In late December, the Biden administration extended the pandemic-related pause on federal student loan payments until May 1, 2022. Now 42.9 million people with federal student loans are preparing for repayments to begin again. The likelihood that a large segment of your workforce will be impacted is high. A survey [...]
Education Tech Rises During Pandemic Throughout 2020 the number of web searches for “online courses” hit new heights as in-person classes were disrupted and traditional colleges shut down campuses nationwide. Educational technology companies have had a high level of success converting these web searches into paying customers. Chegg (CHGG), which [...]
With BNPL All the Rage, Alma Cashes In BNPL startups, also known as “buy now, pay later” companies, are attracting a significant amount of private investment capital across the world. Most recently, France-based Alma announced a $210 million round of fundraising involving both debt and equity financing. The three-year-old company [...]
Looking at the Beverage Giants’ Boosted Sales Both Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) reported increased sales for the most recently completed quarter. Looking at organic revenue, Coke’s sales grew by 9% largely in part to a 10% increase in prices. Meanwhile, PepsiCo credits sales of Frito-Lay products, as organic revenue [...]
Shadow of Pandemic Persists for Rideshare Companies As it did for so many business sectors, the post COVID-19 recovery for ride-hailing apps hit the brakes as Omicron accelerated across the world. To that end, industry giant Lyft (LYFT) reported weaker-than-expected revenue forecasts for the first quarter. Executives cited Omicron’s enduring [...]
The Betting Line on Oil Remember when oil prices went to negative $40/barrel in April 2020, and all market participants’ heads simultaneously exploded? Me too. Glad that’s over. Except now we’re on the opposite end of the spectrum. How high is too high? Oil prices (Brent Crude) have climbed 34% [...]
Refinance Candidates Are Getting Harder to Find For the time being mortgage rates remain historically low, which is a good thing for potential borrowers looking to purchase a home or refinance their loan. Still, the weekly average for 30-year mortgage rates gathered by Freddie Mac (FMCC) shows rates rose from [...]
Paying Up for Dinner, Flowers, and Jewelry Complaining about the increased cost of Valentine’s Day probably won’t cut you any slack with your significant other, but you’re not imagining things. A sampling of items associated with a Valentine’s Day date highlights why. Personal finance site The Balance notes the cost [...]
A Blockbuster Falls Apart In September 2020, US graphics chip giant NVIDIA (NVDA) agreed to purchase Arm Holdings from Japan’s SoftBank for $40 billion in what would have been the chip market’s biggest deal ever. Arm is based in the UK and is a chip-design specialist. The deal faced immediate [...]
The Pandemic Boom Has Fizzled Peloton (PTON) exploded in popularity and name recognition early on in the pandemic. With millions of people stuck at home and unable to partake in traditional exercise, the company’s bikes and virtual classes offered a combination of fitness and community. Peloton’s valuation rose significantly, but [...]
