Argentina's controversial right-wing president, Javier Milei, slashed inflation with a brutal dose of economic austerity, but this came at a steep social cost. The cost of living is spiraling higher, fueling household debt, loan delinquencies, and economic hardship. Industrial output, since Milei took office, has declined sharply, with local companies closing at an alarming rate. While parts of the economy are falling into chaos, Argentina's oil and gas sector is experiencing a generational boom driven by the Vaca Muerta shale.
Argentina's vital hydrocarbon sector continues to surge, with oil production hitting yet another record in July 2026. Output reached 902,920 barrels per day, almost 1% above June and 12% higher than a year earlier, marking the country's highest oil production on record. Natural gas production has also expanded strongly, although output slipped 0.5% month over month and 1.6% year over year in July to average 5.6 billion cubic feet per day. That modest setback barely dents the bigger picture: economically crucial gas production has surged 21% over the past five years.
It is the ongoing and growing exploitation of the Vaca Muerta shale, situated in northern Patagonia in Neuquén Province which is responsible for Argentina's booming oil and natural gas complex. For July 2026, shale oil production rose by 1.2% month over month and a whopping 26% year over year to an all-time high of 648,347 barrels per day. As a result, shale oil now comprises a record 72% of Argentina's total petroleum output. This is also responsible for bolstering energy security in the Americas.
Shale gas production is also expanding at a healthy clip. For July 2026, Argentina lifted an average of 3.9 billion cubic feet per day of the fossil, which, despite being nearly 1% less than a month prior, was almost 4% higher year over year. That is the second-highest monthly shale gas production ever recorded. It was only eclipsed by June 2026 output, which hit 3.94 billion cubic feet per day. Shale gas now makes up 70% of Argentina's natural gas output, which is the highest level ever recorded.
Shale oil and gas production will keep growing at a solid pace, with Argentina on track to become a pure unconventional producer. You see, conventional oil output is in decline and has been for over a decade. Argentina's conventional fields are well past their prime, in many cases having hit peak production a decade ago with output now truly in decline. Government data shows July 2026 conventional oil production of 254,574 barrels per day, which is 2% lower than a month prior and 13% less year over year, indicating conventional oil output is 50% lower than a decade ago.

#shale #july #higher #record

A mall chain many consumers around the United States grew up visiting has closed another 25 stores over the last three months.
Earlier this year, we saw a number of mall retailers close locations, despite July 2026 Placer.ai data revealing that foot traffic across all three mall formats grew year over year. As part of my retail coverage for TheStreet, I reported on Vera Bradley cutting its traditional mall footprint by more than 43%, and Fossil Group quietly closing 219 stores over five years.
Most retailers choosing not to renew their mall leases are shifting their strategies. Some are pivoting to open-air shopping centers, which have been outperforming traditional malls for a while, while others are responding to changing consumer preferences by investing more in their online presence.
Founded in 1924, Genesco is a footwear-first company and the engine behind popular brands focused on kids, teens, and young adults. These include Little Burgundy, Journeys, and Schuh.
Genesco has closed another 25 stores across its portfolio, including 17 Journeys Group locations, in the second quarter of fiscal 2027, according to the company's latest earnings release.

#stores #retailers

While it seems that Democrats and Republicans can't agree on much of anything these days, there's at least one common enemy that's bringing both sides of the aisle together: data centers. Representatives on both sides of the aisle are increasingly pushing back against hyperscalers who are developing massive data center campuses on local energy grids, driving up energy demand and therefore causing electricity prices to skyrocket for everyone, whether they benefit from the artificial intelligence boom or not.
The Trump administration has attempted to resolve the issue by pushing the tech sector to provide its own energy sources to power its rapidly proliferating data centers. But while the legislation ostensibly pushes the responsibility of energy buildout – and the money to support it – back onto the tech firms responsible for skyrocketing energy demand rates in the first place, there is some concern that the policy may yield some considerable and costly unintended consequences.
Trump "essentially envisions a bespoke new power system built in parallel to the existing one," argues a recent op-ed from the energy editor of non-partisan news outlet Semafor. By inviting Big Tech to build its own energy infrastructure, policymakers are inviting the private sector to create a shadow grid that operates outside of the regulations that govern our standard electricity grids, and the oversight mechanisms that ensure compliance with other policy measures, such as environmental protections.
Plus, by encouraging Big Tech to invest in its own energy infrastructure, the country is missing out on a major opportunity to encourage much-needed investment in its own aging grid at a time when more resilience and greater transmission infrastructure is sorely needed. "Most of today's cost pressure is coming from transmission, distribution, and system readiness, not energy supply," Brandon Owens, a grid expert and founder of advisory platform AIxEnergy, was quoted by Politico last week. "Those costs remain even if a data center self-supplies generation."
Despite these concerns, Big Tech is pushing ahead with some truly gargantuan energy infrastructure projects, most of which are being developed in tandem with sprawling data center campuses. Amazon is currently building a gas-fired power plant in Texas that is set to become the single-biggest source of power-related emissions in the entire United States. And just this week, Nvidia announced that it would team up with ****** an's SoftBank and the United States government to build the country's largest fossil-fuel plant to power an OpenAI project in Ohio.

