Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)Stocks sold off Wednesday after the Federal Reserve did as expected and held its benchmark overnight lending rate steady, but signaled a growing concern with inflationary pressures. The main U.S. equity indexes opened lower on hotter-than-expected wholesale price data, and crude oil’s continuing rise helped keep a lid on risk appetite. The conclusion of the Fed meeting weighed on most sectors and industries late in the trading session.In January, the FOMC statement said the unemployment rate had “shown some signs of stabilization.” The Fed’s view in the aftermath of the February jobs report is that unemployment “has…

The Cooper Companies, Inc. (COO), based in California, develops, manufactures, and markets contact lens wearers. Valued at a market cap of $13.9 billion, the company operates in two segments, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. COO offers spherical, toric, and multifocal contact lenses, fertility products and services, medical devices, contraception, and cryostorage for women. Companies with a market capitalization of $10 billion or more are typically referred to as “large-cap stocks.” COO fits right into that category, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size and influence in the medical instruments and supplies industry. However, COO stock is down 20.9%…

Despite Wednesday’s selloff,  remains up approximately 15% year-to-date — extending what has been a multi-year bull market. The January all-time high demonstrated that the structural bull case for gold is intact. But the near-term conviction is cracking in ways that matter. The SPDR Gold Trust ($GLD) has dropped to its lowest holdings in nearly nine weeks. The is at its smallest allocation since early December. Comex gold futures trading volume has slipped approximately 25% below pre-war levels. These three data points together paint a picture of a market where positioning is being reduced even as prices remain historically elevated — a…

The main reason to be pessimistic about the war between Iran versus the United States and Israel is the lack of path towards peace. The United States does not have a plan that is remotely viable, since there is little sign that the Iranian regime will collapse. On the Iranian side, the plan appears straightforward: strangle traffic through the Strait of Hormuz until the damage forces third countries to move in directions favourable to Iran (e.g., expel American bases).The only mitigating factor right now is that Iran is allowing some cargos to pass the Strait (mainly their own). To the…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. March 18, 2026 Federal Reserve Board and Federal Open Market Committee release economic projections from the March 17-18 FOMC meeting For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT The attached tables and charts released on Wednesday summarize the economic projections made by Federal Open Market Committee participants in conjunction with the March 17-18 meeting. For media inquiries, email [email protected] or call 202-452-2955. Projections (PDF) | Accessible Materials Last Update: March 18, 2026 Source link

Bloomberg / Contributor/ Bloomberg via Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysPixel 8 and newer phones now have access to Desktop Mode.Android Desktop Mode turns your phone into a full-blown desktop experience.You’ll need an external monitor, a USB mouse, and a keyboard.More than a decade ago, Canonical was working on what it called “desktop convergence.” The idea was to combine a mobile device with a desktop device to create something far more useful.Back then, it was a quaint idea with amazing possibilities. Now, however, it has even more compelling implications.According to Pew Research, 98%…

Philadelphia’s mayor is proposing new taxes on everyday services that could affect how much residents pay for ride-shares and online deliveries. And as you might expect, the proposal is already sparking debate among city officials, companies, and residents.Under the $6.97  billion FY27 city budget proposal introduced by Mayor Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia would add a 20‑cent fee to every Uber and Lyft trip that starts in the city.The city would also impose a 25‑cent fee on many retail delivery orders from platforms like Amazon and Gopuff.Article continues below From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed…

By comparison, the bottom 20% of U.S. earners hold just 5% of real estate wealth. The top 1% of earners in America hold 12.7% of the country’s real estate wealth, and those in the 80th to 99th income percentile hold 43.7%. All together, that means the top 20% of earners hold more than half (56.4%) of the real estate wealth in the U.S.   By comparison, Americans in the 60th to 80th income percentile hold 18.7% of real estate wealth, and those in the 40th to 60th percentile hold 12.4%. The 20th to 40th percentile holds 7.4%, and the bottom…

Arizona attorney general Kris Mayes has filed criminal charges against prediction market platform Kalshi for allegedly operating an illegal gambling business in the state without a license and for election wagering. The 20-count complaint, filed in Maricopa County court on Tuesday, accuses the company of engaging in unlicensed gambling activities, claiming that the site “accepted bets from Arizona residents on a wide range of events,” including state elections, a practice that is illegal in Arizona. The complaint charged Kalshi with four counts of election wagering for accepting bets from Arizona residents on the 2028 presidential race, the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial…

(Oil & Gas 360) By Greg Barnett, MBA – The global energy system depends on one supplier more than any other to balance markets, stabilize prices and step in when the world needs additional crude oil or natural gas. That supplier is the United States. Through scalability, operational integrity and the lowest emissions intensity among major producers, the U.S. has become the world’s marginal producer — the source of the “next barrel” that keeps the system functioning. This role is intensifying. Global oil demand continues to rise, reaching roughly 106.5 million barrels per day in 2026, and future mobility growth will…