Author: Money Mechanics

Gold () futures opened at $4,368.30 per troy ounce Monday, up 0.9% from Friday’s closing price of $4,329.60. The price of gold rose above $4,400 in early trading. Increased geopolitical risk after a U.S. strike in Venezuela supported gold demand. The U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, transporting them to New York to face charges related to drug trafficking and gang running. Leaders in Cuba, Russia, and Iran criticized the attack. President Trump subsequently said the U.S. would run Venezuela and take over the country’s oil assets. Geopolitical tensions and wars typically increase demand for gold, a…

Nina Raemont/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeaways Sunbooster plugs into your laptop and doses sunlight.The company is also prototyping a monitor and phone case at CES.It could help office workers stuck inside all day.The benefits of going outside under the sun are endless. Sunlight boosts mood, clears skin, and improves energy. But most Americans are traveling in their cars to work, not walking outdoors to get there — or staying inside their homes and working during peak daylight hours. This tech company is building an indoor solution to Americans’ sunlight problem. Also: CES 2026: Live updatesSunLED Light Solutions…

(Oil Price) – The white hydrogen boom could be within sight based on recent finds in France, the United States, and other parts of the world. However, developers are still not sure of the costs involved with exploiting white hydrogen resources, as well as the technical challenges to accessing reserves, making the outlook uncertain. Unlike other low-carbon forms of hydrogen, such as blue and green hydrogen, white hydrogen is naturally occurring.  The geologic hydrogen, often referred to as natural or white hydrogen, is produced naturally when underground water crosses paths with iron-rich rocks in a process known as serpentinization. Hydrogen is so light…

Key Takeaways Versant shares tumbled in their first day of trading on Monday.The group of cable channels and digital properties was spun off from Comcast last year, and includes CNBC, MS NOW and the USA Network. Versant (VSNT) shares fell sharply after they started trading on the Nasdaq exchange Monday, as the company completed its spin-off from Comcast (CMCSA). Versant shares opened the session just above $45 but finished the session at $40.57, after falling to near $39. Comcast announced plans in late 2024 to spin off its cable TV channels including CNBC, MSNBC (since rebranded to MS NOW), USA…

Mandy Xu ▬ January 5, 2026 Link to Report: Macro Volatility DigestWHAT STANDS OUT:Except for gold, implied volatilities for most asset classes ended 2025 near a 1-year low. And despite the unprecedented actions by the US in Venezuela over the weekend, cross-asset vols have remained remarkably calm so far. Even oil, which initially sold off on the news, have rallied back, with WTI 1M implied vol up just a modest 1.2 vol pts this morning.Gold has been the biggest beneficiary of the geopolitical turmoil so far, up over 2% this morning. Interestingly, gold positioning had become a lot more defensive…

Key Takeaways It took the typical American seven years to save for the median down payment for a house, down from the peak a few years ago but still above pre-pandemic levels.Down payments have gotten higher amid rising home prices, while a slower savings rate is also extending the time it takes to save for a house.It can take decades to save for a down payment in high-cost markets like San Francisco, while it may only take a few years in other markets. For most Americans, saving enough for a down payment takes years. But today’s buyers are reaching that…

Key Takeaways Bitcoin traded above $94,000 as of Monday afternoon, levels last seen in early December, as investors digested the weekend news that the U.S. had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Ousting Maduro “is not a direct bullish catalyst” for bitcoin, but the geopolitical conflict points to cryptocurrencies’ real-world utility, one analyst said. Bitcoin (BTCUSD) appears to have climbed out of a rut following the surprise capture by the U.S. of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro over the weekend. The world’s largest cryptocurrency underperformed the broader stock market last year, but is starting to show signs of life—it rose above $94,000…

Key Takeaways The focus of tech investors shifts to Las Vegas this week as it hosts the CES consumer electronics show.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su are scheduled to speak on Monday. Investors will be focused on Las Vegas this week, where executives from AI chip giant Nvidia and other major companies are due to speak at the CES consumer electronics trade show. Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Lisa Su are the star attractions on Monday. Huang is scheduled to appear at a press conference at 4 p.m. EST, while Su…

Key Takeaways Your 401(k) passes to the person you name on a beneficiary form—not through your will.Spouses and non-spouses face different rules and tax implications when inheriting a 401(k).Forgetting to update your beneficiary or leaving it blank can lead to probate and unintended recipients. Your 401(k) could be one of your biggest assets. But what happens to it after you die? Unlike other parts of your estate, a 401(k) doesn’t get handled through your will. It follows a different path—and if you haven’t paid attention, that path might lead somewhere you didn’t intend. Below, we break down what happens to…

Key Takeaways ChatGPT can be a resource for retirement planning questions, but it doesn’t replace the advice of a human financial advisor. When using ChatGPT for research, be sure to verify the sources of information that ChatGPT uses to answer your question. Take your ChatGPT answers with you as you discuss your in-depth retirement plans with a human financial advisor. ChatGPT is ready for your retirement planning questions. It can provide answers on subjects such as deciding when to collect Social Security, estimating medical costs, and choosing which retirement accounts to tap first to minimize taxes. But should you trust…