Author: Money Mechanics

On HGTV’s new series “Extreme Buyers Club,” Texas real estate agent Noel Collier helps house hunters with outrageous wish lists find out-of-the-box listings that have exactly what they’re looking for—even when the demand is something that can’t actually be seen.The show, which premieres on Tuesday, sees Collier, 42, seeking out properties that possess some rather surprising features for her equally unique clients, including a couple obsessed with ghosts who have their heart set on a haunted house, a recent divorcée who needs a lot of land for her herd of pet llamas, and a woman who works as a mermaid…

It’s been a big year for AI acquisitions — so big that most of them barely register anymore. Anthropic and OpenAI have each gone on buying sprees, snapping up developer tooling, AI services shops, and product-testing startups to convert model capability into enterprise revenue and extend their reach faster than the other. Which is what made a weekend rumor about Anthropic acquiring robotics startup Physical Intelligence stand out. It spread exceedingly fast, even after a denial from Physical Intelligence’s CEO. Part of that ties to who’s involved. Physical Intelligence isn’t some obscure robotics shop. It was co-founded by Lachy Groom,…

(By Oil & Gas 360) – For decades, the United States measured energy security by asking whether America could produce enough oil. The shale revolution largely answered that question. The United States became the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, reducing import dependence and reshaping global energy markets. But production is only one part of the system. Crude still must be transported, processed, and converted into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and petrochemicals. That raises another question: Who owns America’s refining advantage, and whose capital will determine its future? The issue becomes more important whenever tensions rise around the…

Article published at 9:30 a.m. CTJJ Kinahan is Senior Vice President, Head of Retail Expansion and Alternative Investment Products at Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe).Key Takeaways:Iranian conflict continues to weigh on oil pricesPrices at the pump hit $4 per gallonEarnings again will dominate week’s tradingThe markets are mixed in early trading as are oil prices after an Iranian diplomat said talks with the U.S. could be pursued in hopes of ending nine straight days of heightened conflict between the two.Chipmakers also are following a pattern we’ve seen repeated in recent trading: Shares drop, sometimes deeply as investors rotate out, but…

Congress is seeking changes at the Federal Home Loan Bank System, with some members arguing the network isn’t taking a proactive role in the nation’s housing affordability crisis.At a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, leaders of the bank system said they’ve been active the past few years supporting the housing market. But Congress has worried the system isn’t doing enough lending to encourage more homeownership.Congress also scrutinized FHLBank System’s role acting as a backstop to the financial system during high-profile bank failures, including those of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in 2023.The FHLBank System operates…

36% of U.S. residents who plan to move within the next year  say a clean home with high-end filtration systems for air, water, etc. is one of the most important features when it comes to their next home. That makes it the most common priority for house hunters, along with  security systems, per a recent Redfin survey.   The heavy wildfire smoke blanketing the Midwest and Northeast last week puts the survey results into perspective: Homebuyers want a place that protects their health amid climate-related disasters.  Every generation ranks clean homes at or near the top of their priority lists, outranking…

While everyday consumers struggle under the weight of rising prices on goods and services, large-scale data center construction projects across the Midwest and South are propping up local economies, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.The report, known as the Beige Book, is published eight times a year. Each Federal Reserve Bank collects anecdotal data on current economic conditions in its district through reports from bank and branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, and market experts. The St. Louis Fed covers the Eighth District, which encompasses all of Arkansas and portions…

While no retirement strategy is foolproof, a variety of studies suggest that a diversified portfolio paired with a 4% starting withdrawal rate (adjusted annually for inflation) has historically had a high probability of making your savings last.Retirees often struggle with how to generate that income. Economically speaking, selling shares to realize capital gains and receiving dividends from stocks you own are very similar. After all, a company’s share price generally falls by the amount of the dividend on the ex-dividend date.Yet many retirees prefer dividends because of a behavioral finance phenomenon known as mental accounting. Selling shares feels like spending…

Technology stocks took off on Tuesday, and crude oil prices did the same. Investors, traders and speculators are looking forward to imminent earnings announcements from two of the Magnificent 7, even as the U.S. and Iran are escalating the war in the Middle East.At the closing bell, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was up 1.3% at 25,837, the broad-based S&P 500 had added 0.9% at 7,509, and the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was higher by 0.7% at 52,224.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 2.7% to $84.68 per barrel, and the 2-year Treasury yield ticked up to 4.266% from…

Fear of an IRS audit is incredibly common, even if the actual odds of one are much lower than you think. After all, the federal tax agency audits only about one in 250 individual files (roughly .4%) each year.However, getting selected isn’t entirely random. Common red flags like disproportionate deductions, omitted income, or simple reporting mismatches can increase your chances of a manual review.Think you can spot the warning signs? Take our quick five-question quiz to test your knowledge of IRS audit red flags. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from…