Author: Money Mechanics

Investor attention over the past decade has concentrated on mega-cap names even as many midsized public companies have quietly held their own.The famous Magnificent 7 trade – including Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon.com (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) – has been driving the market. But history suggests the mid-cap universe is consistently full of opportunities.A September 2015 white paper by S&P Global (pdf) found that the S&P MidCap 400 Index had outperformed both the large-cap S&P 500 and the small-cap S&P 600 over the prior 20 years as well as across a range of…

KEY TAKEAWAYS The rate of price increases for daycare in September was 1.5 times higher than the overall inflation rate.Rather than paying for pricy childcare, more parents, specifically women, are dropping out of the labor force to save money and care for their children. With the price of childcare escalating, even faster than rent and college tuition for some families, more mothers are opting out of a job and becoming full-time caregivers for their children. The cost of daycare increased by 5.2% in September compared to the same period last year, according to a report from Bank of America. That…

Key Takeaways Advanced Micro Devices posted record quarterly results that topped analysts’ estimates on strong sales of its data center chips.The chipmaker’s fourth-quarter outlook was also well above the analyst consensus. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Tuesday reported record quarterly results above analysts’ projections as booming demand for AI helped boost sales of its data center chips. AMD posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.20 on revenue that jumped 36% year-over-year to a record $9.25 billion in the third quarter, well above analysts’ estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Sales in AMD’s data center segment—by far its largest—rose 22% year-over-year to…

Stocks hit the pause button on Tuesday, with all three main indexes finishing in the red. Tech stocks led the decline as valuation concerns overshadowed solid results from artificial intelligence (AI) firm Palantir Technologies (PLTR).This risk-off mood was seen in other corners of Wall Street, too, with bitcoin tumbling below the $100,000 mark for the first time since June.At the close, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was down 2.0% at 23,348, the broader S&P 500 was off 1.2% at 6,771, and the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average had shed 0.5% to 47,085. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be…

Key Takeaways As bitcoin prices have fallen, spot bitcoin ETFs have seen some $1.3 billion in outflows since Oct. 29, according to data platform SoSovalue; spot ether ETFs experienced outflows of almost $500 million over the same time period.The weakness in the world’s most well-known cryptocurrency weighed on major stocks linked to it including MicroStrategy, Coinbase Global and Robinhood. Red October is spilling into November. The price of bitcoin, the world’s best-known and most-valuable cryptocurrency, today fell more than 5% to its lowest point—recently trading below $100,000—since hitting its record high over $126,000 in early October. The weakness extends declines…

Key Takeaways The Mediterranean fast-casual chain Cava is seeing younger consumers come in less frequently, though they tend to be ordering just as much, CFO Tricia Tolivar.This demographic is facing a number of economic headwinds, such as higher student loan bills, and is also dining out less at another fast-casual chain: Chipotle. Cava is the latest fast-casual brand to warn that younger consumers are losing their appetites. The Mediterranean-style fast-casual chain late Tuesday reported slower same-restaurant sales and revenue growth in the third quarter than in recent periods. Cava Group (CAVA) is not immune from the economic pressures weighing on…

Aristotle Capital Boston, LLC, an investment advisor, released its “Small/Mid Cap Equity Strategy” third-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. U.S. small/mid-cap equities reported solid results in the third quarter, driven by a favorable macroeconomic backdrop. In the third quarter, the strategy delivered a return of 2.57% net of fees (3.07% gross of fees), underperforming the 9.00% total return of the Russell 2500 Index. For more information on the fund’s best picks in 2025, please check its top five holdings. In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Aristotle Capital Small/Mid Cap Equity Strategy highlighted stocks…

WTI crude prices held steady on Monday, but a series of positive developments has lifted hopes for a rebound in oil. OPEC+ — which includes OPEC members and allied producers — agreed on Sunday to a modest output increase of 137,000 barrels per day in December and to pause any further hikes during the first quarter of next year. Following the announcement, Morgan Stanley raised its forecast for in the first quarter of 2026 from $57.50 to $60 per barrel, citing both the OPEC+ decision and recent actions targeting Russian oil assets.Analysts at Canadian bank RBC noted that Russia remains…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. November 04, 2025 Federal Reserve Board announces termination of enforcement actions with Riverbend Financial Corporation, Northwest Bancorporation of Illinois, Inc., and First Citizens Bank of Butte For release at 11:00 a.m. EST The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced the termination of the enforcement actions listed below: Riverbend Financial Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas Written Agreement dated February 14, 2023 (PDF) Terminated October 27, 2025 Northwest Bancorporation of Illinois, Inc., Palatine, Illinois Written Agreement…

Two weeks ago, Pulte announced that Habib had been tasked with reviewing the LLPA structure: “Barry Habib is great and is working hard to present me options to fix LLPAs (a/k/a PRICING!!!!) and bring some relief to HOME OWNERS AND HOME BUYERS in President Trump’s America! The days of Biden need to be gone!,” Pulte said in a post on X. Habib described the plan he sent to Pulte as suggestions informed by a “tremendous amount of research,” including conversations with top lenders that sell to Fannie Mae to pinpoint “where their pain points are.” He said two areas stood…