Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)President Donald Trump backed down from a deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the opening bell on Monday, citing substantive negotiations in a Truth Social post. Equity index futures immediately bounced while crude oil prices corrected, as investors, traders and speculators reacted to the most recent twist in the war between the U.S., Israel and the Islamic Republic.”I am pleased to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of…

The average tax refund amount is up nearly 11% from a year earlier, totaling $3,623 for the week of March 13, according to data from the Internal Revenue Service. The total amount the government has refunded, meanwhile, is up 12% in the same time frame, reaching $182.6 billion, the IRS said. Visits to IRS.gov have also surged more than 54% from a year ago as the tax filing season marches into its final weeks, with nearly 70 million returns already received by the government ahead of the April 15 filing deadline. Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill, including new…

Paywall bypass website Archive.today and several of its associated domains (including .is and .ph) have been blocked by Russian authorities, according to error pages that appeared when loading its websites. The pages appear blocked as of Monday when TechCrunch visited the websites from the U.S. East Coast.  A page in Russian said: “Access to the Internet resource Blocked by decision of the public authorities,” citing the Russian government agency responsible for internet censorship, Roskomnadzor. According to Roskomnadzor’s listing for Archive.is, authorities confirmed that “access is limited to the page,” but did not give a reason at the time of publication.…

(Oil Price) – The oil-driven inflation shock rippling through global markets is now forcing a sharp rethink of U.S. monetary policy, with traders rapidly shifting from rate-cut expectations to pricing in potential hikes as crude continues to surge on Middle East supply disruptions. According to Bloomberg, markets are reassessing the Federal Reserve’s path as energy-driven inflation risks intensify. Fed funds futures now indicate a 50% probability that benchmark rates will be higher by at least 25 basis points after the September FOMC meeting, marking a decisive reversal from expectations just weeks ago that centered on multiple rate cuts. The shift is being driven…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.A rout in the gilt market deepened on Monday as traders bet the Bank of England would have to raise interest rates four times this year to counter surging energy prices.The 10-year gilt yield climbed 0.11 percentage points on Monday morning to 5.1 per cent, keeping borrowing costs at their highest level since 2008.Since the conflict in the Middle East began, the 10-year yield has risen by around 0.85 percentage points, putting gilts on track for their worst month since the “mini”…

US dollar tests key 100 level as momentum builds on macro support. A break above 100 could trigger further upside toward 101.5 and beyond. Failure to hold 99.30 may signal short-term weakness despite strong fundamentals.   The Fed has helped the become strong again over the past week. The greenback has been rising because the Fed is staying cautious on , US bond yields are moving higher, and investors are turning to the US dollar as a safe place during global tensions. The Fed kept interest unchanged, which markets expected. But its message was clear that risks are still present.…

AI-generated image for “investor watching lit bomb.” Perchance.org U.S. stock and bond markets are ‘resilient,’ but how long can that last? By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Feeling a bit of financial panic? Can’t blame you. But let’s take a closer look. The U.S. stock market had started a slight decline before the U.S. began bombing Iran on February 28. Since then, the Standard & Poors 500 index has suffered four straight weeks of declines, its longest losing streak since 2023, according to Barron’s. The Nasdaq Composite has fallen in nine of the past 10 weeks, something it hasn’t done since 2022.…

When sellers outnumber buyers, the buyers who are in the market have bargaining power. In other words, it’s a buyer’s market. The strongest buyer’s markets are in the South, while the strongest seller’s markets are in the Northeast. There were an estimated 46.3% more home sellers than buyers in the U.S. housing market in February (or 629,808 more, in numerical terms). That’s the largest gap in records dating back to 2013 and is up from 29.8% (or 449,409) a year earlier.   We define a market where there are over 10% more sellers than buyers as a buyer’s market and…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Editor’s note: This is the first article of a six-part series about financial planning related to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), with a focus on getting the right financial advice for you, strategies for diversifying and preparing for retirement.He had $14 million when he retired. A successful employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) exit, real estate investments and decades of disciplined saving built wealth that should have lasted generations.Then a lawsuit wiped out $3.2 million because his umbrella policy maxed out at $2 million.Article continues below From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better…

(Image credit: Getty Images)For decades, building wealth meant buying stocks and bonds, preferably diversified and held for the long term. That advice still holds.But investors are asking a new question: Is a portfolio made up only of public markets enough?From pension funds and endowments to high-net-worth investors and, potentially, retirement savers in 401(k)s — private assets are moving from the sidelines toward the mainstream.Article continues below From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s…