#Trump

Donald Trump is accidentally overseeing a massive buildout of the country's renewable energy capacity and infrastructure. Not only are investments in renewable technologies soaring to new highs, the national energy grid is rapidly transforming to accommodate an increasingly solar- and wind-powered energy mix.
Despite massive rollbacks of Biden- and Obama-era clean energy incentives and financial supports, investment in clean energy tech keeps soaring to new heights, buoyed by market forces far outside of the federal government's control. Clean energy capital expenditures already reached $74 billion in the first half of 2026, and they're on track to reach a record $180 billion by the end of the year, according to fintech firm Crux's State of Clean Energy Finance: 2026 Mid-Year Market Intelligence Report.
"The market is proving resilient," Crux CEO and co-founder Alfred Johnson was recently quoted by Politico's E&E News. "We're seeing a significant amount of investment subsequent to the tax law changes of last year."
The insatiable energy demand coming from data center hyperscalers and the artificial intelligence boom has spurred a tidal wave of investment into all kinds of energy projects, and especially renewables due to their noted advantages when it comes to energy security and affordability. These advantages have been underscored in recent months by extreme volatility in fossil fuel markets thanks to the war in Iran and resultant supply chain vulnerabilities. "Renewables and storage continue to be the fastest way to get new electrons on the grid until additional gas-fired generation can be built," NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum was recently quoted by Reuters.
As a result, we are currently "living in what arguably is one of the best periods to invest in renewables in the US over the last 20 years" according to Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade, chief executive officer of Portuguese electric utilities company EDP. Accordingly, EDP is directing approximately USD $5.3 billion – more than half of its capital expenditures – toward United States renewables projects over the next three years.

#year

Fort Collins has a plethora of football talent, but only one player is the Coloradoan's 2026 preseason Player of the Year after winning the Blue Federal Credit Union fans' vote.
Fossil Ridge fans showed out, pushing second-year starting QB Colton Jantz above the rest in the Coloradoan's preseason football fan polling.
Congratulations to Colton and thank you to fans across the area for voting!
The SaberCat quarterback had 58% of the vote, more than 26% ahead of the runner-up.
Here are the next highest vote-getters in the fan poll:

#vote #colton #player #fort

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 200 activists in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement are criticizing President Donald Trump's promotion of coal to fuel the rise of artificial intelligence data centers, according to a letter sent Friday.
The letter, signed by at least two former staffers from Kennedy's 2024 presidential campaign, marks the first major MAHA movement mobilization over fossil fuels and the latest in a series of rifts between the diverse group of activists and the Trump administration over environmental policy.
The letter to Trump, Kennedy and various other Cabinet officials, first obtained by The ******* ociated Press, laments a 2025 executive order that aimed to boost coal to power data centers over pollution concerns and asks the administration to consider renewable options, including solar and geothermal energy.
"We understand the importance of American leadership in artificial intelligence, national security, innovation, and economic growth," the letter reads. "But American AI leadership should not come at the cost of a more toxic burden for American children."
In response, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers noted that greenhouse gas emissions dropped to a 30-year low during Trump's first term and said Trump "was given a mandate to roll back the radical climate policies that are burning a hole through taxpayers' wallets."

#kennedy #coal #intelligence

SAO PAULO (AP) — The world is increasingly turning to Brazil to explore for rare earth minerals that are crucial for technology and renewable energy. The country's large reserves are second only to China and have attracted investors, many of them with foreign support.
An ***** ysis by The ***** ociated Press and Reporter Brasil of all National Mining Agency records through June shows that rare earth exploration applications have surged, with more than 86% filed in the past three years, including 268 in the first half of 2026.
The interest is already raising environmental concerns for the Amazon and other areas.
Here are takeaways from the story:
Rare earth minerals are a group of chemicals essential in digital and defense technologies, used in electronics, magnets and batteries. They are also used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors, critical to the transition away from fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal that cause global warming. The International Energy Agency estimated in 2022 that demand for rare earths could increase at least threefold by 2040.

