Group 1: Core Insights - Costco Wholesale Corporation has launched a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) initiative in partnership with Affirm, targeting high-ticket categories through its e-commerce platform [1][7] - The BNPL option aims to reduce psychological barriers to purchase, particularly for younger and budget-conscious consumers, potentially unlocking new purchasing behaviors in large-item categories [2][3] - Costco's e-commerce comparable sales increased by 14.8% in the third quarter, with the BNPL initiative expected to further enhance this growth momentum [3][7] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Competitors such as Walmart and Amazon have already integrated BNPL options into their platforms, with Walmart focusing on seasonal items and electronics, while Amazon offers Amazon Pay Later for easier access to higher-priced items [4][5] Group 3: Financial Performance and Estimates - Costco's stock has performed well, with a year-to-date increase of 14.8%, surpassing the industry's growth of 8.7% [6] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates year-over-year growth of 8.1% in sales and 11.9% in earnings per share for the current financial year [9] - Costco's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio is 54.21, higher than the industry average of 34.39, indicating a premium valuation [8]

Dublin, May 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Competitor Profile: Amazon Pay 2025" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Amazon Pay, originally launched in 2007 as Pay with Amazon, was rebranded in 2017 to its current incarnation. This innovative solution empowers users to make payments on third-party partner merchant websites and apps, utilizing payment methods stored in their Amazon profile. In the United States, Amazon Pay facilitates transactions with major credit and debit cards such as ...

Core Insights - The CE 100 Index experienced a 5.9% increase over the week, influenced by the ongoing earnings season [1][2] Performance Overview - The CE 100 Index outperformed other indices in the 5-day period, with a 5.9% increase compared to Nasdaq's 6.42%, S&P 500's 4.60%, and Dow's 2.49% [2] - Year-to-date, the CE 100 Index is down 4.22%, while the Nasdaq is down 7.56%, S&P 500 down 6.05%, and Dow down 5.74% [2] - Over the past year, the CE 100 Index has risen 17.18%, outperforming Nasdaq's 11.33%, S&P 500's 9.38%, and Dow's 5.30% [2] Sector Performance - All pillars in the CE 100 Index saw gains, with the work segment leading at 8.6%, driven by Coursera's 19.8% increase in share price [4] - Coursera reported a 6% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching $179 million, with customer revenues up 5% to $102.1 million and enterprise revenues up 7% to $61.7 million [4] Company Highlights - Tesla reported a 71% drop in net income year-over-year, with total revenue falling 9% to $19.34 billion, and automotive revenues down 20% to $13.97 billion [5] - Despite disappointing financial results, Tesla's stock rose 18% due to market relief over Elon Musk's reduced involvement in DOGE-related activities [6] - Amazon shares increased by 9.5% after announcing a Rs 350 crore (approximately $41 million) investment in Amazon Pay India, aiming to increase market share in the UPI space [7] - Alphabet's shares rose 6.8% following better-than-expected earnings, with a nearly 10% increase in its core search business and a 28% gain in Google Cloud sales [8][9] - Google Search revenue increased by 10% to $50.7 billion, with YouTube advertising revenues also growing 10% to $8.9 billion [10] Financial Services Developments - The CE 100's Pay and Be Paid segment rose 6.6%, with PayPal announcing a new rewards program for its stablecoin, PYUSD, expected to offer a 3.7% annual rewards rate [11][12][13] - Mastercard's CEO noted that consumer spending remains strong despite economic concerns, leading to a 3.1% increase in Mastercard's stock [14] - Affirm's shares surged 16% after announcing it will report all pay-over-time loans to TransUnion, which may impact future credit scoring models [14][15]