Author: Money Mechanics

Gold (GC=F) April futures opened at $5,095 per troy ounce on Monday, down 1.2% from Friday’s closing price of $5,158.70. Gold has declined 4.7% in the past week. Rising oil prices are a primary catalyst for gold’s pullback. The Middle East war has damaged energy infrastructure and blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles 20% of the world’s oil. Middle East producers are cutting their output in response, prompting a supply shock and sending oil higher than $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022. President Trump downplayed the oil spike. On Truth Social, he predicted oil…

West Capital Lending (WCL) has sued loanDepot, accusing the California-based mortgage lender of engaging in a long-running compensation scheme that violates the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, marks the latest escalation in a bitter legal feud between the two companies. In October, loanDepot sued WCL for allegedly poaching hundreds of employees and misappropriating trade secrets. The suit also accused WCL of misclassifying about 600 loan officers as independent contractors to pay them on a 1099 basis, thereby avoiding the overhead costs associated with full-time employees.…

Apple is now manufacturing 25% of its iPhones in India — hitting a milestone JPMorgan predicted back in 2022 — as part of its long-term plan to reduce its reliance on China, Bloomberg reported. Last year, India accounted for 55 million iPhones of the roughly 220 million to 230 million produced worldwide, Bloomberg’s report said. Apple has also moved quickly to deepen that commitment: it began making the entire iPhone 17 lineup in India ahead of last September’s launch, and Apple CEO Tim Cook said the majority of U.S. demand is now fulfilled by India-made iPhones. That shift accelerated in…

(By Oil & Gas 360) – Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel as escalating tensions involving Iran rattled global energy markets and raised fears of supply disruptions across the Middle East. The spike prompted urgent discussions among the world’s largest economies. Finance ministers from the Group of Seven signaled they are prepared to release strategic oil reserves if needed to stabilize global supply and calm markets. The option remains under review, but officials say emergency stockpiles could be deployed if disruptions intensify or shipping routes become more constrained. The spike in prices has also pushed policymakers in Washington to…

US dollar rises despite weak US data as energy-driven inflation fears reshape market expectations. Oil surge and geopolitical tensions push investors toward the US dollar amid stagflation concerns. Inflation risks and delayed Fed rate cuts support DXY strength despite slowing growth. In early March, the index showed a move that normal market logic cannot fully explain. Usually, when the US economy shows signs of weakness, the US dollar tends to fall. But recently, that has not happened. The reason is that economic growth concerns are no longer the only thing driving markets. Investors are now also worried about a new…

With severe convective storms (SCS) having emerged in recent years as a significant catastrophe peril in the United States, SCS-focused cat bonds may offer a compelling opportunity for both re/insurers and insurance-linked securities (ILS) investors as the frequency and exposure of the peril continues to expand, according to Acrisure Re.In a recent report released by the reinsurance brokerage, analysts note that over the past decade, severe convective storms have accounted for half of global insured losses from secondary perils, with hail representing most of those losses. “In the United States, the frequency of loss‑generating SCS events has shown a persistent…

Key Takeaways After hitting a 5.98% average—a low since 2022—mortgage rates began climbing as the Iran conflict unfolded.Investopedia’s daily average has risen about 15 basis points over the past week amid renewed market volatility.Even with the recent uptick, mortgage rates remain below last year’s highs, making financial readiness more important than perfect timing. Get personalized, AI-powered answers built on 27+ years of trusted expertise. Mortgage rates recently gave homebuyers some relief, slipping below 6% for the first time in more than three years. The late-February milestone marked a notable shift after a long stretch of elevated borrowing costs. But the…

Key Takeaways Shares of Lumentum and Coherent are rising to start the week following the announcement on Friday that the companies would be added to the S&P 500 later this month.Nvidia recently announced $2 billion investments in both companies.EchoStar and Vertiv will also be joining the benchmark index. Four companies—including two part-owned by AI chip giant Nvidia—are set to join the S&P 500 later this month. S&P Dow Jones Indices on Friday said Coherent (COHR), EchoStar (SATS), Lumentum (LITE) and Vertiv (VRT) would be added to the benchmark index of U.S. companies before the start of trading on March 23.…

Key Takeaways Oracle is set to report earnings after the closing bell Tuesday, with Wall Street analysts projecting record revenues.Options pricing suggests traders expect Oracle’s stock could move as much as 10% in either direction by the end of the week. Oracle is set to report its latest quarterly results after the closing bell Tuesday. Traders anticipate the event could lead to a big move in the cloud computing giant’s stock. Options pricing suggests traders see Oracle (ORCL) stock moving as much as 10% in either direction by the end of the week. A shift of that size from the…

Key Takeaways The average 401(k) and IRA balance rose 11% and 7%, respectively, between Q4 2024 and Q4 2025, according to a recent Fidelity analysis.Some financial advisors believe that savers are more likely to stash away money in retirement accounts when the stock market is performing well. Get personalized, AI-powered answers built on 27+ years of trusted expertise. Over the past year, retirement savers have watched their balances grow substantially thanks to a booming stock market and increased contributions. A recent analysis by Fidelity looked at tens of millions of IRA and 401(k) accounts and found the average 401(k) balance…