This week in business: Big perks, big layoffs, and a few PR face-plants

This week’s business headlines reflected a market still finding its footing in a post-pandemic, tech-driven, politically charged economy. The themes were clear: Companies are refining strategies to capture new audiences, governments are making moves with high economic stakes, and consumer behavior is forcing industries to adapt.

In finance, the credit-card-rewards arms race saw a surprising twist—while premium travel cards have leaned on hefty fees and luxury perks, one player is going in the opposite direction...