Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Fed officials refrained from cutting interest rates at their most recent meeting out of concern that inflation is still running over the Fed’s 2% target.The stubbornness of inflation, which hasn’t run under 2% since 2021, is a persistent worry for the Fed and has kept them from cutting interest rates more to help out the job market.The post-pandemic surge of inflation is still influencing the economy and is very much on the minds of leaders at the central bank, who did not foresee the surge of inflation when the pandemic hit in 2020. The surge of inflation that…

Key Takeaways Alphabet shares sank Thursday after the Google parent outlined a massive increase in its spending this year.The company’s fourth-quarter results topped estimates as cloud revenue surged. Alphabet (GOOGL) shares slumped Thursday after the Google and YouTube parent laid out massive spending plans to support its AI ambitions. The shares were down over 5% in recent trading, after the company forecast $175 billion to $185 billion in capital expenditures this year as it builds out its AI infrastructure, roughly double the $91.45 billion Alphabet spent in 2025. With Thursday’s move, Alphabet shed some $170 billion of its market value,…

Key Takeaways The price of a single bitcoin recently traded below $67,000 and at its lowest price since late 2024.”The ‘Bitcoin Boomer Adoption’ Trade is Dead,” one market expert said. Bitcoin has slipped below another five-digit milestone, raising the specter of “crypto winter.” The leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization—at about $1.39 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap—recently changed hands at prices not seen since late 2024, dropping below $67,000 apiece. (Read Investopedia’s full coverage of today’s trading here.) The price hasn’t been cut in half since last fall’s record highs around $125,000, but the retreat is nevertheless severe. The coin market at…

(Image credit: Getty Images)For many households, hosting a Super Bowl party has quietly become one of the most expensive “fun” nights of the year right up there with a family birthday dinner out or a weekend road trip. You head to the grocery store with a short list and a rough budget in mind: wings, chips, something bubbly to drink, maybe a veggie tray so your meal can be more balanced. But by the time you reach the checkout, the total can feel closer to a car payment than a casual Sunday gathering.That sticker shock is happening even as broader…

Key Takeaways Homeownership among people younger than 35 rose in the last quarter of 2025.The gain reverses a slide that had pushed young-adult ownership to its lowest point since 2019.Easing borrowing costs in late 2025 helped some sidelined buyers return to the market. Homeownership among Americans under 35 just hit its highest point in two years, a rebound after months of grim headlines about young buyers being priced out of the market. New data from the Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy Survey, released Tuesday, shows that 37.9% of households headed by someone under 35 owned their home in the fourth quarter…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 2,273 counties, decreased in 809 counties, and was unchanged in 24 counties in 2024, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The percent change in real GDP ranged from a 76.6 percent increase in Carter County, MT, to a 46.3 percent decline in Baca County, CO. The size of a county’s economy as measured by real GDP varies considerably across the United States. In 2024, the total level of real GDP ranged from $813.7 billion in New York County, NY, to $15.7 million in Issaquena County, MS. County…

Execution will dominate the conversation around CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) in 2026. Investors will closely watch how it manages capacity delivery, capital discipline, and infrastructure rollout. But beyond those near-term proofs, there’s a quieter, more structural issue that could determine CoreWeave’s durability as a business over the next decade: customer concentration. Today, a large share of CoreWeave’s revenue comes from a small number of artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers. That high customer concentration is not a flaw in itself. In the early stages of the AI infrastructure buildout, it was inevitable. Large AI labs were the first operations to need massive GPU…

AI earnings and rising uncertainty trigger a sharp selloff in technology stocks A steep market decline begins to surface an opportunity for disciplined investors. Discover a list of stocks that have fallen sharply recently and could see an explosive rebound. Tech stocks fell sharply for a second straight day on Wednesday. The dropped 1.51% after already falling 1.43% the day before. Since its high last week, the index is down more than 4.5%. Several major tech stocks saw steep losses. Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:) slid 17.31% after releasing its . Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:) fell nearly 12%, while Micron Technology (NASDAQ:)…

The partnership will allow Planet customers who are preparing to close on a home or reviewing existing coverage to connect with licensed insurance agents to compare policy options and receive guidance during the selection process, the companies said. Planet customers will be able to compare insurance policies from more than 200 carriers and review coverage features and pricing options. The announcement comes as homeowners insurance premiums have increased across much of the U.S. In 2025, most states recorded higher average costs, with many experiencing double-digit percentage increases, according to industry data cited by the companies. “Buying a home doesn’t always…

Key Takeaways The price of a single bitcoin recently traded below $70,000 and at its lowest price since late 2024. Investors tracking cryptocurrency will likely watch closely this afternoon’s planned financial results and conference call by Michael Saylor’s Strategy, a big buyer and owner of bitcoin. Bitcoin has slipped below another five-digit milestone. The leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization—at about $1.39 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap—recently changed hands at prices not seen since late 2024, dropping below $70,000 apiece. The price hasn’t been cut in half since its record highs of around $125,000, recorded last fall, but the retreat is nevertheless…