Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways An agribusiness stock surged on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2025, as Trump weighed punitive measures against China’s cooking oil trade, while a soft earnings report weighed on an insurance giant.Shares of Bunge, the world’s largest oilseed processor, soared after President Trump threatened to ban U.S. purchases of Chinese cooking oil.Progressive shares sank after the insurer’s quarterly profits came in below expectations. Shares of a large grain processor took off as cooking oil became the latest sticking point in the strained trade relationship between the U.S. and China. A number of major financial firms benefitted from strong earnings reports, though…

Key Takeaways With inflation running at 2.9%, your savings is losing value if it’s earning less than that rate. Fortunately, you can move your cash into one of the top high-yield savings accounts, which are paying returns of 4%–5%—enabling your money to grow instead of shrink. With more Fed rate cuts expected, locking in a top nationwide CD rate soon could help you beat inflation for months or even years. The full article continues below these offers from our partners. Is Your Savings Keeping Up? At 2.9%, the inflation rate may have cooled from its 2022 highs, but it’s still…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Medicare Open Enrollment starts Wednesday and is available through Dec. 7.During that time, Medicare beneficiaries can weigh their coverage options, and there are a few things they should consider when making decisions. Open enrollment for Medicare health and drug plans begins Wednesday, and most American seniors will notice that their 2026 Medicare plan prices and coverage have changed. Enrollment for Medicare is open until Dec. 7. During this time, Medicare enrollees can switch between Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and a Medicare Advantage plan, which private insurance companies distribute. They can also add a Medicare Part D prescription…

Key Takeaways Hiring remains slow as businesses face headwinds from tariffs, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book report on the economy.Tariffs are pushing up prices, adding upward pressure to inflation, the report said.The Beige Book is one of a few economic reports issued by the government during the ongoing shutdown. The U.S. economy is still stuck in its low hiring, low firing rut, according to the Federal Reserve’s anecdotal Beige Book report.While there was no hard data attached to Wednesday’s report, which covered September and early October, the Beige Book painted a picture of employers across the country…

Key Takeaways Wells Fargo is raising its checking account fee to $15 in November, while new waiver rules will take effect this month.Most options for avoiding the fee will stay the same, but the minimum balance for a fee waiver will rise from $500 to $1,500.If you can’t easily avoid the fee, it may be worth switching to a bank with free checking, high-yield savings options, or rewards checking. The full article continues below these offers from our partners. What’s Changing With Wells Fargo’s Checking Fee Wells Fargo currently charges a $10 monthly fee on its Everyday Checking account. That…

Stocks opened higher as more strong bank earnings provided an early boost. But volatility spiked again, and all three main U.S. equity indexes briefly dipped into the red before regaining their respective footing in the afternoon. Market participants remain wary of new tariffs and trade war talk from the White House.The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), widely recognized as the market’s “fear index,” jumped to 22.44 around 1 pm Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday from 20.81 on Tuesday. The VIX has risen from 16.43 on October 9. A “normal” range for the index is between 12 and 20.The recent move correlates…

Gold’s uptrend picked up speed in October after a slow holiday period. Prices easily broke the $4,000 per ounce level and reached a new record just above $4,200. The rally is mainly driven by the escalation of the trade war, as China, the world’s main producer of rare earth metals, announced export controls. These materials are crucial for many industries. While this move may be part of ongoing negotiations with the US, the possibility remains that export limits and US retaliatory tariffs could continue, which would worsen the situation.Trump Eases Concerns, but Markets Follow Their Own PathPresident Donald Trump’s reassurance…

We live in interesting times, and let’s face it: mostly, in a good way. It doesn’t have to stay that way, naturally, and it won’t stay that way naturally. This has always been the weak spot in any system that insists on centralized management of certain functions. Of course, that’s the fundamental flaw and conceit of socialism: it relies on the active intercession of omniscient beings to order activities better than the masses of private actors can. Usually, “better” means “less volatile” to the policymakers who set up the committees of omniscient beings (personally, I would say “better” means “less…

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, Charlie Scharf, Wells Fargo & Company CEO and Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman Chair & CEO speak during the Invest in America Forum on Oct. 15, 2025.Aaron Clamage | CNBCWells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sounded the alarm Wednesday over the potential for the the U.S. to lose its competitive edge to China, but said artificial intelligence could help America maintain its lead.Speaking at CNBC’s inaugural Invest in America Forum in Washington, D.C., the two executives said that while the U.S. still leads in many sectors, inconsistent policy and underinvestment is ceding…

Apple announced Tuesday that it had signed contracts for 650 megawatts of renewable power in Europe. This includes wind and solar projects that are either operational or will be soon. A large chunk of the power they’ll produce will go toward offsetting the energy use by Apple customers. Use of everything from Mac Pros to Apple Watches accounts for nearly one-third of the company’s carbon footprint. Even though Europe isn’t usually considered a sunny continent, Apple is buying energy from several solar farms, including 110 megawatts each in Greece and Latvia, 131 megawatts in Spain, and 40 megawatts in Poland.…