Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways The U.S. median home price now exceeds $400,000, but retirees can still find affordable locations where home values are under $150,000.Many of these towns offer not just low housing costs but also access to health care, entertainment, and travel hubs, making them practical retirement destinations. Lower home values mean retirees may be able to live mortgage-free if they sell a higher-value property. Locations were selected based on cost of living and access to travel, health care, and entertainment in partnership with Travel + Leisure. With the U.S. median home price now over $400,000, housing is a major concern for many…

AI investment surged to $252.3 billion in 2024, up 44.5% from the previous year, as companies rushed to capitalize on the technology’s promise. But this massive expansion is increasingly fueled by debt at a time when borrowing costs haven’t come down. Oracle (ORCL) alone needs to borrow an estimated $25 billion annually to fulfill its OpenAI contracts. CoreWeave (CRWV), Nebius (NBIS), and other AI infrastructure companies are taking on billions in creative financing deals. With the AI market expected to reach $1.81 trillion by 2030, the question is whether these debt-laden bets will pay off. As companies burn through cash…

Chris Zander.Courtesy of Evercore Wealth Management Firm: Evercore Wealth Management Name: Chris Zander Location: New York, NY Team Custodied Assets: $13.6 billion Background: Chris Zander grew up in New York City, where he captained Columbia University’s baseball team before graduating with a degree in political science. He joined U.S. Trust Company after school and spent the next 15 years there as a wealth advisor, later running the firm’s family office group while earning his MBA in finance from Fordham at night. In 2008, Zander and 10 colleagues broke away to co-found Evercore Wealth Management and Evercore Trust Company, in partnership…

Key Takeaways Crypto company shares are getting a boost from rising bitcoin prices and interim guidance that would exempt digital assets’ paper gains from getting taxed.Bitcoin treasury company Strategy said in a filing that it no longer expects to be subject to the 15% corporate alternative minimum tax it anticipated having to pay next year. Crypto’s numbers are going up. A boost from Washington is helping. A range of digital assets were rising Thursday. The price of bitcoin (BTCUSD), which has been flirting with record highs, was recently above $120,000. Shares of companies with large digital holdings, including Coinbase (COIN)…

Key Takeaways The job market showed signs of weakness, according to a pair of reports from private companies, with one indicating that hiring is on track to be its lowest for any year since the Great Recession.The data from ADP and Challenger, Gray & Christmas typically plays second fiddle to official government data, but that’s not being produced during the government shutdown that began on Wednesday.Officials at the Federal Reserve may need to rely on private data when deciding later this month whether to boost the job market by lowering interest rates. Reports from private companies painted a by-now-familiar picture…

Key Takeaways These six towns show that retirees can enjoy comfort and quality of life without breaking the bank. In fact, in four of the six counties featured, median home values are under $130,000—offering significant value for those seeking a peaceful retirement. From Gregory’s hunting traditions and Tryon’s equestrian scene to Parker’s lively senior center, each town offers distinct avenues for retirees to stay engaged, active, and connected to the community. Research shows that many Americans dream of spending their golden years in a small town, favoring the tranquillity of a slower pace over the relentless energy of big cities…

Key Takeaways Stellantis reported that its U.S. sales rose 6% in the third quarter compared with the year-earlier period, snapping a streak of eight consecutive quarters of sales declines.The Big Three automaker got a boost from demand for its Chrysler, Ram truck, and Jeep brands. Stellantis (STLA) shares jumped Thursday after the Big Three automaker reported that its U.S. sales rose in the third quarter, driven by demand for its Ram trucks, Chryslers and Jeeps. The company’s sales increased 6% from the year-ago period to 324,825 vehicles, snapping a streak of eight consecutive quarters of declining sales. Sales in September…

The dollar index (DXY00) today is down by -0.19% at a 1-week low. The shutdown of the US government today is weighing on the dollar.  The dollar added to its losses today on weakness in the US labor market, following the unexpected contraction of the September ADP employment change for a second consecutive month.  The weak labor market news also boosted the chances of a Fed rate cut at the October 28-29 FOMC meeting to 100% in the swaps market, a negative factor for the dollar.  Losses in the dollar are limited after the Sep ISM manufacturing index rose more than…

It’s like yesterday, but with an additional SELL signal for the miners. Here’s why:Shutdown Drama, Market RealityThat’s what I wrote on the – quoting: The fact that we did see the government shutdown doesn’t change that much. What matters is how long it will remained shut down. And I don’t think that this will happen for any reasonable amount of time. I view the current closure as a hard-ball negotiation pressure and… well, another part of the political theater. I fully expect this to be reversed any day now. And apparently, the markets are catching up to this as well.…

As we navigate through fluctuating economic conditions this year, one of the noteworthy trends has been the decline in municipal bond yields, which have dropped by an impressive 25 to 27 basis points. This shift has significant implications for investors, particularly those currently sitting on the sidelines in money markets. The Strength of Municipal Bonds Municipal bonds are often viewed as a cornerstone of a well-rounded investment portfolio. Their tax-exempt status makes them attractive to a variety of investors, and despite recent yield reductions, they remain a solid choice. The recent decline in yields shouldn’t deter investors; instead, it underscores…