Author: Money Mechanics

As we have discussed, MUNIs for September finished strong. Many are calling for the balance of the year to remain firm because most of the record surge in supply is beginning to dry up. We have reported all year about the glut of supply hurting pricing while moving yields up; we are now starting to see a slowdown in the primary markets, which should help pricing. I do not think we will see another 25bps move to the downside this month, but 5-10bps is not out of the question. The FED showed a willingness to lower rates further this year,…

Pictured here is construction on a real estate project in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, China on October 9, 2025. Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China’s real estate market is expected to fall more sharply than expected in 2025, extending an industry slump for a fifth-straight year and delaying hopes of a market turnaround, S&P Global Ratings said in a report late Thursday.The analysts project sales of new homes will drop by 8% from last year to between 8.8 trillion yuan and 9 trillion yuan ($1.23 trillion to $1.26 trillion).That’s a far steeper decline than the 3% drop…

twomeows/Moment via Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysOpenAI and Anthropic, predictably, are getting the most money.Four vibe coding companies made the list, signaling a trend. The report also revealed several under-the-radar companies. As hype around AI has skyrocketed in recent years, and the biggest tech companies have reoriented themselves around the technology, there’s also been a profusion of new start-ups that offer their own AI-powered products. Also: AWS’s new agentic solution is a searchable AI hub for all your enterprise needsToday, businesses can choose from an almost dizzying variety of AI tools. Those gaining ground above the others…

Key Takeaways The valuations of prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket have soared in recent months as the online betting platforms have expanded into new categories and jurisdictions.Their push into contracts tied to sporting events, which pits them against more-heavily regulated online sports betting operators, has been particularly lucrative.Bank of America analysts in a note earlier this week referred to Kalshi and Polymarket’s sports contracts as “untaxed gambling.” Prediction markets are booming, and so are their valuations. Kalshi in August closed a funding round that valued the prediction market platform at $5 billion, more than double the $2 billion valuation it…

(Oil Price) – The administration of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has offered to open up Venezuela’s oil and gold projects to U.S. companies in an attempt to appease the Trump Administration and avoid conflict, the New York Times reported on Friday, quoting multiple sources close to the discussions. Over several months, officials of the Maduro regime have negotiated with U.S. officials offers of Venezuela’s natural resources and proposed to end some deals with Iran and Russia, in an attempt to avoid increased confrontation with the United States. Maduro has reportedly offered the Trump Administration to open all Venezuelan oil and gold projects to…

Key Takeaways A steep price drop in a company’s stock can signal both a buying prospect and a potential red flag. Cheap stocks can be risky stocks, as companies with very low share prices often have worse finances, making it harder for them to bounce back. Warren Buffett is famous for saying that risk isn’t always volatility—it’s the possibility of permanent loss. In a letter to shareholders, he offered a compelling corollary: when a stock’s price has dropped sharply, it doesn’t always signal a value—it may also indicate the stock has become riskier than before. His observation flips a common…

KEY TAKEAWAYS The IRS announced that the tax brackets for the 2026 tax year increased by about 2.3% to keep up with inflation and ensure that Americans pay the same proportion of taxes.The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” retroactively increased the standard deduction for the 2025 tax year. For the 2026 tax year, the increase is expected to be approximately 2.2%.Other tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Estate Tax Credit, have similarly increased to reflect inflation rates. On Thursday, the IRS announced the new tax brackets for the 2026 tax year. The tax bracket income levels…

Pickle ball is fun, but if you get injured a Health Savings Account can be a great way to pay for care with tax-free funds.gettyWith retirees facing a double whammy of inflation and tariffs driving up the cost of everything, many are looking for ways to stretch their dollars. One way to do this for those with health savings accounts is to tap your HSA to help pay your Medicare premiums. There seems to be a lot of confusion about whether you can pay your Medicare premiums from your health savings account (HSA). Technically, you cannot directly pay your Medicare…

Key Takeaways President Donald Trump threatened “massive” increases in tariffs against China on Friday after China announced new restrictions on crucial rare earth minerals used in high-tech manufacturing.Trump also questioned the need for an upcoming meeting between himself and Chinese President Xi Jinping.China has leveraged its dominance of the rare earth market as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with the U.S., which relies heavily on rare earths for its high-tech industries. The U.S.-China trade wars flared up again Friday when President Donald Trump threatened to increase import taxes as part of a dispute over critical “rare earth” minerals that…

You asked, and Sam’s Club listened. After overwhelming demand, Sam’s Club will expand its shopping hours on Sundays and holidays.Sunday shoppers had access to the warehouse from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. That will change to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting on Sunday, October 12. Sam’s Club Plus members will continue to have one hour of early access at 8 a.m. on Sundays.Further, the retailer is also expanding operations during holiday hours. On New Year’s Eve, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day, instead of closing at 6 p.m., they will close at 8. From just $107.88 $24.99 for…