Author: Money Mechanics

Today we’re talking earthquake preparedness.Before you click next because you think you don’t live in an area prone to earthquakes, let me just point out that, according to the USGS, states including California, Nevada, Alaska, Utah, New Jersey, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, Tennessee and Idaho have had an earthquake of 3.0 or higher on the Richter scale in the past five years. So keep that in mind. One other thing to keep in mind: Areas prone to earthquakes have building codes that take that into consideration, so you have some basic protection in the event of seismic activity. Areas that are…

The Israeli government approved the US-brokered deal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, the US Treasury has intervened in Argentina’s currency market, and Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted plans to cut about a quarter of its workforce. Plus, the FT’s Katie Martin explains why the good vibes in the markets are really just investors running on fumes. Mentioned in this podcast:Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire deal and hostage releaseØrsted to cut quarter of workforce after US setbacksUS Treasury intervenes in Argentina’s currency marketBrace for a market melt-upToday’s FT News Briefing was produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon, Sonja Hutson, and…

surged to a new all-time high of $51.14 per ounce today, shattering the decades-old records set during the 1980 Hunt Brothers manipulation and the 2011 frenzy. The white metal has gained over 76% year to date, making it 2025’s top-performing precious metal and outpacing even ’s remarkable rally. But unlike previous silver runs driven purely by speculation, this surge appears fundamentally different, rooted in structural changes that could reshape the market for years to come. The Physical Market CrisisThe most dramatic story is unfolding in London’s silver vaults, the global epicenter of physical trading. Free-floating inventory has collapsed to just…

(Oil Price)– Russia and Iran this week discussed boosting their cooperation in nuclear energy, including in building small nuclear reactors (SMRs) in the Islamic Republic, Iranian media report. Mohammad Eslami, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), discussed nuclear energy cooperation in Tehran with Nikolai Spassky, Deputy CEO for International Relations at Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company. Spassky was returning a visit by Eslami to Moscow last month, during which Iran and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in construction of small nuclear power plants in Iran. The two countries sanctioned by the West…

Key Takeaways Amazon’s (AMZN) Prime Day is here again from Oct. 7-8, 2025. On the last Prime Day in July, Americans spent $24.1 billion on the shopping platform. But many of those purchases were unplanned, and carrying that balance on a credit card could cost far more than any discount saved. Given the average credit card annual percentage rate (APR), a $100 item bought during this week’s Prime Big Deal Days at 20% off could end up costing more than the original price if you carry the balance and make only minimum payments. Amazon Prime Big Deal Days are here,…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Confluent shares are surging Wednesday as the data streaming company reportedly explores a sale.The Mountain View, Calif.-based company is working with an investment bank on the sale process, according to a Reuters report. Confluent (CFLT) shares jumped over 10% in early trading Wednesday following a report the data streaming company is exploring a sale. The company’s move to sound out buyers comes as the artificial intelligence boom continues to boost demand for companies that support the technology’s infrastructure. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company is working with an investment bank on the sale process, according to a Reuters report, citing…

Key Takeaways Paying an extra $5 a day, or $150 a month, toward your mortgage will get your loan paid off early and save you thousands of dollars in interest payments. However, this is only worthwhile if your mortgage rate is much higher than the rate of return from investing. If the two rates are roughly equal, there is little difference between paying an extra $150 on your mortgage every month or investing that money. If your mortgage interest rate is much lower, you’ll build significantly more wealth by making the standard mortgage payment and investing $150 a month instead.…

Once you begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) at age 73, you must withdraw a set amount each year from your pre-tax retirement accounts. If you don’t need that money for living expenses, you can still use it productively. Many retirees choose to reinvest their RMDs in a taxable brokerage account, add to emergency savings, buy income-producing investments, pay down debt, or use part of the funds for qualified charitable distributions to reduce taxable income. A financial advisor can help you decide which option supports your overall retirement plan. Once you take your RMD, the money becomes taxable income, but…

Accessible Keys for Video [Space Bar] toggles play/pause; [Right/Left Arrows] seeks the video forwards and back (5 sec ); [Up/Down Arrows] increase/decrease volume; [M] toggles mute on/off; [F] toggles fullscreen on/off (Except IE 11); The [Tab] key may be used in combination with the [Enter/Return] key to navigate and activate control buttons, such as caption on/off. As we wrap up today’s conference, I would like to thank all of the moderators and presenters on today’s panels. And of course, Secretary Bessent for sharing his perspectives on community banks, and the many community bankers, and state bank regulators and others who…

Job seekers attend the Mega JobNewsUSA South Florida Job Fair held in the Amerant Bank Arena on September 25, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty ImagesEmployment growth was essentially flat in September, according to data from investment giant Carlyle that seeks to fill in data gaps created by the government shutdown.The firm said its proprietary data showed job growth of just 17,000 for the month, which would be even less than the 22,000 gain in August reflected in Bureau of Labor Statistics data.With the BLS shuttered and data releases suspended until the impasse between congressional Republicans and Democrats…