This Week in Money (October 16, 2026)
Here are a few of the stories in money you may have missed this past week.
U.S. stocks fell today due to a technology sell-off that was driven by concerns over AI spending & rising borrowing costs, making this the market’s roughest week since late June. The chipmakers led the declines, with AMD falling 6%, Intel dropping 5.8%, and Micron declining 5.6%.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.1%
The Nasdaq sank 2.1%
The Dow Jones closed down 0.3%
Treasury yields remained relatively steady at 5.09% for the 10-year note, after reaching their highest levels since 2002 earlier this October.
Having a net worth of $1 million dollars no longer guarantees that Americans feel wealthy. “According to Charles Schwab’s 2025 Modern Wealth Survey, Americans need an average net worth of $839,000 to be financially comfortable, and $2.3 million to feel wealthy.” Rising living costs, higher taxes, market volatility, housing and healthcare expenses, and longer life expectancies are making it harder for people to feel financially stable.
Read the full article to discover what it means to be rich in America and steps that can help support greater financial security.
A new SoFi survey shows that men and women approach investing differently, with men ranking investing as their top financial priority while women ranked it 11th! Although 83% of women surveyed have some type of investment account, compared with 93% of men, fewer women actually manage their own investments.
Read the full article to discover why women are more likely to prioritize immediate financial needs over investing and how confidence influences investment decisions.
California’s $84 billion wine industry is facing its worst sales levels in two decades.
The state’s wine crisis is creating a bargain boom for budget-conscious wine lovers. With demand declining and a historic surplus of grapes and wine piling up, winemakers are selling premium bottles to retailers like Costco at big discounts.
For example, a bottle of cabernet sauvignon that typically sells for up to $85 is now priced at just $9.99!
Surveillance pricing is raising concerns among consumers. Unlike dynamic pricing, which adjusts prices based on supply and demand, surveillance pricing uses personal data and shopping behavior to potentially charge different customers different prices for the same product.
Several states are moving to restrict the practice. Walmart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs, Dan Bartlett, has said, “We price products, not people.”
Read the full article to find out what you can do to protect your wallet.
Subscription prices can quietly add up as streaming platforms and other services raise their monthly prices, making it far too easy to overlook how much you’re actually spending. How many of us have forgotten to cancel that free trial?
Check out the article to see what three CNBC staffers have to say about how to save.
In a previous This Week in Money Post, I included an article: Your Grocery Bill and Where You Live. It listed the top 10 states with the highest and lowest average grocery costs, along with a map of grocery costs across all 50 states.
This USA Today article breaks it down by city with Detroit ranked highest for grocery spending as a share of median household income at 4.03%. Not too far behind is Cleveland at 3.93%, while Fremont, California, ranked lowest at 0.91%.
Until next week - stay informed, stay intentional. ✨
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