davidingeorgia's Comments

Reuters’ Robert Campbell thinks Keystone XL (TRP) has become a victim of political posturing and says a rival plan, ETP's Trunkline, is being held to a far lower standard thanks to an incoherent U.S. environmental policy. But if a pipeline isn’t built, crude will move by more carbon intensive methods that also are susceptible to accidents. Indeed, moving oil by road or rail is no longer seen as a stopgap until pipelines are built.

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:24:17 -0400

>>Reuters’ Robert Campbell thinks Keystone XL (TRP) has become a victim of political posturing...<<

Thanks for sharing that, Captain Obvious. Jeez.

Bank lobbyists cut out the middleman, writing legislation softening financial regulations on their own instead of leaving it to lawmakers to draft the paperwork. A bill exempting broad swathes of trades from new regulation - which cruised through the House Financial Services Committee this month - was essentially written by Citigroup (C), according to emails reviewed by the NYT. Is this even news? Fans of The Aviator have seen it before.

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:32:22 -0400

Anyone who pays attention to how Congress actually works has seen it before, no movie watching necessary.

BDC Risk Profiles: Part 2

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:28:29 -0400

You're welcome, BDC Buzz. Thank you again for doing this series.

Overdue student loans reached an all-time high of 11% during Q3 of last year, according to the DOE. The news comes just as the House approved a Republican-led proposal to allow interest rates on student loans to float. Still up for debate is whether or not a two-year extension of the 3.4% rate for subsidized Stafford loans will be legislated. Sector watch: APEI, APOL, CECO, COCO, ESI, STRA, LINC, LOPE, BPI, DV, CPLA, EDMC, NAUH.

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:26:40 -0400

Perhaps you should take to task the bloated administrative staffs at the colleges which are charging the ridiculous tuition rates (that require the ridiculous amounts of debt) for kids to go to them?

Always lots of good info and links re: the "Higher Education Bubble" at Instapundit's web site:

http://bit.ly/10P7pis

BDC Risk Profiles: Part 2

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:06:31 -0400

Second the request for a look at NGPC and GAIN. Would love to hear your take on them.

Disclosure: long NGPC, GAIN, HRZN, PSEC, ARCC and PNNT

The Fed trots out St. Louis' Jim Bullard who says it's been awhile since the FOMC discussed an exit from QE, and he doesn't think the group is about to start talking about it anytime soon. In fact, making Mr. Bullard nervous these days is inflation that is too low. S&P 500 futures are well off the lows, now -0.7%.

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:06:32 -0400

I don't know, but this fellow seems fairly well qualified for the Fed. :-)

http://binged.it/10O2HS4

The Fed trots out St. Louis' Jim Bullard who says it's been awhile since the FOMC discussed an exit from QE, and he doesn't think the group is about to start talking about it anytime soon. In fact, making Mr. Bullard nervous these days is inflation that is too low. S&P 500 futures are well off the lows, now -0.7%.

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:46:18 -0400

Couldn't parrots be trained to make the same statements that regularly come out of the mouths of Fed folks? Would be much more entertaining to listen to and no more repetitious. The parrots could even work in some pirate slang from time to time to add a little levity.

Slow down there Tesla Motors (TSLA). A blog post from Chrysler (FIATY.PK) says the EV automaker is "unmistakably incorrect" in its statement on being the only U.S. automaker to have fully repaid its government loans, noting Chrysler paid off U.S. and Canadian government loans ahead of schedule. On Tesla, Chrysler asks if it's a short memory or a short-circuit that led to the disputed claim?

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:43:24 -0400

Nope. The Tesla folks apparently aren't very up to date on American car companies. You'd think that they would be since they are the competition, but apparently not.

6 Reasons Why You Should Consider Royal Dutch Shell With A 5.5% Yield

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:45:16 -0400

IIRC, all British companies other than REITs, fall under this agreement, too. Here's a list published by David Hunkar on SA awhile back. Most of it is probably still accurate, but it's over 2 years old so check and make sure any specific country still has the same rate as listed here before investing in companies domiciled there.

http://seekingalpha.co...

AbbVie Reaches New Highs Thanks To Humira

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:23:05 -0400

It tells me that a lot of his patients probably die unless they switch doctors.

