Author: Money Mechanics

While cautious optimism is growing over a potential deal to end the US war on Iran, I feel it’s too early to tell if an agreement can be reached.US President Donald Trump says he called off air strikes on Iran. He claims a peace deal is close, and details of its signing will be announced shortly.Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the main part of the text is almost finalized. However, they claim Americans are adding new requests and being greedy.On the other hand, the US president has taken to social media to condemn Iran after Iranian media reported extensively on terms…

NJM Insurance has now successfully secured the upsized $250 million of northeast US named storm reinsurance from the capital markets with its new Lower Ferry Re Ltd. (Series 2026-1) issuance, with all three tranches of notes pricing below initial guidance, Artemis can report.NJM Insurance made its return to the catastrophe bond market around the middle of May, looking to sponsor its third cat bond transaction. We explained at the time that whilst three tranches of notes were offered at first only two were sized, initially giving NJM Insurance a target of securing $150 million or more in reinsurance protection. Then in our…

(Oil Price) – The on-and-off U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and the flipping U.S. position regarding India’s oil purchases from Russia highlight the double standards of the Western nations, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday. India turned en masse to Russian oil in 2022, when the U.S. and the EU imposed sanctions on Moscow due to the invasion of Ukraine. Four years later, India is a major buyer of Russia’s crude and Russia is India’s single-largest oil supplier. “At that time, the US specifically asked India to buy Russian oil to stabilise the oil market,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying at…

Hidden behind enormous branches of “towering” oak trees on a leafy street in Los Angeles’ beautiful Laurel Canyon neighborhood sits an extraordinary compound with a rich architectural heritage that extends across not one, but two separate dwellings.Totaling more than 11,000 square feet, the compound, which is known as the “Temple in the Trees,” was designed by late architect Barry Gittelson. Completed in 1979, the home has since undergone an in-depth renovation that brought a new level of intrigue to its already-unique design.“It’s a special one,” says agent Nathaniel Cole of Modern California House, who is co-listing the property with his…

I’ll be straight with you. Minnesota is one of the most expensive states in the country to sell a business in. The top income rate runs to 9.85%, the gain on your sale gets taxed as ordinary income, and Minnesota is the only state in the country that piles a separate surtax on top of large investment gains. Plenty of owners still sell here and walk away happy, so don’t read that as a reason to hold on. Read it as a reason to treat the tax planning as part of the deal itself. In a high-tax state, the gap…

Everlywell / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways At-home DNA and health tests may not be covered by HIPAA.Genetic data can expose you or relatives and create insurance risks.FDA review and follow-up care vary widely.The kit arrives. It isn’t big.You get it out of the mailbox and bring it to your counter. It’s printed in fun, friendly colors.Swab. Spit. Prick your finger. Mail it back. Soon, you’ll learn something new about yourself: your hormones, your fertility, your cancer risk, your predisposition to Alzheimer’s, your metabolism, your food sensitivities, or even your…

An extraordinary castle-like estate in Connecticut is bringing a dash of old-world opulence to one of the state’s most upscale neighborhoods—lending a rare sense of regal elegance to an area already famous for its over-the-top mansions. Known as Loch Lane Manor, the striking stone residence has nearly doubled in price since it last changed hands in 2020 for $6.9 million, recently returning to the market for the lofty price of $13.5 million.Set on 3.22 acres, the custom-built manor is located at the heart of a picture-perfect parcel in Greenwich, CT, an extremely pricey suburb where the median list price currently…

Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) is offering investors a 4.5% yield. That is well above the 1% you’d collect from the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC ) and the 1.6% average for the drug sector. While the yield looks relatively attractive, given how high it is, prudent investors will wonder if the dividend is safe. It’s highly likely that it is, and here’s why. Bristol Myers Squibb is a well-run business Bristol Myers Squibb isn’t an upstart drug company; it has been in business for a very long time and is highly respected. Notably, its dividend hasn’t been…

HANGZHOU, CHINA – JUNE 02: General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith watches DR02 humanoid robot performance at Deep Robotics on June 2, 2026 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Wang Gang | China News Service | Getty ImagesThe rush of capital into China’s tech start-up world hit a speed bump this month.Within hours of each other last Friday, a Chinese city government ordered companies to disclose their financial ties to robot vacuum maker Dreame Technology, and China’s State Council issued sweeping rules to tighten oversight of the country’s 23 trillion yuan…

Professional services firm KPMG has pulled a report titled, “Redefining excellence in the age of agentic AI,” after numerous organizations said the report’s claims about their AI usage were untrue. Research group GPTZero identified a number of inaccuracies in the report, which was published in October 2025. GPTZero told the FT that the inaccuracies stemmed from AI hallucinations. In other words, the professional services firm appears to have used AI to help write a report about AI.  UBS, the UK’s National Health Service, Swiss Federal Railways, and Transport for London all told the FT that the report’s claims about their…