Author: Money Mechanics

After a sweeping rally for U.S. stocks Friday fueled by rising expectations of an interest rate cut next month, earnings from the world’s most valuable company and a key measure of inflation could command the spotlight this week. Chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) has been front-and-center in the AI boom, with surging sales on growing demand for the emerging tech. Investors will likely be watching for updates on its most advanced offerings, as well as its plans to navigate changing trade policies, when the company posts its quarterly results. Investors can also look forward to the latest release of the Federal Reserve’s…

Key Takeaways Major retailers shared their perspectives on how consumers are faring and what tariffs mean for the industry on conference calls following the release of quarterly results last week.Americans remain value-minded while shopping, and in some cases are pulling back on discretionary items even though tariffs haven’t fully affected prices yet.Yet, home improvement suppliers said shoppers have been making more big purchases, including appliances. Household finances are tight. Inflation is elevated, and tariffs may exacerbate the pressure. So how are consumers—and companies—faring? Several retailers offered insight while discussing their quarterly results on conference calls over the past week. Executives…

Majority-owned U.S. affiliates of foreign multinational enterprises employed 8.35 million workers in the United States in 2022, a 6.8 percent increase from 7.82 million workers in 2021, according to statistics on U.S. affiliate operations and finances released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.Majority-owned U.S. affiliates accounted for 6.2 percent of total private-industry employment in the United States in 2022, up slightly from 6.1 percent in 2021 (chart 1). By industry, employment was largest in manufacturing and in retail trade (table 1). Majority-owned U.S. affiliates with ultimate owners in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada were the largest contributors…

World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform associated with President Donald Trump‘s family, has publicized the launch of its WLFI token on the Ethereum mainnet. What Happened: The company confirmed the token’s launch on Saturday. Originally a governance-only token, WLFI is now entering open circulation, indicating a significant change in its direction. The token generation event (TGE) is scheduled for September 1, 2025, with spot trading expected to commence at 12:00 PM UTC. At the time of launch, 20% of WLFI’s supply will be transferable, while the remaining supply will be subject to community governance or extended vesting periods. The decision to make the token tradable was made following…

Mid-tier and junior gold miners just finished reporting spectacular record quarterly results! In the sweet spot for sector upside potential, smaller gold miners’ fundamental performances handily bested their larger peers’. They shattered every major financial record, while also achieving superior operational results. That left their stock prices even more seriously-undervalued, portending more big mean-reversion gains. The leading mid-tier-gold-stock benchmark is the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:). With $6.0b in net assets mid-week, it remains the second-largest gold-stock ETF after its big-brother VanEck Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:). That is dominated by far-larger major gold miners, though there is much overlap…

On May 7, 2025, the Federal Open Market Committee held the FED funds target rate at 4.25% to 4.50%, a level unchanged since December 2024. In his statement, Chairman Jerome Powell said that, while economic growth remains solid, uncertainty has risen markedly amid evolving trade policies and global supply-chain strains saying, “If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they’re likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth and an increase in unemployment.” Chair Jerome Powell underscored at the post-meeting press conference that the current policy stance is “in a good place”…

TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are trusted traveler programs under the Department of Homeland Security and can help make your travel days more enjoyable. They’re similar programs, but have some key differences that can help you decide which one is right for you and your adventures.  TSA PreCheck offers expedited security screening benefits for domestic flights departing from U.S. airports, allowing travelers to keep their belts on and laptops packed at over 200 U.S. airports and with more than 90 participating airlines. The lines for TSA PreCheck are often shorter than standard security lines, which can make the difference between…

Key Takeaways In contrast to most financial advisors, Munger called wide diversification “protection against ignorance,” useful only when you don’t have conviction. Holding too many positions, he argued, can raise costs, blunt big winners, and still leave you exposed to market shocks.Munger advocated a balanced approach—owning a few great companies plus low-cost index funds—that can capture upside without unnecessary clutter.But he said “know-nothing” investors—which is most people—should rely on broad market index funds. Diversification is almost a sacred word when it comes to investing, but the late Charlie Munger—Warren Buffett’s longtime partner at Berkshire Hathaway—argued that some investors should avoid it…

Former OpenAI researcher Miles Brundage has suggested that $10,000 monthly universal basic income (UBI) payments could become a reality with the continued growth of artificial intelligence (AI).What Happened: Brundage, who until 2024 served as OpenAI’s senior policy advisor and head of the AGI readiness team, is of the opinion that the economic impact of AI could pave the way for such substantial UBI payments.Current UBI trials have generally provided cash payments ranging from $500 to $1,500 per month. However, Brundage is encouraging policymakers to envision a larger scale. “I think that a significantly more generous UBI experiment than has been tried so far (say, $10k/month vs. $1k/month)…

A local house with a porch in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA.Wolfgang Kaehler | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesA version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.The great wealth transfer is leading to a great real estate transfer, with up to $25 trillion in real estate owned by older generations that could get passed down — and fought over — in their families.According to Cerulli Associates, $105 trillion is expected to be passed down by baby boomers…