Author: Money Mechanics

Aon Securities, the broker-dealer and investment banking arm of the broking giant, believes catastrophe bond market and broader third-party reinsurance capital activities will remain robust through the rest of 2026, according to CEO Richard Pennay.A number of factors are expected to keep driving cat bond and broader insurance-linked securities (ILS) market activity levels, with levels of capital available key to this. On the one hand, investor appetite for accessing returns from insurance and reinsurance related risks remains high. While a second capital factor is the availability of capital from maturing cat bond and other third-party capital arrangements, which will require…

(Image credit: Getty Images)If retirement is about finding peace and happiness in your own song, then Stevie Nicks is the best person to orchestrate that transition. The High Priestess of rock and roll survived decades of creative reinventions, messy breakups that played out on world stages and the endless drama with bandmates who tried to keep her down.But with her signature shawl in one hand and a hard-earned retirement nest egg in the other, Stevie has taught us that walking away doesn’t mean the end of her career, but the beginning of the next chapter.Her words are more than songs;…

(Image credit: Getty Images)The main U.S. equity indexes gapped down at the opening bell after President Donald Trump told the American people the U.S. would achieve its military objectives in the Middle East “very shortly,” but would also hit Iran “extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.” Stocks rallied off their morning lows on reports the Islamic Republic is working with Oman on a plan to open the Strait of Hormuz. Crude oil soared early and sagged late, as the recent pattern for price action continues.”I was surprised that President Trump did not hint at an exit plan…

Limited oil supplies worldwide, a result of the ongoing war in Iran, are having a major impact on gas prices across the U.S. As of March 30, the national average cost of gas had gone up by 2.4 cents per gallon week over week and by 97.9 cents per gallon in the past month, according to data from GasBuddy. Americans are now paying $3.95 per gallon for gas and $5.369 per gallon for diesel fuel. AAA data tells a similar story. The current AAA national average gas price is about $3.98 — a full $1.00 increase from a month ago.…

Arda Kucukkaya/Anadolu via Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysYou can now transfer memories and chats from another AI to Gemini.The process works with such AIs as ChatGPT and Claude.This option helps Gemini personalize its responses to you.Starting fresh with a new generative AI service can be challenging, as the bot knows nothing about you and therefore can’t personalize its responses based on your history, preferences, or past conversations. Now Google is offering a way around that barrier.New to Gemini is a memory import feature that lets you transfer your memories, chat history, and preferences from…

(Investing) – WASHINGTON – Detentions of Panama-flagged vessels by China that followed a Panamanian court ruling raise serious concerns about efforts to undermine rule of law in the Latin American country, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday. The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission said last week that it was closely monitoring a surge in detentions of Panama-flagged vessels in China that appears tied to a Panama court ruling against Hong Kong-based port operator . “China’s recent actions against Panama-flagged vessels raise serious concerns about the use of economic tools to undermine the rule of law in Panama, a sovereign nation…

In today’s unpredictable economic climate, finding a safe yet profitable place for your hard-earned money is more critical than ever. As such, two smart, but overlooked savings solutions are money market accounts and no-penalty CDs.Both accounts share similarities as you earn an APY currently outpacing inflation. And you’ll have access to your money when you need it. But both also serve different purposes and come with tradeoffs.The question comes down to preferences: Do you want access to your money immediately, or do you prefer to lock in a fixed rate and let it ride for a bit? I’ll break down…

While the IRS doesn’t “real-time spy” on your daily spending, a simple smartwatch habit could get you in hot water during a tax audit. That’s because those who use fitness apps to track business miles might not be aware of the in-app limitations.For instance, many free versions of distance-tracking apps cap the number of trips you can take, forcing you to record them later. But if you aren’t logging your miles correctly at the time of the trip, the IRS can disallow your entire deduction under the contemporaneous record rule.And at the 2026 IRS business mileage rate of 72.5 cents…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Accountancy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The UK accounting watchdog has dropped its investigation into KPMG over its auditing of Ladbrokes owner Entain without taking any enforcement action against the Big Four firm.The Financial Reporting Council opened its investigation into KPMG’s audit of Entain’s 2022 accounts in November 2024 and announced the probe two months later.The investigation came more than a year after Entain was ordered to pay a £615mn fine in 2023 as part of a deferred prosecution agreement following allegations of bribery at the former Turkish unit…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $57.3 billion in February, up $2.7 billion from $54.7 billion in January, revised.U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services DeficitDeficit:$57.3 Billion+4.9%°Exports:$314.8 Billion+4.2%°Imports:$372.1 Billion+4.3%°Next release: Tuesday, May 5, 2026(°) Statistical significance is not applicable or not measurable. Data adjusted for seasonality but not price changesSource: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, April 2, 2026Exports, Imports, and Balance (exhibit 1)February exports were $314.8 billion, $12.6 billion more than January exports. February imports were…