Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Power costs in the United States are climbing at the same time the federal government is pulling back support for clean energy. Since President Donald Trump returned to office, average household energy bills have risen 13 percent, a spike that is landing hardest on families with the least room in their budgets. The political promise…
Corporate job cuts in the United States have surged again, with more than 1.1 million positions eliminated in 2025 and the total climbing to about 1.17 m as the year closed. The pain is not spread evenly, and a handful of sectors are driving most of the losses as employers restructure around automation, higher borrowing…
The Trump administration is offering six-figure salaries to technologists to rebuild federal systems, then openly positioning those same roles as a springboard into the private sector. The new Tech Force initiative promises up to $195,000 a year for two-year stints inside government, while marketing itself as a fast track to jobs at the very tech…
Oil is limping into 2026 with a losing streak that has wiped out much of the post‑pandemic rally, leaving benchmark prices at their weakest levels since the crash year of 2020. After a bruising twelve months, crude is still sliding as traders focus less on geopolitical shocks and more on a familiar problem: too much…
Silver has just come through one of its most dramatic runs in decades, and that kind of move tempts investors to either load up recklessly or swear it off entirely. The smarter path in 2026 is to treat silver as a tool, not a lottery ticket, and to decide how much to own based on…
Nvidia is starting the year with a powerful tailwind as expectations for China’s appetite for advanced chips grow hotter. Investors are betting that a new wave of artificial intelligence spending on the mainland will keep orders flowing even as supply chains strain to keep up. I see a company that is already printing record numbers…
Tariffs are about to move from political talking point to line item on your household budget, and one of the country’s biggest banks is telling shoppers to get ahead of the hit. Wells Fargo analysts are flagging a short window in early 2026 when everyday basics, from sofas to socks, are likely to be meaningfully…
Gold and silver investors head into 2026 riding one of the most dramatic precious metals rallies in decades, but Peter Schiff is already warning that the real test still lies ahead. After a spectacular breakout in 2025, he argues that the coming year will show whether the move was a one-off spike or the start…
Bank scammers have learned that the fastest way into your account is not through malware or data breaches but through your phone, by convincing you to move the money yourself. The single most effective move I see ordinary people overlook is turning on aggressive call screening so unknown numbers are filtered, flagged or silenced before…
The Fed’s third interest rate cut of 2025 in December marked a clear pivot from fighting inflation toward supporting growth, reshaping the outlook for borrowers and savers. With that move, the path to as many as four cuts in 2026 looks plausible rather than extreme, especially as policymakers signal a longer easing cycle. I will…