This is MundoNow's weekly money summary for the week of Saturday, October 17, to Friday, October 23, 2026. Regular gasoline prices fell slightly, but diesel prices continued to rise. The dollar closed higher in both Mexico and Colombia. The IRS announced automatic refunds for families who adopted, and Social Security has a date set for its next payment.
Why it matters: fuel prices impact any household's budget and increase the cost of transporting goods. The exchange rate determines how much money families who receive remittances get. And IRS and Social Security notifications mark important dates and procedures to keep in mind.
According to the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) bulletin on October 20, with prices as of Monday, October 19, the average price of regular gasoline was $4.284 per gallon in the country. This is 4.7 cents less than on Monday, October 12 ($4.331), but still much higher than a year ago, when it was around $3.019.
Diesel prices went in the opposite direction: $6.276 per gallon, 9.7 cents more than on October 12 ($6.179). A year ago, it was around $3.620.
Here's how regular gasoline prices stood in five states on October 19:
In the West Coast, the average was $5.557 per gallon. The next EIA bulletin will be released on October 27.
Mexico. The FIX exchange rate published by Banxico was set at 18.4930 pesos per dollar on Friday, October 16. This was its evolution during the week:
The dollar rose 0.94% during the week, about 17 cents more per dollar. In practice, someone sending $500 to Mexico would receive about 87 pesos more than with the previous Friday's exchange rate.
Colombia. The Representative Market Rate (TRM), published by the Superfinanciera and available at datos.gov.co, was 3,170.46 pesos on Friday, October 16. It then moved as follows:
From Friday to Friday, the increase was 0.46%. The TRM in effect from Saturday, 24, to Monday, 26, is 3,158.43 pesos, below Friday's rate.
In a statement this week, the IRS announced that it is sending automatic refunds to over 50,000 families who adopted and had a carryover balance from the adoption credit for previous years (2020-2024). The key points:
Additionally, on Thursday, October 22, the IRS recommended that those planning to file their tax return early in 2027 apply for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) now. It's a six-digit number for those with an SSN or ITIN. The online system will be down for maintenance in mid-November and will be back up in mid-January, so it's best not to wait until the last minute.
According to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) calendar, which pays by birth date, beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th of the month received their payment on Wednesday, October 21. The next payment will be on Wednesday, October 28, for those born between the 21st and 31st.
Remember that the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has already been announced: 3.6%.
Sources: EIA, Banxico, datos.gov.co, IRS, SSA.
