Yesterday, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo extended legislation for continuing contracts for union employees, and transmitted legislation mandating overtime for firefighters. Who doesn’t like teachers and firefighters, right? But that’s not the point. Because of her actions, cities and towns in Rhode Island will have no leverage at the bargaining table since contract renewals are now guaranteed. Also guaranteed is overtime for firefighters, even though most towns already pay overtime voluntarily. Raimondo’s automatic contract extension hurts cities and towns because it’s the local … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2019
Hulu is Welcomed Into the House of Mouse
Disney has signed a deal with Comcast to take full control of Hulu. The company had shared control with Fox, AT&T (which acquired a small Hulu stake when it bought Time Warner) and Comcast (which gained its share after purchasing NBC). After it acquired Fox, Disney held the majority of the streaming service. Then AT&T also agreed to sell its smaller share in April. With Hulu under its control, and its Disney+ streaming service debuting in November, Disney can now escalate its competition with Netflix. Bloomberg's Gerry Smith and Lucas Shaw report: Hulu will be a key weapon in … [Read more...]
There Will be a Winner in the U.S. China Trade War
It turns out during the recent U.S./China battle the trade to have made was to buy bonds such as Vanguard GNMA. Yesterday, when the Dow fell 600 points, or 2.38%, and the tech-stuffed NASDAQ cratered (3.41%), Vanguard GNMA was up. Not a lot. But it made money nonetheless. The sooner you install a counterbalanced strategy with your hard-earned money, the more comfortable you’ll feel in times like these. The key to enjoying the retirement you deserve is to understand that markets can become violent, and when they do, bonds can be your best defense. Originally posted on … [Read more...]
The Fed Unleashed a Force it Can’t Control
After the Fed told banks it was OK to lend to riskier companies, that's exactly what they did. Now, underwriting standards have fallen so far that Fed officials want the banks to pullback. Bloomberg's Craig Torres and Lisa Lee report: U.S. regulators told banks and investors that it was OK to make riskier loans to companies. Now they’re having trouble reining in the excesses that resulted. In the first quarter, banks and investors helped bring some of the highest debt levels of this decade to leveraged buyouts and other acquisitions. Lenders are letting companies aggressively massage … [Read more...]
Total Set to Become African Natural Gas Giant
As Occidental Petroleum attempts to purchase Anadarko Petroleum, it is raising funds for the deal by selling Anadarko's African natural gas assets to French oil major, Total SA. Neanda Salvaterra reports for The Wall Street Journal: Total SA’s TOT +0.88% deal to buy Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s APC +0.26% assets in Africa cements the French oil major’s position as the world’s second-largest provider of liquefied natural gas while pushing its business deeper into dangerous parts of the world. Total said earlier this week that it agreed to buy Anadarko’s African assets for $8.8 billion in a … [Read more...]
The New Hot Spot for Young People has Jobs, Affordable Housing and some Great Skiing
Greetings from Deer Valley, Utah. This picture of Becky and me was taken from the chairlift at Deer Valley. We were there in early March and I think we were smiling because it was the first time we saw the sun. It was a snowy trip to say the least, where it felt like you were skiing inside a snow globe. Most of our trip was spent skiing Park City and the Canyons. We stayed in the Silver Star area, with a chairlift and café by the same name that made it feel like your own resort within a gigantic resort. Getting to Park City is a piece of cake. We took a late afternoon flight out of … [Read more...]
Bargain Hunting Hedge Funders Take a Toll on Greenwich Mansion Market
In Greenwich, CT, the bedroom community of America's hedge fund giants, the real estate market it being depressed by a lack of demand for the luxury homes on the market there. Bloomberg reports: Homebuyers in the hedge fund haven of Greenwich are favoring smaller properties over the sprawling mansions the Connecticut town is known for. The average size of single-family homes that sold shrank for a third time, pulling the median price down 17 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier to $1.69 million, appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate said in a … [Read more...]
Apple Loses at the Supreme Court
A host of lawsuits may be headed Apple's way as it has lost a Supreme Court case today. The case itself was over whether or not Apple can be sued by customers of the company's App Store. The technology giant lost in a 5-4 decision in which Judge Brett Kavanaugh joined the traditionally liberal judges. CNBC reports: The Supreme Court on Monday ruled 5-4 against Apple in a case involving its signature electronic marketplace, the App Store, allowing iPhone users to move forward with their suit against the company. The iPhone users argued that Apple’s 30% commission on sales through the App … [Read more...]
Avalanche! It Is Astonishing How Your Money will Pile Up
There is little as satisfying as the long-term gratification felt after planning ahead, saving, and reaping the rewards of your efforts. The best way to achieve that euphoria is to harness the power of compound interest by purchasing stocks and bonds that pay you a steady stream of income. Then put that income to use by compounding it, over and over again like an avalanche. In June of 2016 I encouraged investors to harness this “avalanche of return.” I wrote: An Avalanche of Return The most important aspect of investing for the long term is—without a doubt—compound interest. The act of … [Read more...]
Is the Apple Store Losing its Cool?
After years of fan driven mania, manifesting itself in concert-ticket like lines in front of its locations for the launch of major products, the Apple Store may be losing its cool. Apple users are becoming frustrated with the store's poor service. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Matthew Townsend report (via the LA Times): There was the time he visited the Easton Town Center location to buy a laptop for his 11-year-old daughter and spent almost 20 minutes getting an employee to accept his credit card. In January, Smith was buying a monitor and kept asking store workers to check him out, but … [Read more...]