#rare #associated

Oil prices have soared in recent months as a result of the almost complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade corridor connecting Asia and Europe. High fossil fuel prices have helped to drive up the profits of oil and gas companies around the globe, particularly in the United States and Europe. As a few companies boost production to fill the gap, some oil majors have seen record earnings in the first half of the year, a trend that is expected to continue for as long as Hormuz trade remains restricted.
Eight of the largest oil firms achieved combined profits of over $90 billion in the three months from April to June, following the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and the subsequent war. Iran's decision to close the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway between Oman and Iran that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, has led to the biggest disruption of fossil fuel supplies in the market's history. As a few oil majors from the United States, Europe, and the Middle East step in to fill the gap and oil prices are pushed higher, a few companies have come out on top.
The phenomenon has also demonstrated that the world remains overly dependent on fossil fuels, with countries willing to pay a premium to secure their oil and gas supplies in the face of major global shortages. Environmentalists are concerned about what this reliance means for climate change, as greenhouse emissions remain high. The lack of energy diversification and the heavy dependence on fossil fuels also poses a threat to energy security for many countries.
The eight companies ***** sed – Aramco, BP, Shell, Equinor, TotalEnergies, Eni, Chevron, and ExxonMobil – have almost doubled their combined profits, from just below $50 billion in the second quarter of 2025. The increase in oil prices has driven up consumer energy bills worldwide, while oil companies continue to profit. This has reignited the discussion around windfall tax, as governments call for oil companies to pay higher levies to subsidise energy bills and environmentalists believe extra taxes could help pay to address the environmental damage caused by oil operations.
The Brent Benchmark put oil prices at around $68 a barrel at the end of February, rising to highs of nearly $100 a barrel in May. Saudi Arabia's Aramco benefited the most from the price increase over the spring, reporting a 34 per cent rise in its quarterly net income, at over $33 billion. Aramco saw high profits even following damage to its infrastructure by drone and missile strikes from Iranian and Houthi forces. The company's record oil sales meant that it was responsible for more carbon emissions than any company in history, according to the database Carbon Majors.

#Companies #prices #hormuz #Europe

By Colleen Howe and Sudarshan Varadhan
BEIJING/SINGAPORE, Aug 17 (Reuters) - China turned away enough clean energy to power Mexico for a year in the six months through June as its grids hit their limits, while networks in many other nations such as Australia ‌and **** an also failed to keep pace with a surging renewables buildout.
Curtailments, or the pre-emptive rejection of wind or solar power ‌because a grid reaches capacity, are emerging as a growing challenge to renewables globally and underscore continued reliance on fossil fuels.
China, the world's top producer of solar power, rejected 360 terawatt-hours (TWh) of clean power from January to June, up 49% from the same period a year earlier, according to a report this month by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
The report's estimates for curtailments far exceed figures given by the Chinese government.

#curtailments #year

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella on Friday pledged to revive the country's oil and gas sector, restore state-owned energy company Ecopetrol and strengthen the electricity system, arguing that energy security would be a cornerstone of his administration.
Speaking during his inauguration, de la Espriella said Colombia would pursue an energy transition — a shift away from oil, gas and coal toward cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar power — but insisted it must not come at the expense of the country's oil and gas industry.
"I believe in the energy transition," he said. "But that transition must be built from strength, not from weakness, from self-sufficiency and not from dependence."
The remarks reinforce a sharp shift from former President Gustavo Petro, who stopped awarding new oil and gas exploration contracts while pushing Colombia toward renewable energy and making protection of the Amazon a centerpiece of his environmental agenda. Just four months ago, Petro's government hosted an international summit in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta aimed at building support for a global transition away from fossil fuels.
The commitments echo promises de la Espriella made throughout his presidential campaign, when he repeatedly vowed to expand oil and gas production and reverse key elements of Petro's energy policy.

