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A Nigerian couple is currently trending on social media after tying the knot just seven months after their initial encounter on the micro-blogging platform, Twitter (now X).

The excited groom, Bobola Adepurasi ok to the internet to share the serendipitous way he met his wife, Fisayo , on Wednesday, May 15. His post has since gone viral, sparking a flurry of sweet reactions.

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Tech stocks gained in intraday trading Tuesday, with the S&P 500 Information Technology Sector Index up 0.7% as of 2:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, while the broader S&P 500 was up 0.3%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.6%.

Alibaba Group (BABA) American depositary receipts (ADRs) tumbled after the Chinese e-commerce giant reported its profit plunged 86%, while BlackBerry (BB) shares took off as the cybersecurity firm benefited from the resurgence of the meme-stock craze that roiled the markets in early 2021. Shares of hydrogen technology firm Plug Power (PLUG) soared after getting a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Alibaba ADRs were nearly 7% lower at $78.77 following its financial report, which showed earnings sank 86% from year ago and missed analysts’ estimates. The Chinese e-commerce firm blamed the decline primarily on losses from its investments in publicly traded companies. Alibaba’s revenue rose more than expected, as all three of its divisions posted sales increases.

BlackBerry shares gained close to 11% to $3.44, advancing for a second straight session, as the stock got lifted by excitement about another meme-stock rally. Shares of other meme stocks including AMC Entertaiment (AMC) and GameStop (GME) exploded Monday after the first social media post in almost three years by a trader who goes by the name of “Roaring Kitty.” He was one of the leading drivers behind the meme-stock craze of 2021.

Plug Power shares soared 24% to $3.59 after reporting it received a conditional loan of up to $1.66 billion from the Department of Energy to expand its green hydrogen production operations. The company said it would use the money to add six facilities that would produce green hydrogen for applications in the material handling, transportation, and industrial sectors.

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A married woman has recounted how her husband’s prevented her from traveling to the U.S him for his cancer treatment because he planned on getting married to another wife.

According to her, he rather traveled with his sister and eventually his family announced his death, which turned to be a lie, as she found out that he got married to another woman and sold all the properties the worked hard for many years.

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Reality TV Star Vee has revealed that she wouldn’t be hugging anyone she meets in public until people start paying attention to their body hygiene.

She lamented how many individuals have refused to use deodorants when it quite affordable compared to now that the price has been inflated.

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More people are falling behind on their credit card payments, flashing a warning sign as high interest rates, high inflation over the last few years, and a slowing job market pressure on household finances.In the first quarter of 2024, 8.9% of credit card holders who were formerly current on their payments fell into delinquency, up from 8.5% in the previous quarter and a fresh high since 2011, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Tuesday. 

People falling into delinquency tended to have maxed out their cards, suggesting “tight cash flow situations” rather than forgetfulness as a reason for failing to pay bills on time, economists at the New York Fed said in a blog post accompanying the report. 

The New York Fed did not analyze why more people have been falling behind on credit card bills, but separate reports highlighted why credit card debt has become harder to manage.

High interest rates have made credit card debt more burdensome. As of February, the average credit card interest rate was 21.6%, the highest since at least 1995 according to data from the Federal Reerve. The Fed’s campaign of interest rate hikes since 2022, meant to combat inflation, has pushed up interest rates for credit cards and other kinds of loans. 

At the same time, inflation has raised the cost of living dramatically. Even though price increases have decelerated since peaking in mid-2022, people are still paying 25% more for food and 23% more for rent than before the pandemic. While pay raises have more or less kept pace with inflation on average, people whose incomes didn’t increase still face those higher costs. 

An online survey of 2,000 borrowers by online personal finance company Achieve pointed to inflation as the leading reason people fell behind on their bills. Among people who fell behind on any kind of bill, 21% cited higher living expenses due to inflation.“Skipping payments on financial obligations in order to afford essentials is the type of decision driving more everyday people deeper into debt,” Achieve CEO Andrew Housser said in a press release, adding that for "many consumers, money is going out the door as quickly as it’s coming in, if not faster.” 

Concerns about consumers’ ability to repay credit cards were also reflected in a recent survey of bank loan officers, which showed banks continued a trend of raising credit score requirements and other standards for credit card borrowing in the first quarter.Consumers are struggling to pay back credit cards more than other types of loans, according to the New York Fed’s data.

Auto loan delinquency transitions are also elevated, hitting 7.9% in the first quarter, the highest since 2010. However, delinquency rates for mortgages have remained below pre-pandemic levels, while those for student loans are near record lows as borrowers with federal loans have been protected by Biden-era rule changes to student aid programs.

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Shares of Plug Power (PLUG) skyrocketed Tuesday after the producer of green hydrogen announced that it had received a conditional U.S. government loan guarantee valued at up to $1.66 billion to expand its operations.

The company said the money from the Department of Energy (DOE) would "finance the development, construction, and ownership of up to six green hydrogen production facilities."

Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water molecules by electrolysis using renewable electricity, and causes significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than the production of "gray" hydrogen, which traditionally has used fossil fuels like natural gas.

Plug Power said that the new facilities would be built across the nation and supply major companies, including its current customers. It explained that the hydrogen generated would be used “in applications in the material handling, transportation, and industrial sectors.”

Plug Power noted that so far it has deployed more than 69,000 hydrogen fuel cell systems and more than 250 fueling stations. It said it is the largest buyer of liquid hydrogen worldwide.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andy Marsh said green hydrogen is “an essential driver of industrial decarbonization in the United States.” In its announcement, the DOE said the conditional loan "will help unlock the full potential of this versatile fuel and support the growth of strong, American-led industry that ensures the United States remains at the forefront of the global economy for generations to come."

The company said that the DOE requires "certain technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions, including negotiation of definitive financing documents," before giving final approval of the funding.

Despite Tuesday's almost 24% advance to $3.57 as of 1:48 p.m. ET, shares of Plug Power remain more than 20% lower year-to-date.

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