Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Shares of companies outside of China that produce rare earths and minerals surged Thursday as the country moved to tighten exports.The sector has been on a tear recently, as the Trump administration has taken stakes in several strategically significant companies to shore up access for the United States. Rare earths and mineral miner stocks took off Thursday, adding to their recent gains after China moved to tighten restrictions on related exports from the country. China’s Ministry of Commerce on Thursday expanded licensing requirements for foreign companies to export products containing rare earths critical to producing a wide range…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The US Department of Justice has opened an inquiry into the collapse of bankrupt auto supplier First Brands Group, as federal prosecutors look to untangle how investors and creditors have been left with billions of dollars in potential losses, according to people familiar with the matter.The probe is being led by the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, the Manhattan unit that often handles large, complex white-collar cases, the people said. The inquiry is in its earliest stage,…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. October 09, 2025 Federal Reserve Board announces expanded operating days of two large-value payments services, Fedwire® Funds Service and the National Settlement Service (NSS), to include Sundays and weekday holidays For release at 4:30 p.m. EDT The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced expanded operating days of two large-value payments services, Fedwire® Funds Service and the National Settlement Service (NSS), to include Sundays and weekday holidays. The Reserve Banks will implement this expansion…

The S&P 500 is up over 13% this year and hit a new record of 6,753.72 points on Wednesday. But not every stock in the index has done well. Some stocks have soared, while others have dropped a lot. The five best-performing S&P 500 stocks this year have risen between 124% and 198%:The five worst-performing S&P 500 stocks have dropped between 43% and 54% this year:As the fourth quarter begins—the period usually strongest for stocks, leading up to the Christmas rally—some of the year’s worst-hit stocks could bounce back strongly. This is even more likely because the plans to keep…

According to Moody’s Ratings, issuance of higher expected loss (EL) catastrophe bonds has risen slightly in 2024 and 2025, as pricing for higher-severity risks has declined, encouraging investors to allocate more capacity to higher-frequency exposures.It’s important to note that catastrophe bonds that are more exposed to higher frequency losses typically carry higher ELs, while those tied to less frequent but more severe risks tend to have lower ELs. “Over the past few years, the reinsurance market has steadily increased prices and attachment points to lower frequency-related catastrophe losses such as those from severe convective storms or wildfires. This was in…

Again, a prod to deliver gift-box savings bonds. Quickly. Series I Savings Bonds are a U.S. Treasury investment. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Savings Bond investors who are holding I Bonds in “gift-box” storage are getting emails from TreasuryDirect this week advising them to deliver the bonds to the intended recipient. Like (hint, hint) now. I haven’t received the email, because I delivered all our gift-box I Bonds in 2024, also the year they were purchased. But readers have sent me the text: Dear TreasuryDirect Customer, Treasury is always looking for ways to enhance your experience. This includes simplifying the gift…

Pending home sales are declining, with some house hunters waiting for mortgage rates to drop lower and some feeling jittery about the economy. New listings of U.S. homes for sale rose 2.3% year over year during the four weeks ending October 5, the biggest increase in over three months. Some sellers listed their homes in September as the weekly average mortgage rate dipped to 6.26%, a 10-month low, in hopes that lower rates would lure buyers.  But buyers aren’t budging. Pending sales fell 1.3% from a year ago, the biggest decline in five months, and the typical home that sells…

Stoke Space announced a massive capital raise on Wednesday that might seem, at first glance, like just another bet on the commercial launch market. The details tell a different story. Led by billionaire Thomas Tull’s U.S. Innovative Technology (USIT), a fund that explicitly invests in technologies tied to national security, the $510 million Series D round underscores a larger shift in the launch industry. The old assumption was the winners of launch would be the companies that capture the lion’s share of commercial payloads. While there is still demand on the commercial side from private constellation developers and for emerging…

Key Takeaways The most in-demand career opportunities are no longer just in offices. Fields like construction, renewable energy, health care, and cybersecurity are hiring fast and paying well.Gen Z is rethinking success by looking beyond traditional degrees and white-collar jobs, with many considering skilled trades.AI, biotech, and green innovations are altering the job market, making it wise to pick up future-proof skills and remain flexible about where and how you work. Graduates entering the job market are facing a work environment shaped by rapid change, where new technologies and policy investments are changing the industries that hire. Whole industries are…

(BOE Report)– Prime Minister Mark Carney raised the prospect of reviving the Keystone XL pipeline project with U.S. President Donald Trump as part of a larger pitch on linking energy co-operation and support for Canada’s steel and aluminum sectors. A government source who was briefed on the disc aluminum, steelussions told The Canadian Press that Trump was “very receptive” to the idea during his Tuesday meeting with Carney in the White House, and the two leaders directed their teams to pursue discussions in the days ahead. CBC News was first to report on Carney raising Keystone XL. The source said…