Author: Money Mechanics

March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate progress while also taking a clear look at areas where financial disparities still exist. One of those areas is savings.Research consistently shows that women tend to be disciplined savers. They are often more likely to budget, build emergency funds and prioritize long-term security. Yet when researchers compare retirement accounts, investment portfolios and overall wealth, women’s balances frequently fall behind men’s.This gap does not stem from a lack of financial responsibility. Instead, it reflects structural and behavioral factors that affect how money grows over time. Understanding those forces and knowing how to…

Stocks were poised for a lower open Thursday, while oil prices rose further as tanker traffic remained halted in the Strait of Hormuz.  Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 futures pointed down 0.5%, 0.3%, and 0.3%, respectively, about two hours before the opening bell. Yesterday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq, benchmark S&P 500, and blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up a respective 1.3%, 0.8%, and 0.5%, with the Dow snapping a three-session skid. Oil futures continued their ascent since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran over the weekend, killing its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and Iran retaliated against…

Moderna stock has jumped after the legal settlement, but valuation concerns remain. The biotech sector showed resilience despite rising geopolitical tension. What are the best biotech stocks to watch right now? Biotech company stock emerged as one of the biggest gainers among large US companies on Wednesday, rising 15.99%. The jump came after the company settled a long-running legal dispute related to the technology used to develop its COVID-19 vaccine. The settlement removes a major uncertainty for the company and allows management to focus more on developing new drugs in its pipeline. Under the agreement, Moderna will pay up to…

Investor activity is sluggish on a national level, with purchases rising just 2%—but it varies widely from metro to metro. In Seattle, investor purchases jumped 37% year over year in the fourth quarter—the biggest gain among the metros Redfin analyzed. Orlando posted the biggest decline, down 16%. U.S. investors bought more single-family homes, and waded deeper into the luxury market. U.S. investor home purchases ticked up 2% from a year earlier in the fourth quarter, coming in at just under 50,000. That’s the eighth straight quarter of minimal changes in investor activity. This is based on a Redfin analysis of…

Key Takeaways People in their 50s carry about $158,000 in total debt on average, mostly made up of mortgages and credit cards.​A mortgage balance around the high $200,000 range and a credit card balance around $9,600 are typical benchmarks for this age group.The real red flags aren’t just high balances, but high interest rates, rising balances, and debt that crowds out retirement contributions. Many people imagine that they won’t have much debt by the time they reach their 50s, but the numbers tell a different story. Mortgages, credit cards, car loans, and even lingering student debt are all still on…

Key Takeaways Trump Accounts are a new type of investment account for children. They offer tax-deferred growth, and annual contributions are capped at $5,000. Depending on your goals, a 529 plan, custodial IRA, or brokerage account may offer more flexibility, better tax benefits, or even the ability to save more. Trump Accounts, the new tax-advantaged accounts for children, are set to launch July 5. Yet for parents who want to get a head start on saving for their kid’s future, there are plenty of other ways to save in the meantime. Determining what type of account is best for your…

(Investing) – UBS on Wednesday raised its average Brent crude oil price forecasts for the first quarter and full year 2026, citing escalating conflict in the Middle East and the current near de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The bank now sees the Brent price averaging $71 per barrel in the first quarter, implying around $80 a barrel in March, and at $72 per barrel in 2026, a $10 increase from its previous forecast. The bank said it was leaving its forecasts for later years unchanged at this stage at $70 for 2027 and $75 for 2028, but risk would be to…

Organigram Global Inc. (NASDAQ:OGI) is among the 11 Best Pot Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. Organigram Global Inc. (OGI) Sees C$4 Target on Improved Outlook On February 19, Canaccord raised its price target on Organigram Global Inc. (NASDAQ:OGI) to C$4 from C$3 and maintained a Buy rating. That same day, Organigram Global Inc. (NASDAQ:OGI) announced a subscription agreement with BT DE Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco, in connection with its previously announced proposed acquisition of Sanity Group, including BAT’s stake. Under the agreement, BAT will subscribe for 14,027,074 shares at C$3.00 per share for…

This one’s for the history books: and plunged in the aftermath of the escalation of the military conflict in the Middle East. That’s exactly what happened this week. The moved below its mid-Feb. high after failing to hold above its January top. The breakout’s invalidation was a strong sell signal, and it’s completely normal that we now see a sharp decline. Remember how I wrote that due to higher correlation values, silver and miners would be likely to decline more when the rallies? We see this in practice today.Gold and Silver Align With Historic Post-Top CrashGold’s and silver’s performance is just as unsurprising if you look…

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s attempt to revive an old plan to build 12,000 affordable units over a borough railyard is seen as a long shot, even if he gains support from President Trump. Mamdani has garnered headline attention for proposing to build units on a platform above Sunnyside Yard, a 180-acre freight and marshaling area in Queens. The ambitious idea has been stuck in neutral for more than a decade. However, real progress on housing affordability in one of the world’s most expensive cities might be more gradual and effective than focusing on a single large, costly, publicly…