Author: Money Mechanics

In-brief analysis August 18, 2025 In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast U.S. working natural gas inventories will reach 3,872 billion cubic feet (Bcf) by the end of October, or 2% more than the previous five-year average for that time of year. Natural gas inventories grew quickly in late April through early June, with seven consecutive weeks of net injections to inventories exceeding 100 Bcf each for the first time since 2014. U.S. natural gas production outpaced natural gas consumption during the start of the 2025 injection season. The injection season generally runs from…

American institutions continue their slide into being a clown car with the firing of the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Although the stock line appears to be that this is a dangerous step in a bad direction, that’s been true since before the inauguration. Nevertheless I would be more concerned by the continuous slide in data quality due to budget cuts and the secular decline in survey response rates. Data gathering is in a crisis even without this sacking.Given that the President has now referred to drug price cuts of more than 1000% more than once, we…

Americor (www.americor.com) is a U.S.-based debt relief company that offers debt settlement, credit counseling, and, unlike many competitors, their own in-house debt consolidation loans. Based in Irvine, California, they promote themselves as a one-stop solution for people struggling with high-interest unsecured debts like credit cards and personal loans. While Americor is one of the few debt relief companies that also lends money, this model may not be the best fit for everyone, especially if you’re already behind on payments or have a low credit score. #1 Rated Debt Relief Company in 2025? Considering debt relief this year? Before choosing, we…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Six in 10 parents say they have gone into debt to pay for their child’s needs, and half say their debt is becoming unmanageable.As the cost of living increases, parents are having a harder time buying back-to-school supplies and paying for medical for their childrens’ care.Debt is stressing parents out and making them more likely to skip meals and neglect their wellness. Parents are going into debt to support their children, and it’s harming their mental and physical health. Six in 10 parents recently surveyed by National Debt Relief, a debt settlement organization, said they have gone into…

In-brief analysis August 5, 2025 Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-930, Hourly and Daily Balancing Authority Operations Report Electricity demand in the Lower 48 states exceeded previous peaks on two days in the last week of July. Hot weather, which increases electricity demand for cooling, combined with an underlying trend of demand increases, pushed coincident peak demand for the Lower 48 states to a high of 758,053 megawatts (MW) on July 28 between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. eastern time, according to the preliminary data in our Hourly Electric Grid…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. July 30, 2025 Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT Although swings in net exports continue to affect the data, recent indicators suggest that growth of economic activity moderated in the first half of the year. The unemployment rate remains low, and labor market conditions remain solid. Inflation remains somewhat elevated. The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer…

Bill Gates predicted in 2023 that OpenAI’s next flagship model wouldn’t be “significantly better than GPT-4” and it now appears that his estimate was a lot more accurate than techies gave him credit for.Bill Gates’ GPT-5 Prediction Proves Surprisingly AccurateIn an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, reported by The Decoder, the Microsoft co-founder said there were “many good people” at OpenAI who believed GPT-5 would leap ahead, “but [I] believe current generative AI has reached a ceiling,” while calling the jump from GPT-2 to GPT-4 “incredible.”Two years on, GPT-5’s launch has drawn sharp pushback from users and researchers, bolstering Gates’…

Key Takeaways Buying a home in a highly rated school district could cost you a heavy premium, according to a new Realtor.com report.In Dallas’s most popular school district, a home will cost you nearly five times more on average than elsewhere in the metro.Meanwhile, San Jose’s highest-rated school district isn’t its most popular—because it comes with a Silicon Valley price tag. Your child’s future science classroom may not be a prominent part of a homebuying tour, but it could be what you end up paying the biggest premium for.  That’s according to a Realtor.com report released Thursday, which identified the…

I’m thrilled to recognize the 366 Redfin agents who’ve earned a spot in President’s Club, Redfin’s highest honor for top performance! While this is our first public announcement of President’s Club honorees, it’s been a proud tradition at Redfin for years. Agents earn points for closing deals, building client loyalty, and delivering exceptional service. Every six months we tally those points and award three tiers – President’s Club, President’s Club Premier, and President’s Club Elite – based on each agent’s accomplishments. It takes serious commitment to reach this level, especially in a shifting housing market. But our first-half honorees rose…

With more than a trillion dollars estimated in unsold assets, private equity’s approach to an uncertain environment has been to stall, waiting on improved market conditions.This stance has business owners questioning whether a private equity buyout is a worthwhile option for their retirement and business succession plans.But while private equity (PE) firms have slowed on the sell side, they’re still buying, and owners who take a more proactive approach to preparing their businesses for sale might still be able to extract full value — whether they choose to sell to private equity or not. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be…