Author: Money Mechanics

Six Months of Earnings at Various APYs APY Earnings on $25K for 6 months Earnings on $50K for 6 months Earnings on $75K for 6 months 4.00% $495 $990 $1,485 4.25% $526 $1,051 $1,577 4.50% $556 $1,113 $1,669 4.75% $587 $1,174 $1,761 5.00% $617 $1,235 $1,852 These examples assume you can earn the stated annual percentage yield (APY) for the full six months, which may not be possible with variable-rate options. Important Don’t forget that the rate you earn from a savings account, money market account, cash account, or money market fund can fluctuate—and will almost certainly drop once the…

I was slow to the outrage about the floated idea of stopping the publication of the monthly Jobs report (in favour of just the quarterly numbers). It now appears that E.J. Antoni has walked away from that suggestion.Backing down is hardly unexpected. From the point of view of politics, economics data just seems to be a nuisance when it goes the wrong way, and shutting it off does not matter. But for people who are paid to discuss the economy, in the absence of data, there is nothing useful to do. As a result widespread push back from economists in…

The July 2025 Consumer Price Index of All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) report indicates that inflation increased by 0.2% for the month, slightly below the 0.3% rise in June. These data were released at 8:30 am EST on August 12, 2025, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before seasonal adjustment, the year-over-year (Y-o-Y) inflation rate in the all-items index grew by 2.7%, matching the figure from June. The mixed results aligned near economists’ consensus estimates. The table below is courtesy of Investing.com. The left column represents July’s figures, while the right column represents forecasters’ expectations. As you can see, core inflation outperformed,…

Key Takeaways The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) created new tax-advantaged savings accounts for minors, called Trump Accounts.Eligible babies born between 2025 and 2028 will get $1,000 in seed money, with parents able to contribute an additional $5,000 per year.One source projects these accounts could hit $1.9 million by age 28—our calculations tell a very different story.There’s no reason to pass up the free government seed money, but for parents of kids born outside the eligible years, these accounts appear to offer little upside. The full article continues below these offers from our partners. How Trump Accounts Work Trump…

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The U.S. Treasury on Thursday will offer $8 billion in a reopening auction of CUSIP 912810UH9, a 30-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Security. The auction, which will create a 29-year, 6-month TIPS, has the potential to set a multi-decade high for real yield. This TIPS originally auctioned February 20, generating a real yield to maturity of 2.403%, the highest in 23 years for this term. Its coupon rate was set at 2.375%, also the highest for this term in 23 years. CUSIP 912810UH9 trades on the secondary market. According to Bloomberg’s U.S. Yields, it closed Friday with a…

Key Takeaways Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to deliver closely watched remarks on Friday, potentially signaling how the central bank could approach interest rates.Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and Lowe’s are scheduled to report earnings, giving insight into consumer spending patterns and tariff pressures.Housing market data, Fed meeting minutes, and weekly jobless claims also will attract attention this week. Get ready to hear a lot about Jerome Powell. Remarks from the Federal Reserve chair will likely demand market watchers’ attention this week as investors seek clarity over the central bank’s next interest-rate moves. Powell has been under pressure to…

Key Takeaways Home Depot and Lowe’s have said the homeowners who typically turn to them for remodeling jobs generally have been holding off on renovations due to high interest rates.The companies’ earnings, scheduled for this week, may provide fresh insight on whether homeowners’ mindsets have shifted.The customers Home Depot caters to are relatively affluent and likely can withstand higher inflation and prices, the company has said. Are affluent Americans still spending? Two big home improvement retailers could offer clues about that later this week. Homeowners renovating kitchens and retiling bathrooms have long been crucial parts of the business at Home…

The inflation story and the employment story are about the only things rippling the still summer waters these days, it seems. The weak employment data in the most-recent report got equity investors very excited since every analyst worth his or her salt believes that lower rates are good for the companies he/she covers, but those companies will surely be able to avoid losing business in an economic slowdown. And, to be fair, because the goods and services sectors in the US (and global) economy are out-of-sync, any recession is likely to be fairly shallow (and being out-of-sync is probably why…

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.1 It is wonderful to join you again this year, now as the Fed’s Vice Chair for Supervision. Since assuming this important financial regulatory role, we have hit the ground running—addressing some of the most critical matters in the bank regulatory space, all of which fall under the broad categories of improving efficiency, transparency, and fairness. Often, the “headline” issues coming out of the Federal Reserve and the other banking regulators are ones that affect the largest firms. And many are critical for both economic growth and financial stability. But banks…

Renowned trader Peter Brandt has backed a Bitcoin BTC/USD price prediction chart that suggests the cryptocurrency could reach a staggering $280,000 by the end of 2025.What Happened: Brandt endorsed a Bitcoin cycle chart that aligns the four major Bitcoin cycles since 2011. The chart predicts that Bitcoin could hit its peak somewhere between September and December 2025.The chart also hints at a price range of $150,000-$180,000 during a mid-channel run. However, if the pattern mirrors previous cycles and reaches the upper red line, the price could skyrocket to around $250,000-$280,000.Brandt’s support of the chart adds weight to the prediction, considering his vast experience in…