Illinois is on the brink of having its credit rating cut to junk status. On June 1, S&P Global downgraded the state's credit to one notch above junk. The ratings agency also said it may downgrade further this summer if the state's legislators and governor can't agree on a budget soon. Eric Platt writes for the Financial Times: The state’s general obligation bonds, debt often considered sacrosanct by investors, are now rated triple-B minus by S&P, its lowest investment grade. S&P’s smaller rival Moody’s downgraded Illinois on Thursday, too, to Baa3, also a single level above … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2017
OPEC Boosting the Oil Industry, In America
As OPEC members dutifully hold back on oil production, American producers are stepping in to fill the gap in production left by the cartel. Oil boom-bust areas like Williston, North Dakota, which was hit hard by the drop in oil prices, are now booming once again. If America has become the new swing producer in oil markets, OPEC will have trouble getting a firm grip on oil prices ever again. NPR reports on the boom in oil country: There are more than twice as many U.S. rigs drilling for oil as a year ago, a turnaround that's felt keenly in places like the Bakken oil patch in North Dakota. … [Read more...]
Can Trump and Congress Cut a Deal on One of America’s Most Nagging Problems?
The USPS has long been a third rail in American politics. Many have attempted to make the needed changes, and now it's President Trump's turn to try to reform the mail. The new budget from the Trump administration sets out some measures it estimates will save the USPS $47 billion over the next decade. Limiting Saturday delivery is one of the most controversial. The real problem with the post office balance sheet is its mandate to prefund retiree healthcare benefits. With that rule in place, it may be hard to cut enough costs to make the service profitable. Congress has been resistant to … [Read more...]
Where to Live to Make a Living? Try this Southern Gem
If you’re looking for a place to live and work it’s hard to beat Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina, ranking 4th for mid-sized cities in the report by Joel Kotkin of newgeography.com and Dr. Michael Shires: 2017 Best Cities for Growth. A huge bonus for South Carolina is that it's a right to work state. Workers can’t be forced to join a union as a condition of their employment. It's the reason Charleston-North Charleston has welcomed Boeing's 787 Dreamliner assembly plant, Mercedes-Benz’s $500 million plant, and Volvo’s first North American manufacturing plant—another $500 million … [Read more...]
Boutique Value Manager Closes Flagship Fund
Longleaf Partners has long been a boutique value manager we have followed at Young Research. They are one of the good guys in the mutual fund industry. Longleaf uses long-term value oriented approach and eschews the benchmark hugging and overdiversification that handicap most mutual fund managers. So what does it say about the market when a highly respected boutique value manager that only buys about 15-25 companies in its portfolio closed not because its fund has grown too large, but because there are a lack of opportunities? You can read between the lines. Here is more from … [Read more...]
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