Author: Money Mechanics

Not that long ago, U.S. payroll growth of less than 100,000 or so a month meant the labor market was sinking and signaling a potential recession. No more, though, as that kind of number is pretty much all that is needed to keep unemployment steady and the Federal Reserve at bay.When the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its job count for April on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET, it’s expected to show a gain of just 55,000 — anemic compared with what the economy has seen in recent years, but enough to keep the jobless rate at a relatively…

Investors could not get enough of Ramp throughout 2025 and it looks like 2026 could be another banner year of fundraising for the corporate spend management startup. The company is in talks to raise another $750 million at a pre-money valuation of more than $40 billion, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. The deal is not yet final though, so terms could change. Ramp declined to comment. In November, Ramp announced it had raised $300 million at a $32 billion post-money valuation led by Lightspeed, which also included an employee tender offer. The company announced in July a $500 million…

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a renewed focus on bringing companies to public markets.They quantified some of the benefits to companies of being public in a 2025 staff report, highlighting lower costs of borrowing and more access to finance, which increased investments. Another study we recently discussed shows that those factors contribute to employment and economic growth. But public markets also contribute to household financial security and independence, while providing transparency and accountability to protect most investors.Despite that, companies are going public later. U.S. initial public offerings (IPOs) used to have an average company age of eight years, compared to 11 years now.One of the commonly stated reasons why companies stay private is the…

The panel that regulates rents for nearly 1 million New York City apartments will vote Thursday night on proposed rent adjustments, offering the first major test of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s promised rent freeze.The preliminary Rent Guidelines Board vote will not make any increases (or a freeze) official—that decision is expected June 25. But Thursday’s vote will show whether the board is prepared to start from Mamdani’s position of 0% increases, or whether rising building costs will push members to consider some rent hikes.Ahead of the meeting, the Small Property Owners of New York (SPONY) warned that a freeze would ignore…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Stocks were mixed to higher for much of a trading session defined by optimism about peace in the Middle East. All three main equity indexes finished in the red, though, after The Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration is considering resuming an effort to force open the Strait of Hormuz.The front-month West Texas Intermediate crude futures contract was down as much as 5.5% to below $90 per barrel early on Wednesday but settled up more than 2% and above $97.”Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have lifted restrictions on the U.S. military’s use of their bases and airspace…

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) opened at $80,900.77 on Wednesday, 1.3% higher than Tuesday’s opening price. Bitcoin moved even higher in early trading, surpassing the $82,000 mark. Ethereum (ETH-USD) opened at $2,360.65 on Wednesday, 0.6% higher than Tuesday’s opening price. Ethereum also rose this morning, just not as significantly as bitcoin, valued at $2,412.01 as of 7:03 a.m. ET. The opening values of bitcoin and ethereum are both up significantly today. The value of bitcoin this morning was $82,305.01 as of 7:03 a.m. ET. This is the highest price point for the cryptocurrency since January 31. Ethereum’s price was $2,412.01 at 7:03 a.m.…

In-brief analysis May 7, 2026 The United States exported nearly 50,000 barrels per day (b/d) of renewable diesel and other biofuels—a category which includes sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—in the second half of 2025 (2H25), about 20% of the combined production for those fuels. About half of these exports went to Canada, with the rest mostly going to Europe. A year ago, in our March 2025 Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM), we introduced data on renewable diesel exports. These new data added to our existing renewable diesel data of production, imports, interregional movements, and stock changes to…

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq once again hit new all-time highs on Wednesday. However, not all stocks are in the same boat, with some lagging far behind. Discover 8 US stocks that have been battered in recent weeks and could see explosive gains. The closed at 7,365 on Wednesday, up 1.46%. The jumped 2.03% to 25,839. Both indices reached new record highs. Markets moved higher due to two main reasons: hopes of a possible agreement between the US and Iran to end the war, and strong earnings from tech companies.On the geopolitical side, fell more than 7% to around…

A woman is suing Ant Anstead and his girlfriend, Renee Zellweger, for $10 million after allegedly sustaining injuries while visiting the couple at their Laguna Beach rental home.Tracey Belland filed a lawsuit against Anstead, 47, and Zellweger, 57, in Feb. 2026, claiming she was hurt after allegedly tripping over a rug that was reportedly covering a hole on the patio.Belland claimed that she was hurt during her Aug. 14, 2024, visit to the California home, which was being rented by Anstead.According to the lawsuit, which was first obtained by TMZ, Belland claims that a “thin rug had been placed over…

(World Oil) – OPEC’s crude production fell to a new 36-year low last month as the Iran war continued to choke off exports from the Persian Gulf and forced further shut-ins, according to a Bloomberg survey. Output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries declined by 420,000 bpd to 20.55 MMbpd in April, the lowest since 1990, driven by deeper losses in Kuwait and Iran, the survey showed. The group’s production had already plunged by 8.6 MMbpd in March, the biggest slump in decades, when the conflict first shuttered the Strait of Hormuz waterway. The supply loss in the Persian…