Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Silver prices rose to record highs for the second consecutive trading day on Monday, driven by tight supply and growing investor demand.Deutsche Bank expects exchange-traded funds’ silver holdings to hit a record high next year as rate cuts boost demand on Wall Street. The price of silver rose to an all-time high on Monday, boosted by tight supply and expectations for future interest rate cuts.  Silver futures rose more than 3% to surpass $59 per troy ounce for the first time today, extending a run that saw the precious metal close at a record last Friday. With Monday’s…

Key Takeaways The Magnificent Seven’s earnings growth accelerated in the third quarter, when analysts yet again underestimated Big Tech’s potential. AI investments are expected to support growth, especially for chipmaker Nvidia, but growing concern about an AI bubble could temper the market’s appetite for more AI spending.Wall Street is also raising the bar for the Mag 7, with growth expectations for the next year now well above what analysts were predicting a few months ago. At first glance, the Magnificent Seven had a bit of a stinker of a third quarter. But dig deeper, and there’s reason to believe Wall…

Key Takeaways Eli Lilly said Monday it is reducing the price of its Zepbound weight-loss drug on its platform LillyDirect.The move comes about a month after the company announced a deal with the Trump administration to lower weight-loss drug costs. Eli Lilly (LLY) said Monday that it’s lowering the price of its popular weight-loss drug Zepbound, about a month after striking a deal with the Trump administration to lower drug costs. The company said the price for a once-a-month single vial purchased through its LillyDirect digital health care platform will go down $50 for the 2.5-, 7.5-, 10-, 12.5-, and…

An elderly couple is drinking coffee and gazing out the kitchen window.gettyThe Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law on Jan. 5, 2025, eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). This change affected about 3 million retirees who have what’s called a “noncovered pension.” A noncovered pension is usually paid by federal, state, county or local governments to people such as teachers, firefighters and police officers. These individuals do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their paychecks.The WEP deals with your own Social Security benefit as a noncovered employee if you had a second…

Key Takeaways Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans help you pay for deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and other out-of-pocket expenses not covered by Original Medicare.  They’re an alternative to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, which carry low premiums but unpredictable out-of-pocket expenses.  You can switch to Original Medicare and Medigap during the 2026 Medicare open enrollment period, which ends on Dec. 7, 2025. Switching to Medigap might require medical underwriting, so if you have pre-existing conditions, you could be denied coverage or required to pay more for a plan. The Medicare open enrollment period runs until Dec. 7, so there’s still time to make sure you’ve got…

Key Takeaways Worries about regulatory headwinds weighed on vaccine producers on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, while a chip design software maker got a boost from a partnership with an AI darling. Moderna shares dropped after a report that U.S. health regulators plan to adopt a stricter process for approving vaccines.Shares of Synopsys, which specializes in software used in the semiconductor design process, powered higher following the announcement of a collaboration with Nvidia. A major vaccine producer came under pressure following a report federal health regulators plan to tighten vaccine approval rules. Meanwhile, an agreement with the world’s most valuable company bolstered…

Key Takeaways Small towns may offer favorable tax treatment on Social Security and retirement income.Average home values in towns like Branson, Missouri, or Frankenmuth, Michigan, are often moderate, making homeownership more attainable for retirees.Towns with strong holiday traditions or year-round festive activities create a welcoming and engaging atmosphere for retirees. Affordability and comfort are two of the most important qualities retirees seek, and some small towns deliver both with an extra touch of holiday magic. Across the country, these communities transform their quiet main streets into celebrations of tradition and togetherness each December, often carrying the spirit well beyond the…

I am deeply honored to have been asked to speak here today about the remarkable legacy of George Shultz. Just to be clear, I will not address current economic conditions or monetary policy. I have been an admirer of George Shultz since my college years. I saw him then and now as a great role model, as I mentioned a few months ago when delivering the Baccalaureate address to Princeton’s class of 2025, 50 years after my own graduation.1 As I told the graduates, when I faced the world after college, I had no real plan, but knew that I…

Federal Reserve officials were at odds during their October meeting over cutting interest rates, divided over whether a stalling labor market or stubborn inflation were bigger economic threats, minutes released Wednesday showed.While the Federal Open Market Committee approved a cut at the meeting, the path forward looks less certain. Disagreements stretched into the outlook for December, with officials expressing skepticism about the need for an additional reduction that markets had been widely anticipating, with “many” saying that no more cuts are needed at least in 2025.”Several participants assessed that a further lowering of the target range for the federal funds…

Sorry, prospective homebuyers. Just over a year after adding climate risk scores, Zillow has removed them from more than 1 million listings after real estate agents complained that the information was causing them to lose sales. Zillow first added the data to the site in September 2024, saying that more than 80% of buyers consider climate risks when purchasing a new home.  But last month, following objections from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), Zillow removed the listings’ climate scores. In their place is a subtle link to their records at First Street, the climate risk analytic startup that…