Core Insights - American Express Company (AXP) is valued at a market cap of $249.8 billion, positioning it as a mega-cap stock within the credit services industry [1][2] - The company focuses on affluent customers, offering premium charge and credit cards, which drives growth in billings, card spending, and membership revenue [2] Financial Performance - AXP's shares are currently trading 3.9% below its 52-week high of $377.23, with a 14.8% gain over the past three months, outperforming the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) which dropped by 1.4% [3] - Over the past 52 weeks, AXP has increased by 18.8%, significantly outperforming XLF's 2.9% return, and is up 22.2% year-to-date compared to XLF's 8.7% [4] - Following a better-than-expected Q3 earnings release, AXP's shares soared 7.3%, with revenue rising 10.8% year-over-year to a record $18.4 billion, exceeding consensus expectations by 2.4% [5] - The company's EPS increased by 18.6% year-over-year to $4.14, beating analyst estimates by 4.5%, prompting an increase in fiscal 2025 revenue and earnings guidance [5] Competitive Position - AXP has outperformed its rival, Visa Inc. (V), which gained 6.8% over the past 52 weeks and 5.9% year-to-date [6]

Core Insights - Total Canadian consumer debt increased by 4.1% year-over-year, reaching $2.6 trillion, driven by rising mortgage and non-mortgage balances [1][7] - Mortgage originations rose by 18% year-over-year, with borrowers favoring shorter-term fixed mortgages to navigate high interest rates [2][7] - Average new mortgage loan amounts increased by 4.1% year-over-year to $359,623, indicating ongoing affordability challenges [3][7] Consumer Debt Trends - Mortgage balances grew by 4.1% year-over-year to $1.89 trillion, while non-mortgage debt rose by 4.3% to $673 billion [1] - The number of credit-active consumers increased by 2.7% year-over-year, with total credit balances growing at a faster rate of 4.1% [1] - The average non-mortgage balance per consumer reached $27,100, up 2.6% year-over-year, reflecting a return to pre-pandemic growth rates [1] Mortgage Market Dynamics - Homeowners are prioritizing affordability by opting for shorter mortgage terms, which has led to increased turnover in the market [2] - The average new mortgage loan size varies significantly by city, with Quebec City seeing a 14.01% increase year-over-year [4] - Despite rising loan sizes, mortgage delinquency rates remain low, with serious delinquency rates at 0.26%, up 2 basis points year-over-year [6][10] Delinquency Trends - Early-stage delinquency rates have declined, while late-stage delinquency rates have risen, indicating a widening gap in financial health among consumers [9][10] - Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec have experienced the most significant increases in delinquency rates, with Alberta's rate rising to 2.31% [14][15] - Geographic disparities in delinquency rates reflect varying regional economic conditions, with Alberta facing the highest delinquency rate [11][14] Credit Card Market Insights - New credit card originations decreased by 8.6% year-over-year, although the pace of decline is slowing, suggesting early signs of stabilization [17] - Average new credit card limits increased by 4.8% to over $6,500, indicating a selective lending approach [17] - Average card balances per consumer rose by 1.9% year-over-year to $4,652, with below-prime consumers experiencing a sharper increase [18] Future Outlook - The Consumer Credit Industry Indicator fell by 6 points year-over-year, reflecting ongoing challenges in the Canadian credit market [24] - Lenders are expected to adopt cautious strategies, focusing on targeted acquisition and disciplined credit line management to navigate the evolving credit landscape [23]