Dangers Of Utility Investing: An Unappreciated Risk Is Growing Bigger Every Day

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:21:40 -0400

Tons of government subsidies...the industry would almost be non-existent in this country without them. (shrug)

BDC Risk Profiles: Part 1

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:20:23 -0400

Thanks for this great series of articles, Buzz. Much appreciated.

Retail legal rumblings: An appeals court in California rules that Kohl's (KSS) can be sued over what consumers perceive is false advertising. The court said California consumer law will allow lawsuits in cases where a customer would not have made a purchase except for the false bargain. The ruling could set up an avalanche of similar lawsuits in California against retail chains.

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:43:55 -0400

I must give California credit where credit is due. That state is always finding new and creative ways to make it harder for any business to operate there.

A Sustainable And Growing 8% Yield Is Driving NorthStar Realty Finance's Outperformance

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:29:26 -0400

I like this one, too, especially because it has a mix of assets (and working to add more) instead of just being a one thing only "easy" sort of REIT. I took profits in my common shares back around the $8 mark (been regretting that one since), but I'm still long one of the preferreds.

Thanks for the analysis, Dane.

Disclosure: long NRFpD

After five days of deliberation, the Senate Judiciary Committee puts its final stamp of approval on the immigration reform bill, setting up a debate on the Senate floor for early June. Three Republicans and ten Democrats voted to support the bill, which would create a pathway to citizenship for nearly 11M undocumented immigrants, invest billions in new border security measures and overhaul the legal immigration system.

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:46:21 -0400

Cato, that sounds like a much, much smarter strategy than the current House Republican leadership is capable of, but here's hoping.

After five days of deliberation, the Senate Judiciary Committee puts its final stamp of approval on the immigration reform bill, setting up a debate on the Senate floor for early June. Three Republicans and ten Democrats voted to support the bill, which would create a pathway to citizenship for nearly 11M undocumented immigrants, invest billions in new border security measures and overhaul the legal immigration system.

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:43:03 -0400

Afmomania, we need more people with good job skills who can land *decent paying jobs* to be paying into SS (and a helluva lot more decent paying jobs for them to fill, for that matter). That describes only a tiny percentage of the people who'll be affected by this bill if passed (or of the millions more who will rush in to get a piece of it...that's already happening). The vast majority of the folks that this bill will add will take out way, way more from the social welfare system than they'll ever pay into it.

After five days of deliberation, the Senate Judiciary Committee puts its final stamp of approval on the immigration reform bill, setting up a debate on the Senate floor for early June. Three Republicans and ten Democrats voted to support the bill, which would create a pathway to citizenship for nearly 11M undocumented immigrants, invest billions in new border security measures and overhaul the legal immigration system.

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:38:51 -0400

>>...invest billions in new border security measures...<<

Only in some alternate universe where the federal government actually tries to control our border with Mexico, but not in the real one that we're stuck living in. This is one of the two huge lies in this legislation (along with the coverup of gigantic added costs to the U.S. entitlement system that it will trigger, mentioned by others above...that is, gigantic costs to the U.S. taxpayer). If nothing else, the constant misrepresentation and outright lying about what's in this catastrophe of a bill has done (hopefully) fatal damage to Senator "Marcophone" Rubio's presidential aspirations for 2016.

A Closer Look At Suburban Propane Partners' Distributable Cash Flow

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:35:01 -0400

Great stuff, Ron. Thanks for the info.

Pitney Bowes (PBI +2.6%) looks like the one of the five most interesting ideas out there to value-seeking SA contributor Ulfberht Capital. The take focuses on the premise Pitney Bowes can deleverage its balance sheet and will benefit incrementally from an improving U.S. economy. Though the dividend payout rate could be at risk, a 4.94% yield on PBI shares is also enticing.

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:44:42 -0400

It is an interesting start. The question is can they transform their business into something new/modern before their old business and its revenue streams whither to the point of wiping out most if not all the remaining dividend (and maybe the company with it). I think that it's possible (they are off to a good start on it), but I'm making only a very small bet on it happening in time.

Disclosure: long (barely) PBI

As the last NATO troops leave Afghanistan in 2014, PepsiCo (PEP -0.9%) plans to be opening its first plant in the nation. Despite ongoing turmoil, more multinational firms have been tiptoeing back into Afghanistan due to the lure of wide open markets.

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:51:19 -0400

Well, as long as you don't mind some of your employees getting blown up or beheaded from time to time, I'm sure it's a perfectly lovely place to do business.

