Author: Money Mechanics

(Oil Price) – The European Union has been looking for rare-earth suppliers outside China for a while now. Last year, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen declared, “The aim is to secure access to alternative sources of critical raw materials in the short, medium and long term for our European industries.” It seems one of these alternative sources will be Brazil. “We will speed up work on critical raw materials partnerships with countries like Ukraine and Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Chile and Greenland,” von der Leyen also said in October last year when she made the alternative sources declaration. Brazil was…

Key Takeaways Intel shares popped Wednesday, adding to their recent gains amid growing optimism about demand ahead of the chipmaker’s earnings report due Thursday. Wednesday’s rise brought Intel’s stock to its highest level in four years. Intel’s stock has been on a tear lately, as expectations grow ahead of the chipmaker’s quarterly results due after the closing bell Thursday. The shares jumped nearly 12% amid a broad market rally to close above $54 Wednesday, extending the stock’s recent gains as several Wall Street analysts pointed to signs of better-than-expected demand for the company’s AI products. HSBC, KeyBanc, and Wedbush told clients…

Key Takeaways The Supreme Court sharply questioned a Trump Administration lawyer during a Wednesday hearing, expressing skepticism about whether the law allows Trump to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.Trump’s attempted firing is viewed by some experts as part of a campaign to exert more control over the independent central bank and push it to sharply lower interest rates.Betting markets lowered the odds of Cook leaving office following the questioning. President Donald Trump’s effort to remove a Federal Reserve governor faced scrutiny on Wednesday when Supreme Court justices questioned his authority to fire Governor Lisa Cook. The Supreme Court heard oral…

Key Takeaways Some forecasts see mortgage rates dipping under 6% in mid-2026—perhaps even as low as 5.5%—before moving higher again.The potential dip is tied to a slowing economy, softer inflation, and increased demand for safe-haven bonds.Most experts caution that trying to time the market based on rate forecasts can backfire for buyers and refinancers. Mortgage rates are finally coming down, but some forecasts suggest the window for lower borrowing costs could be brief. According to Freddie Mac, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.06% for the week ending January 15. That nearly one–percentage-point decline from this time…

(Image credit: Getty Images)The three main U.S. equity indexes opened in the green, trended higher through the morning, buckled after lunch and took off during the last two hours of another trading session defined for better and for worse by President Donald Trump.At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.2% to 49,077, the S&P 500 had added 1.2% at 6,875, and the Nasdaq Composite was higher by 1.2% to 23,224.Early in the day, President Trump said he wouldn’t use force to annex Greenland, but he did argue for a peaceful transaction before the Davos crowd shortly…

Key Takeaways Software stocks should rebound when Wall Street realizes they “hold the key” to unlocking AI’s benefits, according to the founder of tech-focused private equity firm Thoma Bravo. The software industry has been hammered by concerns about AI’s uncertain commercial potential, as well as fears that the nascent technology will upend established business models. Anxious software investors worry that artificial intelligence is disrupting the multi-trillion dollar industry. One veteran tech investor says those concerns are misplaced. Orlando Bravo, founder and managing partner of tech-focused private equity firm Thoma Bravo, on Wednesday called the narrative that AI is going to…

Key Takeaways ARM applications reached 12.9% of total mortgage applications in September—the highest since 2008—though the share has since declined to around 6%-8% as fixed rates have eased.Adjustable-rate mortgages contributed significantly to the 2008 housing crisis, as many borrowers with poor credit struggled to make payments when their rates increased. High mortgage rates have been overwhelming homebuyers for the past three years, and some are turning to a mortgage option that helped fuel the 2008 housing crisis. Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) offer fixed introductory rates that later adjust—typically to a higher rate—to reflect current market conditions. These loans have become more…

Key Takeaways A below-market loan from a relative sounds like free money, but IRS rules set a floor on what family lenders must charge.Should a relative who lent you money die before you’ve repaid it, the balance becomes part of her estate. A recent post on Reddit’s r/Mortgages laid out a dilemma many people would love to have: Got the call of a lifetime last night. My grandma called me and decided to play bank and loan us what I presume would be our inheritance—up to $500K—at 1% interest to pay off our mortgage and any other debts. We would…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Retirement looks very different when you’re a business owner rather than an employee. For employees, retirement is a clear line in the sand: One day you’re working, the next day you’re not.But for owners, stepping away can feel like deserting the cause, abandoning the team or even losing part of your identity.That’s why exit planning is not just about money — it’s about meaning, legacy and risk management. You need a plan, and you likely need advisers to help with the plan. Just make sure they don’t exit their business before you do. From just $107.88 $24.99…

In-brief analysis January 21, 2026 When military aircraft are retired, they live out their days in the sunbelt at the U.S. Air Force’s facility on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, otherwise known as the Boneyard. As data center operators have searched for rapidly deployable sources of power for their facilities, some have looked to companies modifying jet engines for use in commercial power. Data center facilities in Texas have recently deployed modified jet engines as generators, each with 48 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity. Is there electricity generating potential in the Boneyard? Maybe. We…