Core Insights - The earnings season for Q3 2025 has shown strong performance, with many S&P 500 companies exceeding expectations [1][7][8] - Wayfair and American Express have emerged as significant winners during this period, both reporting positive post-earnings reactions and guidance upgrades [1][7] Wayfair Performance - Wayfair reported adjusted EPS of $0.70, a 220% increase year-over-year, and sales of $3.1 billion, reflecting an 8.1% growth [3] - The company achieved a record adjusted EBITDA margin of 6.7%, the highest outside the pandemic [3] - Orders delivered grew by over 5% year-over-year, with new orders increasing in the mid-single digits for two consecutive periods [4] American Express Performance - American Express reported adjusted EPS growth of 19% and a 10% increase in sales, with total sales reaching a record $18.4 billion [5][6] - The strong results led to an upgrade in the company's sales and EPS outlook for the current year [5] - Increased Card Member spending and successful launches of updated Platinum Cards contributed to the positive performance, with Net Interest Income of $4.5 billion exceeding estimates by nearly 4% [6] Overall Market Sentiment - The Q3 2025 earnings cycle has been notably positive, with strong EPS and revenue growth among S&P 500 members [8] - The performance of major banks has provided a solid indication of consumer health [7]

Core Insights - Equifax has completed the acquisition of Vault Verify, enhancing its HR services and verification capabilities [1][2] - The acquisition aims to streamline decision-making for verifiers and expand options for Equifax's employer clients [1][2] - Vault Verify's services will complement The Work Number database, aiding consumers in various financial applications [1][2] Company Overview - Equifax's CEO, Mark Begor, emphasized the company's mission to help individuals achieve their "financial best" through this acquisition [2] - Vault Verify, established in 2012, specializes in real-time employment and income verification services, particularly in the healthcare sector [2] - The integration of Vault Verify into Equifax's operations is facilitated by the Equifax Cloud transformation [2] Service Enhancement - The combined capabilities of Vault Verify and Equifax are expected to provide an enhanced set of knowledge for efficient verifications [2] - Consumers will benefit from quicker decision-making processes when applying for jobs, mortgages, and social services [2] - Vault Verify is now part of the Equifax Workforce Solutions business unit, with its team integrated into this unit [2] Product Development - Equifax has announced the integration of Optimal Path, an interactive score planner, into the Kikoff platform [3] - This integration will allow Kikoff members to receive personalized credit score plans based on their Equifax credit profiles [3] - The plans will include actionable tasks to help members achieve their target VantageScore 3.0 score [3]

Core Insights - DoorDash has confirmed a significant data breach affecting personal information of users, Dashers, and merchants, marking the first major breach of the holiday season [1][2] Company Summary - The breach involved the theft of names, phone numbers, physical addresses, and email addresses, but not Social Security numbers or credit card information [2] - DoorDash has not disclosed the number of affected users but stated there is no current indication of data misuse for fraud or identity theft [2] - The breach was caused by an employee falling victim to a social engineering scam, which can include various fraudulent tactics [2][3] - An external firm has been hired by DoorDash to assist in the investigation, and affected users have been notified as required [3] Industry Summary - Experts suggest that while the breach may seem low-level, it poses risks as stolen data can be combined with other information to create synthetic identities [4][5] - The holiday season is particularly vulnerable to scams, with Experian reporting that 31% of consumers fear identity theft during this period [11] - Key concerns for consumers include identity theft (68%) and stolen credit card data (61%), with significant sources of fraud being credit card use at retail stores (26%) and online shopping (22%) [11]

Core Insights - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 557.24 points (-1.18%) on November 17, 2025, influenced by upcoming earnings reports and a backlog of economic data [1] - Anticipation surrounds key corporate earnings from Nvidia, Walmart, and Home Depot, which are expected to provide insights into the AI, technology, and consumer sectors [1] - Delayed economic data, including the September jobs report, is expected to impact perceptions of the U.S. economy and Federal Reserve interest rate decisions [1] Company Performance - Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, and Merck & Co. were among the biggest gainers, reflecting a shift towards defensive or healthcare-related stocks amid market uncertainty, with gains of 2.08%, 1.82%, and 1.11% respectively [2] - American Express led the declines with a drop of 2.37%, attributed to increased net write-off rates in U.S. Consumer Card Member loans, followed by IBM (-2.13%), Salesforce (-1.94%), and Apple (-1.73%) [3]

Other winners included luxury goods manufacturer Burberry and insurer Aviva, while Experian fell 4.5pc despite raising its guidance for financial 2026 revenue growth and margin improvement.Meanwhile, gains for gold provided a boost to Endeavour Mining and Fresnillo, which were up 3.5pc and 1.8pc respectively.Scottish electricity generator SSE led the way, jumping 11pc after it unveiled plans to raise £2bn in new equity to help fund a £33bn five-year investment plan.The blue-chip index closed 0.1pc higher at ...

