Finance

AI investors hedge with options and swaps as tech stocks sell off
Amid falling AI stocks and rising borrowing costs, investors are turning to put options and credit-default swaps to protect gains and limit losses, according to The Wall Street Journal. Friday's selloff wiped out more than $1 trillion in market value: the Nasdaq 100 fell 3.4%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.8% and its technology sector lost more than 4.2%. The cost of insuring debt from major tech companies including Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Oracle rose to its highest level since 2021.
FinanceInternationalThe Jerusalem PostNov 1AI
At 75 the IRS Sets Withdrawals on a $900,000 401(k): The Strategy to Empty It First
A 24/7 Wall St. example describes a 62-year-old with $900,000 in a traditional 401(k). If the account is left untouched, the IRS begins setting required minimum distributions at 75, the age that applies to those born in 1960 or later. With 5% annual returns and 13 years to go, emptying it would require withdrawing about $91,250 a year, which would cost roughly 7% in federal tax today. Left intact, the account would grow to about $1.7 million by 75.
FinanceInternational24/7 Wall St.Nov 1AI
October deliveries by Chinese automakers: Xpeng tops 50,000 for the first time as Nio and Li Auto decline
Deliveries by China's major automakers and EV startups diverged in October. Xpeng delivered 50,237 vehicles, a monthly record, including 13,326 overseas. Nio delivered 34,246 units, its first year-on-year decline since February 2024, and Li Auto 29,025, its lowest since February. Leapmotor topped 100,000 for a fourth straight month and Xiaomi Auto delivered more than 50,000. BYD sold 490,168 new energy vehicles.
FinanceInternationalCnEVPostNov 1AI
BYD, Xiaomi and XPeng report strong October sales as year-end push begins
Tesla's Chinese rivals —BYD, Xiaomi and XPeng— reported strong October sales, according to Investor's Business Daily, as the traditional year-end sales push gets underway in China's auto market.
FinanceInternationalInvestor's Business DailyNov 1AI
Morningstar: stocks rise more in November of election years than in non-election years
A Morningstar analysis of 100 years of U.S. stock returns found that stocks tend to rise more in Novembers of election years: 2.4% on average, versus 0.9% in non-election years. Strategist Dan Lefkovitz attributes the effect to elections ending uncertainty. BlackRock notes that annual returns tend to be weaker in midterm years, while Fidelity says the S&P 500 gains more in the 12 months after midterms.
FinanceInternationalUSA TodayNov 1AI
Winners and losers of the GLP-1 weight-loss drug boom in the global economy
The boom in GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is reshaping consumer habits and the corporate agenda. According to Gallup, about 38 million people in the United States were taking them in June, and PwC estimates around 5% of adults in the UK use them. Gyms, supplements and airlines see opportunities, while packaged food, fast food and fashion face falling spending. More than 200 listed companies outside healthcare mentioned these drugs in their quarterly earnings presentations.
FinanceInternationalLa RepúblicaNov 1AI
Tech stock meltdown could get much worse if history is any guide
The S&P 500 tech sector has seen six pullbacks of 10% or more since 2023, including the current one, and four of those plunges ranged from 14% to 27%, according to Truist's chief markets strategist. On Friday, the Nasdaq 100 fell 3.4%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.8% and its tech sector tumbled more than 4.2%, with more than $1 trillion in market value wiped out on concerns about the cash flow of Big Tech companies investing in AI.
FinanceInternationalYahoo FinanceOct 31AI
Only 19% of California households can afford a median-priced home
According to California Association of Realtors figures, only 19% of California households could afford a median-priced existing single-family home in the third quarter, unchanged from the previous quarter and a year earlier. Buying requires a minimum annual income of $228,000 and a monthly payment of $5,700, more than double the national average of $2,760. In Orange County, a typical home costs $1.47 million and requires an income of $374,400.
FinanceInternationalNew York PostOct 31AI
A 75-year-old Florida woman lost over $25,000 in a fake sweepstakes; a New York flight attendant was arrested
A 75-year-old Florida woman lost more than $25,000 after a call in which someone posing as a Publishers Clearing House representative told her she had won a prize. According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Destiny Blake, 24, a New York-based flight attendant, was arrested on Oct. 23 at Miami International Airport and faces several felony charges, including defrauding a person over 65. She was released on a $30,000 bond.
FinanceInternationalAOL.comOct 31AI
Trump promised to slash energy costs, but gasoline, diesel and jet fuel rose instead
Donald Trump promised during his 2024 campaign to cut gasoline prices below $2 a gallon in his first year in office. According to GasBuddy, gasoline and diesel prices are forecast to be the highest ever on an election day: gasoline averaged $4.20 a gallon and diesel $6.32, up nearly 40% and 70% in a year. Prices spiked after the joint attack with Israel on Iran on Feb. 28 and the retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz.
