Author: Money Mechanics

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Over the years, one Linux distribution has risen above the rest.That distribution is based on Ubuntu, so it’s user-friendly.The best of the best is equal parts beauty and usability.Ubuntu (and all of its spins), Fedora (and all of its spins), Red Hat (before Fedora was a thing), openSUSE, Linux Mint, Arch, Gentoo, Pop!_OS…The list goes on. Also: 7 apps I use to lock down, encrypt, and store my private files – and most are freeI’ve used and/or tested so many Linux distributions that…

Key Takeaways Median salaries for 150 common professions vary widely by experience level, from entry-level to 20-plus years.If you suspect you’re underpaid, do some research and consider your location. You can also talk with a trusted colleague to compare notes. At some point in your career, you’ll wonder: Am I getting paid enough? The answer depends on what other people in your role actually earn, and how experience shifts those numbers. Below, we break down median salaries for 150 of the most common professions by years of experience, from just starting at a job to 20-plus years in. If the…

Key Takeaways Qualcomm shares tumbled Thursday after its outlook for the current quarter missed Wall Street’s projections.The chipmaker said an ongoing memory chip shortage is expected to impact sales of smartphones, which it makes processors for. Qualcomm’s stock is getting hammered amid worries about a worsening memory shortage. Shares of Qualcomm (QCOM) plunged over 9% in recent trading after the chipmaker gave a disappointing outlook for the current quarter, and pointed to a tightening supply of memory components that’s impacting the smartphone market. Qualcomm, which makes processors that are used in smartphones, laptops, and cars, said it expects a weaker…

In 2025, the initial public offering (IPO) market continued to rebound from the 2022 and 2023 slump. For the second year in a row, markets saw more IPOs, more special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), and more capital raised at IPO. Looking at the data, we see IPOs really gained strength toward the end of the year — IPOs raised more money, and SPACs rebounded to almost 2020 levels.2025 IPOs increase for third straight yearUsing data from Jay Ritter, a well-known IPO academic with a long history of activity, we look at historic IPOs of U.S. companies. Ritters’ data excludes exchanged-traded funds. It also allows us to separate companies that had an IPO price under $5, SPACs, banks, unit offers, partnerships, trusts, and REITS in a separate “other” category (below). Chart 1: IPOs…

Key Takeaways Yum! Brands is closing 250 of 20,000 U.S. Pizza Hut locations after several quarters of declining same-store sales.The company has undertaken a “strategic review” of the brand, which will weigh several strategies, including selling the pizza chain. Yum! is tearing off a slice of its pizza portfolio. The fast-food giant will close 250 of 20,000 domestic Pizza Hut locations in the first half of the year, Yum! Brands (YUM) said on a conference call Wednesday. The restaurateur’s other brands, including Taco Bell and KFC, are performing well, but Yum! floated the idea of selling Pizza Hut while announcing…

Key Takeaways Hims & Hers Health said Thursday it would start selling a compounded weight-loss pill, at a lower price than rivals.Shares of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk tumbled following the announcement, while Hims & Hers shares initially surged before reversing course. A new pill from Hims & Hers Health is rattling shares of leading weight-loss drugmakers. Shares of Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) each slipped about 8% Thursday after Hims & Hers said it would start selling a compounded weight-loss pill, at a lower price than rivals. Hims & Hers (HIMS) shares initially surged close to 14%,…

Key Takeaways Estée Lauder’s latest results beat expectations, and the company raised its outlook. Investors, however, didn’t like what they saw. After rising more than 45% in the past year, the shares dropped today, finishing 19% lower. Estée Lauder’s latest forecast wasn’t a winning look. The cosmetics company reported second-quarter results Thursday that sent investors running—and the stock to its lowest close since December—despite results that beat expectations and an improved outlook for the year. The company’s reiteration of a $100 million expected second-half tariff hit to profits, along with the stock’s steady climb off April lows that may have…

To help you understand the trends surrounding AI and other new technologies and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe.) You’ll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest…It’s a new reality for movie and TV companies. Among the forces at play are Hollywood’s box office struggles, traditional TV’s decline and short-form video’s rise.…

Key Takeaways Amazon shares took a hit in extended trading Thursday after the cloud giant missed quarterly earnings estimates and followed peers with a big AI spending forecast.CEO Andy Jassy said that the company expects a “strong long-term return” on its investments. Amazon has big AI spending plans. That isn’t helping its stock. Shares of the e-commerce and cloud giant tumbled over 7% in extended trading Thursday after the company missed quarterly earnings estimates and took Wall Street by surprise with a massive spending forecast that landed as investors are increasingly looking for evidence that big AI spending is paying…

Every year, the Super Bowl becomes the biggest night for sports betting in the United States. Billions of legal wagers are placed across states and platforms. And this year is no different.The American Gaming Association estimates that more than $1.76 billion will be legally wagered on this year’s NFL championship, where the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots. That figure has continued to grow as more states have legalized sports betting and embraced online betting platforms.“No single event brings fans together like the Super Bowl, and this record figure shows just how much Americans enjoy sports betting as part…