#president

With a market cap of $24.7 billion, NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) provides retail electricity, energy management, smart home solutions, and carbon management services across the United States and Canada. Through multiple segments, it serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers while operating a diversified portfolio of fossil fuel and renewable energy generation ***** ets and engaging in energy trading and related financial products.
Shares of the Houston, Texas-based company have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. NRG stock has decreased 32.7% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 22.2%. Moreover, shares of the company are down 26.5% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 13% gain.
Jeff Bezos Says He's Selling $1 Billion In Amazon Stock Every Year to Fund Blue Origin — 'It's The Most Important Work I'm Doing'
Apple's New CEO Is Bringing a Familiar Face Back From Retirement. The Shift Is Happening.
Nasdaq Futures Climb as Tech Rally Continues on Palantir Boost, U.S. JOLTS Report and ***** eX Earnings on Tap

#billion #broader #united

Midstream stocks, or shares in companies that own energy **** ets like oil and gas pipelines and storage facilities, are an unglamorous yet highly profitable niche within the energy sector. Operating as a "toll road" type business, generating fixed fees largely unaffected by volatile fossil fuel prices, these companies can quietly mint profit during boom times and bust times in the oil sector.
This can create fantastic compounding potential for investors more concerned with capital growth. This holds especially true for owners of the following three pipeline stocks: Enbridge (NYSE: ENB), Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD), and MPLX (NYSE: MPLX).
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Enbridge is a diversified energy and utility infrastructure company. In addition to owning over 18,000 miles of pipeline across the U.S. and Canada, Enbridge operates a gas utilities company serving over 7 million customers. The company has also invested extensively in renewable energy infrastructure.
Diversification notwithstanding, it's Enbridge's midstream **** ets that make it a steady cash generator, enabling it to consistently raise its dividend over time. While the company's dividend growth streak currently stands at just three years, its quarterly payouts have grown by an average of 7.3% annually over the past decade.

#energy #NYSE #NVIDIA #company

BP has put its U.S. biogas business up for sale in the British oil major's latest move to pivot back to fossil fuels.
The London-based company said Tuesday it intended to sell Archaea, which it bought in a $4.1 billion deal in 2022 in a bet on growing demand for renewable fuel. BP had already written down the value of the business, which turns landfill trash into renewable natural gas.
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#archaea

It's a homecoming that could be fruitful, at least according to many local football fans.
Former Fossil Ridge star and first-year Northern Colorado wide receiver Marcus Mozer was voted Blue Federal Credit Union's top impact player from Fort Collins for the upcoming 2026 college football season.
The 2025 SaberCat graduate is back home after spending his first college season at San Diego State.
Mozer officially announced back in January that he is transferring closer to home, joining a Bears program with plenty of homegrown Colorado talent.
The wideout still has four years of eligibility remaining since he redshirted last fall.

#Football #season #back #former

Environmental groups have been campaigning to encourage banks and other financial institutions to divest from fossil fuels for years, with efforts growing stronger since the Covid-19 pandemic and the global push to transition away from oil, gas, and coal to renewable alternatives.
In June, the Bank of England quietly announced that it would no longer be accepting bonds ****** ociated with coal operations for key loan arrangements. The ban will be enforced from October. It is the latest move to encourage a shift away from thermal coal for electricity production. The Bank of England said it would no longer be allowing commercial banks to use bonds linked to thermal coal as "collateral" when borrowing money from the financial institution.
The move suggests that any bonds linked to thermal coal are now considered too risky to appear on its balance sheet, as consumers and governments worldwide call for a shift away from "the dirtiest fossil fuel". The rapid global transition to renewable energy could lead certain types of fossil fuels to depreciate in value over the coming decades, making them more of a financial risk.
The Bank of England stated that thermal coal companies "can be exposed to potential financial risks connected to the adjustment of the economy towards net zero," in its policy statement. It said it would also discount the value of bonds in other relevant sectors "to protect the Bank against financial risks".
It is common for the Bank of England to provide loans to major banks operating in the United Kingdom, including Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, and HSBC, to help them settle transactions and conduct operations efficiently. To gain access to these loans, commercial banks must provide collateral as a guarantee, typically in the form of bonds.

