Author: Money Mechanics

The six-week-long Iran war struck at the heart of the world’s most energy-rich region, with oil and gas facilities targeted by both sides and soaring prices for fuel triggering a new global energy shock.As the dust has begun to settle during a tentative two-week ceasefire, the full scale of the damage has started to become clear, with long-term ramifications for the world economy.Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has said it has suffered significant damage to its production capacity. Qatar, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas producers, has lost almost a fifth of its output, which will…

In-brief analysis April 2, 2026 Rooftop solar generating capacity in Puerto Rico totaled 1,456 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2025, 20% of the overall capacity mix. Rooftop solar capacity has increased faster than other sources over the past decade. Between 2016 and 2025 rooftop solar installations accounted for 81% of the new generating capacity in Puerto Rico, according to data from our Electric Power Monthly and Puerto Rico Energy Bureau’s (PREB) Quarterly Report on System Data. In 2025, rooftop solar became the second-largest capacity source, after petroleum liquids capacity (3,671 MW), and surpassed natural…

U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON DC 20585 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2026 EIA is launching three voluntary pilot field studies to evaluate energy consumption in data centers, with web-based pilot surveys in Texas and Washington state as well as in-person interviews in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. EIA identified 196 companies operating data centers across Texas, Washington state, and the Northern Virginia-DC region. Each company will be asked to report on the energy use of at least one data center in the targeted region. The questionnaire will cover energy sources, electricity consumption, site characteristics, server metrics,…

The catastrophe wind market is one of the most aggressively softening segments within the excess and surplus (E&S) lines property market, with rate decreases in the 20% to 30% range becoming “increasingly common”, according to wholesale insurance services provider CRC Group.In its 2026 Property State of the Market report, CRC Group notes that the cat wind market remains highly competitive, with ample capacity, resulting in continued rate softening across most geographies. “Capacity levels are at historic highs, with markets eager to deploy limit despite pricing continuing to decline. For instance, rate decreases in the 20% to 30% range are increasingly…

If you’re thinking about selling a business in Indiana, I’d treat the process like a serious financial event, not just a listing exercise. After covering financial and investment topics for more than two decades, I’ve seen a lot of owners assume a good business will “speak for itself.” Sometimes it does. More often, it doesn’t. Buyers usually pay more when the numbers are clean, the owner is not the entire business, and the transition looks manageable from day one. Want a realistic valuation range before you go to market? One of the smartest things you can do before talking to…

Takeaway: Headline inflation, which includes food and energy prices, spiked in March, but rates won’t move much today because core inflation, which ignores those volatile components, remained subdued. The closing of the Strait of Hormuz led to a 0.9% monthly increase (3.3% annual increase) in prices in March, but there is little evidence so far that is bleeding through to other prices, which is what the Fed cares about. Gas prices surged 21% and fuel oil 31% in the March inflation data. These spikes were forecasted accurately by market observers ahead of time and the implications have been priced in…

Fanttik/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.Whether you’re an avid crafter and DIYer or just want an all-in-one tool to keep handy for small home repairs, the Fanttik S1 Pro is a great electric screwdriver. And right now on Amazon, you can save over 30%, bringing the price to just $60. You’ll save an additional 20% with promo code YBRS9843, bringing your total to just $45.Also: The best electric screwdrivers you can buyThe Fanttik S1 Pro is built with a 220RPM electric motor that has three torque settings for everything from precision PC building to furniture assembly. The motor…

As the world talks more and more about “modernizing” existing financial market infrastructure, Nasdaq’s new white paper estimates that 52% of institutions expect to be using tokenized collateral by the end of 2026.It seems that everything can be a token, and they can be everywhere, all at once.But the more you look, the less things look the same.Tokens can be many thingsOne thing is clear: Tokens can be many different things. Tokens range from non-fungible tokens (NFTs) like “Bored Ape” to cryptocurrency, which itself ranges from Dogecoin to bitcoin to stablecoins, and more recently, company stocks. That’s something investors (and companies that might see their stock trading in token form) probably don’t yet appreciate.SEC announced a token taxonomyIn November 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins gave a speech that laid out his vision of a token “taxonomy” to address the…

Key Takeaways Block is a financial technology company that provides point-of-sale hardware and software.Block’s Cash App product generates most of the company’s revenue.The company’s platform, Square, provides payment and financial services to sellers.  Block, formerly Square, is a financial technology (fintech) company that provides hardware and software tools to help businesses run and grow their operations. Block’s primary products are its point-of-sale hardware system, payment processing and analytics software, Square, and Cash App. The company also offers Cash App, two bitcoin businesses, Bitkey and Proto, and has a stake in music-streaming service, TIDAL. Block’s Financials Block (SQ) reported annual revenue…

Cryptocurrency Exchanges Binance, Coinbase, Crypto.com, Gemini, Kraken Data Aggregators CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap Social Media Discord, Telegram, X (formerly Twitter) Tools Kryptview.com, BSCCheck, Token Sniffer Websites TradingView, DEX Screener Decentralized Finance Platforms These services provide methods for creating DeFi applications and might have tokens or coins available. NFT Marketplaces OpenSea, Rarible, and SuperRare are popular marketplaces to look for new NFTs that show promise. Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) ICOs are fundraising events for possible coin releases. Some ICOs may be subject to securities regulations, depending on how they are structured. Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) You can invest indirectly in crypto through derivatives or securitized…