Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Your credit score is an important part of your financial profile. If your score is above average, you may be able to secure lower interest rates on loans and better terms on lines of credit. In September of 2024, the average credit score in the U.S. was around 715, per credit bureau Experian. States like Mississippi and Louisiana are on the lower end of the national average, around 680 to 690, while Minnesota and Wisconsin have the highest credit score averages at 742 and 738, respectively. Being aware of your credit score is an essential part of modern…

(World Oil)– ConocoPhillips raised its total spending plans for the Willow oil and natural gas project in Alaska to as much as $9 billion, citing inflation and other rising costs. The Houston oil giant, which initially estimated that its spending on the North Slope project was in the range of $7 billion to $7.5 billion, now expects oil production there to begin in early 2029, according to a statement Thursday. General inflationary costs of about $700 million are the biggest driver of the higher range of $8.5 billion to $9 billion. Shares of ConocoPhillips, which reported third-quarter earnings Thursday that…

Some companies have large shareholders who don’t intend to sell their shares publicly. They include family or founding owners, officers of the company, private equity investors and, sometimes, other public companies.Mathematically, that reduces the shares available to investors. So that all investors have equal chance of owning all stocks in an index, most modern indexes only include “free-float” adjusted market cap. Often, a minimum free float is required to qualify a stock to be added to an index. In fact, most index stocks have floats over 80%. We’ve noticed that recent initial public offerings (IPOs) have lower free float compared to historic…

Key Takeaways Quantum computing stocks have rallied even more dramatically than AI stocks in the past year as investors increased their bets on the technology.Technological breakthroughs from tech giants like Google have increased quantum’s visibility and potentially expedited the technology’s commercialization.Still, the stocks are susceptible to dramatic swings driven by the slightest shifts in sentiment. Move over, AI. Quantum computing stocks—those representing a technology that teases vast computing power—have soared in the past year, making even the artificial-intelligence rally look tame. Shares of D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) and Rigetti Computing (RGTI) have soared 2,700% and 3,100%, respectively, over that period. Quantum…

Key Takeaways U.S. employers announced the most job cuts in October than in any October since 2003.The report by private consulting firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas is more important because the ongoing shutdown has delayed official government reports. The low-hiring, low-firing job market suddenly has a lot of firing.U.S. employers announced 153,074 job cuts in October, the most for that month since 2003, consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday. That was more than double the 54,064 layoff announcements in September, and up 175% compared to October 2024.The layoff surge is a red flag about the health of the job…

Key Takeaways Ford (F) CEO Jim Farley warned earlier this year that AI could leave many white-collar workers behind and urged a renewed focus on trade skills. Recent research from Microsoft (MSFT) suggests that manual labor jobs like roofers and tire builders are among the least likely to be replaced by AI. Despite a declining percentage of people saying college is “very important,” households with a college degree still earn significantly more than those without one. For the past year, CEOs and founders have sounded the alarm, warning that AI could result in job loss and dramatically change the workforce.…

Key Takeaways Warren Buffett has pointed out that book value can significantly misstate the intrinsic value of a business. He prefers using intrinsic value, “the discounted value of the cash that can be taken out of a business during its remaining life.” Buffett goes so far as to say, “In all cases, what is clear is that book value is meaningless as an indicator of intrinsic value.” Warren Buffett has repeatedly reminded investors that book value is often a poor measure of a business. The calculation itself is simple: take the total assets minus liabilities. But book value, Buffett says,…

Key Takeaways Major U.S. equities indexes slid Thursday afternoon, led by tech stocks after a flurry of earnings reports and as worries about an AI bubble resurfaced.DoorDash shares tumbled after the delivery firm posted quarterly earnings that missed estimates and warned its costs would continue to rise.Datadog shares surged after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly results. Major U.S. equities indexes slid Thursday afternoon, led by tech stocks after a flurry of earnings reports and as worries about an AI bubble resurfaced. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all lost ground. DoorDash (DASH) was the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500…

Key Takeaways ESPN ended its partnership with PENN after the betting platform failed to hit market share targets. ESPN then announced a new deal making DraftKings its sportsbook partner.Shares of Penn slipped in Thursday trading, while DraftKings stock edged higher. ESPN is betting on DraftKings. In the latest news to illustrate the competitive nature of the sports-betting market, The Walt Disney Co. (DIS) unit and PENN Entertainment (PENN) on Thursday morning said that agreed to terminate their U.S. online betting pact early. Not long afterwards, it named its new partner: DraftKings (DKNG). “We appreciate the collaboration we had with PENN…

futures continue to consolidate just below the psychological $4,000 mark, maintaining balance within the Variable Changing Price Momentum Indicator (VC PMI) framework. The daily VC PMI pivot stands at $3,977, with Sell 1 and Sell 2 levels at $4,007 and $4,042, respectively. On the downside, Buy 1 is positioned at $3,952, and Buy 2 at $3,912. The market’s ability to oscillate within these levels reflects a state of mean reversion equilibrium, suggesting that traders are awaiting directional confirmation before initiating a new impulse phase. From a structural standpoint, gold remains in a neutral-to-bullish configuration. Price action near the pivot indicates…