Research | Credit Card Topics

USAFacts: A Comprehensive Resource on Government Spending and Impact That Informs Personal, Financial, and Voter Decisions

By: Adam West, 5/13/2019

In a Nutshell: When Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie started looking for numbers to guide their own charitable giving decisions, they discovered how difficult it is to find, gather, and interpret government financial data. This led to the founding of USAFacts, a privately-funded not-for-profit that serves as a free, comprehensive resource for unbiased information on government revenue, spending, and impact. The organization also prepares annual reports and a 10-K... read more »

How Fake News Can Impact Financial Markets and How to Stay Vigilant Against Misleading Information Masquerading as Truth

By: Adam West, 4/25/2019

In a Nutshell: Fake news is very real in today’s media landscape. Researchers have discovered that false stories on financial websites can actually sway stock markets one way or another and impact trading levels. We spoke to the Founder of Media Bias/Fact Check — Dave Van Zandt — about how Americans can remain vigilant while getting their daily dose of news. Van Zandt said transparency about ownership, funding, and sources are major indicators that a story or website is credible.... read more »

Moody’s Analytics Economic Research Expert Tony Hughes on the Limitations of Artificial Intelligence in Banking

By: Matt Walker, 2/11/2019

In a Nutshell: Rapid innovation dominates the financial industry, in part, because of emerging technologies that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities. Moody’s Analytics is the sister company of Moody’s Investors Service — one of the Big Three credit rating agencies — and conducts economic research on these types of cutting-edge trends in the finance world. We recently sat down with Tony Hughes, the Managing Director of Economic Research at... read more »

Bill.com Survey Results Show Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in 2019 Include Investments in Cloud-Based Tech, International Growth, and Talent

By: Matt Walker, 12/20/2018

In a Nutshell: Digital business payments provider Bill.com recently released survey results that revealed growth strategies for small and medium-sized businesses for 2019. Overall, the survey showed that SMBs are entering the new year with a positive outlook. A majority of SMB respondents — 71% — indicated they are embracing new technology and will increase their investment in cloud-based tech in the coming year. Nearly half of SMBs plan to expand either their customer footprint... read more »

A National Bureau of Economic Research Paper Explores How Increased Credit Access for the Jobless in Recent Decades Impacts Unemployment and the Economy

By: Matt Walker, 12/10/2018

In a Nutshell: Unemployment rates in the U.S. are often used to indicate the health of the economy. But what of the relationship between the unemployed and their accces to credit as it applies to state of the economy? A recent paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research examines this connection, building off previous research that reveals how access to credit among unemployed households increased by significant amounts between 1977 and 2010. “The Impact of Consumer... read more »

From Self-Service to Social Media: J.D. Power Research Reveals How Customers Want to Interact with Wireless Carriers

By: Ashley Dull, 10/3/2018

In a Nutshell: Consumer research leader J.D. Power recently released two studies on consumer satisfaction and attitudes toward smartphones and wireless carriers. The studies showed that today’s technology-equipped consumers increasingly use their smartphones to research products and make purchases. The surveys also identified social media and online videos as the preferred options for resolving issues and answering questions. At the same time, a significant number of customers still... read more »

Brand Finance Weighs in on How Retail Trends Will Impact Shoppers, Stores, and Sites in the 2018 Holiday Season

By: Adam West, 10/2/2018

In a Nutshell: Valuation and strategy firm Brand Finance studied the much-foretold downturn of traditional brick-and-mortar retail and found that the prospects weren’t nearly as grim as once thought — especially for consumers. Amazon’s recent push beyond digital into physical retail operations demonstrates that brick-and-mortar locations still play an important role in the market. And retailers will likely take new approaches to consumer marketing and sales that are designed to... read more »

Fluctuating Rates Not Necessarily a Negative for Homebuyers

By: Ray FitzGerald, 9/11/2018

In a Nutshell: In today's housing market, low inventory, lagging new home construction, rising prices, and tighter credit restrictions are combining to create near-gridlock conditions. Current homeowners aren’t selling, and not enough affordable housing exists to satisfy demand from first-time buyers. Consumers need impartial industry information to understand these challenges and make the right buying decisions at the right time for themselves. We spoke with Sam Garcia, creator... read more »

FollowTheMoney.org: A Valuable Resource to Track Campaign Finances this Election Season

By: Matt Walker, 9/10/2018

In a Nutshell: With election season upon us, eligible voters can be inundated with information about political candidates and causes. A voter can learn a lot about a candidate by knowing where his or her campaign finance funds are coming from. FollowTheMoney.org is a website established by the non-partisan, non-profit National Institute on Money in Politics to help voters and other interested parties do just that. The website compiles campaign donor and lobbyist information from... read more »

Equifax Study Shows How Consumers’ Buying Power Increases When They Get Pre-Approved for Auto Financing

By: Ray FitzGerald, 7/3/2018

In a Nutshell: If knowledge is power, then few car shoppers are as powerful as those with pre-approved financing. When a consumer is pre-approved for a loan before the shopping starts, he or she knows what they can afford and save time by not looking at cars that don’t match their buying power. Equifax recently surveyed 1,000 consumers to better understand their behaviors during the car-shopping process. The study found that 52% of prospective purchasers have undergone a credit... read more »

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