Weighing The Week Ahead: Are You Ready For Some Fedspeak? [View article]
Tack, do you have any thoughts on high dividend ETFs, for those of us who lack confidence to analyze individual securities? SDIV seems to have a quite diversified portfolio of high yielding equities.
The Stock Market Can Go Much Higher Before It's A Bubble [View article]
How nice to see a reason and civilized discussion between two thoughtful people who disagree -- a rare thing on SA. Hats off to both Mr. Kostohyrz and SU.
Gold, Newmont Mining Are Both A Buy [View article]
" That dividend could come under some pressure, but it's a sensible play on gold." Newmont's dividend policy is explicitly linked to the price of gold. It won't just come under pressure, it will automatically rise and fall with the price of gold.
While Jill Priluck decries "the dark side of shareholder activism" on Reuters, the NYT's James Stewart highlights the "sham" shareholder democracy that has seen directors at dozens of publicly traded companies retaining their positions despite losing elections. The firms include Cablevision Systems (CVC), Vornado Realty Trust (VNO) and medical diagnostics Iris International, where shareholders rejected all nine directors in May 2011. They resigned but then voted to reject their own resignations. [View news story]
Tack: It depends on the proxy, some of mine have 3 options, others 2. Keep looking, with time you'll surely get a few like Cablevision in the NYT article, with just 2.
Banks this Friday will begin making payments to ~4.2M borrowers whose homes were in any stage of foreclosure in 2009-10. The payments, which will range from $300 to $125K, are compensation for the robo-signing scandal when bank employees said foreclosure documents were correct without reviewing them. Part of the settlement: BAC, C, GS, HBC, JPM, MET, MS, PNC, SAN, STI, USB, WFC. [View news story]
If I understand it right, Tack (and I may not, in which case I will happily accept your correction), this settlement isn't about compensating people for unwise loans, but about compensating people whose homes were foreclosed on in violation of the law, because the banks did not provide correct documentation to prove that foreclosure was warranted.
We can agree, I hope, that people (and banks) should not be protected from their own poor decisions, but banks (and people) should obey the law.
I'm a fan of yours, btw, Tack, your comments on SA have helped me make money.
European shares and the euro are lower following fairly depressing eurozone PMI data, with even German manufacturing unexpectedly contracting this month. The continuing crisis in Cyprus also isn't helping, although a positive Chinese PMI reading and the Fed's commitment to continued easing is apparently limiting the losses. EU Stoxx 50 -0.6%, London -0.8%, Paris -0.9%, Frankfurt -0.9%, Milan -0.3%, Madrid -0.3%. Euro -0.2% vs the dollar. [View news story]
I fear you overestimate people's capacity for irony, MI.
Now that Washington looks to have accepted the $85B sequestration, GOP legislators are looking to see where they can apply the scalpel rather than the machete. Programs at risk include one for robotic squirrels that helps researchers understand how squirrels interact with rattlesnakes, and Nasa's research on feeding astronauts on Mars. [View news story]
"Closing tax loopholes" is under revenue. "Superlative CPI" is chained CPI, which reduces social security cost of living adjustments so that they rise in line with inflation, not with average wages.
One can certainly dislike this offer, but it is an offer to reduce the sequester's custs and close tax loopholes. It is truly bizarre how many people seem genuinely unaware of its existence, even though Obama mentions it at least once a day.
Petrobras Currently Represents Value For Investors But Is Still High Risk [View article]
A balanced article, pointing out the value in Petrobras, the risk of contiuned government interferencem and suggesting the current stockmarket price takes account of the risk but perhaps not all the potential value.
I've stayed away from any Brazilian equities for a long time, but I am beginning th think prices are low enough to make a small investment worth it.
The Biggest Investor Lesson From Earnings Season [View article]
Sure, equity analysts' opinions (especially as an aggregate, to judge market expectations) are data no one should ignore; but you would have lost a great deal money following them toward the end of the first dot-com boom.
And of course the network of expert sources analyzing and rating debt (ratings agencies) did not exactly do a stellar job judging a lot of mortgage-backed securities a few years back.
