Author: Money Mechanics

In-brief analysis October 10, 2025 An increasing share of U.S. households are using electricity for heating, although natural gas remains the most common heating fuel. In 2024, 42% of U.S. households reported that electricity was their main space heating fuel, according to annual estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Natural gas was the main heating fuel in 47% of homes last year, a decline from 49% in 2010. Evolving trends in home heating fuels reflect shifts in housing populations, changes in technology and policy, and decisions by households and home builders. The…

“On the Southeast side, we’re expanding our presence into some of the fastest-growing markets in the U.S. We’ll be in 17 of the top 20 fastest-growing large metros in the country, and specifically in regard to new retail banking markets, Texas and California,” he added. “In Texas, it’s going to allow us to achieve a pretty rapid density quickly. They’ve got, I think, 101 branches there today, and as part of the announcement, we said we would be investing in and building 150 new de novos over the next four or five years. And so we’ll be up to 250-ish…

The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday designated Google with a special status in the market for online search that would enable the regulator to enforce stricter regulations. The CMA has designated Google as having “strategic market status” in the search and search advertising markets, which means the company has such “a substantial and entrenched” position that it requires special regulations to ensure fair competition. “Google has had an unparalleled position in this digital activity for an extended period. Other traditional general search providers are significantly smaller than Google and have been for many years. Bing is…

Stock futures pointed slightly higher Friday, a day after the three major indexes closed lower, while gold futures went back above $4,000 an ounce as the length of the U.S. government shutdown reached double digits. Futures associated with the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average, benchmark S&P 500, and tech-heavy Nasdaq all were up about 0.1%. Yesterday, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq ended down a respective 0.5%, 0.3%, and 0.1% after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit fresh intraday records. Gold futures, which have soared more than 50% this year, resumed their ascent after closing back below the $4,000 threshold Thursday. The 10-year Treasury…

Picture this: Sarah, a seasoned real estate investor from San Francisco, just sold her duplex for $2.8 million. After holding it for eight years, she’s sitting on a hefty $1.6 million gain.Rather than hand over $400,000-plus to Uncle Sam in capital gains taxes, she’s eyeing a completely different strategy — one that could not only defer her taxes but potentially triple her cash flow … by moving her investment dollars 2,000 miles east to Atlanta. Welcome to the world of geographic arbitrage through 1031 exchanges, where smart investors are discovering the best replacement property might not be in their backyard…

When Stephanie Rogers needs to make a big purchase for Christmas or an upcoming trip, she turns to a convenient tool handily located at the checkout of nearly all online retailers these days: buy now, pay later plans.Offered by companies such as Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna and PayPal, these financing services split the cost of purchases into equal installments over a few weeks, usually with no interest charges. “It seemed like a no-brainer to try it,” says Rogers, 51, a medical retail worker in Troy, Mo. “I like to spread out my payments for cash flow purposes.” Buy now, pay later…

At last, you’re setting sail on the cruise of your dreams. And now you’re counting the days until you can soak up the sun, sip cocktails, and maybe even try a little dancing into the wee hours of the night. As an older traveler, you want to pack smart — everything you need for comfort and fun, without lugging around a suitcase the size of a small car.If you’ve never been on a cruise, packing can be both exciting and intimidating. Even if you’re a seasoned traveler, packing for a cruise to Alaska is much different from packing for a…

Today we’re talking earthquake preparedness.Before you click next because you think you don’t live in an area prone to earthquakes, let me just point out that, according to the USGS, states including California, Nevada, Alaska, Utah, New Jersey, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, Tennessee and Idaho have had an earthquake of 3.0 or higher on the Richter scale in the past five years. So keep that in mind. One other thing to keep in mind: Areas prone to earthquakes have building codes that take that into consideration, so you have some basic protection in the event of seismic activity. Areas that are…

The Israeli government approved the US-brokered deal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, the US Treasury has intervened in Argentina’s currency market, and Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted plans to cut about a quarter of its workforce. Plus, the FT’s Katie Martin explains why the good vibes in the markets are really just investors running on fumes. Mentioned in this podcast:Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire deal and hostage releaseØrsted to cut quarter of workforce after US setbacksUS Treasury intervenes in Argentina’s currency marketBrace for a market melt-upToday’s FT News Briefing was produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon, Sonja Hutson, and…

surged to a new all-time high of $51.14 per ounce today, shattering the decades-old records set during the 1980 Hunt Brothers manipulation and the 2011 frenzy. The white metal has gained over 76% year to date, making it 2025’s top-performing precious metal and outpacing even ’s remarkable rally. But unlike previous silver runs driven purely by speculation, this surge appears fundamentally different, rooted in structural changes that could reshape the market for years to come. The Physical Market CrisisThe most dramatic story is unfolding in London’s silver vaults, the global epicenter of physical trading. Free-floating inventory has collapsed to just…