Author: Money Mechanics

Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / PlayerFM Investors can’t help but feel like the stock market might be riding on the thin skin of a bubble, but the facts will tell us that even if we are, it doesn’t mean we should not expect more strong returns based on trends and price action. Carson Wealth’s Ryan Detrick and Sonu Varghese join the show to help up separate how we feel, and what’s really happening inside market dynamics. Plus, is AI too big to fail? The financial media has been pounding that drum given the hundreds of billions of dollars…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Thousands of high-income student loan borrowers are being blocked from switching to the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan, preventing them from qualifying for tax-free loan forgiveness.If processing delays are not rectified, these borrowers may not be able to have their loans discharged before the tax-free deadline expires at the end of the year. Some student loan borrowers are being blocked from switching to a federal repayment plan that would help them get tax-free loan forgiveness before the end of the year. Many borrowers are seeking to transition into the Income-Based Repayment plan, in which they may be eligible for…

Courtesy of the Continuum GroupTeam Name: The Continuum GroupFirm: Morgan Stanley Wealth ManagementSenior Members: Scott Siegel, Steven Rosbash, Bill DeMatteo, Joseph Carmody, Jaynie SiegelLocation: New York, NYTeam Custodied Assets: $7.5 billionBackground: Scott Siegel began his career in 1984 on the institutional fixed-income side before shifting to Bear Stearns in 1997 to advise high-net-worth clients. After Bear’s acquisition by JPMorgan, he led J.P. Morgan Securities while maintaining his client practice, joining Morgan Stanley in 2013 to build what is now The Continuum Group. Steven Rosbash, a former Goldman Sachs credit trader and Millennium portfolio manager, joined in 2014 and serves as…

Major U.S. equities indexes fell Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump signed a funding bill to end the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history. Technology shares dragged the Nasdaq down nearly 2%, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were also lower. Shares of The Walt Disney Co. (DIS) sank 9% to pace S&P 500 decliners after the media and entertainment giant reported weaker-than-expected revenue as its linear TV networks business continues to struggle. Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) stock dropped 11% after the FanDuel parent cut its full-year revenue and adjusted EBITDA forecasts. WEBTOON Entertainment (WBTN) shares plummeted 25% after the…

Key Takeaways The government’s statistical agencies are getting to work producing key economic reports that were delayed by the government shutdown that ended Wednesday.Forecasters expect a few reports from September to be released in a matter of days, while others could be delayed for weeks. Another key question is whether reports from October will ever be released. The government’s data dark age is coming to an end, but it might take some time for the government’s statistical agencies to catch up to their regular schedule.Washington is getting back to work after having been shut for a record 43 days, and…

Over half (57%) of Gen Zers say they have a side hustle, more than double the rate of older generations. For many young people, the traditional 9-to-5 isn’t the endgame. Instead, they’re embracing what some are calling “career minimalism,” where a day job pays the bills while a side project fuels their passion, creativity, or entrepreneurial dreams. Making money on the side is no longer limited to knocking on doors, delivering catalogs, driving people around, mowing lawns, or cleaning somebody’s house. The internet has opened up a world of possibilities, and Generation Z is taking advantage, including these seven side gig…

Key Takeaways Starbucks is handing out reusable red cups on Thursday as part of its annual Red Cup Day promotion, which is intended to cut back on single-use waste.Dozens are already selling the limited-edition cup on eBay at prices up to $80. Did your Starbucks run out of red cups? Don’t fret: Thanks to eBay, every day can be Red Cup Day. Starbucks (SBUX) is hosting its annual Red Cup Day, during which customers ordering a holiday drink Thursday are eligible for a free, 16-ounce reusable cup. The promotion lasts as long as supplies do, and in prior years some…

Key Takeaways Burry recently made headlines after making bearish option bets against high-profile stocks, and calling into question aspects of big hyperscalers’ businesses.This month, his firm—Scion Asset Management—appeared to have terminated its registration with the SEC. One of the most-famous bearish investors of his time could be headed to “better things.” Michael Burry—known for his bet against the U.S. housing market in the first decade of this millennium, but also for his portrayal by Christian Bale in the movie “The Big Short” and his branding on social media as “Cassandra,” a seer of legend who bears the curse of not…

Silver futures have just inverted into a +$0.30 premium over spot, marking one of the strongest and most explosive signals the precious metals market can generate. This is not a routine fluctuation—it reflects a structural imbalance where immediate physical demand overwhelms available supply, forcing futures prices above spot in what is known as backwardation. Historically, this condition has only emerged during the most aggressive phases of bull markets, including the 2011 melt-up to $49 and the 2020 physical squeeze that drove spreads violently higher. Today’s inversion confirms that silver is no longer trading in a normal carry structure—the market has…

It appears that the American October Consumer Price Index (CPI) will not be calculated by the Bureau of Labor [sic] Statistics (BLS), courtesy of the now-ended shutdown. Since the CPI calculations rely on an extremely large survey of data on a particular set of dates, the absence of employees making that survey makes it impossible to recover that data point.Although this is not too big a deal, I just want to comment on some arcane side effects of this hole in the data.Does it Matter for Cost-of-Living Adjustments?The absence of the data would cause problem for any contracts that use…