Author: Money Mechanics

In-brief analysis January 27, 2026 Data source: Argus Freight Shipping rates for crude oil tankers were at multi-year highs at the end of 2025 before falling in early 2026. Rates climbed in the fall of 2025 because of increased demand for crude oil shipments, particularly from buyers in East Asia, limiting the number of vessels available for bookings. In this analysis, we look at several key global tanker routes for Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and Suezmax tankers, including the Persian Gulf-to-Asia route and the U.S. Gulf Coast-to-Europe route. In November 2025,…

The ongoing winter storm event and freezing temperatures that are affecting tens of millions of people across the United States have the potential to contribute to the gradual erosion of aggregate limits in certain catastrophe bonds, investment manager Twelve Securis has highlighted.With winter storms a covered peril in the catastrophe bond market, largely in US regional and nationwide transactions, the scale and scope of damage expected from what has been named winter storm Fern is naturally on the mind of cat bond fund managers. Specialist insurance-linked securities manager Twelve Securis reported that the winter storm event has been designated as…

These relatively steady rate movements followed a more volatile week as financial markets anticipated and digested President Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump touched on some key housing-related proposals during the forum, including restrictions on U.S. homebuying activities against large institutional investors and a $200 billion purchase of mortgage-backed securities by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The moves aim to improve affordability for consumers through additional housing supply and lower mortgage rates. But Trump also put the brakes on a reported proposal to allow tax-free withdrawals from 401(k) accounts for down payments on home…

On a Monday night NBC News segment, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei expressed concern over “some of the things we’ve seen in the last few days,” referring to the violence of Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. Amodei focused on the importance of preserving democracy at home, both on NBC and in a post on X that specifically called out “the horror we’re seeing in Minnesota.” On NBC, he said he’s a believer in arming democracies to defend against autocratic countries, and that “we need to defend our own democratic values at home.” He added that Anthropic has no contracts with Immigration and…

Key Takeaways Corning shares surged Tuesday after the glass and fiber optic cable maker announced a $6 billion deal with Meta to supply its data centers.The company is a supplier to several tech heavyweights including Nvidia and Apple, and has been a big beneficiary of the AI boom. A deal with Meta Platforms (META) is the latest piece of good news boosting Corning (GLW) stock. Corning and Meta announced $6 billion deal for Corning to supply the Facebook and Instagram parent with fiber optic technology and cables for its AI data centers. Corning said the deal will allow it to…

Key Takeaways UnitedHealth Group shares tumbled Tuesday after the health insurer reported disappointing earnings and the Trump administration announced Medicare rates would be effectively unchanged next year.Shares of CVS Health, Humana and other health insurers also fell sharply. Health plans have struggled with high healthcare costs in recent years, leading some insurers, including UnitedHealth, to cut back their services. Shares of UnitedHealth Group led a sell-off in health insurance stocks on Tuesday after the company reported its quarterly results and the Trump administration announced Medicare rates would be effectively unchanged next year.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Talk about putting useful information to work — our January 13 article, Billed 12 Hours for a Few Seconds of Work: How AI Is Helping Law Firms Overcharge Clients, riled up several readers.The article notes that some law firms are using AI to produce — in seconds — documents that would normally take hours to draft. Yet, they’re billing for those hours as if the work had been done the old way.This lit a spark under many who read the story and had “are you kidding me?” discussions with their lawyers. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger…

(Image credit: Getty Images)The start of retirement is an exciting time.For years, you worked and perhaps raised a family while always keeping an eye on the future.You consistently set aside money, with the express purpose of funding your lifestyle during your golden years. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more – straight to your…

Using new tech in the workplace and at home is nothing new. But the November 2022 introduction of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence service, made the use of AI the norm, and at breakneck speed.Since the end of 2022, anyone who purchased the so-called Magnificent Seven (Mag 7) stocks, all of which are embracing AI, should have profited handsomely. The stocks are Nvidia (NVDA), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT) and Tesla (TSLA). Collectively, these stocks were worth about $20 trillion recently, up threefold from $7 trillion less than three years ago. But stock market…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Deciding how your assets will be transferred once you’re gone is essential, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Estate planning forces people to have tough conversations with their closest family members — and that can be emotionally challenging.Talking about it appears to be particularly difficult for Baby Boomers, according to a recent Fidelity study, which reveals a major disconnect between older and younger and generations.According to Fidelity’s 2025 Family & Finance study, 97% of respondents recognized the importance of discussing estate plans with their loved ones, yet only about half of them had actually engaged in those…