Author: Money Mechanics

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…

The Dow is in correction territory. Oil has surged past $110 a barrel. Financials, communications, and airlines are among the worst-performing sectors since the Iran conflict began in late February. For most investors, the instinct is to look away. But Oxford Club Chief Income Strategist Marc Lichtenfeld is looking closer—specifically at the stocks inside those beaten-down sectors that haven’t broken down with everything else. Relative strength during a selloff isn’t random. When the cycle turns, the names that held up tend to be the first ones institutional money flows back into. Lichtenfeld sees that setup forming right now across three…

San Francisco police have arrested a man who is accused of throwing a molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s $65 million home—and allegedly made threats outside of his company’s headquarters in the city. According to a statement issued by OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, the alleged attack took place in the early hours of the morning on April 10. “Early this morning, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s home and also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters,” the statement read, as first reported by Wired. “Thankfully, no one was hurt. We deeply appreciate how quickly…

Every year on April 15, millions of Americans engage in a high-stakes race against the tax clock.But have you ever wondered why we don’t file returns on January 1? Or when we started paying federal income tax to begin with?The history of Tax Day is a strange timeline of moving days, postmark rules, and a specific holiday in Washington, D.C. that still catches taxpayers off guard. So before you file your return, take our trivia challenge to see how much you actually know about this important date in tax season 2026. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Edwin Hu is associate professor of law at the University of Virginia and served as commissioner’s counsel at the SEC.SpaceX has filed for what would be the largest IPO in history. The filing is still confidential, but expect the usual: a dual-class structure, a sky-high valuation, breathless coverage of the deal size. None of that will surprise anyone.However, at the bottom of the FT’s report on the IPO is a detail that has received far less attention, and it matters more than…

U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON DC 20585 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 7, 2026 The U.S. Energy Information Administration published its April Short-Term Energy Outlook this week, examining the implications of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “Our petroleum forecasts are highly contingent on the interaction of three variables,” EIA Administrator Tristan Abbey said. “First, to even run our model we have to make an assumption about the duration of the Strait of Hormuz closure. Second, we know that the closure is forcing production to shut in, but we can only estimate these outages. Third, just…

Today we get the CPI data that will finally unleash Trump’s critics and cause them to criticize the war effort to rein in Iran. (Just kidding – obviously Trump’s critics need no excuses!) We see the direct effects of the war on consumer energy prices, which the consensus expects to produce a headline m/m, seasonally adjusted CPI figure of +0.96% (consensus on core is +0.28%). The range of estimates is 0.6% to 1.5%, which is sort of crazy…it is hard to imagine how you get a +0.6% out of this. (Most of us are around 0.9%-1.1% though.) A couple of…