Author: Money Mechanics

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a legislative attempt to create a property tax cap, but offered a plan for reform.In her veto message, Kelly said a proposal Republicans put forth, which would let residents petition against local government budget increases over 3%, would not deliver property tax relief.”The truth is that this bill will only restrict the ability of locally elected officials to be nimble enough to adjust to the unique needs of the communities they serve,” Kelly, a Democrat, said.The measure, known as Senate Substitute for House Bill 2745, is one of several attempts in recent years by Kansas…

Key Takeaways A new nationwide CD is offering 5.00%, putting it among the highest-paying cash options available right now.Top savings accounts, brokerage cash accounts, and Treasurys are paying roughly 3% to 5%, depending on the account and terms.Inflation has jumped to 3.3%, meaning savings need to earn more to keep up with rising prices. Where Cash Yields Are Highest Right Now Every week, we track the best-paying cash options across savings accounts, CDs, brokerages, and Treasurys—bringing them together for easy comparison. A new CD is now offering 5.00%, putting it among the highest-paying cash options available. High-yield savings accounts still…

(Image credit: Getty Images)It was a choppy end to a strong week for stocks as market participants parsed a mixed inflation report, while keeping a cautious eye on headlines related to this weekend’s negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. The start of first-quarter earnings season was also top of mind, with several big banks slated to report next week.At the close, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.6% at 47,916 and the broader S&P 500 was 0.1% lower at 6,816. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.4% to finish at 22,902.All three indexes notched notable weekly gains, with the…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. April 10, 2026 Federal Reserve Board announces approval of application by Burke & Herbert Financial Services Corp. For release at 4:15 p.m. EDT The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced its approval of the application by Burke & Herbert Financial Services Corp., of Alexandria, Virginia, to merge with LINKBANCORP, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire LINKBANK, both of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The Board also gave its approval for Burke & Herbert Bank and Trust…

There are roughly $350 billion worth of stablecoins circulating in crypto right now, and nearly all of them earn nothing for the people holding them. The interest goes to the issuers. Jeremy Ng, co-founder of OpenEden, thinks that’s a problem with a clear fix. “Tether and Circle keep all the interest,” Ng told TheStreet Roundtable in a recent interview. “By allowing (stablecoin holders) to move into a free-flowing, risk-free yield in a very composable and high utility manner, I think that makes a lot of sense.” Related: JPMorgan identifies the lone buyer saving crypto flows OpenEden’s answer is a tokenized money…

In-brief analysis April 6, 2026 Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Company Level ImportsNote: Medium crude oil grades refer to crude oils with an API gravity between 22 degrees and 38 degrees, and sour refers to any crude oil with a sulfur content of 0.5% or greater; Middle East Gulf refers to imports from Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2025, the United States imported an average of 490,000 barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil from the Middle East Gulf region—Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait,…

In-brief analysis April 10, 2026 Annual motor gasoline consumption in the United States decreased in 2025 even as vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased because of increasing fuel efficiency, a trend we forecast will continue in 2026 and 2027. U.S. motor gasoline consumption averaged 8.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2025, 1% less than 2024 and 4% less than pre-pandemic demand in 2019. In our April Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we estimate that motor gasoline consumption will continue to decline as forecast fuel efficiency increases and VMT growth slows. Gasoline consumption is a function of…

In my previous article, I discussed (traditional) postal banking, in which the central government manages a deposit-taking bank (which historically used post offices as “bank branches”). Postal banks offered basic payments and savings services for poorer people who were ill-served by private banks. In my view, the usefulness of such banks depends upon conditions in the country. It may be just as easy to mandate private banks to offer minimal standards of service without the challenges of attempting to replicate the information technology investments required. In countries where private banking has spotty coverage, such banks may be useful.Nevertheless, I have…

U.S. all-items inflation rose 0.9% in March to an annual rate of 3.3%. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The March inflation report — a stunner, but not a surprise — showed that non-seasonally-adjusted all-items inflation rose 0.9% for the month, matching expectations after a massive surge higher in energy costs. The annual inflation rate rose to 3.3%, up from 2.4% in February. This report is one of the most important of the year for investors in U.S. Series I Savings Bonds, because March inflation marks the end of a six-month string that will reset the I Bond’s variable rate on May…

“Yeah folks, it’s gonna be harder in the future to ensure OpenClaw still works with Anthropic models,” OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger posted on X early Friday morning, along with a photo of a message from Anthropic saying his account had been suspended over “suspicious” activity. The ban didn’t last long. A few hours later, after the post went viral, Steinberger said his account had been reinstated. Among hundreds of comments — many of them in conspiracy theory land, given that Steinberger is now employed by Anthropic rival OpenAI — was one by an Anthropic engineer. The engineer told the famed…