Author: Money Mechanics

Rainer Jagmann/iStock/Getty Images PlusFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Microsoft has issued its second emergency patch of the month.The new patch fixes a bug that affects cloud-based services.But another bug is preventing some Windows PCs from booting up.This year has got off to a rough start for Microsoft and Windows users, at least when it comes to bugs. The January 2026 update introduced a slew of glitches that the company is now trying to clean up. At the same time, new bugs keep popping up and plaguing users.New emergency patchOn Saturday, Microsoft kicked…

(Oil Price) – As several countries invest in expanding their liquid natural gas (LNG) production and export capacity, and significant quantities of the gas are expected to come online in 2026 after a record 2025, supply could soon outpace demand. This begs the question: just how much LNG is needed to “fill the gap” as the world develops its renewable energy capacity? Last year was a record year for LNG trade, as exports exceeded the quantities predicted in several industry forecasts. The expansion of the world’s LNG trade has been led by the United States, which exported over 100 million metric…

SECURE 2.0 reflected big changes for retirement plans.gettyThe IRS has extended the deadline to make certain amendments for IRAs, SEP arrangements, and SIMPLE IRA plans to December 31, 2027. The extension was announced in IRS Notice 2026-9, which provides additional time for amending retirement arrangements to comply with the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. Under the notice, plan administrators now have until the end of 2027, to formally amend their plans—but there’s still the possibility of a further extension if additional guidance is issued.Specifically, the extended deadlines apply to the provisions of the SECURE Act, sections 2202 and 2203 of…

Key Takeaways This year has started off with a mixed showing from America’s heavy-hitting “Magnificent 7” stocks.Their earnings, which kick off this week, could shed more light on how they’re approaching their challenges and breathe fresh enthusiasm into their shares.  America’s heavy-hitting “Magnificent 7” stocks have driven years of market gains. That may not continue to be the case. This year has started with a mixed showing from the grouping of some of America’s biggest tech stocks, which accounted for over 40% of the S&P 500’s roughly 18% total return in 2025. Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) is up some 5%…

Key Takeaways The government is at risk of shutting down again on Friday after Democrats threatened to vote down funding bills.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his party would vote against funding bills that gave money to the Department of Homeland Security, after a shooting involving federal agents over the weekend.A second government disruption on the heels of the record 43-day shutdown in the fall could disrupt the economy and economic data collection by the government’s statistical agencies. Suddenly, the government appears just days away from a shutdown. The risk of another shutdown rose over the weekend amid the political…

Homeowners have gained a lot of equity in recent years. Data shows that nearly half are considered “equity-rich” — meaning their mortgage balance is less than half their home’s total value. For those needing a larger house or one with different features, this glut of equity presents a conundrum: Do you tap your home equity with a home equity loan or line of credit to add onto your house and increase its value? Or do you sell the home, take the profits, and move on to potentially greener pastures? Moving is one option if you have plenty of home equity…

’s (NASDAQ:INTC) share price has swung sharply in recent months. It fell to multi-year lows during the summer, then climbed to its highest level in three years. Part of that rebound came after the US government bought a 9.9% stake in Intel and backed the company with guaranteed orders. Confidence improved further when bought $5 billion worth of Intel shares. These moves reflect the wider push by the US to strengthen its domestic chip industry and reduce reliance on overseas rivals, led by . The next big test for Intel is Panther Lake, its newly announced laptop processor. How well…

Selling a business in Oregon can be a big win, but Oregon deals have a “different texture” than many states. You have a strong buyer pool in the Portland metro area (and steady interest in Bend and Eugene), plus plenty of out-of-state buyers from Washington and California. The key is to prep around Oregon-specific diligence themes like payroll compliance, licensing, and Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax (CAT) exposure for larger operations, so your deal does not stall late. Want a realistic sale price estimate before you talk to Oregon buyers? EarnedExits helps you sanity-check what your Oregon business may be worth,…

This Week In A Nutshell: There’s a Fed meeting on Wednesday, but it’s unlikely to move mortgage rates. The key driver of rates recently have been White House policies (i.e., the $200B MBS purchase and Greenland). Upcoming Attractions    Another light week on economic data, but there’s a Fed meeting, a potential government shutdown, and the possibility of further announcements on housing affordability. Fed meeting (Wednesday): There are three more meetings before the end of Jerome Powell’s term as Fed chair. Markets do not expect a cut at any of these meetings. The first meeting with a cut priced in…

Ricursive Intelligence, a startup building an AI system to design and automatically improve AI chips, has raised $300 million at a $4 billion valuation. The company said Monday the round was led by Lightspeed. Ricursive says the system will be able to create its own silicon substrate layer and speed up AI chip improvements. Rinse and repeat to get to AGI, the founders say. The Series A comes just two months since the company formally launched with a seed investment led by Sequoia. It has raised $335 million total, reports The New York Times. Ricursive was founded by former Google…