Author: Money Mechanics

One last chance to apply Due to overwhelming interest, we’ve extended applications for Startup Battlefield Australia to July 20. If you’ve been thinking about applying, do it now. There won’t be another extension. One application could change everything Since the first Startup Battlefield Australia in 2017, there have been 26 alumni companies that have collectively raised over $147 million, with three successful acquisitions. They’ve been backed by some of the world’s most respected investors — including Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, AirTree Ventures, Startmate, Techstars, and SOSV. It all started with one decision: They applied.…

(World Oil) – Marubeni Corporation has completed its acquisition of EagleRidge Energy, adding one of the largest operators in the Barnett shale to its growing North American natural gas portfolio. Dallas-based EagleRidge operates more than 3,500 wells across approximately 450,000 gross acres in North Texas and produces about 300 MMcfe/d, making it the third-largest producer in the Barnett Shale, according to the company. Marubeni said the acquisition supports its strategy to expand its energy operations and natural gas assets in North America. The transaction follows a series of acquisitions completed by EagleRidge since September 2024 that expanded its position in the Barnett play.…

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on stage before delivering remarks during the Treasury Department’s Trump Accounts Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. “Trump Accounts” are a portion of recently passed tax and spending legislation where the federal government will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 once parents sign their children up while filing their income taxes. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)Getty ImagesMy friend, the progressive sharp economist Dean Baker writes if your adviser tells you to put money in a Trump…

Crude oil prices spiked and equity futures sagged after Iran opened fire on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and an Asia-based AI stock sold off before the opening bell on Tuesday.The main equity indexes moved up from their respective intraday lows during a typically light-volume summer session. But investors, traders and speculators remain wary on the cusp of yet another critical earnings season.The front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures contract was up 4.8% to $71.82 per barrel amid an uptick in attacks on tankers moving oil and gas from the Middle East to global markets. From just $107.88…

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are understood to have expanded their family long before saying “I do” at New York City’s Madison Square Garden this month—by reportedly welcoming an adorable puppy into their home. The couple, both 36, are said to have become proud parents to a white, fluffy Samoyed in 2025, with the pup becoming such a key part of their lives that it even played a role in their wedding celebrations. According to video footage taken inside the venue, framed photos of Swift and Kelce cuddling and smiling with their beloved puppy were displayed on a large gallery…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $77.6 billion in May, up $23.0 billion from $54.6 billion in April, revised.U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services DeficitDeficit:$77.6 Billion+42.2%°Exports:$317.7 Billion–3.2%°Imports:$395.3 Billion+3.3%°Next release: Tuesday, August 4, 2026(°) Statistical significance is not applicable or not measurable. Data adjusted for seasonality but not price changesSource: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, July 7, 2026Exports, Imports, and Balance (exhibit 1)May exports were $317.7 billion, $10.5 billion less than April exports. May imports were…

You’re buying a home and negotiating with the seller when you ask for some concessions. The seller agrees to use some of their cash to sweeten the deal. Now, it’s up to you to decide which concessions will give you the most value. Here’s what you need to know as you weigh your options. The three ways to use seller concessions When a seller is willing to work with you to make a home more affordable, there are three main ways they can help you out. First, they can give you a closing cost credit. This is up-front cash that…

U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON DC 20585 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 7, 2026 The U.S. Energy Information Administration published its July Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), increasing its expectations for global oil production. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has increased following the June 18 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran to end a months-long conflict and reopen the strait. EIA now expects worldwide crude oil production and trade flows to rebound to near pre-conflict levels by year’s end, with most previously shut in production returning online by the first quarter…

They give you an inch in the strait they will take a mile. Oil prices moved higher after as the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at two commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, according to a senior U.S. official, marking an escalation that threatens to complicate negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran war. Yet at the same time oil keeps moving and physical oil markets are falling as Saudis cut prices and premiums implode and gas prices according to AAA gas prices are at 3.79 today, down modestly from a week…

The first half of 2026 has solidified a defining trend in European capital markets: when global issuers, growth companies, and international debt allocators seek liquidity and resilience, Nasdaq’s Nordic exchanges answer the call.Nasdaq led all exchange groups across Europe in the first half of 2026 with 25 total listings, including 13 IPOs. By leveraging its dual-tier structure—bridging the Main Markets for established giants in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Iceland with a vibrant ecosystem for scaling enterprises—Nasdaq has transformed the Nordic region into Europe’s premier hub for capital formation.Notably, Nasdaq’s Nordic exchanges set a high bar on May 29, when on-exchange…