Author: Money Mechanics

January saw record highs on the stock market, but some stocks plummeted. How can you tell if a stock has become an attractive opportunity following a sharp decline? Discover seven US stocks that have been battered recently and could see significant rebounds. January was a very choppy month for markets. Major indexes hit new record highs, but the gains were uneven. Some stocks surged, while others fell sharply. Several factors unsettled investors. Geopolitical tensions rose, including strains between the US and Europe over Greenland and unrest in Iran. Earnings reports for the fourth quarter also surprised markets, with wide gaps…

Key Takeaways Key gauges of market sentiment turned negative negative on Tuesday as software stocks slumped, deepening their losses since the start of the year.Software stocks have been hammered this year by concerns about AI disruption, and the release of workplace productivity tools from AI startup Anthropic on Tuesday amplified those fears. Markets were on edge as this year’s software stock slump picked up steam.  The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 1.4% Tuesday, weighed down by sinking tech stocks. The benchmark S&P 500 pared losses to close down about 0.8%, and the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average, which this morning hit a…

Key Takeaways The price of bitcoin briefly fell below $73,000 today, dropping to levels unseen since Nov. 2024.Crypto linked stocks including Coinbase, Strategy, Circle and Gemini have fallen at least 15% in the last five trading days. Crypto can’t catch a break. Bitcoin hit new lows for the year on Tuesday, briefly breaking below $73,000 to levels not since November 2024, according to data firm Messari. Crypto-linked stocks including Coinbase (COIN), Strategy (MSTR), Circle (CRCL) and Gemini (GEMI) swooned alongside the cryptocurrency, each of them notching declines of at least 15% over the past five trading days. When the crypto…

Key Takeaways The Trump Administration is barring businesses with any amount of non-citizen ownership from receiving federal small business loans starting March 1.The new policy excludes lawful permanent residents from obtaining loans, potentially affecting more than 5 million people based on U.S. Census data.Critics blasted President Trump’s restrictions on business loans as damaging to the economy and demonizing immigrants. The Small Business Administration is cutting off lending to any business with any amount of non-citizen ownership, excluding more than 5 million business owners from federal loans.Starting March 1, the SBA will no longer lend to businesses if any of their…

Key Takeaways Homebuilder stocks gained Tuesday following a report that the industry is making an affordability-focused pitch to the White House.A “Trump homes” proposal could see hundreds of thousands of new homes built for a rent-to-own program, Bloomberg reported. Several homebuilder stocks got a boost Tuesday, following a report the Trump administration is considering a program to build more new homes. Lennar (LEN) and Taylor Morrison Home Corp. (TMHC) have worked on a pitch to the Trump administration to build up to 1 million new homes that could become part of a rent-to-own program, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Shares of Lennar…

Key Takeaways A new CD launched today pays 4.25% for a 1-year term, beating yesterday’s nationwide high of 4.16%.The offer also includes the ability to choose a term of 3, 6, or 9 months.If you’re shopping specifically for a 6-month CD, two other offers pay more, though they come with different minimums and features.CDs work best for money you can leave alone, while high-yield savings accounts suit cash you may need soon. Using both can be smart. What’s Special About This New 4.25% CD Savers looking for top CD rates have a new option to consider today. Yesterday, the most…

Key Takeaways Traditional retirement advice may be overly conservative because it ignores human capital—future wages and Social Security—which can provide diversification.In practice, an all-stock portfolio may not be appropriate for everyone, especially for those working in certain industries or with lower risk tolerances. Investing for retirement often means balancing growth with stability. For many investors, it makes sense to hold a portion of their portfolio in conservative assets, such as bonds, to reduce volatility and risk. However, James Choi, a professor of finance at Yale, suggests that people should keep 100% of their portfolios in stocks for most of their…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Millions of borrowers on the Saving on a Valuable Education plan will need to find another repayment plan soon.Standard plans ensure borrowers finish payments after a set time frame, and some include fixed payments while others have payments that grow over time.Income-driven repayment plans lower payments according to the borrowers’ income level and will forgive the loan balance after a certain number of payments. These plans will see many changes over the next few years. If you’re one of the millions of student loan borrowers currently enrolled in an embattled repayment plan, you will need to make changes…

Key Takeaways President Donald Trump signed a bill funding the government through Feb. 13, ending a shutdown that began Saturday.The shutdown delayed the release of a key report on the job market that was expected Friday. The latest government shutdown is over after less than two business days.President Donald Trump signed a bill Tuesday funding most government agencies until Feb. 13, ending a partial shutdown that began Saturday. Lawmakers will use the 10-day reprieve to debate new restrictions on immigration enforcement. The government shut down over the weekend after Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Stocks opened higher on strong results and guidance from a high-profile software name with big artificial intelligence plans. Momentum stalled early, though, as it appears recent success for Palantir Technologies has investors, traders and speculators wondering whether and when similar measurable growth will happen for other companies investing in AI at scale.Tuesday’s release of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for December by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is delayed pending the resolution of the latest government shutdown. Friday’s release of the January jobs report is also delayed.The House of Representatives is voting today…