Author: Money Mechanics

According to a recent report from Fitch Ratings, partnerships between North American insurers and alternative investment managers are expected to continue to keep growing over the near term, particularly through sidecars and offshore reinsurance platforms.As per Fitch, offshore reinsurance has increased significantly within the North American life insurance sector, notably driven by more economic and less capital-intensive regulatory regimes. Analysts noted that most reserves are ceded to Bermuda, which implemented various enhancements to its regime in 2024, which ultimately increased the capital, oversight and granularity required to operate on the island. “Life insurers are increasingly structuring sidecars and creating offshore…

It is rare, in the investment world, for an investment to honestly and fully disclaim its basic nature in a way that finishes the story and requires no further analysis from us before making an investment decision. I have found such an investment. It is a cryptocurrency/meme coin called, appropriately, USELESS. If you were to buy all of the USELESS in existence, it would cost you (as of this writing) about $272 million dollars. This seems to me to be a lot of money to pay for something useless, but what do I know? Now, it should be noted that…

Key Takeaways Some economists and policy experts are concerned about Social Security’s ability to keep paying millions of Americans the benefits they’ve earned.Experts said the program should raise the earning cap, increase payroll taxes, and implement an automatic rebalancing system to remain sustainable and avoid cutting benefits.If these things are done, experts said the program might be able to survive for another 90 years. Social Security might want to ask for a major overhaul for its 90th birthday. Some economists and policy experts are concerned about the program’s ability to continue doing what it has for nine decades: pay millions…

In-brief analysis July 31, 2025 In our most recent Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast nationwide U.S. retail electricity sales to ultimate customers will grow at an annual rate of 2.2% in both 2025 and 2026, compared with average growth of 0.8% between 2020 and 2024. The forecast reflects rapid electricity demand growth in Texas and several mid-Atlantic states, where the grid is managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the PJM Interconnection, respectively. We expect electricity demand in ERCOT to grow at an average rate of 11% in 2025 and 2026…

HCA Healthcare HCA has outperformed the market over the past 10 years by 3.69% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 16.83%. Currently, HCA Healthcare has a market capitalization of $92.10 billion. Buying $1000 In HCA: If an investor had bought $1000 of HCA stock 10 years ago, it would be worth $4,668.72 today based on a price of $393.62 for HCA at the time of writing.HCA Healthcare’s Performance Over Last 10 YearsFinally — what’s the point of all this? The key insight to take from this article is to note how much of a difference compounded…

Key Takeaways If flexibility matters for your goals and timeline, today’s best high-yield savings accounts are a strong choice—offering up to 5.00% APY. But these elevated returns aren’t expected to last, with Fed rate cuts forecasted this year and next that will push savings yields lower. The best nationwide CDs, however, let you lock in a mid-4% rate for months or years, protecting your returns while other rates drop. For many savers, the smartest move is a two-bucket strategy: keeping some cash in savings for easy access and putting longer-term funds in a CD to prolong your elevated return. The…

Key Takeaways More Americans are choosing to stay put in their current jobs amid concerns about the state of the labor market.Consultants from Korn Ferry last week called the trend “job hugging,” as opposed to the historic rates of “job hopping” that was seen coming out of the pandemic.The rate of workers leaving their jobs voluntarily and the rate of workers being hired at new ones have declined in recent months. Another new term has entered the labor market lexicon, to go along with “quiet quitting” and many others, and you might be doing it without even realizing it: job…

The probability of a rate cut in September remains above 90%, but it did recede after the federal government said July wholesale prices rose faster than Wall Street expected. Weekly jobless claims data suggest the labor market remains stable. And earnings continue to generally support the long-term trend despite seasonal headwinds.In between Tuesday’s cool Consumer Price Index (CPI) print and Thursday’s warm Producer Price Index (PPI) reading was Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who on Wednesday called for a 50 basis point cut (0.50%) at the next Fed meeting.Federal funds rate futures pricing now reflects a 0.0% probability that Jerome Powell…

The final numbers aren’t in yet, but it looks like premiums for Medicare Part D prescription drug insurance policies will increase for 2026, and they could increase substantially. Part D policies are insurance policies issued by private sector companies and overseen and regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The program has been in existence since 2006 and is partly subsidized by the federal government. There were substantial premium increases and reductions in benefits for 2025. Several factors caused those changes, such as higher use of prescription drugs and price increases for some drugs. Another reason Part…

Key Takeaways The S&P 500 was little changed Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, ahead of results from major retailers set for release this week and a key speech by the Federal Reserve chair Friday.Shares of HR software provider Dayforce surged following reports that a private equity firm was evaluating a potential buyout.Intel shares slipped, bringing their recent rally to a halt as more details emerged about the U.S. government’s interest in acquiring a stake in the chipmaker. Major U.S. equities indexes were little changed Monday ahead of key retail sector earnings reports and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell expected…