Stopping asset purchases at once would be too disruptive, says Dallas Fed chief Richard Fisher, appearing on CNBC. The hawk instead calls for the program to be tapered, beginning imminently. "We've made people richer ... the question is what have we done for working men and women in this country."

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:23:56 -0400

>> "We've made people richer ... the question is what have we done for working men and women in this country." <<

Not a bloody thing, Fisher, not a bloody thing. Which, of course, was a feature, not a bug, of this program all along.

Saturday humor: A mile long asteroid set to pass within 3.6M miles of earth on May 31 has a rather ominous official name: QE2.

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:55:12 -0400

Is there any way to land Bernanke on this asteroid and send him on his way? :-)

Now It's Really Time For A Flat Tax

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:56:26 -0400

You're exactly right, Mr. Picerno, but it'll never happen. With no convoluted tax code, there are no Byzantine rules to punish your political enemies with and no tax breaks to hand out when you're buying votes.

A worldwide poll of investors, analysts, and traders conducted by Bloomberg shows more than two thirds believe the U.S. economic recovery is "sustainable," while only a little over a quarter of those surveyed see a return to recession within the next two years. Key drivers of the upbeat forecast include increasing energy independence, rising home values, and "a pause in partisan budgetary battles in Washington" (there's agreement in Washington?). Housing, it seems, is the main talking point: "Anyone who isn't long real estate housing is a moron," Axiom Management's Stan Jonas is quoted as saying.

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:50:07 -0400

>>"Anyone who isn't long real estate housing is a moron," Axiom Management's Stan Jonas is quoted as saying.<<

Anyone who bases investment decisions on polls like this is a moron.

In what has been dubbed as largely a symbolic vote, the House of Representatives did what was expected and opted to repeal the health-care overhaul law, but it's is likely be dead in Congress’s lower chamber. The vote was 229 to 195 to repeal the measure, with two Democrats voting along with the Republican majority: Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Jim Matheson of Utah. Sidenote: This is the 37th attempt to repeal the law since it was passed in March 2010.

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:35:26 -0400

>>Actually, many consider the Senate the lower chamber and the House the lowest chamber. <<

Many people consider all sorts of stuff that isn't true to be true. That doesn't make them any less wrong.

Utility Investors Should Focus On ROIC, Not Dividend Yield - Part I: DJU Index's Best

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:53:57 -0400

Interesting stuff, Jon. Thanks for putting it together and publishing it for us.

Disclosure: long SO

Canadian PM Stephen Harper lobbied for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline to the U.S. today, citing Canada's environmental credentials and saying arguments for the project are "overwhelmingly on the side of approval." By making the pitch himself, Harper ratchets up the level of government lobbying over the pipeline. Harper’s advocacy “helps cut through the noise and misinformation," TransCanada (TRP) says.

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:49:51 -0400

If Canada was ruled by a hardline Islamist government, the pipeline would have been approved months if not years ago.

The Dallas Fed's Richard Fisher covers familiar territory, questioning the efficacy of QE and noting the Fed could soon be buying 100% of MBS issuance. The section on fiscal policy - subtitled "Oy" - is most memorable for inclusion of a classic YouTube video about the ease of spending money when it's not coming out of your wallet.

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:13:31 -0400

It'd be a whole lot more humorous if we weren't having to live through it.

Acting IRS chief Steven Miller resigned Wednesday in the wake of the agency's admission it unfairly screened Tea Party groups seeking tax exempt status from 2010 onward. President Obama called the screening "inexcusable" and emphasized that the IRS was the very last place where he would "tolerate this kind of behavior." The White House also released the letter from Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in which Miller's resignation was demanded.

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:07:38 -0400

Today's updated list of links...

http://bit.ly/13oydIa

Acting IRS chief Steven Miller resigned Wednesday in the wake of the agency's admission it unfairly screened Tea Party groups seeking tax exempt status from 2010 onward. President Obama called the screening "inexcusable" and emphasized that the IRS was the very last place where he would "tolerate this kind of behavior." The White House also released the letter from Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in which Miller's resignation was demanded.

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:08:33 -0400

More on this ongoing mess...

http://bit.ly/16k6OhC
http://bit.ly/13onIVl
http://bit.ly/16k6OhJ
http://bit.ly/13onKwk