Author: Money Mechanics

Gold (GC=F) futures opened at $3,680.20 per ounce on Monday, up 0.8% from Friday’s close of $3,649.40. Gold has opened above $3,600 daily since September 9. Investors are awaiting the Fed’s next interest rate decision on September 17. A 25-basis-point cut is widely expected, though President Trump told reporters Sunday that he expected “a big cut.” The Fed will also release its dot plot this week, a chart outlining how each Fed committee member predicts interest rates will evolve over the next few years. The dot plot is an indicator of future rate changes, given the information available today. The…

Oracle Corp ORCL shares were trading higher Monday, continuing a remarkable surge from last week. The stock is building on a five-day gain of nearly 25%, as investors cheered the company’s aggressive pivot towards artificial intelligence infrastructure.The stock is gaining on Monday after Berenberg maintained a Hold rating and raised its price target from $202 to $306. The stock may also be up after President Donald Trump hinted at TikTok deal.What To Know: The rally ignited last week despite Oracle narrowly missing fiscal first-quarter revenue and earnings estimates. Wall Street quickly looked past the slight miss, focusing instead on the…

In-brief analysis September 15, 2025 Per capita CO2 emissions from primary energy consumption decreased in every state from 2005 to 2023, according to recently released data in our State Energy Data System. Total energy-related CO2 emissions in the United States fell 20% over that time, and the population grew by 14%, leading to a 30% decrease in per capita CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions across the country primarily declined because less coal was burned in the electric power sector. Increased electricity generation from natural gas, which releases about half as many CO2 emissions per unit of…

Canadian searches for U.S. homes dropped off when the White House announced steep tariffs on Canadian goods in the spring. The decline is especially steep in West Palm Beach, FL, a popular second-home destination for snowbirds.  The number of Canadian Redfin.com users searching for homes to buy or rent in the U.S. dropped 19.5% year over year in August. For comparison, the total number of prospective buyers and renters searching on Redfin.com declined, too, but by a fraction of the amount.  The number of Canadians searching for U.S. homes started dropping significantly in February, when the White House implemented 25%…

A new iOS app called Awake, designed specifically for heavy sleepers who must complete missions to turn off their alarms, launched Monday. The app is only available to users with the iOS 26 update, which also came out on Monday.  Unlike traditional alarm clocks that can be silenced with a simple tap, Awake is intended to actively engage users’ brains to ensure they fully wake up. Once the alarm sounds, users must complete a series of interactive missions to turn it off.  These tasks include a variety of challenges, such as rotating the iPhone, completing a set of push-ups, or…

(World Oil) – MEG Energy Corp.’s board turned down Strathcona Resources Ltd.’s sweetened offer to buy the oil sands producer, recommending that shareholders stick with a rival offer from Cenovus Energy Inc. Source: MEG Energy Strathcona, controlled by former investment banker Adam Waterous, last week offered 0.8 of a share for each share of MEG, valuing the Calgary-based target at around C$7.6 billion ($5.5 billion), based on Friday’s closing price. The new offer is about 10% higher than Strathcona’s original takeover bid made in May and tops the price Cenovus agreed last month to pay for MEG. But it’s still…

 How are emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum or accelerate computing, transforming the demand on power infrastructure?The computational requirements of AI require significantly higher rack density, with more power intensive racks utilized inside the data center shell.  The combination of increased rack density and higher power loads per rack continues to drive data center power demand.  At the same time, power availability remains constrained, as grid interconnections becomes more challenging to secure and traditional turbines and other forms of critical power equipment remain in short supply.Driven by surging demand and the escalating power intensity of AI workloads, data centers are now…

Key Takeaways Market enthusiasm creates psychological biases that override rational analysis, leading investors to ignore the fundamentals of assets they’re investing in. Even the savviest traders have taken on massive losses when swept up in investment excitement. A crucial lesson from Benjamin Graham—the legendary investor who was a dear mentor to Warren Buffett—involves how different investing is from the other things we do: The very trait that drives success in most areas of life can wreck your financial future. “While enthusiasm may be necessary for great accomplishments elsewhere, on Wall Street it almost invariably leads to disaster,” Graham warned in…

Key Takeaways Buffett and Munger used financial data but prioritized understanding the actual business—its competitive advantages, management quality, and long-term prospects. They invested as if buying entire companies forever, not just trading stocks for short-term price moves or quarterly earnings. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger built Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) into a massive empire by prioritizing a qualitative understanding of a business over complex financial modeling. While they certainly used financial ratios and other analytical tools, they didn’t let spreadsheets drive their investment decisions. Instead, these legendary investors focused on something many overlook: Deeply understanding how businesses actually work. This…

Key Takeaways According to Nuveen, 93% of workers want 401(k) plans to offer lifetime income options, but most don’t. Still, lifetime income can come from sources like Social Security, pensions, annuities, and thoughtfully planned withdrawal strategies using bonds, investments, or income-focused funds. A sustainable withdrawal strategy also involves thinking about spending needs and tax implications, as well as building a reliable income floor. You’ve spent decades building your nest egg, but how do you turn that lump sum into a paycheck that lasts? According to a 2025 Nuveen and TIAA Institute study, nearly all 401(k) participants (93%) say they want…