Core Points - Pearl Diver Credit Company Inc. will release its third quarter 2025 financial results on November 18, 2025, before market open [1] - A conference call to discuss the financial results is scheduled for the same day at 11:00 am Eastern Time / 4:00 pm UK Time [1][2] - The company is externally managed and focuses on maximizing total return and generating high current income through investments in equity and junior debt tranches of CLOs [4] Company Overview - Pearl Diver Credit Company Inc. is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company listed on NYSE under the symbols PDCC and PDPA [4] - The company primarily invests in sub-investment grade, senior secured floating-rate debt issued by various US companies across multiple sectors [4] - As of September 30, 2025, Pearl Diver Capital manages approximately $2.9 billion in assets across multiple private funds backed by institutional investors [6] Management and Strategy - Pearl Diver Capital LLP, founded in 2008, specializes in CLO investing and employs advanced analytics to identify investment opportunities [5] - The firm has established relationships with over 80 CLO managers, providing access to critical credit information while avoiding conflicts of interest [6]

Core Insights - The 2025 Q3 earnings season has shown positive results, with American Express (AXP) and Palantir (PLTR) achieving record-breaking performances due to strong business momentum [1][9] American Express (AXP) - AXP reported adjusted EPS growth of 19% and a 10% increase in sales, leading to a positive post-earnings reaction and an upgrade in sales and EPS outlook for the current year [2][3] - Quarterly sales reached $18.4 billion, a record for AXP, driven by successful launches of updated Platinum Cards and increased Card Member spending, indicating a healthy consumer environment [3] Palantir (PLTR) - PLTR achieved quarterly sales of $1.2 billion, marking a 63% year-over-year increase, with US commercial revenue surging 121% and US government revenue rising 52% [4] - The company secured over 50 deals worth at least $10 million, resulting in a Total Contract Value (TCV) of $2.8 billion, which is a 340% increase year-over-year [4][5] - Similar to AXP, PLTR raised its current-year sales, adjusted operating income, and adjusted free cash flow guidance, prompting analysts to increase their EPS expectations [5]

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights three stocks—Microsoft, McDonald's, and Visa—as solid long-term investment options due to their strong market positions and potential for steady growth [2]. Microsoft - Microsoft holds a commanding 66% market share in the desktop operating system sector, making it a dominant player in the tech industry [3]. - The company is well-positioned to capitalize on opportunities in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), with features like AI Copilot integrated into Microsoft Office [4]. - Microsoft has a market capitalization of $3,693 billion, a gross margin of 68.76%, and an operating margin of nearly 50%, indicating its financial strength and stability [6]. McDonald's - McDonald's remains a leading brand in the fast-food industry, maintaining strong brand recognition despite competition [7][8]. - The company adapts its menu to changing consumer preferences, which supports its long-term viability [10]. - McDonald's has a market capitalization of $214 billion, a gross margin of 57.25%, and excellent operating margins above 45%, reflecting its robust business model [10]. Visa - Visa is a leading name in the credit card industry, known for its strong brand presence and market resilience [11][12]. - The company reported net revenue of $40 billion for the year ended September 30, representing an 11% year-over-year increase, with operating income of $24 billion, which is 60% of its total revenue [14]. - Visa has a market capitalization of $647 billion and a gross margin of 77.31%, showcasing its high-margin business model [14].