Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Federal data through November 2025 shows U.S. home prices cooling sharply in several regions, with the Pacific division posting an outright annual decline. For buyers who entered the market during the high-rate environment of 2024, that drop threatens to erase equity faster than monthly payments can build it, leaving some households owing more than their…
Social Security beneficiaries often assume they can take their time with tax paperwork, especially if their benefits are modest. Yet filing a return as early as possible can protect income, unlock new deductions, and prevent avoidable headaches. For retirees who rely on monthly checks, moving fast on taxes can be the difference between a smooth…
Tesla filed its latest annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission confirming that the company designs, manufactures, and sells “high-performance fully electric vehicles,” directly contradicting speculation that it might pivot away from battery-powered cars. The 10-K for fiscal year 2025, along with record energy storage numbers and Tesla’s January 28 earnings webcast materials, paints…
Gold climbed to a three-week high as the U.S. dollar slid sharply following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down President Trump’s emergency tariffs, triggering a rapid policy pivot that has amplified uncertainty across global markets. The administration responded within hours by issuing a presidential proclamation imposing a 10% ad valorem import surcharge under Section…
Microsoft shares fell after the company reported strong fiscal year 2026 second-quarter results, a reaction that crystallized a broader investor anxiety: the stock now trades near its lowest price-to-earnings multiple in roughly a decade. The disconnect between accelerating revenue growth and a shrinking valuation raises the headline question directly: does Microsoft really deserve a rock-bottom,…
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a 10% ad valorem import surcharge effective February 24, 2026, after the Supreme Court moved to block his broader tariff program, according to contemporaneous reporting. The move, invoked under a rarely used trade statute, is designed to address what the administration calls fundamental international payments problems. But a…
California and New York are both pushing aggressive new tax proposals aimed squarely at billionaires, setting up what could become the most significant state-level wealth tax fight in American history. California cleared a ballot initiative for circulation that would impose a one-time 5% levy on billionaire residents, while New York legislators have introduced companion bills…
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Republican lawmakers who once questioned the administration’s use of tariffs have “now come around” to supporting its trade agenda, after a Supreme Court ruling struck down the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for trade levies. Greer cast the decision as a legal setback rather than…
Old Line Brewers, LLC, the company behind Baltimore’s The Brewer’s Art, has filed a Chapter 7 voluntary bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, a move that typically leads to liquidation rather than a business restart. Court records indicate the filing has been docketed, placing the roughly 30-year-old brand on…
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on February 20, 2026, declaring them illegal. Yet American importers who paid those duties for nearly a year are no closer to getting their money back. The ruling left the question of refunds entirely unresolved, and a…