst Sentiment

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Allocations will go toward companies that exhibit favorable future estimates of cash flow, earnings per share, price targets and sales.

2 min read

Patent Drop

Glimpse into the future of technology.

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Google Patent Highlights AI and Quantum’s Symbiotic Relationship
Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The Time and Place for AI Code Generators
Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Into the Future: The Patent Drop Highlight Reel
Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Amazon Tries to Help Alexa Get Personal

Finance

Trian, General Catalyst Scoop Up Janus Henderson for $7.4 Billion

Photo via Kris Tripplaar/Sipa USA/Newscom

Trian and General Catalyst said going private will free the firm “from the constraints of operating as a public company.”

2 min read

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