#banks #fossil #away #encourage

Renewable energy developer Avantus said its Aratina 1 solar-plus-storage project has entered commercial operation in California. The 200-MW/500-MWh installation in Kern County has long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), a pair of community choice aggregators.Avantus on July 20 said the company will have a controlling stake in Aratina 1 and will operate the facility. The company said the project is among several **** ets it will oversee as it expands from a clean energy developer to an independent power producer (IPP)."Aratina 1 coming online marks a major milestone for Avantus as an independent power producer, providing reliable clean power to California communities for decades to come," said Cliff Graham, CEO of Avantus. "I'm incredibly proud of what Team Avantus built here. Their expertise across development, construction, financing and operations, and the trust our financing and CCA partners have placed in us, are the foundation we're building our long-term IPP model on.""The Aratina project is a powerful example of how community choice energy turns climate goals into real projects on the ground," said Robert Shaw, CEO of 3CE. "Our long-term commitment to 120 MW from this facility will deliver clean, affordable power to our customers while supporting California's transition away from fossil fuels. We're grateful to partner with Avantus on a project that strengthens grid reliability and invests in the Central Coast's clean energy future."
Avantus said a consortium of lenders, including Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., Truist Securities, ING Capital, and Mizuho, provided financing of more than $500 million for Aratina 1. The project also secured a $300-million tax equity commitment from Truist Bank. Officials said the project created about 500 jobs at peak construction."The clean power generated from the Aratina project gets us one step closer to our climate goals. New projects like this are critical in increasing statewide clean capacity and reliability as we reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and move towards an all-electric future," said Monica Padilla, CEO of SVCE.Avantus on Monday said that Aratina 2, the second phase of the Aratina Solar Center, located adjacent to Aratina 1, is currently under construction. Aratina 2 recently closed more than $525 million in financing and is targeting commercial operation before year-end. The Aratina Solar Center when complete will represent a combined 350 MW of solar and 952 MWh of energy storage.Avantus develops, owns, and operates utility-scale clean energy projects across California and the Desert Southwest. The company is backed by strategic investment from KKR and EIG. The company earlier this year closed a financing package of more than $300 million for a project in Arizona.Avantus and Clean Power Alliance, another community choice aggregator, earlier in July announced a 20-year PPA for the Rexford 2 solar-plus-s

With a market cap of $27.2 billion, NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) provides retail electricity, energy management, smart home solutions, and carbon management services across the United States and Canada. Through multiple segments, it serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers while operating a diversified portfolio of fossil fuel and renewable energy generation ******* ets and engaging in energy trading and related financial products.
The Houston, Texas-based company is expected to unveil its fiscal Q2 2026 results before the market opens on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Ahead of the event, ******* ysts anticipate NRG to report an EPS of $1.83, a rise of 8.9% from $1.68 in the year-ago quarter. It has exceeded Wall Street's bottom-line estimates in three of the past four quarters while missing on another occasion.
Alibaba Stock Just Got Apple's Biggest AI Endorsement. This Could Be a Game Changer for BABA.
Elon Musk Says If ******* eX Accomplishes Its Goals, 'It Will Be Worth More Than The Rest of Earth' — Though He's Also Said 'Money Will Stop Being Relevant'
AI Bubble Fears, Earnings and Other Can't Miss Items this Week

#energy #market #united #ahead

By Dawn Chmielewski
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, July 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump called for a review related to the ‌Federal Judicial Center's scientific reference manual in cases involving climate ‌change, writing in a Truth Social post on Sunday that the work contains "discredited" information that led to "huge losses" for the country.
"Our Nation's Federal Judges deserve Facts and Science, not Political Fraud and False Science on Climate," Trump posted. "With this TRUTH, I hereby order Federal Suspension and Debarment ‌Officials to review this ⁠conduct."
It was not immediately clear what "conduct" Trump wants investigated. The White House did not immediately reply to a ⁠request for comment.
Earlier this year, the U.S. federal judiciary withdrew a chapter from the newest edition of its reference manual on scientific evidence that addressed climate change after Republican state attorneys general argued it ‌was biased against fossil fuel companies.

Choosing between State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLE) and iShares Global Clean Energy ETF (NASDAQ:ICLN) comes down to a preference for low-cost, domestic fossil-fuel giants versus a global, ESG-screened portfolio of renewable energy developers.
XLE provides a liquid, concentrated vehicle for betting on the traditional energy giants within the S&P 500. Conversely, ICLN offers diversified international exposure to the clean energy transition. This match-up highlights the differences in cost, volatility, and sector focus between traditional and sustainable energy strategies.
Metric
ICLN
XLE

