Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways A spouse’s death often brings a lasting decline in income, research shows.Major financial decisions after a spouse’s death can include when to claim Social Security, how quickly to draw on your savings, and how to account for the change in tax-filing status. Delaying major moves and reviewing benefits, withdrawals, and beneficiaries can help protect long-term retirement security. How a Death Can Change Your Retirement Picture If your spouse passes away before you, it’s important to understand how that affects your finances. The financial impact can be significant. On average, annual income falls by $5,500 after the death of a…

Key Takeaways CEO Alex Karp took a victory lap after the company’s fourth quarter beat Wall Street estimates, showing strong revenue growth and record profits. It also guided 2026 revenue higher.William Blair raised its rating on the stock to “outperform” ahead of the earnings report release on Monday; Citi boosted its rating last month. One of Wall Street’s most-polarizing tech stocks is having a moment. Shares of Palantir Technologies (PLTR) jumped Monday, rising as much as 9% in after-hours trading, after the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report and revenue outlook for the coming year outstripped Wall Street estimates, showing that the…

Key Takeaways The main structural drivers of demand for gold remain intact, according to several Wall Street analysts who stood by their bullish gold price forecasts on Monday. After a spectacular run-up last month, gold and silver prices were primed to fall spectacularly, which they did last Friday after President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve. Buying the dip was a profitable strategy for stock investors last year. Could it be the same for precious metals buyers this year? Several major banks stood by their bullish price forecasts after gold and silver on Friday suffered their worst…

Key Takeaways Target and Walmart have welcomed new CEOs—Michael Fiddelke and John Furner, respectively—at the massive retail companies.The leaders are stepping into different situations, with Target suffering from slower sales, and Walmart enjoying new customers. Same title. Different task. New CEOs started at two big retailers—Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT)—on Sunday. Their missions vary considerably. At Target, Michael Fiddelke wants to stem the flight of investors and revive sluggish sales. At Walmart, John Furner aims to continue reeling in new customers and keep investors happy. “They’re at, really, very different junctures,” TD Cowen senior equity research analyst Oliver Chen said…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Stocks rebounded Monday as markets continued to price in President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. The main U.S. equity indexes also reflected the bullish history of government shutdowns, even if the one that began on Saturday is only partial and is expected to be much shorter than the one that ended in November.Washington, D.C., is closed again for a lot of official business, with the House of Representatives not set to vote until Tuesday on a bill to end the latest government shutdown.That bill won’t be signed into law…

The subordinated insurance debt market is anticipated to outperform again in 2026, after a landmark year of Restricted Tier 1 (RT1) issuance in 2025. Plenum Investments has affirmed its optimistic outlook, believing that subordinated insurance debt will persist in providing enhanced risk-adjusted returns compared to the wider credit markets.“In a credit market where overall supply is likely to outpace demand in 2026, a sector with strongly declining issuance should continue to outperform,” specialist investment manager Plenum explained in a recent commentary. Adding: “Despite last year’s rally, subordinated insurance paper – and rT1 in particular – still offers meaningfully higher yields…

Before I tell you what I think about Trump’s nominee for Fed Chairman, Kevin Warsh, I should first confess to the fact that my opinion of Chairman Powell has changed several times since he was first nominated. That’s a user-beware warning about my thoughts below, but it’s not just about me. I’ve watched the Fed since about 1990 – I wrote a book leaning against the perception of Chairman Greenspan as some kind of “Maestro” – but what happens when individuals meet institutions is that both are changed. The classic example is that Presidents always govern closer to the middle…

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysClean surfaces with alcohol for the best adhesive bond.Apply only a tiny amount of glue to ensure success.Fill gaps with baking soda to create maximum joint strength.Super glue — the chemical name of which is cyanoacrylate, also popularly known as crazy glue — is truly amazing stuff.First sold as an adhesive by Loctite in the 1960s, super glue can bond a wide range of materials — from plastics to wood, glass, porcelain, metal, and even fabric, and yes, human skin. While super glue did not…

Key Takeaways A key government jobs report due Friday is being delayed by the partial government shutdown that began Saturday.The report on job creation and unemployment will be rescheduled when the shutdown ends.The data delay could be a mini version of the data blackout that took hold last year when the government was closed for a record 43 days, delaying and disrupting the work of the government’s statistical agencies. Once again, a government shutdown is delaying key economic data.The Bureau of Labor Statistics will delay the release of data, including this Friday’s report on job creation and unemployment, until after…

(Oil Price) – Equinor will sell all its assets in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta basin to Vista Energy in a cash and stock deal worth $1.1 billion, the Norwegian energy major said on Monday as it continues to high-grade its international portfolio. The deal includes Equinor’s 30% non-operated interest in the Bandurria Sur asset and its 50% non-operated interest in the Bajo del Toro asset in the premier Argentinian shale basin that has seen oil and gas production surge over the past year. Equinor retains its acreage offshore Argentina as these assets are not part of the transaction with Vista Energy. The total consideration…