Author: Money Mechanics

The U.S. nuclear sector has been on a tear over the past couple of years, fueled by the global energy crisis, the clean energy revolution, and the AI boom, even as global electricity demand soars. Meanwhile, the uranium market is experiencing a structural supply deficit, creating potential challenges for nuclear operators. Unlike many commodities, uranium trading usually involves small volumes with specialized participants, making the nuclear fuel susceptible to significant uranium market volatility. Governments across the globe are repositioning nuclear as critical infrastructure rather than transitional tech. Nuclear stocks have gone ballistic, with nuclear and uranium equities re-rating sharply. The…

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. Payments innovation is accelerating.1 Stablecoins, artificial intelligence (AI), real-time payments, and richer payment metadata offer significant improvements to the cost, speed, and functionality of payments. Better payments functionality can help financial institutions and businesses manage liquidity more efficiently at lower cost. It can also mean that people receive their paychecks more promptly and manage their payments more effectively. Payments innovation is especially important for lower-income individuals who are often underserved by the financial system and lack financial slack. For the bulk of my remarks today, I will focus on the…

’s mighty cyclical bull just grew into its biggest ever! Midweek gold’s massive bull over these past couple years eclipsed its famous popular speculative mania into January 1980. This is truly a stunning achievement, both exciting and concerning. Gold’s relentless upside momentum is bullishly attracting in legions of new speculators and investors. Yet gold’s powerful surge has also left it exceedingly-overbought. Discussing gold’s biggest bulls ever requires some qualifiers. There are two kinds of bull markets, longer secular and shorter cyclical ones. Broader secular bulls are comprised of series of smaller cyclical bulls and bears. Defining secular bulls is somewhat-subjective.…

Speaking during Marsh McLennan’s Q3 2025 earnings call, John Doyle, President of the firm said that dedicated reinsurance capital is projected to reach $650 billion by the end of 2025, while also stating that the reinsurance market remains resilient in the face of elevated nat cat losses, geopolitical instability and an uncertain macroeconomic landscape.Doyle also acknowledged that reinsurers are eager to deploy capacity as competition within the market increases. “We continue to see a competitive market characterised by slower growth from an uneven economy, stronger carrier ROEs, and continued decreases in overall rates, particularly in property reinsurance and property cat…

The statue of former Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin stands in front of the north wing of the U.S. Treasury Department headquarters building on April 24, 2025, in Washington, DC, U.S.J. David Ake | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe U.S. budget deficit edged lower for 2025 as record-setting tariff collections helped offset what also were unprecedented numbers for payments on the spiraling national debt, the Treasury Department announced Thursday.In a year marked by a bruising trade war and high financing costs, the federal government managed to escape with a $1.78 trillion shortfall, some $41 billion, or 2.2%, less than in…

Silicon Valley leaders including White House AI & Crypto Czar David Sacks and OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon caused a stir online this week for their comments about groups promoting AI safety. In separate instances, they alleged that certain advocates of AI safety are not as virtuous as they appear, and are either acting in the interest of themselves or billionaire puppet masters behind the scenes. AI safety groups that spoke with TechCrunch say the allegations from Sacks and OpenAI are Silicon Valley’s latest attempt to intimidate its critics, but certainly not the first. In 2024, some venture capital…

(World Oil)– Equinor and its partners have achieved first oil from the Bacalhau field in Brazil’s Santos basin, marking a major milestone for one of the largest deepwater developments in the world. The project represents Equinor’s biggest international offshore investment, with recoverable reserves exceeding 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and peak production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day (bpd). The field, located in the pre-salt region offshore Brazil, began production on October 15 at 22:56 Rio time, operated by Equinor alongside partners ExxonMobil Brasil, Petrogal Brasil (Galp|Sinopec), and Pré-sal Petróleo SA (PPSA). “Bacalhau represents a new generation of…

Key Takeaways Regional bank stocks rebounded on Friday after slumping Thursday when two lenders said they were suing borrowers, adding to concerns about unseen risks in the banking system.Jefferies analysts called Thursday’s sell-off “overdone” and judged the fraud claims that precipitated the slump “idiosyncratic issues.”Several bank executives said on earnings calls Friday that they were confident in the integrity of their non-bank lending portfolios. Regional bank stocks rose on Friday, rebounding from a sell-off yesterday as investors assessed the fallout from recent bankruptcies and fraud allegations that have raised concerns about lending standards.  The KBW Regional Banking Index gained 1.7%…

Key Takeaways President Donald Trump acknowledged that the U.S. and China are in a trade war this week.The U.S. has threatened to raise tariffs on China to high levels, while China has threatened to cut off rare earth minerals crucial to U.S. industries.Trump and his Chinese counterpart are set to meet in South Korea at the end of the month and could defuse the escalating tensions. The war of words between U.S. and Chinese leaders heated up ahead of an expected meeting, even as both sides left room for compromise.Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Thursday, President Donald Trump…

Key Takeaways Even as the Federal Reserve begins cutting rates, yields on savings and CDs will drift lower gradually, not collapse overnight. A top high-yield savings account is always a smart move—it keeps your cash earning more, even when interest rates ease. If you have extra savings, consider locking in a CD now to secure one of today’s strong rates for months or even years. The full article continues below these offers from our partners. Rate Cuts Are Coming, But the Drop Will Be Gradual The Federal Reserve will hold its next rate-setting meeting in less than two weeks, and…