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) are **** ans of the global energy landscape, but their diverging paths in a changing economy present a unique puzzle for retail investors today. This match-up explores which stock is a better buy.
Chevron is doubling down on operational efficiency in major basins while eyeing the power-hungry technology sector. Exxon Mobil is leveraging its massive scale to dominate traditional markets and lead the charge in carbon capture and storage. Both are navigating a transition toward cleaner energy while maintaining robust oil and gas production.
Chevron sells crude oil, natural gas, and refined products to industrial and consumer markets globally. The company operates in major regions like Kazakhstan, Australia, and the U.S. shale basins through partnerships with entities like Hess Midstream LP. While primarily focused on fossil fuels, the company also monitors developments in renewable energy stocks to stay competitive in a changing market.
In FY 2025, revenue reached nearly $184.4 billion, representing a decrease of approximately 4.6% from the previous year. The company reported net income of close to $12.3 billion for the same period, down from $17.7 billion in 2024. This resulted in a net margin of roughly 6.7%, which measures how much of every dollar of sales remains after all expenses are paid.
As of its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio was approximately 0.3x. This ratio measures total debt against shareholder equity, and a lower number indicates a lighter debt load. The current ratio, which compares short-term **** ets to short-term liabilities, was nearly 1.2x. Free cash flow for the year was close to $16.6 billion, representing the cash a company generates after accounting for capital expenditures.

Concerned about an AI bubble? Sign up for The Daily Upside for smart and actionable market news, built for investors.
Arguably the most bearish forecast on markets this year has been that artificial intelligence will render software stocks fossils. The "vibe coding" enabled by tools like Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex, this view holds, will serve as a metaphorical asteroid to the digital dinosaurs about to be wiped out in a SaaSpocalypse.
Guggenheim ***** yst John DiFucci argued Wednesday that, like a chatbot's misfired answer, this pessimistic view is "a hallucination." Software firms, he said, are "one of the best opportunities for patient investors" and, at least for a day, investors came around to the idea that the prevailing sentiment might be overblown.
Sign up for The Daily Upside at no cost for premium ***** ysis on all your favorite stocks.
READ ALSO: New Fed Chair Noncommittal on Interest Rates, Emphatic on Central Bank Independence and Budget-Conscious Shoppers Splurge on General Mills' Cat Treats While Skipping Cereal

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law. It implemented major changes for individual, corporate, and specialized taxes; restructured safety-net programs like Medicaid and SNAP; increased government spending on defense and immigration reform; and pivoted federal support from green energy to fossil fuels. Let's see how those changes could impact your retirement plans.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The OBBBA introduces a new senior tax deduction of $6,000 for individuals aged 65 and older, and $12,000 for married couples if both individuals are at least 65 years old. That deduction can be stacked with the baseline standard deduction and existing over-65 bonus deductions, which means a senior married couple can shield up to $47,500 from federal income taxes.
However, this new deduction phases out at a rate of 6% for every $1,000 in Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) exceeding $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for married joint filers. It disappears at $150,000 and $250,000 for single filers and married joint filers, respectively.
The OBBBA also raised the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000 through 2029. That increase should help retirees in high-tax states preserve much more cash.

After two weeks of voting, we have a champion in the Blue Federal Credit Union Girls Athlete of the Year bracket.
Wellington state champion swimmer Cody Monajjem is the Blue FCU Fort Collins-area Girls Athlete of the Year for the 2025-26 school year, taking the ******* le in a thrillingly close championship matchup to wrap up four rounds of voting from thousands of fans.
The senior barely beat out Fossil Ridge soccer and track standout Lily Wale, as Monajjem ultimately earned the win with 50.3% of the vote.
It's a well-deserved career capper for the Eagles champion and foundational swimmer for Wellington's combined program with Timnath.
Monajjem won a Class 3A state ******* le for the third straight year, this time taking the 200-yard freestyle state crown in 1:53.04.

PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) is one of the undervalued infrastructure stocks to buy now. Two ***** ysts recently trimmed their price targets on the stock, yet the underlying demand story has not gone quiet.
On May 21, 2026, Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) to $22 from $23, keeping an "Equal Weight" rating, as part of a broader update to North American Regulated and Diversified Utilities and IPP targets.
Three days earlier, on May 18, 2026, Truist made the same price target move, cutting to $22 from $23 while keeping a "Buy" rating on PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG). The adjustment came as part of a broader model update ahead of the American Gas ***** ociation's Financial Forum. Truist noted the sector is now in year three of the data center wave, with investment and growth expectations continuing to climb. The firm views vertically integrated electric utilities as clear winners in building the infrastructure needed to serve that load growth.
Meanwhile, PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) added a milestone of its own. On June 4, 2026, the company announced it had surpassed 1 million customers with solar systems connected to its electric grid. Jason Glickman, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Growth, said PG&E has enabled more solar adoption than any utility in the country.
PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) sells electricity and natural gas across the U.S. market. The company uses fossil fuel-fired, fuel cells, photovoltaic, nuclear, and hydroelectric sources to generate electricity. It serves residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers, as well as natural gas-fired electricity generation facilities. The company operates through various interconnected transmission lines.