Jeff, I follow you with pleasure, profit, and admiration; I agree in general with your reasoning and outlook, and I am thankful for the time and thought writing these articles; but I worry sometimes that you underestimate the chances of either a negative surprise or of some flaw in consensus opinion which is now invisible to mortals like us but in a few years will seem all-too-obvious.
Weighing The Week Ahead: Are You Ready For Some Fedspeak? [View article]
Weighing The Week Ahead: Are You Ready For Some Fedspeak? [View article]
April Industrial Production: -0.5% vs. -0.2% expected, +0.4% prior. Capacity utilization 77.8% vs. 78.3% consensus; 78.5% prior. [View news story]
The Stock Market Can Go Much Higher Before It's A Bubble [View article]
Gold, Newmont Mining Are Both A Buy [View article]
While Jill Priluck decries "the dark side of shareholder activism" on Reuters, the NYT's James Stewart highlights the "sham" shareholder democracy that has seen directors at dozens of publicly traded companies retaining their positions despite losing elections. The firms include Cablevision Systems (CVC), Vornado Realty Trust (VNO) and medical diagnostics Iris International, where shareholders rejected all nine directors in May 2011. They resigned but then voted to reject their own resignations. [View news story]
It depends on the proxy, some of mine have 3 options, others 2. Keep looking, with time you'll surely get a few like Cablevision in the NYT article, with just 2.
Weighing The Week Ahead: A Crucial Test For Earnings [View article]
Banks this Friday will begin making payments to ~4.2M borrowers whose homes were in any stage of foreclosure in 2009-10. The payments, which will range from $300 to $125K, are compensation for the robo-signing scandal when bank employees said foreclosure documents were correct without reviewing them. Part of the settlement: BAC, C, GS, HBC, JPM, MET, MS, PNC, SAN, STI, USB, WFC. [View news story]
We can agree, I hope, that people (and banks) should not be protected from their own poor decisions, but banks (and people) should obey the law.
I'm a fan of yours, btw, Tack, your comments on SA have helped me make money.
European shares and the euro are lower following fairly depressing eurozone PMI data, with even German manufacturing unexpectedly contracting this month. The continuing crisis in Cyprus also isn't helping, although a positive Chinese PMI reading and the Fed's commitment to continued easing is apparently limiting the losses. EU Stoxx 50 -0.6%, London -0.8%, Paris -0.9%, Frankfurt -0.9%, Milan -0.3%, Madrid -0.3%. Euro -0.2% vs the dollar. [View news story]
Now that Washington looks to have accepted the $85B sequestration, GOP legislators are looking to see where they can apply the scalpel rather than the machete. Programs at risk include one for robotic squirrels that helps researchers understand how squirrels interact with rattlesnakes, and Nasa's research on feeding astronauts on Mars. [View news story]
"Closing tax loopholes" is under revenue.
"Superlative CPI" is chained CPI, which reduces social security cost of living adjustments so that they rise in line with inflation, not with average wages.
One can certainly dislike this offer, but it is an offer to reduce the sequester's custs and close tax loopholes. It is truly bizarre how many people seem genuinely unaware of its existence, even though Obama mentions it at least once a day.
Petrobras Currently Represents Value For Investors But Is Still High Risk [View article]
Petrobras Currently Represents Value For Investors But Is Still High Risk [View article]
I've stayed away from any Brazilian equities for a long time, but I am beginning th think prices are low enough to make a small investment worth it.
The Biggest Investor Lesson From Earnings Season [View article]
And of course the network of expert sources analyzing and rating debt (ratings agencies) did not exactly do a stellar job judging a lot of mortgage-backed securities a few years back.
Jeff, I follow you with pleasure, profit, and admiration; I agree in general with your reasoning and outlook, and I am thankful for the time and thought writing these articles; but I worry sometimes that you underestimate the chances of either a negative surprise or of some flaw in consensus opinion which is now invisible to mortals like us but in a few years will seem all-too-obvious.
Euro Depression [View article]
Euro Depression [View article]