Author: Money Mechanics

President Trump announced Friday that Kevin Warsh is his choice to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed chair. Takeaway: The president’s choice to nominate Kevin Warsh is a “business as usual” pick who should inspire confidence from markets and his colleagues. The housing market should expect mortgage rates to hold steady; this nomination won’t push rates up or down. Financial markets and fellow Federal Reserve colleagues are getting a familiar face who has long been thought of as serious on inflation and a potential Federal Reserve chairman. Kevin Warsh served as a Fed Governor during the financial crisis alongside Ben Bernanke.…

Self-driving truck startup Waabi’s billion-dollar fundraise isn’t just about trucks.   The deal, for $750 million up front plus another $250 million from Uber tied to deployment milestones, marks a major expansion into robotaxis for the company founded by former Uber AI chief Raquel Urtasun. It also feels like another chip from Uber on the autonomous vehicle roulette table. With more than 20 AV partners worldwide, the question isn’t just whether Waabi can deliver on its plans to deploy over 25,000 robotaxis, but whether Uber’s bet-on-everything strategy actually works.  Watch as Equity podcast hosts Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane and Anthony Ha discussed Uber’s AV partnership strategy, why Waabi’s “simulation-first” approach might be different, and…

Key Takeaways Investors locked in profits from a blistering precious metal rally on Friday after President Trump tapped Kevin Warsh, a former Fed Governor, to lead the central bank.Gold prices tumbled 10% from yesterday’s record high, while silver slid more than 25% to trade below $85 an ounce.Geopolitical uncertainty, concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence, and a weakening dollar have helped make gold and silver two of the best-performing assets over the past year. Gold and silver prices tumbled on Friday as investors locked in profits after President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve, allaying some of…

(BOE Report) – Exxon Mobil beat Wall Street targets in fourth-quarter earnings reported on Friday, with higher oil production in profitable Permian Basin and Guyana assets helping to boost the No. 1 U.S. oil producer’s results. Adjusted earnings for the October to December quarter were $1.71 per share, beating a consensus estimate of $1.68 per share from analyst data compiled by LSEG. Shares declined 2% in premarket trading. Oil producer profits were under pressure throughout 2025 as an oversupplied crude market pushed Brent oil futures down 19% last year. Exxon’s full-year 2025 adjusted profit declined by a narrower margin of 10%,…

Given how important public companies are to retirement savings and U.S. household finances, the reduction in listed companies and the increasing age of IPOs is something we should try to correct.Two common complaints (from companies) are that it is: Too expensive and complicated to be public — partly because of all the reporting they need to do.More challenging to execute long-term growth strategies with quarterly reporting and stock reactions.  Nasdaq has long advocated for reduced reporting obligations — either with a bigger focus on materiality or via less frequent reporting. Recently, President Donald Trump and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins have both supported moving U.S. companies from quarterly reporting to semi-annual. This move would also align U.S. public company…

Key Takeaways A crypto-friendly Fed Chair nominee, and a step forward for the Clarity Act, among other bits of good news, hasn’t inspired a turnaround in sentiment around bitcoin. The price of bitcoin is down about 20% in the past year. What can shake bitcoin out of its rut? That’s the question on crypto traders’ minds these days. The price of the world’s largest cryptocurrency has fallen year-to-date, deflating early January hopes of a turnaround. Bitcoin broke below the $85,000 level this week and appears headed toward lows not seen since April; even signs of good news aren’t helping, with…

Key Takeaways Deckers Outdoor stock soared Friday morning after the company reported strong quarterly results and issued a better-than-expected outlook.The company said it sees significant room for sales of its Hoka running shoes to continue growing as its fastest-growing brand. A shoemaker’s stock is running to its highest point in months Friday. Deckers Outdoor (DECK) shares surged 11% in early trading after the parent company of Hoka running shoes and UGG boots reported better fiscal third quarter results than expected. Deckers said after the bell Thursday that it earned $3.33 per share on $1.96 billion in revenue, each topping estimates…

Key Takeaways Sandisk shares surged Friday and have more than doubled this month after soaring in 2025.The storage device maker topped estimates and projected third-quarter results well above the analyst consensus. One of the hottest stocks of 2026 is extending its record run. Sandisk (SNDK) shares, up 13% in recent trading, have more than doubled this year. The storage device maker reported quarterly earnings and forecasts stronger than analysts had forecast, helping drive the shares higher and making them one of the day’s top gainers in the S&P 500. Fiscal second-quarter revenue came in at $3.03 billion, while adjusted earnings…

Changing your phone number can be a hassle, but switching mobile carriers doesn’t usually mean you have to. In most cases, you can keep your existing number by transferring it to your new provider through a process known as number porting.According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), carriers may charge a fee to port a number, though those fees are sometimes negotiable or waived. Importantly, your phone number belongs to you, and once you request a transfer, your current carrier can’t refuse to release it.While porting a phone number does require you to follow a few specific steps, the process…

The artificial intelligence (AI) gold rush has been a boon for investors in Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Massive demand from the buildout of data centers has AMD stock soaring.After falling nearly 20% in 2024, AMD stock returned close to 80% in 2025, and the outlook would appear bright. Indeed, analysts have never been more collectively bullish on the tech stock’s prospects.But while AMD has been a market-beater for more than a decade, truly long-term shareholders are sitting on disappointing returns. That’s because the chipmaker spent the first part of the past 20 years having a sort of “lost decade.” As…