Author: Money Mechanics

It’s common to use loans for major financial undertakings, such as debt consolidation, home renovations, or car purchases. But loans can be useful for covering smaller goals, too — or even emergencies. Small loans may not be as common as larger ones, but you can find lenders offering loan minimums as small as $1,000 today. Here’s a look at where you can find $1,000 loans and other options for borrowing smaller amounts. Not every lender offers loans as small as $1,000; many have minimum loan amounts of $2,000 to $5,000. There are also other ways to access $1,000 when you’re…

Crude oil inventories in the United States increased by 6.9 million barrels during the week ending March 20, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. The increase brings commercial stockpiles to 456.2 million barrels according to government data, which is 0.1% above the five-year average for this time of year. The EIA’s data release follows API’s figures that were released a day earlier, which reported that crude oil inventories saw a build of 2.3 million barrels in the period. Crude prices were down in early trade on Wednesday morning despite the ongoing stagnation…

On Wednesday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac adopted extensive changes to their requirements for approvals of condominium projects that are eligible for their loan purchase.  The changes created more flexibility and affordability with respect to replacement cost and deductible requirements for condo insurance– but took a step backward by ending authority for what are called limited reviews. Why is this issue important? There are an estimated 5.4 million owner-occupied condominium units in the United States, accounting for roughly 6.3% of all owner-occupied homes.  Condos are commonly significantly more affordable than site-built homes – and for many moderate-income homebuyers, the only…

Kerry Wan/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysAndroid Auto users are experiencing connection issues.Most problems are tied to either Pixel or Galaxy phones.There are a few temporary fixes.If you’ve had problems with your vehicle’s Android Auto over the past few days, you’re not alone.Last week, posts began surfacing across several platforms, including Reddit, Google’s official support forum, and others, detailing how Android Auto either won’t hold a connection or won’t connect at all. Sometimes users report that the connection fixes after a few seconds, and sometimes after a few minutes. Both wired and wireless connections…

(By Oil & Gas 360) – A project once written off is finding new life as shifting geopolitics and tighter global supply reshape North America’s energy priorities. Momentum is building around a potential revival of Keystone XL, with Canadian officials and industry leaders re-engaging with U.S. counterparts to discuss what a new cross-border pipeline framework could look like. Discussions with the Trump administration signal a renewed willingness to revisit infrastructure that had previously been sidelined amid political and environmental opposition. The timing is not accidental. Disruptions tied to instability in the Middle East are driving higher oil prices and reinforcing the…

Flood specialist JBA Risk Management has launched an enhanced version of its Global Flood Model, which introduces a variety of key features, such as enhanced hazard maps, a wide range of future climate event sets, and improvements to both processing speed and exposure disaggregation.As per the firm, these developments will enable reinsurers, insurers, brokers, risk managers and asset managers to obtain a clearer understanding of both present and evolving exposure to flood risk, and to undertake transparent, fully auditable stress testing with greater confidence. JBA Risk Management’s new global flood model includes updated maps for 17 key countries (Hungary, Japan,…

As demand grows for training and refining AI models, Deccan AI — a startup supplying post-training data and evaluation work — has raised $25 million in its first major funding round, with much of that work carried out by an India-based workforce of experts. The all-equity Series A round was led by A91 Partners, with participation from Susquehanna International Group and Prosus Ventures. While frontier AI labs including OpenAI and Anthropic build core models in-house, much of the post-training work — from data generation to evaluation and reinforcement learning — is increasingly being outsourced as companies push to make systems…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Positive headlines on the war in Iran sparked an early rally in stocks on Wednesday. Nine of the 11 S&P 500 sectors closed higher, though energy was the biggest decliner as oil prices backtracked.The main indexes hit their session highs at the open amid reports that the U.S. sent Iran a 15-point proposal to end the war. However, enthusiasm waned after headlines suggested Iran rejected the peace plan.After being up more than 1% in early trading the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a more modest 0.7% gain at 46,429, the broader S&P 500 added 0.5%…

Americans are increasingly using personal loans to help manage their finances, according to a recent report from credit bureau Experian. As of 2025, a record 38% of consumers have at least one personal loan — up from 30.9% in 2017. Over that eight-year period, personal loan use has consistently risen. Personal loan balances are on the rise too. While not quite as high as they were two years ago, balances increased between 2024 and 2025 to an average of $19,333. “U.S. consumers continue to spend, based on recent retail sales figures, and credit card balances continue to climb,” the report…

US-Iran ceasefire optimism is fueling a fresh rally on Wall Street. Lower oil prices, reduced shipping and aviation risks, and renewed consumer willingness to travel and invest are creating a multi-sector tailwind. While no outcome is guaranteed and negotiations remain fluid, the early market reaction suggests these three names are poised to outperform as the rally broadens. As reports of a potential US-Iran ceasefire gain traction, markets are breathing a sigh of relief. have plunged, removing a major headwind for energy-sensitive sectors, while broader stock indices have rebounded sharply on reduced geopolitical risk.   Here are three standout stocks that…