Author: Money Mechanics

The technology stocks outlook is becoming increasingly uncertain. Investors are turning to value stocks and dividend stocks What are the best undervalued dividend stocks to watch right now? Markets feel more uncertain right now. Volatility has picked up, and earnings season has delivered both strong beats and sharp disappointments. As a result, many investors are becoming more careful with their money. The big gains of the past few years may be harder to repeat. Technology and AI stocks have climbed to very high valuations, and they led the recent bull run. With prices already stretched, expectations are high, and room…

AXIS Capital continues to leverage alternative capital and partner with insurance-linked securities (ILS) investors, with these activities generating attractive fee income in 2025. While a new structure established for 2026 shows that its casualty sidecar Monarch Point Re remains a core focus for the company.Specialty insurance and reinsurance company AXIS Capital no longer reports fee income earned from what it used to call strategic capital partners as clearly as it once did, but the company continues to leverage the appetite of third-party capital investors within its business. In 2025, it seems AXIS Capital had a profitable year, generating attractive fee…

KEY TAKEAWAYS The Department of Education is eliminating the Grad PLUS loan program starting the 2026-27 academic year, which previously allowed graduate students to borrow enough to pay for their entire education.The department expects the new limit on graduate student loans to lower graduate tuition costs.However, experts say the government must work to ensure lenders can offer loans to a wide range of students. Stricter loan limits for graduate students will likely encourage schools to lower tuition costs, but additional efforts will be required to ensure that all potential students can afford a master’s or doctoral degree, a recent report…

Key Takeaways Crocs shares surged on Thursday after the footwear maker’s fourth-quarter results topped Wall Street estimates.International and direct-to-consumer sales grew in the quarter, while sales in North America and through its wholesale partners fell. Crocs were cool with investors on Thursday. Shares of the footwear maker soared 19% after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. The company’s revenue of $958 million and adjusted earnings per share of $2.29 were both down from a year earlier but came in above the consensus estimates of analysts compiled by Visible Alpha. Crocs (CROX) said its wholesale revenue fell more than 14% in…

(Oil Price) – The sanctions squeeze on oil supply from Russia and Iran are tightening the oil market and supporting crude prices as buyers look for additional legit barrels while sanctioned supply is piling in floating storage, according to the world’s biggest independent oil trader, Vitol. “The traditional buyers of those two supply sources are reaching for more Western or Saudi supply sources, which is then in turn tightening the real market,” Vitol’s CEO Russell Hardy said at the International Energy Week conference in London on Thursday, as quoted by Bloomberg. Fears of massive oversupply this year haven’t filtered through oil prices.…

Key Takeaways If you have a doctorate, you’re more likely to have a strong salary, job stability, and a good amount of budgeting experience. Those advantages can help you make up for lost time.A good goal is to contribute 20% of your salary every month to your retirement account.Don’t try to take shortcuts by chasing high returns or speculative investments. Many of those with doctorates land their first full-time job with an unsettling realization: you’re pushing 30 or older and have little to no retirement savings. Anxiety about playing catch-up often surfaces in personal finance forums, including Reddit. A biomedical…

Key Takeaways Several Federal Reserve officials said the central bank should keep interest rates at current levels while monitoring further progress on inflation.Inflation remained their key concern following better-than-expected jobs data.Tariffs could also continue to fuel inflation, though officials debated how much they will drive price increases. The job market is showing signs of stability. Now, if the Federal Reserve can only get inflation under control.  Employers added 130,000 jobs in January, surprising economists. But some Fed officials this week said their focus remains on elevated prices as the central bank looks at whether more interest rate cuts are needed…

Key Takeaways The national average price for a gallon of gas is $2.90, near its lowest level since spring 2021 after dipping to $2.78 last month.Gas has stayed below $3 per gallon for 11 straight weeks, the longest sustained stretch under that mark in more than four years.In the cheapest states, prices are in the mid-$2 range, while the highest statewide average reaches $4.52. Gas Prices Are Hovering Near Their Lowest Level Since Spring 2021 The national average price of regular gasoline is near its lowest level since spring 2021, according to new data released Tuesday by the U.S. Energy…

Key Takeaways McDonald’s will continue to experiment with menu items that appeal to high-income consumers, who are expected to increase their visits to fast-food restaurants this year, according to executives.On the flip side, McDonald’s expects lower-income consumers to “continue to be under pressure” this year. The well-off are still hitting the drive-thru, and McDonald’s wants to make sure its theirs. Higher-income consumers are increasingly trading down, substituting meals at full-service restaurants with less expensive outings to chains like McDonald’s. It’s a trend that’s been visible across industries in recent years—and McDonald’s is eager to keep serving those customers. “On the…

On January 1, Arkansas and Illinois became the latest states to join the trend of repealing or reducing sales taxes on groceries to ease the financial burden posed by food costs on shoppers. Now, nine U.S. states levy sales taxes on groceries at a full or reduced sales tax rate.This trend is happening as food prices remain high across the country. According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average household now spends over $550 a month on groceries — a figure that continues to climb due to inflation.But in states like Arkansas and…