FinanceInternationalCNBCOct 31AI
Wealthy US investors say they need $2.6 million to retire
An online HSBC survey of 9,993 affluent and high-net-worth investors aged 21 to 69 shows they believe they need $2.6 million to retire comfortably, 26% more than a year ago and about double the $1.2 million that, according to Schroders, average Americans estimate. Yet they have saved on average only 52% of that goal: baby boomers 74%, Gen X 55%, Gen Z 45% and millennials 42%.
FinanceInternationalUSA TodayOct 31AI
The 2026 Economics Nobel recognizes a study on expectations and inflation
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized the work of U.S. economists Robert Hall and Michael Woodford for a study titled "Microeconomic Foundations of Macroeconomic Stabilization." According to the piece, their work examines how the expectations of consumers, families and businesses regarding prices, income and savings help determine inflation in the medium and long term. The text links this approach to Colombia and to the independence of the Banco de la República's board since the 1991 Constitution.
FinanceInternationalEl PilónOct 31AI
Federal judge lets McDonald's McRib lawsuit move forward
A federal judge in Chicago, April Perry, rejected McDonald's request to fully dismiss a proposed class action accusing the chain of misleading customers about the meat in its McRib. The ruling allows consumer deception, fraud and unjust enrichment claims to proceed and dismisses five other claims without prejudice. The plaintiffs, four consumers, allege the sandwich was designed to resemble a rack of pork ribs despite containing no rib meat. McDonald's denies the allegations.
FinanceInternationalFox BusinessOct 30AI
US judge lets lawsuit over McDonald's McRib proceed
A federal judge rejected McDonald's request to dismiss a proposed class action accusing it of defrauding consumers about the content of its McRib sandwich. Plaintiffs allege the chain shapes the patties with ridges to resemble pork ribs and uses lower-grade cuts, causing them to overpay. Judge April Perry, in Chicago, called it premature to accept the company's argument and noted its website describes the sandwich only as containing pork. McDonald's denies the claims and calls the lawsuit meritless.
FinanceInternationalReutersOct 30AI
Gold falls below $3,900 and silver tumbles 6% amid Wall Street liquidation
Spot gold ended Friday near $3,879.90 an ounce, down $141.60 (3.52%), while spot silver fell to $49.015, down 6.06%, according to Kitco. The precious metals selloff coincided with heavy selling in Wall Street technology shares and a more than 2% rise in crude oil after another tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz. The Federal Reserve kept its rate in the 3.75%-4.00% range.
FinanceInternationalKitcoOct 30AI
ExxonMobil and Chevron post strong refining profits as gasoline tops $4 a gallon
ExxonMobil and Chevron booked billions of dollars in third-quarter profits, driven by refining, amid rising oil prices due to supply constraints linked to international conflicts. ExxonMobil earned more revenue from refining than from exploration and drilling for the first time in at least six years, and Chevron's downstream earnings also hit their highest level in that period. The U.S. national average price of regular gasoline was $4.20 a gallon, according to AAA.
FinanceInternationalFox BusinessOct 30AI
Gold falls to more than one-year low below $3,900 as oil and inflation weigh on prices
Gold broke convincingly below $4,000 an ounce and hit its lowest level since October 6, 2025, when it touched an intraday low of $3,884.61. Spot gold traded at $3,880, down 3.5% on the day and nearly 3% on the week. Silver fell below $50 and posted its worst week since early June. Analysts attribute the selling pressure to higher oil prices driven by the war with Iran and to expectations of Federal Reserve rate hikes.
FinanceInternationalKitcoOct 30AI
Eurozone economy grew 0.4% in the third quarter, above forecasts but slower than the previous quarter
The eurozone economy grew 0.4% in the third quarter, above the 0.2% expected by analysts but below the 0.6% of the previous quarter, according to Eurostat. Ireland led with 5.5%, while France (-0.1%) and Lithuania posted declines. The ECB kept its deposit rate at 2.5% and warned that energy prices keep rising, posing risks to inflation and economic growth.
FinanceInternationalEl EspectadorOct 30AI
Tech stocks wipe out more than $1.5 trillion in value on AI boom fears
Tech stocks fell sharply on Friday and the Nasdaq 100 was down 4.2% in afternoon trading, on course to erase more than $1.5 trillion in value, its worst one-day drop since mid-June. The S&P 500 was down more than 2.3% and its tech sector more than 5%. Intel plunged 31% after warning of lower fourth-quarter sales and profit, and several chipmakers fell sharply. Investor doubts about returns on artificial intelligence spending shaped the session.
FinanceInternationalNBC NewsOct 30AI
Cheaper cars are selling faster, but sales of affordable segments are falling
According to Edmunds data, between the first and third quarters the time a dealer took to sell a vehicle priced between $20,000 and $29,999 fell 20%, the biggest acceleration of any price segment. Vehicles priced from $30,000 to $39,999 sold about 18% faster and those from $40,000 to $49,999 nearly 12%. Even so, sales in some segments under $40,000 declined, with drops of about 4% for compact cars and nearly 8% for compact SUVs, according to Cox Automotive.
FinanceInternationalCNBCOct 30AI