Author: Money Mechanics

The S&P 500 is up over 13% this year and hit a new record of 6,753.72 points on Wednesday. But not every stock in the index has done well. Some stocks have soared, while others have dropped a lot. The five best-performing S&P 500 stocks this year have risen between 124% and 198%:The five worst-performing S&P 500 stocks have dropped between 43% and 54% this year:As the fourth quarter begins—the period usually strongest for stocks, leading up to the Christmas rally—some of the year’s worst-hit stocks could bounce back strongly. This is even more likely because the plans to keep…

According to Moody’s Ratings, issuance of higher expected loss (EL) catastrophe bonds has risen slightly in 2024 and 2025, as pricing for higher-severity risks has declined, encouraging investors to allocate more capacity to higher-frequency exposures.It’s important to note that catastrophe bonds that are more exposed to higher frequency losses typically carry higher ELs, while those tied to less frequent but more severe risks tend to have lower ELs. “Over the past few years, the reinsurance market has steadily increased prices and attachment points to lower frequency-related catastrophe losses such as those from severe convective storms or wildfires. This was in…

Again, a prod to deliver gift-box savings bonds. Quickly. Series I Savings Bonds are a U.S. Treasury investment. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Savings Bond investors who are holding I Bonds in “gift-box” storage are getting emails from TreasuryDirect this week advising them to deliver the bonds to the intended recipient. Like (hint, hint) now. I haven’t received the email, because I delivered all our gift-box I Bonds in 2024, also the year they were purchased. But readers have sent me the text: Dear TreasuryDirect Customer, Treasury is always looking for ways to enhance your experience. This includes simplifying the gift…

Pending home sales are declining, with some house hunters waiting for mortgage rates to drop lower and some feeling jittery about the economy. New listings of U.S. homes for sale rose 2.3% year over year during the four weeks ending October 5, the biggest increase in over three months. Some sellers listed their homes in September as the weekly average mortgage rate dipped to 6.26%, a 10-month low, in hopes that lower rates would lure buyers.  But buyers aren’t budging. Pending sales fell 1.3% from a year ago, the biggest decline in five months, and the typical home that sells…

Stoke Space announced a massive capital raise on Wednesday that might seem, at first glance, like just another bet on the commercial launch market. The details tell a different story. Led by billionaire Thomas Tull’s U.S. Innovative Technology (USIT), a fund that explicitly invests in technologies tied to national security, the $510 million Series D round underscores a larger shift in the launch industry. The old assumption was the winners of launch would be the companies that capture the lion’s share of commercial payloads. While there is still demand on the commercial side from private constellation developers and for emerging…

Key Takeaways The most in-demand career opportunities are no longer just in offices. Fields like construction, renewable energy, health care, and cybersecurity are hiring fast and paying well.Gen Z is rethinking success by looking beyond traditional degrees and white-collar jobs, with many considering skilled trades.AI, biotech, and green innovations are altering the job market, making it wise to pick up future-proof skills and remain flexible about where and how you work. Graduates entering the job market are facing a work environment shaped by rapid change, where new technologies and policy investments are changing the industries that hire. Whole industries are…

(BOE Report)– Prime Minister Mark Carney raised the prospect of reviving the Keystone XL pipeline project with U.S. President Donald Trump as part of a larger pitch on linking energy co-operation and support for Canada’s steel and aluminum sectors. A government source who was briefed on the disc aluminum, steelussions told The Canadian Press that Trump was “very receptive” to the idea during his Tuesday meeting with Carney in the White House, and the two leaders directed their teams to pursue discussions in the days ahead. CBC News was first to report on Carney raising Keystone XL. The source said…

 As you highlighted in your recent TradeTalks interview, AI is projected to generate between $350 billion and $410 billion annually for the pharmaceutical sector by 2025, driven by innovations in drug development. How is AI supporting drug discovery and other areas of pharma?  Drug Discovery & Design: AI accelerates identification of new targets and designs novel molecules, predicting protein structures and drug-likeness with high accuracy.Preclinical & Repurposing: Machine learning enables virtual screening, predictive toxicology, and discovery of new uses for existing drugs, cutting lab time and costs.Clinical Development: AI enhances trial design, patient stratification, and monitoring via digital biomarkers, boosting…

Key Takeaways Recent deals from the likes of Nvidia and OpenAI have raised eyebrows on Wall Street and drawn comparisons to the vendor financing arrangements that fueled the Dotcom bubble of the late 1990s. Experts note these deals account for a relatively small share of AI investment, which, unlike during the Dotcom bubble, has mostly been funded by extremely profitable tech businesses. Some warn of early bubble warning signs, including big tech’s increasing reliance on debt and an IPO frenzy. A spate of unusual deals within the AI ecosystem has recently fueled concern that the AI boom is actually an…

Key Takeaways Major U.S. equities indexes pulled back Thursday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq set fresh all-time highs.Delta Air Lines shares jumped after the carrier posted quarterly earnings that topped analysts’ estimates. Tesla shares slid after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the electric vehicle maker’s Full Self-Driving software. Major U.S. equities indexes pulled back Thursday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq set fresh all-time highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all were lower at midday. Delta Air Lines (DAL) stock surged after the Atlanta-based carrier’s quarterly results topped analysts’ estimates and…