#bnpl

The post Q1 2026 retail earnings fueled by tax refunds and BNPL appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Shoppers enter and exit a Dior luxury boutique in Venice, Italy, on Nov. 16, 2025. Michael Nguyen/NurPhoto via Getty Images The retail industry emerged from a choppy first quarter relatively unscathed, but higher than usual tax refunds and an uptick in buy now, pay later use likely helped to buoy spending. As Wall Street looks ahead to the second quarter, the period could offer a clearer view on consumer health and just how much high gas prices and persistent inflation have disrupted the economy and pressured already-strained household budgets.  “Once you got through April and May, you’re really not seeing the impact of tax refunds anymore, and those months were a little bit choppier, so there’s a lot of moving pieces that maybe kept the consumer going for longer than we would have expected,” said Janine Stichter, a retail analyst and managing director at BTIG. “As you peel back these t