Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)It was a mixed session for stocks on Thursday, with market participants reducing exposure to tech names and boosting bets on cyclical plays. The main indexes failed to make any major moves, though, as caution took hold ahead of a key jobs report and the start of fourth-quarter earnings season.Technology was the worst-performing S&P 500 sector today, shedding 1.6% as several Magnificent 7 stocks slumped. Most notable was Nvidia’s (NVDA) 2.2% drop, which came after Stifel analyst Ruben Roy said following an investor meeting with the chipmaker’s chief financial officer, Colette Kress, that the company is “still…

Key Takeaways Stock analysts are eyeing potential beneficiaries of the Supreme Court potentially repealing Trump’s tariffs, but the range of possible outcomes make trade certainty look elusive.Whatever the court decides, the Trump administration has alternative ways to replace or reimpose tariffs that are repealed, fully or partially. The Supreme Court may soon rule on President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, which could shake up markets and individual stocks—but while experts have ideas about what assets might be move, the menu of possible outcomes remains complex. Put another way, we might get some long-awaited news. But trading might not be as simple…

Key Takeaways U.S. sanctions still block most direct investments in Venezuela.No Venezuela companies trade as ADRs on American exchanges, and there are no Venezuela-focused ETFs.The most practical way to invest in the country’s recovery is through shares in oil majors such as Chevron and other companies that would be involved in reconstruction. When U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026, some on Wall Street immediately wanted to know if the world’s largest oil reserves were now open for business.  Venezuelan bonds, as well as shares in Chevron (CVX), ExxonMobil (XOM) and ConocoPhillips (COP), jumped on…

Key Takeaways Just 57% of Americans in their mid-50s to mid-60s have a retirement account, a participation rate that is near a 30-year low.Among households with at least one retirement account, the median balance for this age group was $185,000.Retirement readiness varies widely at this stage, shaped by housing wealth, access to workplace plans, and exposure to market swings. How Many Americans Ages 55–64 Have Any Retirement Savings at All The Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances shows that 57% of households headed by someone ages 55–64 had money in retirement-specific accounts in 2022, the most recent year for which…

The average monthly payment on a new vehicle in 2015 was $491. The average amount financed: $28,769. Now, some 10 years later, the average monthly payment in the fourth quarter of 2025 hit an all-time high of $772, with the typical amount financed also hitting a record $43,759, according to Edmunds. Longer loan terms, buyers paying $1,000 or more a month for a vehicle than ever before, and higher insurance costs — buying a new car may be reaching the limits of affordability, mirroring the other classic American dream in some ways: buying a house. Are you overspending on a…

Last year, the US stock market was volatile, especially in the first half. Early in the year, President Donald Trump announced a new trade policy built around high reciprocal tariffs, which in theory would have been the highest in more than a century. Markets reacted sharply, with steep declines. Although stocks recovered later in the year as the administration softened its stance, the finished with gains of only around 12%. Company earnings were broadly encouraging, as many large firms continued to beat market expectations. At the same time, this strength has fueled concerns about a possible AI bubble in the…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. January 08, 2026 Federal Reserve Board announces approval of application by Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. For release at 4:00 p.m. EST The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced its approval of the application by Prosperity Bancshares, Inc., located in Houston, Texas, to acquire Southwest Bancshares, Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire Texas Partners Bank, both of San Antonio, Texas. For media inquiries, please email [email protected] or call (202) 452-2955. Last Update: January 08, 2026 Source…

In early 2020, global nominal interest rates converged around zero, with the US (at the 10-year maturity point) under 1% and the EU slightly negative. The monetary spigots were on, and central banks coordinated to squirt liquidity everywhere they could. Since that time, as monetary policy has diverged somewhat, nominal interest rates have diverged. Notably, Japanese rates remained lower than other developed country rates, but in general the picture spread out a bit. What is interesting, though, is that this behavior of nominal rates obscures what is really happening ‘under the hood’ so to speak. Recall that nominal rates are…

Researchers found that unexpected costs are the norm, not the exception. In any given year, 83% of retired households experience at least one unexpected expense. These fall into three broad categories: Rainy-day costs, such as major home or vehicle repairs Family-related expenses, including helping relatives or covering emergency travel Health-related expenses beyond routine care Health and home costs are especially common, with each affecting well over half of retirees in a typical year. Age itself made little difference once households reached 65. Instead, income and other socioeconomic factors shaped how often expenses showed up — and how large they became.…

Kerry Wan/ZDNETFollow ZDNET to learn more about smartphones: Add us as a preferred source on Google.It’s a new year, which means new deals on brand-new products. OnePlus is kicking off 2026 with a limited-time promotion on its most recent flagship smartphone: the OnePlus 15. Currently, buyers are eligible for a $100 cashback bonus when purchasing the phone via trade-in. You can trade in any device, in any condition, and get that discount. You can also lower the price even further by trading in an eligible phone — for example, trading in an iPhone 17 could net you up to a $478 discount.The OnePlus…