Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Federal Reserve officials are divided on whether to cut interest rates again in December: Some are urging caution amid lingering inflation, and others are pushing for cuts to stimulate the job market.A lack of government data from the ongoing shutdown has made it harder for policymakers to assess the economy, deepening uncertainty about the Fed’s next move. If another interest rate cut in December isn’t assured, this week’s barrage of Federal Reserve speakers is a clear indicator why.  Some Fed officials appear undecided on whether to lower rates again next month, as many in financial markets expect them…

Key Takeaways Tesla shareholders yesterday approved a pay package for CEO Elon Musk that could be worth $1 trillion if the company and its stock hit certain goals.One of the pay plan’s performance targets is to expand Tesla’s stock market valuation to $8.5 trillion from its current $1.4 trillion. Tesla shareholders showed up for Elon Musk. Now it’s up to the CEO to make good on his promises and make them—and him—richer. Attendees at Tesla’s (TSLA) annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas yesterday erupted in applause, chanting Musk’s name after a tally showed that his compensation package valued at almost…

Key Takeaways Airbnb and Expedia executives expect brisk domestic demand this winter as Americans continue to book trips. The latest forecasts from the booking companies come as the U.S. faces the possibility of air-travel confusion due to the government shutdown. Vacation-rental companies like the view these days. Strong domestic demand prompted Expedia Group (EXPE) and Airbnb (ABNB) to issue rosy forecasts Thursday. Airbnb expects fourth-quarter sales to grow 7% to 10% year-over-year, according to its letter to shareholders. Expedia raised its full-year outlook and now anticipates revenue coming in 6% to 7% above last year. Third-quarter nightly stays in the…

KEY TAKEAWAYS The percentage of employees in 2024 who took out a hardship withdrawal from the retirement account more than doubled compared to 2018.The costs of emergencies also continue to rise, from unexpected car repairs and hospital stays to an increased number and severity of natural disasters. It is becoming increasingly difficult for many Americans to accumulate sufficient savings, and many struggle to afford emergency expenses, especially as the costs for things like home repairs or hospital stays increase faster than general inflation. Workers are having to find alternative ways to afford these unexpected costs, such as taking out loans…

Key Takeaways Many homeowners underestimate their property tax bill, with about two-thirds of homeowners saying it came in higher than expected in a 2025 survey. Property tax bills range dramatically by state, from West Virginia (a median of $818) to New Jersey (a median of $10,333). High home prices don’t always mean high property tax rates, as states like California and Hawaii have relatively low effective tax rates (0.70% and 0.32%) despite expensive housing. If you disagree with your property tax assessment, make a point to dispute it before it’s too late. With property tax bills rising 27.4% between 2019…

broke out of the downward channel it had been trading in for the past few months, but then pulled back to the key $100,000 level. This drop led to a weekly decline of nearly 8%, and traders have turned more cautious. The price found some buying interest around $99,500, which matches the 50% Fibonacci retracement level from the April to October rally — an important technical support zone. At the moment, Bitcoin is trying to stay above $99,500. However, the low trading volume shows that these small rebounds may not last. For a stronger recovery, the price needs to close…

Volunteers load boxes of food into cars during an event held by the Community FoodBank of New Jersey in partnership with Bergen County to deliver emergency food relief to Federal workers and SNAP recipients amid the U.S. government shutdown in Leonia, New Jersey, U.S., November 6, 2025.Mike Segar | ReutersWorries over the government shutdown surged in the early part of November, pushing consumer sentiment to its lowest in more than three years and just off its worst level ever, according to a University of Michigan survey released Friday.The university’s monthly Index of Consumer Sentiment posted a reading of 50.3 for…

Artur Debat/Moment via Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysMoonshot released its new Kimi K2 Thinking model on Thursday.It claims to outperform GPT-5 and Sonnet 4.5 on some benchmarks.Open-source AI poses a challenge to proprietary US models. The global AI arms race stays in constant flux, this time thanks to the arrival of a new model from the up-and-coming Chinese AI lab Moonshot.Also: Why open source may not survive the rise of generative AIOn Thursday, the Beijing-based company released Kimi K2 Thinking, a reasoning model that it says outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-5 and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5 on…

Key Takeaways A video game maker faced pressure on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, after delaying the release of a highly anticipated title, while strong quarterly results helped lift shares of a travel booking company.Expedia reported better-than-expected earnings on strong domestic demand, and its shares surged.Take-Two Interactive Software shares slumped after the video game maker said it would postpone the launch of its “Grand Theft Auto VI.” A video game maker’s stock came under pressure after a decision to delay a highly anticipated game’s launch, while solid growth in gross bookings helped shares of a travel firm push higher. Major U.S.…

Key Takeaways The average American had just over $105,000 in total debt as of the third quarter of 2024, according to last data release from Experian.Knowing how much you owe compared with others can give you a relative sense of your financial health. If you’re wondering whether your debt is out of line with the average American, seeing if you’re above or below the benchmark of $100,000 in total debt is a good start. As of the third quarter of 2024, the average American had about $105,056 in total debt, up 0.8% from the same time a year prior. The…