Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Most Americans say estate planning matters, but fewer than one in three have a will. Two recent surveys found the main reasons for not having one include procrastination and the belief that their assets aren’t worth the effort. A Trust & Will survey found shifting priorities, with more people including plans for pets and naming friends or professionals instead of family as executors. Most Americans say they understand the value of a last will and testament and the estate planning process, but far fewer take steps to decide what will happen to their assets after death. Experts recommend…

Biggest S&P 500 Movers on Friday August 15, 2025 05:49 PM EDT Decliners Shares of semiconductor equipment manufacturer Applied Materials (AMAT) tumbled 14%, falling the most of any S&P 500 stock. Although Applied Materials topped sales and profit forecasts for its fiscal fourth quarter, its guidance for the current quarter fell short of forecasts, with macroeconomic uncertainty weighing on its outlook, particularly in China. Shares of fellow chip equipment makers KLA Corp. (KLAC) and Lam Research (LRCX) fell 8.4% and 7.3%, respectively. Paramount Skydance (PSKY) shares lost 4.6%, giving back some of the outsized gains posted earlier in the week as the…

July HighlightsIn July, Cboe Canada represented 12.7% market sharePrimary Peg order type launching September 30 (see details below)Track Canadian equities activity and Cboe Titanium latency stats live:Cboe CA Equities OverviewCboe Canadian Equities Titanium System PerformanceIn July, three new Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) were listed on the Cboe Canada exchange by Hamilton ETFs: QDAY, SDAY and CDAY. Now, Cboe Canada is home to 248 ETFs, 32 issuers and 123 Canadian Depository Receipts (CDRs).Growth in ConditionalsCboe BIDS Canada continues to set record trading volume; in July 64.4 million shares traded (single counted) 3.4 million Average Daily Volume (ADV), which represented 87% conditional…

Citigroup has joined its rival banks in the lucrative premium credit card market. Its offering has an annual fee near $600, points for dining out and ordering in—and a difference that could give some frequent flyers pause. It’s the latest new option in the premium credit card space—generally, cards with an annual fee of at least $250—as big banks offer massive welcome bonuses and other benefits, potentially worth thousands of dollars, in an effort to get largely well-heeled customers to sign up and spend. The bank recently unveiled the Citi Strata Elite card, which it said “offers premium travel and…

Social Security plays an important role in retirement for most Americans. Separating myth from fact can help you prepare for it.Here’s what you need to know about three common Social Security myths today:Myth No. 1: Social Security is going bankruptBased on current projections, Social Security isn’t going bankrupt. According to the 2025 Social Security Trustees Report, if no changes are made to the program, it will need to reduce benefits in 2033, paying about 77 cents per dollar of the projected benefit. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for…

We came across a bullish thesis on Applied Materials, Inc. on Stock Analysis Compilation’s Substack. In this article, we will summarize the bulls’ thesis on AMAT. Applied Materials, Inc.’s share was trading at $184.87 as of August 8th. AMAT’s trailing and forward P/E were 22.49 and 18.02, respectively according to Yahoo Finance. Professions with the Highest Alcoholism Rates in US Ant Clausen/Shutterstock.com Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) stands out as a leading, yet undervalued, player in materials-engineering solutions for the semiconductor and display industries. Despite near-term concerns around export-control uncertainties and the potential for a capex slowdown in 2025, the company’s long-term growth…

If you’re the sort of person who wouldn’t get inside a driverless car unless they paid you, a job at Tesla could be just the ticket.  The EV maker currently shows several “Vehicle Operator, Autopilot” jobs on its web site, with openings at eight locations in New York City, Florida, Texas and California. The roles generally demand five to eight hours a day of driving test vehicles, with overtime a possibility in some cases.  What does it pay? Tesla’s (TSLA) New York City opening, which shows morning, afternoon and night shifts, has two pay bands of “expected compensation,” the first…

 Can you tell us more about the role the Market Intelligence Desk team plays within Nasdaq?The Nasdaq Market Intelligence Desk (MID) is a specialized team that provides Nasdaq-listed companies with real-time market insights concerning trading activity in their stock and industry, as well as insight into news and developments impacting the markets. Each listed company is assigned a dedicated MID Director, who offers tailored support, including alerts on unusual trading activity, peer comparisons, technical commentary and macroeconomic updates to name a few. This proactive engagement helps investor relations teams and executives stay informed on the day-to-day trading activity in their…

A subscriber to our Quarterly Inflation Outlook (you can subscribe here) wrote to me recently and asked about a research piece put out by a major sell-side investment house that discussed how private rental indices (such as Zillow) and the Fed’s NTRR (“New Tenant Rent Index”, as defined in a paper by the Cleveland Fed’s Randall Verbrugge a couple of years ago called “Disentangling Rent Index Differences: Data, Methods, and Scope”) were indicating that a decline in rent inflation was on the way. I felt like it was time for an update on this topic, since it has been a…

In late 2016, Warren Buffett started what would become the most profitable investment in his legendary career. Through his company, Berkshire Hathaway Corp. (BRK.A), he began accumulating shares in Apple Inc. (AAPL), first buying about $1 billion worth and soon accumulating another $39 billion. When BRK.A started selling about half of its Apple holdings, the shares were worth over $150 billion. While the tech giant might seem an unlikely choice for an investor famous for avoiding technology stocks, it illustrates the principles that have made Buffett one of history’s most successful investors. Key Takeaways Buffett’s Apple investment demonstrates his complete…