Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Kleenex and Cottonelle maker Kimberly-Clark said it’s buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in a $48.7 billion deal. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of next year. Kenvue (KVUE) shares skyrocketed in early trading Monday after Kleenex and Cottonelle maker Kimberly-Clark (KMB) said it’s buying the Tylenol maker in a $48.7 billion deal. Kenvue shares were up over 17% in recent trading following the news, while Kimberly-Clark shares tumbled close to 13%. Kimberly-Clark said that as part of the agreement, Kenvue investors would receive $3.50 in cash and 0.14625 shares of Kimberly-Clark for each Kenvue share…

Key Takeaways Thanks to low housing, food, and overall living costs, Natchez earned a spot on Investopedia’s list of the 50 best cities to retire. Retirees receive tax-free Social Security benefits and retirement account withdrawals, as well as access to nearly 200 local health care providers. The town offers rich cultural attractions, historic sites, and easy access to nearby cities, making it a lively yet affordable retirement spot. Deep in the heart of Southwest Mississippi lies Natchez, a town of fewer than 14,000 people. Its affordable cost of living propelled it to a spot on Investopedia’s list of the top…

Question: I need to free up $1,000 in my monthly budget, and I’ve already given up Starbucks and dining out. What else can I do?Answer: There are many ways to trim your budget, even if you think you’ve already cut out all the extra expenses. The key is for people to “treat their budget as if they were downsizing their home,” according to Million Dollar Round Table member and personal finance expert Roy Lederman. You’ll need to eliminate some items altogether and find creative ways to live comfortably with less.I’ve listed some ideas below of where you could find savings…

Home Depot (HD) stock has been a terrific buy-and-hold bet for truly long-term shareholders. Thanks to a history of innovation and adaptation, the nation’s largest home improvement retailer has managed to stay on top through both economic ups and downs and technological disruptions.Back in the day, hardware stores, be they mom-and-pop shops or regional chains, had relatively modest retail formats. That made it hard for them to service both professional contractors and do-it-yourselfers (DIY) at scale.That’s where Home Depot saw an opportunity. Founded in the late 1970s, the company reimagined hardware stores for the big-box age. Sprawling warehouse-style locations would…

The major stock indexes were mostly higher in early trading on Monday at the outset of another busy week of quarterly earnings reports and the release of key private sector employment data. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% shortly after markets opened, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.7%. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2%. A strong earnings report from tech giant Amazon (AMZN) helped propel the major indexes to gains last Friday, capping off a winning week and month for stocks. It’s set to be another busy week of earnings, starting with software maker Palantir (PLTR), scheduled…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Ares Management Corporation announced last week that it is buying the remainder of an asset manager called BlueCove, having first acquired a minority interest back in 2023. It’s potentially a big deal — in importance, if not size. It was easy to miss amid central bank meetings, wildly diverging earnings results, US-China summits and blockbuster bond deals. BlueCove only manages $5.5bn, and the financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, so in dollar terms it’s probably small potatoes. Ares already manages about…

In-brief analysis November 3, 2025 Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Bunker SalesNote: 2025 data are an estimate based on data through September. Distillate fuel oil includes marine gasoil (MGO), marine diesel (MDO), and low-sulfur marine gasoil (LSMGO). Heavy fuel oil includes marine fuel oil (MFO). When the International Maritime Organization’s lower marine sulfur limit known as IMO 2020 took effect in January 2020, commercial shippers pivoted sharply to fueling their vessels with low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO). In the years since, high-sulfur fuel oil has reclaimed…

“This work reflects Sage’s commitment to leading the future of home lending,” said Mike Malloy, CEO of Sage Home Loans. “We’ve built a mortgage experience that’s simple, digital, and transparent — and collaborating with Robinhood shows what’s possible when technology meets accessibility. Our goal is to help more people turn financial progress into homeownership, one of life’s most meaningful milestones.” In an interview with HousingWire ahead of the announcement, Malloy said that the offer was first piloted over the summer to a small group of Robinhood Gold subscribers. “The way that we think about this is that we are providing…

Kevin Rose has a visceral rule for evaluating AI hardware investments: “If you feel like you should punch someone in the face for wearing it, you probably shouldn’t invest in it.” It’s a typically candid assessment from the veteran investor, and one born from watching the current wave of AI hardware startups repeat mistakes he’s seen before. Rose, a general partner at True Ventures and early investor in Peloton, Ring, and Fitbit, has largely avoided the AI hardware gold rush that’s consumed Silicon Valley. While other VCs rush to fund the next smart glasses or AI pendant, Rose is taking…

(Oil Price)- Weak factory activity in China, a stronger U.S. dollar, and reports that OPEC+ is going to add more barrels to production in December have combined to push oil prices lower, setting them on a course to their third monthly decline in a row. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $64.61 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate at $60.16 per barrel. That’s down from over $67 per barrel for Brent crude and $62 per barrel for WTI at the end of September. “The market is now watching this weekend’s OPEC+ meeting and discussions of its output policy,” ANZ analysts…