Author: Money Mechanics

ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.If you are in the market for a new home speaker, you have multiple excellent options. Two of the best, most balanced choices include Marshall’s Stanmore IV and the Sonos Era 300. Both offer room-filling sound, thumping bass, and a rich feature set. Both speakers have their own merits, but you need to know what you want. One is strictly a Bluetooth speaker, while the other has the smarts you’d expect from every modern speaker. Also: Forget the soundbar: How I upgraded my TV audio with spare Bluetooth speakersI put them against each other…

Mature businesswoman looking out of window.gettyRetirement security and financial security used to mean the same thing. Save enough, invest wisely, and the rest would follow. That equation has not changed. The world it was built for has.Zoe retired 10 years ago. Not all at once. She eased into retirement, working part time for several years before finally leaving work behind.She had plans. More time with her grandchildren. Trips she and her husband had postponed for years. Lunches with friends. Volunteer work. The freedom to decide what each day would be.As she put it: “I earned this.”Then I asked what retirement…

Michigan voters will choose nominees on Tuesday in three races that could help determine control of Congress and the leadership of one of the nation’s most important swing states. The results may hinge on an electorate preoccupied with whether it can afford to live there: young adults.“Young voters are increasingly becoming a sizable voting bloc in Michigan,” Marty P. Jordan, an assistant professor of political science and director of the Master of Public Policy Program at Michigan State University, tells Realtor.com®.Michigan’s 7th Congressional District ranks first among all House races for young voters’ potential influence, according to Tufts University’s Center…

It was another record-setting session for stocks Tuesday as Wall Street cheered the latest round of earnings reports. A big bounce for chip stocks and hope on the geopolitical front also fueled the day’s upside.At the close, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.7% at 54,085 and the broader S&P 500 was 1.8% higher at 7,736 — new record closes — while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite had gained 2.6% to 26,584.”Optimism about an imminent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, combined with upbeat corporate earnings, has stocks soaring to fresh records,” explains José Torres, senior economist at Interactive…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. August 04, 2026 Federal Reserve Board announces approval of the application by Banco Santander, S.A. and Santander Holdings USA, Inc. For release at 4:30 p.m. EDT The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced its approval of the application by Banco Santander, S.A., of Madrid, Spain, and Santander Holdings USA, Inc., of Boston, Massachusetts, to acquire Webster Financial Corporation, and thereby indirectly acquire Webster Bank, National Association, both of Stamford, Connecticut. For media inquiries, please…

Pick any investor who watched Donald Trump walk back into the White House on January 20, 2025 and decided to put money into the three most talked-about assets surrounding that moment. Bitcoin, the asset Trump had openly embraced. Gold, the safe haven that has anchored portfolios for centuries. And the TRUMP memecoin, the token bearing the president’s name that had launched three days earlier and was already being called the trade of the inauguration. Here is what $1,000 in each one looks like today, August 4, 2026. Related: Billionaire reveals ‘worst thing’ to ever happen to Bitcoin Bitcoin: Down 40%…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $73.3 billion in June, down $4.4 billion from $77.6 billion in May, revised.U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services DeficitDeficit:$73.3 Billion–5.6%°Exports:$314.7 Billion–0.9%°Imports:$388.0 Billion–1.8%°Next release: Thursday, September 3, 2026(°) Statistical significance is not applicable or not measurable. Data adjusted for seasonality but not price changesSource: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, August 4, 2026Exports, Imports, and Balance (exhibit 1)June exports were $314.7 billion, $2.9 billion less than May exports. June imports were…

A burst in factory activity shows the U.S. economy may be escaping the burden of tariffs and gaining manufacturing jobs, while at the same time laboring under the geopolitical uncertainty that some industry leaders say is worse than the Covid pandemic.In its July survey of the manufacturing landscape, the Institute for Supply Manufacturing reported the fastest pace of growth in more than four years — a 55.6 reading that was the best since May 2022 and above Wall Street expectations for 54.0. The index measures the percentage of companies reporting growth, so anything above 50 represents expansion.Leading the way were…

Autonomous car maker Waymo has dropped the waitlist for its robotaxi service in Dallas, opening it up to all residents and visitors. This is the latest step in the Alphabet-owned company’s bid to scale its self-driving technology across Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Waymo said Tuesday that anyone can now download the app and immediately hail one of its robotaxis in Dallas. For now, riders won’t be able to hail a ride to Dallas Love Field Airport. The company said it continues to test its self-driving vehicles at the airport and expects to serve riders there “soon.”…

(World Oil) — ExxonMobil and Chevron used record second-quarter earnings to strengthen their balance sheets, directing billions of dollars toward debt reduction rather than significantly increasing share buybacks as geopolitical tensions continue to cloud the oil market outlook. The two U.S. supermajors more than doubled net income during the quarter, benefiting from higher crude prices and exceptionally strong refining margins following prolonged disruptions to global energy markets. ExxonMobil reduced net debt by more than $7 billion, while Chevron cut debt by a record $8.4 billion, lowering its net debt-to-cash flow ratio by more than half. European peers Shell and TotalEnergies also prioritized debt…