Author: Money Mechanics

Selling cash secured puts on stocks an investor is happy to take ownership of is a great way to generate some extra income. A cash-secured put involves writing an at-the-money or out-of-the-money put option and simultaneously setting aside enough cash to buy the stock. The goal is to either have the put expire worthless and keep the premium, or to be assigned and acquire the stock below the current price. It’s important that anyone selling puts understands that they may be assigned 100 shares at the strike price. Why Trade Cash Secured Puts? Selling cash secured puts is a bullish…

The holiday season, which also aligns largely with the second-quarter earnings season, was positive this year. This means that the usual advice to “Sell in May and go away” hasn’t been true in 2025. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 have increased by 8.15% and 10.97% over the past three months, rising despite the ongoing tariff conflicts and tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine. The outlook for the end of 2025 remains positive as long as the is expected lower and the US economy avoids a recession. Let’s look at three companies that have done well during the…

Before I begin talking about today’s CPI, a quick word about the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. As someone who worked 1 block from the Towers, I can tell you it’s a day I will never forget and filled with images I can never erase. But I also remember that in the weeks that followed, the country was unified in a way I’d never seen. Rudy Giuliani was “America’s Mayor” for his courage and steady hand during the disaster and in the period that followed. When I traveled to the Midwest, menus were filled with ‘Freedom Fries’…

OpenDoor is disrupting the real estate market with its new model. It buys homes and sells them on its platform.OpendoorOpendoor stock rocketed 65% higher on Thursday after the retail favorite named Shopify executive Kaz Nejatian as CEO and co-founder Keith Rabois as chairman.The meme stock hit a 52-week high and continued a stunning run this year, with shares up more than 500% so far.Former CEO Carrie Wheeler resigned last month following a pressure campaign from investors that included critical comments from Rabois and hedge fund manager Eric Jackson, who has been a key part of the stock’s resurgence this year.Jackson…

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysSeptember’s Patch Tuesday offers bug fixes for Windows 10 and 11.Windows 11 also received a host of new and improved features.This marks the penultimate Patch Tuesday update for Windows 10.Hey Windows users, it’s time once again to install the latest monthly updates on your PC, courtesy of September’s Patch Tuesday. Whether you run Windows 11 or are still on Windows 10, you’ll find important feature and security fixes that should be applied. Otherwise, Microsoft is clearly focusing more on Windows 11 as its only officially…

(Oil Price) – U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright blasted net-zero targets as a “colossal train wreck” ahead of his trip to Europe for a gas summit and meetings with EU officials, warning the push for climate policies could weaken energy security and derail a U.S.–EU trade deal. “Net zero 2050 is just a colossal train wreck,” Wright told the Financial Times in an interview. “It’s just a monstrous human impoverishment program, and of course, there is no way it is going to happen,” said the Energy Secretary, whose remarks were also shared on X by the official account of the U.S. Department of Energy.…

Key Takeaways Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol made $95.8 million in 2024, while the median barista at the company made just $14,674, according to the AFL-CIO.The CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 6,666-to-1 is the largest among all S&P 500 companies.The overwhelming majority of Niccol’s compensation is in the form of stock awards, most of which are tied to Starbucks’ share performance. Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Brian Niccol made $95.8 million in 2024. The average barista made just $14,674.  That’s a ratio of 6,666-to-1, the largest CEO-to-worker pay gap among S&P 500 companies, according to a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies. While…

A big Wall Street bank got more cautious about two U.S. shipping giants’ shares today.  Bank of America analysts on Thursday downgraded both FedEx (FDX) and UPS (UPS), setting price targets on shares that were among the lowest on Wall Street. The analysts cut their rating on FedEx to “neutral” from “buy,” trimming their target by $5 to $240, one of the lower ratings compiled by Visible Alpha and below the average above $269, though above recent prices. Their move on UPS was more dramatic, swapping a neutral rating for an “underperform” and setting an $83 target that is the…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Strong earnings, pending interest rate cuts and the AI boom could mean stocks keep rising in the next year, according to two big Wall Street Banks.Deutsche Bank raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 7,000 from 6,550 on Wednesday, while Barclays lifted its 2025 target to 6,450 from 6050 and its 2026 target to 7,000.Their bullish views came as the benchmark index closed at a record high Wednesday. Strong earnings, interest rate cuts and a resilient AI boom could mean stocks keep rising in the next year, according to two big Wall Street Banks. Deutsche Bank on…

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed that President Donald Trump’s tariff policies continue to have a moderate impact on cost pressures, but the Federal Reserve is still expected to lower the federal funds rate when it meets next week.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, headline CPI was up 0.4% month over month in August, higher than the 0.2% rise seen in July and the 0.3% increase economists expected.The CPI was 2.9% higher year over year, a quicker pace than the month prior and the largest annual increase since January. Still, the results arrived in line with estimates.…