Author: Money Mechanics

Image Generated by Bing AI With the war in Iran and the Straits of Hormuz closed, Crude Oil has skyrocketed, taking gasoline prices with it. But how are gasoline prices doing on an inflation-adjusted basis? Are they higher than 2022’s prices? Are gas prices really at all-time highs? How do today’s prices compare to what your grandparents paid? Was gas really that cheap during the 1950s and 60s? What caused gas prices to crater in 1998? How do today’s prices compare to prices during the 1970s OPEC shock? What is the average inflation-adjusted price of gas over the last century?…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Stocks were up and down in another volatile session on Tuesday, as concern about the impact of the war in the Middle East continues to weigh on markets. “Risk on” sectors such as communication services and technology were down and energy was up again, as investors, traders and speculators assess how long traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will be jammed.”A negative supply shock has hit the global PMIs in March,” Renaissance Macro Research Head of Economics Neil Dutta writes of today’s release of the S&P Global Flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index and the Flash Services PMI.…

CRH plc (CRH), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, provides building materials solutions. Valued at $67.1 billion by market cap, the company manufactures and distributes a wide range of architectural, infrastructure, and construction products for housing, and commercial projects. Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as “large-cap stocks,” and CRH perfectly fits that description, with its market cap exceeding this mark, underscoring its size, influence, and dominance within the building materials industry. CRH’s strengths include its diversified product range, strategic market presence, and vertical integration in North America. Despite its notable strength, CRH slipped 23.6% from its 52-week high of $131.55, achieved…

 Markets rise and fall. Some are of higher quality than others. Some offer more potential reward (and more risk). In the case of global fiats, these low-quality items were overdue for a temporary rally against supreme money . They rallied… and they can now be sold. Fiat is finally exhibiting one of its occasional (and very temporary) rallies against supreme money gold. The current rally takes the form of a bearish flag-like drift on this daily chart. A look at the long-term chart of fiat against gold. On this chart, fiat’s current rally is so tiny that it’s almost imperceptible.…

In an earlier article, I did an over-simplified discussion of how a local public bank would interact with municipal bond issuance. There was some ambiguities that I skipped over in order to keep things brief. This drew a variety of questions, and so it is clear that I need to expand on what I wrote. Since these articles are expected to be bound into a banking primer manuscript, I was going to need to cover some of these basics long before I got to a section on public banks. But I will cover the basics herein, and not worry about…

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.Spring is finally making an appearance across much of the country, and with it comes a fresh crop of sales, including Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, which kicks off on Wednesday. If you’re a Costco shopper like I am, you’ll also find a bunch of new deals on top tech items, outdoor furniture, and the usual groceries and home goods.Also: The best early Amazon Spring Sale deals: Save on streaming, Apple, Samsung, and moreCostco is a membership-based wholesale retailer. Non-members can shop with a guest account online, but only members can access the full…

(Oil Price) – At the end of February, the Alberta government released its draft budget for the year, forecasting a deficit resulting from low oil prices, set to extend over the next three years. Now, Canada—and Alberta specifically—are about to become some of the big winners from the oil price rally resulting from the Middle East supply crunch. Canadian oil producers are set to get an additional revenue of some C$90 billion ($65.6 billion) from the rally, Enverus recently predicted, using modelling that showed for every $10 gain in oil prices, Canadian producers stood to see additional revenues to the tune of between…

As we approach the 2026 mid-term elections and the close of a historic tax season, some lawmakers are already pivoting toward new tax relief proposals. Two plans in particular are designed to provide income tax cuts for low- and middle-income households by raising taxes on high earners.Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently introduced a plan to almost triple the federal standard deduction to $75,000.Regarding the proposal, Booker said in a release, “This tax cut would immediately put more money in your pocket every month to deal with the high price of everyday expenses, an unexpected emergency, or to plan for the…

A little-known IRS rule and an interesting court case could mean some taxpayers get back penalties and interest they paid during the pandemic years.Headlines make it sound huge, but the reality is more targeted, not automatic, and in flux at the moment. And, of course, most tax relief comes with deadlines.So, the question is, are you eligible, and if so, what should you do to claim your money? Here’s more of what you need to know.Article continues below 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…

You made it to 70. Retiring at this point may seem like a no-brainer. After all, you are past your Full Retirement Age (FRA). You won’t collect any extra money from Social Security by waiting any additional years.If you have been diligently saving during your working years, you probably have a nice nest egg to live off when you retire. Plus, Medicare is in full swing by now, so you don’t have to worry about funding most of your health care when you stop working.But just because you’ve reached 70 doesn’t mean you have to call it quits. There are…