Author: Money Mechanics

A new residential complex under construction in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on October 20, 2025. Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesBEIJING — Chinese policymakers are unlikely to shore up the country’s struggling real estate sector, analysts told CNBC, even as the housing slump drags on economic growth.The assessment comes as China’s top leaders, called the Central Committee, are due to wrap up a four-day meeting Thursday, which will outline priorities for the next five years.In Beijing’s view, the property sector’s drag on growth has eased, while technological development is a more urgent priority in the current geopolitical landscape, said…

As the world races to stay ahead in the deep tech revolution — from AI and semiconductors to quantum computing — innovation has become the new currency of power. For many companies, that pressure has translated into heavier workloads and more intense work cultures. Yet they face a real dilemma: they can’t simply ease up while competitors across the globe push harder to win. When I came across news about the intense “996” work culture — working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week, a 72-hour work week — spreading from China to Silicon Valley, it made me…

(Investing)– U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that current oil prices are low, making it a “great time to be a buyer” as he discussed plans to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Speaking on Fox News, Wright indicated the government will “gradually fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve up,” following the Department of Energy’s announcement Tuesday of a solicitation to purchase one million barrels of crude oil for delivery to the SPR’s Bryan Mound site. The purchase is part of efforts aligned with the Working Families Tax Cut signed by President Trump earlier this year, which appropriated $171 million to begin refilling…

Key Takeaways Even high earners can live paycheck to paycheck if fixed costs eat up too much income. The biggest mistake, according to Moore, is not knowing where your money is going. Awareness, planning, and a clear savings system are key to breaking the cycle. When most people think of living paycheck to paycheck, they picture families struggling to cover basic expenses on modest incomes. But financial planners say the problem increasingly spans high earners, too. Chloe Moore, certified financial planner (CFP) and founder of Financial Staples, works with clients making between $200,000 and $1 million a year who often…

Key Takeaways Google is reportedly in talks with Anthropic for a cloud computing deal worth tens of billions of dollars.OpenAI rival Anthropic recently raised $13 billion, giving it a valuation of $183 billion. Google could soon be closing in on a cloud computing deal with AI startup Anthropic worth tens of billions of dollars. The proposal under consideration would allow OpenAI rival and Claude chatbot maker Anthropic access to Google’s tensor processing units, which are chips designed to speed up machine learning workloads, Bloomberg reported. Anthropic and Alphabet did not respond to Investopedia’s requests for comment in time for publication.…

Key Takeaways Tesla is scheduled to report third-quarter results after the closing bell on Wednesday, and is expected to say it returned to revenue growth after two quarters of declines.Investors will be watching for updates on Tesla’s Robotaxi rollout, production plans for its Cybercab and Optimus humanoid robot, and recently unveiled low-cost models.Options pricing suggests Tesla stock could approach a record high in the days after Wednesday’s report. Tesla (TSLA) is slated to kick off Magnificent Seven earnings when it reports third-quarter results after the closing bell on Wednesday.  The electric car maker, which topped quarterly delivery estimates earlier this month,…

Key Takeaways Intuitive Surgical, maker of the da Vinci and Ion systems, beat third-quarter profit and sales forecasts. That lifted the shares into the plus column for 2025.The company is “in the driver’s seat” of its market, William Blair analysts wrote. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) shares jumped Wednesday after the maker of robotic surgical devices posted much better-than-expected quarterly results and raised its guidance on increased use of its units. The maker of the da Vinci and Ion systems reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.40, $0.42 more than analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha expected. Revenue increased 23% to $2.51…

Key Takeaways Uno cards, Hot Wheels cars and American Girl dolls are popular purchases, according to Mattel, while Barbie and Polly Pocket sales have slowed.Mattel says it is on track to meet its 2025 sales goal despite retailers shifting more of their orders to the fourth quarter. Uno is still number one. The multi-colored game deck is the top-selling card game and has grown for nine quarters in a row, according to Mattel (MAT), its parent company, which late Tuesday briefed analysts about the trends the toy and game giant sees heading into the holiday shopping season. Among those trends:…

Starting a family brings new financial responsibilities and valuable opportunities to reduce your tax bill. New parents can take advantage of credits, deductions, and strategic filing options to lower taxable income and maximize refunds. Understanding these tax reduction strategies ensures families keep more of their hard-earned money during this exciting time of life. Key Takeaways Claim the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for each qualifying child under 17.Consider the Child and Dependent Care Credit for childcare expenses.Explore the Adoption Credit if you adopted a child.Adjust your filing status to head of household if eligible.Keep accurate records and obtain Social Security numbers…

I concluded my second quarter 2025 grain and oilseed report on Barchart with the following: The leading grains and oilseeds- corn, wheat, and soybean futures are trading at low levels compared to the 2022 highs, but they also display a long-term, multi-decade pattern of higher lows. Population growth means that production must keep pace with the fundamental equations’ ever-expanding demand side for food. Moreover, the increasing demand for biofuel puts additional upward price pressure on the agricultural products. Therefore, I continue to believe that grain and oilseed futures have limited downside and the potential for explosive upside price action. While prices…