Author: Money Mechanics

Jack Zhang was 34 years old, three and a half years into running a startup, and sitting across from one of the most powerful investors in Silicon Valley. Michael Moritz of Sequoia had invited him to his home — a place with, Zhang recalls, a couple of floors and a view straight to the Golden Gate Bridge — to make the case for selling. Stripe wanted to buy Airwallex for $1.2 billion. At the time, the Melbourne company had around $2 million in annualized revenue. The math was almost pretty irresistable: a revenue multiple somewhere near 600 times. Patrick Collison,…

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) opened at $75,151.99 on Friday, 0.5% higher than Thursday’s opening price of $74,810.87. The value of bitcoin as of 7:44 a.m ET was $75,428.90. Ethereum (ETH-USD) opened at $2,348.49 on Friday, down 0.5% from Thursday’s opening price of $2,359.70. The value of ethereum as of 7:44 a.m. ET was $2,350.55. Both bitcoin and ethereum prices continued to show momentum this week. Bitcoin’s opening price this morning of $75,151.99 was the highest opening value since February 4. Ethereum showed a similar trend this morning — the opening price of $2,348.49 was the highest opening value since March 18. Learn…

In-brief analysis March 10, 2026 Annual U.S. crude oil exports in 2025 decreased 3% from 2024, the first annual decrease since 2021. Exports decreased to Europe and the Asia and Oceania region, the two top regional destinations for U.S. crude oil. Despite fewer crude oil exports, U.S. crude oil imports decreased by more. Overall, U.S. net imports of crude oil—total imports minus total exports—decreased from 2.5 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2024 to 2.2 million b/d in 2025. Since the early 2010s, U.S. exports of crude oil have increased sharply, driven by increasing U.S.…

The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) of the Bank of England has confirmed that it will continue to work with the HM Treasury on further reforms to enhance insurance-linked securities (ILS) and catastrophe bond frameworks in the United Kingdom in order to amplify competitiveness within the market.Today, the Prudential Regulation Authority published its business plan for 2026/27 and highlighted continued development of its insurance-linked securities (ILS) and alternative reinsurance capital frameworks. In November 2024, we reported that the UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority was consulting on reforms to approval timelines for the insurance special purpose vehicle (ISPV) regulatory regime, which includes an…

In an aerial view, two-story single family homes line the streets of neighborhood on Jan. 13, 2026 in Thousand Oaks, California.Kevin Carter | Getty ImagesMortgage rates fell to the lowest level in a month, boosting refinance activity and offsetting weak demand from homebuyers. As a result, total mortgage application volume rose 1.8% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, $832,750 or less, decreased to 6.42% from 6.51%, with points increasing to 0.62 from 0.61, including the origination fee,…

(Oil & Gas 360) By Greg Barnett, MBA – As the United States leverages its LNG and crude oil exports amid geopolitical turmoil, its economic relationship with Asia is coming sharply into focus.   Tightening trade balances, tariff dynamics, and energy diplomacy are reshaping ties with China, Japan, South Korea, and India , each driven by their own urgency to diversify energy sources and rebalance trade. China: Trade Deficit, Tariffs Dampening Energy Imports In 2025, the U.S. goods deficit with China reached $202.1 billion, down from $295.5 billion in 2024, supported by declining bilateral trade volumes. The U.S. services surplus with China remained…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Crude oil prices collapsed and stock prices surged Friday after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” in a post on X, citing a ceasefire in Lebanon. The Nasdaq Composite is now on its longest winning streak since 1992, as the tech-heavy index and the S&P 500 hit new all-time closing highs, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied to within another good day’s climb of its own fresh peak.Passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is “open for the remaining period of ceasefire” between Lebanon and Israel, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.I am belatedly reading a book at the moment called The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck (the asterisk is the choice of the book publisher). I’m only about halfway through, but the gist is that there’s value in embracing adversity, picking your battles and just not expecting the world to make you happy. Find fulfilment in the things you can control and that are important to you. Care less.I mention this not because I’ve turned my hand to self-help columns,…

Maria Diaz/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.Deal details: Apple’s AirTag (Gen 1) 4-Pack is on sale for $60 (save $39) at Best Buy. A few weeks back, Apple launched a refresh to its tiniest gadget — the AirTag. The flagship tracker hadn’t been updated since its release, so the launch of the Gen 2 was a needed facelift. Since its 2021 debut, Apple’s original Bluetooth tracker has been used to monitor the location of all kinds of devices. People use the device to track their luggage through an airport, as well as their keys, bags, wallets, and other valuable items that are…

The mid-50s is retirement crunch time. You still have time to build your nest egg, but by now you should have a clear vision of what your golden years will look like. Will you age in place or relocate? Do you plan to keep working, or will you pivot to a hobby full-time?Every choice carries a price tag. To help gauge where you stand, JPMorgan crunched the numbers to create retirement savings benchmarks based on age and income. This model assumes a retirement age of 65, an annual gross savings rate of 5%, a portfolio of target-date funds and a…