Black Friday may be the official start to the holiday shopping season, but Small Business Saturday is the big day for mom-and-pop shops, and Central Florida business districts and stores are offering deals, markets, freebies, activities and more to lure customers in.

American Express’ third-quarter profit topped analysts’ expectations as the credit card company’s cardholders continue to spend, with many holding a balance.

American Express said Friday second-quarter profits jumped 39% as the credit card company benefitted again from a broad increase in cardmember spending as well as more of its customers carrying a balance.

Ira Galtman is part of a small community of corporate archivists.

Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, citing what the company says are “unacceptably high fees” and that customers have other payment options to shop online.

While it seems increasingly unlikely the U.S. economy is headed for recession, small businesses still face headwinds like higher costs and difficulty retaining qualified workers.

Noticeable pockets of Americans — renters, and lower- and middle-income borrowers — are running up their credit cards balances, and increasing numbers are falling behind on their debts.

American Express is rolling out several updates to its Delta SkyMiles credit cards that will give additional benefits to users.

Wall Street closed out another winning week with a quiet Friday, as stocks found some stability after sliding the day before.

American Express said its first-quarter profits fell by 13% from a year ago, despite record revenue in the quarter, as the credit card company had to set aside more than $1 billion for potentially bad loans.

American Express is launching a suite of financial service products for small businesses as it aims build up its presence in the small business sector.

American Express saw its fourth-quarter profits fall by 9%, as the credit card giant had to set aside significantly more money to cover potentially bad loans.

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, marking the market's third winning week in the last four.

Credit card giant American Express said its third-quarter profits rose a modest 3% from a year ago, despite a significant rise in revenue and spending from its cardmembers.

A group of Republican attorneys general are pushing the major payment networks _ Visa, Mastercard and American Express _ to drop their plans to start tracking sales at gun stores, arguing the plans could infringe on consumer privacy and push legal gun sales out of the mainstream financial network.

American Express’ profits fell 14% in the second quarter, the company said Friday, as higher expenses more than offset record spending on its network by its cardmembers.

Wall Street gave back some of its strong gains from the week on Friday following discouraging readings on the global economy and another slew of profit reports from big U.S. companies.

A woman reported $40,000 was fraudulently charged to her American Express card through her Apple watch that she lost on a ride at Epcot, according to a report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

American Express’ first-quarter profits fell roughly 6% from a year earlier, but the company saw a 30% jump in spending on its namesake cards in the quarter as its cardmembers returned to their habits of shopping, traveling and dining.

Corporate partnerships keep falling for Phil Mickelson in the wake of his shocking comments about Saudi Arabia and his involvement in a proposed super league the Saudis are funding.

American Express launched its own checking account product on Tuesday, a product that will allow its customers to accrue its popular Membership Rewards points the same way they do on its credit and charge cards.

American Express saw its profits surge last quarter by 70% as Americans and companies pulled out their cards to start traveling, dining out and entertaining as they had done before the pandemic.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits has reached its lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the U.S. economy and job market are quickly rebounding from the pandemic recession.

U.S. consumer borrowing surged by a larger-than-expected $35.3 billion in May as Americans, bolstered by a reopening economy and rising job levels, went back to using credit in a big way.

American Express is upping the benefits — and the fee — on its flagship Platinum Card this month.

Stocks are closing higher Friday, reversing their week-long rut.

Businesses are rethinking political contributions in the wake of the deadly Capitol siege by President Donald Trumps supporters on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Citigroup confirmed Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, that it is pausing all federal political donations for the first three months of the year. Outside conservative groups, including those affiliated with Republican leadership, were the ones who dropped the lion's share of money that helped him oust former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. Leading business groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce all condemned the insurrection. “There was no big public push or pressure to get Marriott and others to announce they would no longer make campaign contributions.

The coronavirus pandemic hasnt stopped Americans from keeping up with their credit card payments, thanks in large part to government relief programs passed by Congress earlier this year. “The stimulus and unemployment benefits have definitely helped the lower end of (credit card borrowers),” said Sanjay Sakhrani, an analyst at investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. In some ways, what’s going on in the credit card market also reflects the diverging fortunes of those impacted by the pandemic. Credit card executives have for months been bracing for the impact on their customers if there is no new aid. “As a result, we do remain cautious about the potential for future shocks to the economy.”One point of uncertainty is how banks are reporting their credit card loans.

The "Insecure" star is urging people to shop locally as part of Small Business Saturday, a couple days after Thanksgiving. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – With many small businesses struggling to hold on during the coronavirus pandemic, Issa Rae believes now is the time to support independent stores more than ever. The creator and star of HBO series “Insecure” strongly encourages people to shop locally as part of Small Business Saturday, a couple days after Thanksgiving. She said the initiative created by American Express, for which she is a compensated endorser, can help give an extra push during the holidays to small businesses who have gone into survival mode. So far, during the pandemic, Rae has watched several businesses close down, which she says “breaks my heart."

Shares were mostly higher Wednesday in Asia after a worldwide rally spurred by hopes that a COVID-19 vaccine will help the global economy return to normal. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)Stocks fell back across Asia on Thursday after gains for big technology shares pushed most Wall Street benchmarks higher. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.4% to 25,459.13 despite a report that machinery orders fell in September, suggesting weakness in corporate investment. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.1% to 26,206.78 and the Shanghai Composite index declined 0.3% to 3,332.24. Strategists along Wall Street are raising their forecasts for stock prices on expectations that political control of Washington will remain split between the parties.

Hilton and American Express are teaming up to offer up to 1 million hotel room nights for free to front-line health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The rooms would give the workers a place to sleep, recharge or isolate to protect their families so money won’t come out of their own pockets. Hilton is working with 10 U.S. medical associations to provide rooms to doctors, nurses, EMT's, paramedics and other medical professionals. American Express is helping cover the cost of the hotel room donations. To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter or go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.