Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Mortgage rates are rising despite yesterday’s Federal Reserve rate cut—a reminder that the Fed’s short-term rate doesn’t directly drive mortgage rates. Instead, mortgage costs are influenced by interrelated factors like inflation, the bond market, housing data, and economic trends. Predicting where mortgage rates will go is next to impossible, so if you’re ready to buy or refinance, make your move when the timing is right for you. The full article continues below these offers from our partners. Today’s Mortgage Rate News We cover new purchase and refinance mortgage rates every business day. Find our latest rate reports here:…

By the time your aging parents reach age 65 or 70, things may have changed in the family for estate planning purposes. Many older folks had an attorney put documents in place 30 years ago or so, but now they look at what they want to do for grandchildren. They look at how an adult child has lost favor due to substance abuse or other problems. And laws about estate taxes change over time, too. Their prior estate planning lawyer is long ago retired or gone. They seek a new attorney to update everything.Updating your estate plan can keep you…

Key Takeaways Generosity can become costly when social spending—such as buying a round of drinks, over-gifting, or saying yes to every event—undermines your savings goals.Tracking where your money is going can reveal patterns and help you make spending choices that align with your priorities. Generosity is good—but what if it starts to sabotage your savings? You might be spending out of habit or social pressure without realizing how much it’s costing you.  “One of the first things I tell people who consider working with me is that I’m not the fun police,” says Erik Scudder, a certified financial planner and…

Key Takeaways A social media giant faltered on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, as artificial intelligence costs piled up, while a biotech name benefited from reports of talks with a major pharma player.Shares of Meta Platforms dropped after the Facebook parent announced a one-time tax hit related to the One Big Beautiful Bill, and said AI-related expense growth would accelerate next year.Moderna shares surged following reports that the vaccine specialist has held strategic negotiations with a large pharmaceutical company. Shares of a social media juggernaut slumped as investors balked at its rapidly accelerating spending on artificial intelligence, while reports of potential…

Netflix (NFLX) has given long-term investors plenty to cheer about. Over the past 15 years, NFLX stock has averaged an annual gain of 28.8%, easily outpacing the S&P 500’s 14.6% total return (price change plus dividends). And the streaming giant’s next move could encourage a new crop of folks to look its way.After the close on Thursday, October 30, Netflix announced that its board of directors approved a 10-for-1 stock split. It will begin trading on a post-split basis at the open on Monday, November 17.This marks the third stock split for Netflix: a 2-for-1 split on February 11, 2004,…

Key Takeaways Amazon shares surged after hours Thursday as the company reported better third-quarter earnings than analysts had expected.Growth in the company’s Amazon Web Services helped boost the results. Amazon (AMZN) shares popped in extended trading Thursday after the e-commerce and cloud giant posted third-quarter results that blew past analysts’ estimates, driven by growth in its cloud business. The shares were up over 13% above $253 after hours, at what would be their first all-time high since early February. The online retail and cloud computing provider reported earnings per share of $1.95, up from $1.43 the same time a year…

Amazon plans up to 30,000 layoffs to streamline operations and prepare for AI-driven growth. AWS performance remains the key focus as competition with Google and Microsoft intensifies. Stock stays stable but may remain range-bound between $239 and $211 per share. Looking for actionable trade ideas to navigate the current market volatility? Subscribe here to unlock access to InvestingPro’s AI-selected stock winners. The main topic around lately is its plan for large-scale layoffs. About 14,000 employees will be affected in the first phase, and the total number could reach 30,000. These job cuts are part of a major restructuring but will…

An aerial view of homes in a neighborhood on Aug.27, 2025 in San Francisco, California.Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesWhile the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate this week, mortgage rates responded by doing just the opposite.The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage has jumped 20 basis points since Chairman Jerome Powell announced the cut on Wednesday and held a news conference, according to Mortgage News Daily.This happened the last time the Fed lowered its rate as well, and the reason is pretty simple: the bond market had already priced in a cut, but it didn’t like the commentary…

Jason Howell/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysGoogle’s new Calling Cards make Android calls feel more personal.The feature lets Pixel users customize full-screen contact images.Calling Cards don’t back up yet, so setups won’t transfer to new phones.As a lifelong Android user, I’ve noticed over the years how incoming calls on my iPhone friends’ devices were inviting, full-screen experiences. The contact image fills the screen, the person’s face takes over the device, and somehow that makes the incoming call feel a bit more human. Not to mention, it makes it easy to glance at who’s on…

Key Takeaways The price of Bitcoin extended its slide Thursday, heading toward its monthly low of around $104,000. Other cryptocurrencies also lost ground, along with U.S. stocks. The slide could underscore broader risk-off sentiment fueled by anxiety around the Federal Reserve’s plans for future interest rate cuts. Whatever happened to “Uptober?” The price of Bitcoin (BTCUSD) extended its slide Thursday, and altcoins including Ether (ETHUSD) and Solana (SOLUSD) fell even harder—likely disappointing those expecting October gains to materialize by tomorrow. The world’s most well-known cryptocurrency is now below $107,000, down more than 6% so far this month—and 15% from its…