Author: Money Mechanics

Accessible Keys for Video [Space Bar] toggles play/pause; [Right/Left Arrows] seeks the video forwards and back (5 sec ); [Up/Down Arrows] increase/decrease volume; [M] toggles mute on/off; [F] toggles fullscreen on/off (Except IE 11); The [Tab] key may be used in combination with the [Enter/Return] key to navigate and activate control buttons, such as caption on/off. Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us today at the Board’s third annual Financial Inclusion Conference.1 While I am unable to join you in person, I wanted to highlight the importance of financial inclusion in building a strong and stable financial system and…

The June 2026 Consumer Price Index of All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) report indicates that inflation declined by 0.4% this month, down from a rise of 0.5% in May. These data were released at 8:30 am EST on July 14, 2026, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Before seasonal adjustment, the year-over-year (Y-o-Y) inflation rate in the all-items index grew by 3.5%. This month’s results missed economists’ consensus estimates. The table below is courtesy of Investing.com. The left column represents June’s figures, while the right column represents forecasters’ expectations. As you can see, the red metrics highlight the monthly underperformance. Yet,…

Consumer prices posted their biggest decline in more than six years during June as a sharp swoon in energy prices provided at least temporary relief from this year’s inflation surge, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.The consumer price index, a broad measure of costs for goods and services across the U.S. economy, was lower than expected across the board. The CPI fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4% for the month, bringing the annual inflation rate down to 3.5%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a drop of 0.2% and an inflation rate of 3.8%, following the 4.2%…

Lance Whitney/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysApple has released the first public beta of iOS 27.iOS 27 includes the new and improved Siri AI.Siri AI is the voice assistant I’ve been waiting for.For years, I’ve been frustrated with Siri. That’s because Apple’s voice assistant has so often failed to respond correctly, especially when I’m driving and need directions and other help. And for years, I’ve been waiting for Apple to fix Siri’s flaws, only to be let down by empty promises. But now I’m finally getting my wish.On Monday, Apple rolled out the first…

It’s important to understand the soup of abbreviations you encounter in Medicare.gettyPeople trying to figure out Medicare can get tripped up by the labels of the different types of coverage. Here are three examples.“I am enrolled in Part A and Part B and want to get Part G.”“I need to find a Plan D that will cover my medications.”“I signed up for Part C but I still need to get a PPO.”I could go on but you get the gist. Medicare’s alphabet soup identifies different types of coverage while creating confusion. Fitting the letters into a structure can help clean…

Kevin Warsh is making his first official trip to Capitol Hill since he was sworn in as the 17th chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in May.The Fed chair will tell Congress the central bank has “no tolerance” for high inflation, and cool June Consumer Price Index (CPI) data offers some momentary relief.But the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is over. 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…

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh acknowledged elevated mortgage rates are holding back the housing market, as he delivered his first congressional testimony since taking office in May.”The economy is solid. Financial markets look like they’re in very good condition. But when we look at housing markets, the story is much more uneven,” Warsh said in a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday.”Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages, which is really the relevance of much of this discussion to a lot of hardworking Americans, it’s higher than it’s been, and in part that’s because of inflation that has been above the…

President Donald Trump rolled back his 20% toll on Strait of Hormuz shipping, though an off-and-on ceasefire in the Middle East continues to roil energy markets and interest rates. But consumer inflation was a lot cooler than expected in June, big banks beat Wall Street forecasts and even conflicting headlines suggest interest in the AI trade remains high.The West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures contract traded above $80 per barrel for the first time since June 17 and was higher by 2.0% at $79.68 on Tuesday. The 2-year Treasury yield ticked down to 4.189% after reaching a new 52-week high…

BMW solidified its position as the top-selling luxury automaker in the U.S. with strong second-quarter sales, a result that comes as many rivals experienced declines. The timing of BMW’s impressive quarter is important. One of the brand’s largest markets, China, has gone in the opposite direction in 2026, forcing BMW (BMWYY) to revise its outlook for the year.  While U.S. demand can’t fully offset the China slowdown, the growth in U.S. sales gives BMW a resilient and profitable market it can rely on. It’s also a source of stability at a time when rivals like Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Audi have…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. July 14, 2026 Minutes of the Board’s discount rate meetings on June 8 and June 17, 2026 For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday released the minutes from its recent meetings to review and determine the discount rates provided to depository institutions through the discount window. Today’s minutes cover the Board meetings that occurred on June 8 and June 17, 2026. The Board’s process for setting the discount…