Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Corporate giants such as Amazon, UPS and Dow have made major layoff announcements in recent weeks.Researchers examining labor market data have so far found AI’s impact on jobs to be limited.Some analysts say companies may be “AI-washing” layoffs—blaming AI to distract from deeper problems. The labor market limped into 2026, and big layoff announcements in recent weeks have added fresh anxiety to the fragile jobs picture. Amazon.com (AMZN) said it plans to eliminate about 16,000 corporate roles, while United Parcel Service (UPS) announced 30,000 new job cuts, following an even larger reduction last year. Chemical manufacturing company Dow…

(Image credit: Maja Hitij / Staff)Get ready for two weeks of fast-paced winter competition, the 2026 Winter Olympics are almost here. The Games officially begin February 6, as athletes from more than 90 countries head to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, to compete for gold across a packed schedule of Olympic winter sports.The Opening Ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium will officially launch the 25th Winter Games, though some preliminary events — including ice hockey, curling and snowboarding — will begin beforehand.If you’re planning to watch the action, you’ll have several streaming options. We’ll get into ways to watch the…

Key Takeaways Montana and North Dakota have lowered property taxes in their states, which have been rising along with soaring home values.Several other states, including Florida, Ohio and Kansas, are also looking at ways to reduce or eliminate the taxes charged based on home values.Some states are also trying to replace the funding lost from property tax collection, which is often used to pay for schools and other essential services. Homeowners in Montana and North Dakota are set to see a drop in their property taxes. And they may not be alone as the political movement to lower—or eliminate—state property…

Key Takeaways Eli Lilly’s stock surged Wednesday while shares of weight-loss rival Novo Nordisk slumped, widening the gap between the drugmakers.The stocks of the companies behind popular weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Ozempic have pulled apart since late last year. There’s a growing divergence between the shares of rival weight-loss drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Eli Lilly’s (LLY) stock jumped over 10% Wednesday on the company’s stronger-than-expected earnings and rosy outlook. Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk (NVO) saw its U.S.-listed shares sink 6%, a day after the Danish drugmaker warned its sales could take a hit this year. The moves have…

(Image credit: Getty Images)The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite fell for a second straight day as disappointing earnings from mega-cap chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) sparked a sell-off across the technology sector. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed to close in positive territory thanks to well-received results from a high-priced health care stock.After Tuesday’s close, AMD said fourth-quarter earnings rose 40% year over year to $1.53 per share, while revenue was up 34% to $10.3 billion. Both figures were higher than Wall Street expected, thanks to a 39% increase in data center revenue.But Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson says…

Small caps are sprinting ahead in 2026, with the Russell 2000 outperforming the other major indices. After years of mega-cap tech dominance, capital is finally rotating toward value and cyclicals. Below, we highlight 5 small-cap stocks positioned to capitalize amid the current market environment. After years of narrow leadership dominated by the “Magnificent Seven” (Apple (NASDAQ:), Microsoft (NASDAQ:), Nvidia (NASDAQ:), Amazon (NASDAQ:), Meta (NASDAQ:), Alphabet (NASDAQ:), Tesla (NASDAQ:)) and mega-cap tech stocks, capital is aggressively rotating into broader, more economically sensitive areas. In the first weeks of 2026, the – the bellwether for small-cap US stocks – has surged past…

Kevin O’Donnell, the CEO of reinsurer and third-party reinsurance capital manager RenaissanceRe, said today that none of the firm’s investor supported joint-ventures entered 2026 any smaller than they were last year, leading to an expectation of relatively stable fee income ahead.Speaking during the RenaissanceRe earnings call today, Kevin O’Donnell highlighted that fee income generated by the firm’s range of reinsurance joint-venture vehicles and insurance-linked securities (ILS) funds remained attractive in 2025. O’Donnell highlighted fee income earned by the RenaissanceRe Capital Partners business as one of the reinsurers key drivers of profit. On which he said an ambition is to, “Continue…

Download the Redfin app now to prepare for a search that starts at the Big Game and spans the country to win a million-dollar home Redfin today announced The Great American Home Search – a nationwide activation that transforms the Big Game into a life changing opportunity to win a home valued at more than $1 million. To play, download or update the Redfin app to participate in this never-been-done-before scavenger hunt. The search begins at 8 p.m. ET, moments after Rocket and Redfin’s Big Game spot airs on February 8. Over the following 48 hours, Redfin will release six…

Key Takeaways Beaten-down shares—like the software and related stocks lately trading around fresh 52-week lows—aren’t as desirable as they may seem, some market experts say. Losers tend to keep losing, academic literature show. The classic refrain of “buy the dip” may sound like a siren song. The recent selloff in well-regarded software stocks may lead some investors to think it’s time to snap up seeming bargains. (Think companies like Adobe (ADBE), Salesforce (CRM), Intuit (INTU), and Workday (WDAY), all of which are trading around 52-week lows.) But should you leave them alone for now? Some Wall Street experts have recently…

Key Takeaways The sector rotation from tech leadership to defensive sector leadership has picked up steam in recent days amid a sell-off in software stocks, a development some experts were calling “healthy” on Wednesday. Accelerating earnings growth outside of the Magnificent Seven has taken some of the sheen off Big Tech stocks, pressuring the market’s largest stocks but buoying long-neglected corners of the market. It might be hard for investors to feel upbeat while the major indexes are being hammered by tumbling tech stocks. But that’s exactly how some experts are reacting to the rout. “I actually think what we’re…