Author: Money Mechanics

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Financial services myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.French payments network CB is seeking to lead a fightback against US giants Visa and Mastercard, amid concerns by European officials that the groups’ dominance could be weaponised against the bloc. The network’s head Philippe Laulanie said CB had started to reverse a years-long decline that had cut its share of payments in France from more than 90 per cent five years ago to 75 per cent, according to the company’s own figures.Laulanie said CB, which operates on a “co-badging” system that…

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Unexciting? These days, maybe that’s a good thing. The U.S. Treasury on Thursday will auction $26 billion of a new 5-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Security — CUSIP 91282CQP9. The real yield to maturity and coupon rate will be set by the auction results. At Friday’s market close, the Treasury was estimating the real yield of a full-term 5-year TIPS at 1.28%. Unless yield trends change dramatically this week, this TIPS will get the lowest April result in four years. Definition: The “real yield” of a TIPS is its yield above official future U.S. inflation, over the term…

OpenAI has been all over the news recently, whether that news is about acquisitions, competition with Anthropic, or bigger debates about AI’s impact on society. On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane, and I did our best to round up all the latest OpenAI news. While the company’s latest acquisitions seem to be classic acqui-hires, Sean suggested they also address “two big existential problems that OpenAI is trying to solve right now.” First, with the team behind personal finance startup Hiro, the company may be hoping to  come up with a product that has “more…

(Oil Price) – Empty supertankers have left Asia en route to the U.S. via the Cape of Good Hope in one of the biggest queue of vessels ever seen at sea, as Asian buyers rush to load U.S. crude to replace part of the supply lost in the Middle East. “Tankers are forming what looks like a fleet, an unbroken line heading to the U.S.,” Kpler’s analyst Matt Smith has told Nikkei. “The queue of VLCCs bound for the U.S. is the biggest we’ve ever seen, highlighting a squeeze in oil supply,” the analyst noted. Asia is starved of crude as its biggest suppliers,…

With strong revenue growth projections, Mesoblast Limited (NASDAQ:MESO) secures a spot on our list of the best long-term ASX stocks to buy right now. Mesoblast Limited (MESO), One of the Best Long-Term ASX Stocks To Buy Right Now; See Why As of April 15, 2026, all covering analysts remain bullish on Mesoblast Limited (NASDAQ:MESO), with a consensus price target of $32.5, implying upside potential of 106.5%. That positive sentiment is largely driven by Ryoncil’s growing clinical potential and expanding commercial opportunity. On April 7, 2026, Mesoblast Limited (NASDAQ:MESO) announced that the FDA granted IND clearance to advance directly into a…

In-brief analysis March 2, 2026 Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics database On February 9, 2026, Japan restarted Unit 6 of its largest nuclear power plant, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in Niigata Prefecture, which was shut down following the 2011 Fukushima tsunami and nuclear accident. As the reactor returns to full operations, the resulting increase in nuclear generation is likely to displace generation from fossil sources, mainly natural gas, which accounted for 33% of all Japan’s electricity generation in 2024. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 6, with 1,356 megawatts (MW)…

Christopher Waller, governor of the US Federal Reserve, speaks during the C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, US, on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFederal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller on Friday said current economic conditions are complicating the approach to interest rates, with policymakers facing a potentially long-lasting inflation shock and a labor market with no job growth that nonetheless appears stable.Against that backdrop, Waller said the Fed could have to stay on hold for a prolonged period until the economic direction becomes clearer.”High inflation…

(Image credit: Getty Images)You’ve done everything right. You saved consistently, avoided the obvious mistakes, and now you’re approaching retirement with a number in your account that would have seemed unimaginable 20 years ago.You’ve heard about the 4% rule — withdraw 4% of your portfolio annually, adjusted for inflation — and you’re planning to follow it carefully.That caution might cost you more than you think. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters…

(Image credit: Getty Images)When tax-filing time arrives, people often shake their heads as they look in dismay at how much they owe and wonder what they can do to keep more of their hard-earned savings.Unfortunately, by the time you’re preparing your taxes to meet the filing deadlines, you owe what you owe, and there’s little you can do about it.April 15 may be the traditional deadline for filing with the IRS, but December 31 of the previous year is the deadline for taking measures to lower your tax bill. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter,…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Not long ago, I worked with a couple trying to untangle a financial puzzle they had built over several decades.They had done a lot of things right. Both had successful careers and had been consistent savers. But along the way they had accumulated accounts in several places — retirement plans from past employers, checking and savings accounts at different banks, and investment accounts opened for various purposes over the years.At the time, each decision made sense. One account came from a job change. Another was opened to take advantage of a promotional savings rate. A third was…