Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Warren Buffett, chair and CEO of holding company Berkshire Hathaway, says stock splits often increase transaction costs, invite short-termism, and detach price from business value. Berkshire created low-denomination Class B shares in 1996, and later split them 50-for-1 in 2010 as a targeted exception to the rule, not as a reversal of principle. Buffett’s philosophy aims to attract “business-owner” investors. Warren Buffett has long argued against stock splits, as he believes they increase trading churn, invite short-term speculators, and detach the share price from underlying business value. Splits were one step Berkshire Hathaway would never take in Buffett’s view,…

Key Takeaways Microsoft is expected to report strong quarterly results after markets close on Wednesday, with continued strength in cloud computing and AI demand driving robust growth.Analysts and investors will be watching the company’s capital expenditures for evidence that the infrastructure spending lifting AI stocks is on track to continue. Microsoft is slated to report quarterly results after markets close Wednesday, and Wall Street analysts expect another solid showing. “We view MSFT as the clear front-runner on the enterprise hyper-scale AI front despite increasing competition from Amazon/AWS and Google/GCP,” wrote Wedbush analyst Dan Ives in a note last week. Analysts expect…

Prices that people pay for a variety of goods and services rose less than expected in September, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Friday that keeps the door wide open for another interest rate cut next week.The consumer price index showed a 0.3% increase on the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 3%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for readings of 0.4% and 3.1%, respectively. The annual rate reflected a 0.1 percentage point uptick from August.Excluding food and energy, core CPI showed a 0.2% monthly gain and an annual rate also at 3%, compared…

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawayseSIM management became an initial, frustrating, time-consuming challenge.T-Mobile now offers a surprisingly seamless eSIM transfer within its app.iOS Quick Transfer also works well for moving eSIMs between devices.As a mobile reviewer, I spend a lot of time on phones, but I also spend comparatively little time on each individual phone I review. The constant cycle of swapping from handset to handset as they launch throughout the year has made one aspect of my life a delight — the SIM card. Not to be mistaken with eSIM.Also: eSIM vs. SIM: What’s…

Key Takeaways Meta is scheduled to report its quarterly results after the closing bell Wednesday.Wall Street analysts are overwhelmingly bullish on the social media giant’s stock heading into the results, expecting record revenues on strong gains in its ad business. Meta has big AI goals, but can it convince investors to keep supporting its big spending? The company’s progress with AI will be in focus when the social media giant reports third-quarter earnings after the bell Wednesday, with investors likely to be watching closely for signs its investments are paying off.  Meta Platforms (META), which expanded its capital expenditures projections…

A Federal Reserve interest rate decision and a string of Magnificent Seven earnings are among the coming week’s top events for investors, who will also continue to monitor the effects of the government shutdown. The Fed is generally expected to cut rates, and so many will look quickly to remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell for clues on what the central bank will do next. Last week the major U.S. indexes all posted gains, with a strong Friday session leaving the Dow finishing above 47000 for the first time. Meanwhile, investors will digest a busy run of earnings as they listen…

Many people mistakenly believe their estate plans are complete after they decide on the strategies and have the documents prepared and executed.A high percentage of plans fall short of meeting their owners’ goals and many become abject failures, though the plans looked good on paper. The failures occur not when the plan is prepared but when it is implemented. We must rely on other people to implement an estate plan. To increase the probability an estate plan will be successful, vital information must be provided to the people who will implement its different components. A plan can’t be properly implemented…

Shopping for furniture for a home is a time-consuming process that usually requires visits to multiple showrooms to find the ideal item that will occupy living space. In some cases, consumers get lucky and see the perfect furniture piece they have been looking for in one of their first visits to stores. In a lot of cases, it will take days, weeks, or maybe months to find the right item. The process gets more difficult when consumers’ local furniture stores go out of business, leaving them with fewer options to choose from. Several iconic furniture chains that have operated for…

Silver’s rally above $50 surprised even the bulls — but a correction was inevitable. Structural shortages still support the long-term case, despite short-term pullbacks. Meanwhile, the dollar index tests range highs, but momentum remains uncertain. Looking for actionable trade ideas to navigate the current market volatility? Subscribe here to unlock access to InvestingPro’s AI-selected stock winners. After prices moved above the $50 per ounce threshold, the scenario of breaking out to new historical highs became increasingly likely. However, it must be acknowledged that the magnitude of the rally and the speed with which the demand side has achieved this are…

Jamaica’s $150 million IBRD CAR Jamaica 2024 parametric World Bank catastrophe bond has been marked down on secondary pricing sheets and this morning the US National Hurricane Center forecast cone shows a major hurricane Melissa landfall as possible.The latest forecast as of Saturday morning October 25th, sees the NHC’s forecast cone centred on the island nation of Jamaica, with the current forecast indicating a potentially devastating landfall scenario for what is still an intensifying tropical storm Melissa at this time. Melissa is expected to reach hurricane status soon and then intensify rapidly. Melissa became a hurricane on Saturday evening our…