By Saeed Azhar, Nupur Anand and Chris Prentice
NEW YORK, June 15 (Reuters) - Big U.S. lenders are bracing for further public scrutiny over whether they improperly closed customer accounts as a top watchdog wraps up a review that is expected to name and shame banks and result in disciplinary action, said several people with knowledge of the matter.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is poised ‌to publish in coming weeks the findings of a supervisory review of whether lenders including JPMorgan and Bank of America cut off or denied services on religious or political grounds, often dubbed debanking. It has ‌also examined whether lenders denied services to legitimate, conservative-aligned sectors such as fossil-fuel companies, gun makers and crypto, the people said.
Debanking generally refers to the process whereby a financial institution suddenly cuts off or restricts services to individuals or businesses. Following Republican President Donald Trump's order last year, authorities have been cracking down on what Trump has characterized as politically motivated debanking pushed by Democrats, creating headaches for lenders, who deny the claims and say they have merely been following risk management rules.
Republicans have for years been ramping up pressure on Wall Street banks to drop what they describe as left-leaning "woke" policies that they say are discriminatory, and Trump says he has personally had accounts closed for such political reasons.

By Sudarshan Varadhan and Colleen Howe
SHANGHAI, June 5 (Reuters) - China's major solar panel manufacturers are ramping up higher-margin battery exports to boost revenue as growth in photovoltaic (PV) sales slows, betting on rising global demand for renewable energy storage to ‌cut reliance on fossil fuels.
The sector has been hit by weaker domestic installations, slowing exports and record-low prices, with executives ‌expecting global demand to decline in 2026.
That has pushed players including JinkoSolar, JA Solar, LONGi Green Energy and Trina Solar to accelerate expansion into battery storage, company executives told Reuters.
JinkoSolar plans to nearly triple its battery manufacturing capacity from 5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to 13-14 GWh by the end of this year, as developers seek to address the intermittency of renewables, a company official said at SNEC - a solar industry gathering attended by over half a million people.

Nations gather for first-ever conference on fossil fuel exit

More than 50 nations are attending a world-first conference on phasing out fossil fuels in Colombia next week as the Iran war underscores how dependent countries remain on planet-heating coal, oil and gas.
Ministers arrive in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta against a backdrop of wartime fuel shortages, soaring prices and a scramble for energy security in what the International Energy Agency has called the biggest oil supply shock ever.
The gathering was born out of frustration with consensus-based United Nations climate talks,

Ancient teeth reveal clues to the environment humans’ early ancestors evolved in millions of years ago

Teeth are like tiny biological time capsules. They tell stories about ancient diets and environments long after their owners have died and landscapes have changed.
After bones break down, tooth enamel stays hard and unchanged, even in fossilized teeth that have been buried under sediment and rock for millions of years and are now being uncovered by erosion or excavation.
Tooth enamel forms when an animal is young, and it remains chemically stable for the rest of that animal’s life. The f

U.S. Intervention in Venezuela Could Help Solve Colombia’s Energy Crisis

Colombia’s natural gas production is spiraling ever lower, with the hydrocarbon sector impacted by tax hikes and leftist President Gustavo Petro’s reforms aimed at weaning the country off its dependence on fossil fuels. This forced Bogota to significantly boost costly liquified petroleum gas (LPG) imports to meet domestic demand and ensure the stability of Colombia's electricity grid. Those imports are straining government finances and the economy at a time of fiscal crisis. Nonetheless, U.S. President Donald Trump’s i

Birds could be 60 million years older than thought

Tracks believed to be the work of small, scampering dinosaurs may have been made by birds, pushing back the date of the evolution of flight by 60 million years, scientists believe.
Birds first appear in the fossil record about 150 million years ago, when winged species such as Archaeopteryx evolved from a group of small, carnivorous, bipedal dinosaurs known as theropods.
However, in the past few decades, experts have noticed that ancient footprints, dating from much earlier, look surprisingly similar to bird tracks.
Now an AI model, deve