Fintechs Upstart and Toast soar on earnings

Fintechs Upstart and Toast soar on earnings


Chris Comparato, CEO, the Toast, Inc. IPO at the New York Stock Exchange, on September 22, 2021.

Source: NYSE

Upstart, which uses artificial intelligence to inform online lending decisions, soared 46% on Friday, its best day in over three years. Toast, which sells payments technology to restaurants, jumped 14%, closing at its highest since 2021.

Both companies reported better-than-expected results, sparking the rallies.

Upstart’s revenue jumped 20% in the third quarter to $162 million, easily beating analyst estimates. CEO David Girouard said on the company’s earnings call that,we’re in growth mode.”

Toast is still well off its pandemic highs of 2021, but the stock has now more than doubled this year. The company’s adjusted earnings forecast of $90 million to $100 million for the current quarter sailed past estimates.

The two stocks were part of a huge rally on Wall Street this week that followed Donald Trump’s election victory on Tuesday night. All three major indexes closed at records, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq finishing the week up 5.7%, its second-best week of the year.

Within fintech, companies tied to crypto were some of the top performers, after candidates funded by the crypto industry won races up and down the ballot.

Coinbase shares jumped 48% for the week, their strongest performance since January 2023. Coinbase was one of the top corporate donors in the election cycle, giving more than $75 million to Fairshake and its affiliate PACs, including a fresh pledge of $25 million to support the pro-crypto super PAC in the 2026 midterms.

Trump has vowed to oust SEC Chair Gary Gensler, which potentially bodes well for companies like Coinbase fighting the regulator in court over alleged securities offenses.

Robinhood, which allows users to buy and sell a number of digital currencies, rose 27% for the week. The online brokerage received a Wells Notice from the SEC in May, a move that often precedes formal charges.

Bitcoin hit a new intraday high above $77,300, ending the week 11% higher. Ether, solana, and dogecoin outpaced bitcoin’s gains.

Not all fintechs rallied.

Block, the parent company of Square, reported third-quarter revenue on Thursday that trailed Wall Street’s expectations, leading to a slight drop in the stock on Friday. Shares of Jack Dorsey’s company underperformed the boarder tech market for the week, rising 3.3%.

Affirm, the provider of buy now, pay later loans, beat on the top and bottom line, but the stock still dropped 4.7% on Friday, leaving it slightly ahead of the Nasdaq for the week.

WATCH: Robinhood Crypto general manager reacts to bitcoin rally

Robinhood Crypto general manager reacts to recent bitcoin rally



Source

Eric Trump’s American Bitcoin going public in latest crypto move by president’s family
Technology

Eric Trump’s American Bitcoin going public in latest crypto move by president’s family

The bitcoin mining company backed by President Donald Trump’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., is set to go public on the Nasdaq through an all-stock merger with Gryphon Digital Mining. Shares of Gryphon were up more than 300% Monday. The combined company, American Bitcoin, will trade under the ticker symbol “ABTC,” with the […]

Read More
KindlyMD shares skyrocket 600% after merger with Trump crypto advisor David Bailey’s bitcoin investment company
Technology

KindlyMD shares skyrocket 600% after merger with Trump crypto advisor David Bailey’s bitcoin investment company

People walk past an advertisement feature Donald Trump with Bitcoin in Hong Kong.  May James | Lightrocket | Getty Images Shares of KindlyMD skyrocketed 600% Monday after the healthcare company announced a merger with Nakamoto Holdings, a bitcoin investment company founded by David Bailey, a key cryptocurrency advisor to President Donald Trump. The newly formed […]

Read More
Opt out or get scraped: UK’s AI copyright shake-up has Elton John, Dua Lipa fighting back
Technology

Opt out or get scraped: UK’s AI copyright shake-up has Elton John, Dua Lipa fighting back

Sir Elton John (right) performs at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Kyle Gustafson | For The Washington Post | Getty Images Celebrity musicians from Elton John to Dua Lipa are urging the U.K. government to rethink controversial plans to reform copyright laws that allow artificial intelligence developers access to rights-protected content. An open letter […]

Read More