Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)Meta raised eyebrows in December when it was reported that the social-media giant would pay upwards of $2 billion to acquire Manus, a small agentic AI company out of China — an eye-popping price that many critics have since decried as an overpay.But one man’s overpay is another’s opportunity, and sellers that get too caught up in valuations of their company based on comparables — rather than creativity — risk losing out on huge upsides and leave millions of dollars on the table.The problem with comparable company analysisThe use of comparable sales to value companies as they…

Key Takeaways Only 14% of participants max out their defined contribution retirement plans (such as 401(k)s), a Vanguard study shows.High-income earners are more likely to max out their 401(k)s, but even if you have a modest income, you can reach this goal.The power of compounding returns means you have a strong incentive to save as much as possible, as soon as possible. The reality of the U.S. retirement system is that most workers chronically under-save. Only about a third of non-retirees said they thought their retirement savings plan was on track in 2024, a Federal Reserve survey found.  Still, many…

(Image credit: Getty Images)With a perky “Here you go!” it arrives in your inbox: A tonally awkward, super wordy, not-quite-right series of paragraphs from your coworker. You’re furious, already fatigued and ready to rip someone’s head off.You just got “workslopped” — a new workplace dynamic where AI-generated content gets submitted by coworkers without adequate editing or quality control.And while headlines around workslop have focused on the supposed productivity costs it’s creating for businesses, the bigger issue is the erosion of trust happening between colleagues. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is an on-site version of our Unhedged newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every weekday. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newslettersGood morning. The war in the Middle East is entering its second week with few signs of abating, and oil has reached $100 a barrel. The higher energy prices won’t please consumers — or the Federal Reserve, whose two mandates are increasingly in tension. Send us your thoughts:…

This weekend, mortgage rates are clinging just below 6% — barely. The Zillow lender marketplace is reporting an average 30-year fixed mortgage of 5.98%. The 15-year is now 5.50%. Is it a good time to buy a house or refinance your mortgage? Keep an eye on the numbers and your budget until you see something that works for you. Here are the current mortgage rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 5.98% 20-year fixed: 5.90% 15-year fixed: 5.50% 5/1 ARM: 5.96% 7/1 ARM: 5.70% 30-year VA: 5.52% 15-year VA: 5.24% 5/1 VA: 5.30% Remember, these are the national…

Middle East tensions, U.S. inflation data, Oracle and Adobe earnings will be in focus in the week ahead. Adobe is well-positioned to beat low expectations and provide the confident outlook needed to reclaim its upward momentum. Lennar appears poised for potential downside as housing market weakness drags into its own results. U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday and the VIX spiked as oil prices soared amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran war and traders reacted to a lousy monthly jobs report. Source: Investing.com All the major indexes posted steep weekly declines, with the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 3%, the benchmark S&P…

Procedural and zoning barriers are proving to be only the beginning of the gauntlet for adding new ground-up residential supply to America’s housing-starved communities. While removing red tape and outdated zoning laws might formalize more homes on paper, local fee structures still decide whether those homes are actually built. California is a poster child for this tension. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers pursued housing abundance to improve affordability. The state desperately needs more units. Yet, lawsuits in California federal court reveal collisions between local fees and state reforms.​ Those collisions – and the fees at their center – in…

(Investing) – The Trump administration is beginning to outline potential steps to address rising energy prices linked to the conflict involving Iran, though analysts at Wolfe Research say the government’s policy tools may be limited. In a note led by Tobin Marcus, Wolfe Research said recent announcements from the administration suggest a focus on measures aimed at stabilizing shipping and oil markets. Marcus pointed to the administration’s proposal for a government-backed maritime insurance program aimed at encouraging tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Wolfe Research, the plan appears legally feasible given the authorities of the U.S. International…

We have revised our price forecasts higher as rising conflict in the Middle East introduces fresh upside risks to an already tightening market Escalating geopolitical risks could have far-reaching implications for global commodity markets beyond and , with aluminium particularly exposed given the concentration of export-oriented smelting capacity in the Gulf and the reliance on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Key takeaways: Rising tensions in the Middle East have introduced fresh upside risks to aluminium markets, which were already expected to remain in deficit this year, prompting us to revise our aluminium price forecasts higher. While oil and…

A new Gallagher Re white paper argues that blending cyber tail risk with uncorrelated property catastrophe risk in shared-limit reinsurance structures can lower pricing and improve efficiency for cedants, though the firm notes that long-term success will also require participation from the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market.According to the global reinsurance broker’s new white paper, “Cyber and Property Combined Covers: Buying the Tail More Efficiently,” the cyber insurance market has doubled in size globally, with gross written premiums climbing from $8 billion in 2020 to $16 billion today. As the cyber insurance market continues to grow rapidly, insurers are increasingly seeking…