The Wall Street Journal tells readers that Wal-Mart is today able to ship millions of products to any house in the U.S. in two days. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is abandoning its effort to create a rival to Amazon.com Inc. ’s membership program. The service, called ShippingPass, was introduced almost two years ago and offered free two-day shipping for customers that paid the $49 annual membership fee. Instead, Wal-Mart will offer free shipping on more items it sells online and lower the minimum purchase required for free shipping on all orders to $35, from $50. Wal-Mart declined to say how … [Read more...]
Pay to Play Pension Scandal
Would it surprise you that there were some bad actors making pay to play deals involving the third largest pension? I've scratched the surface for you and shady pension practices here, here and here, and the hits keep coming. Justin Baer reports in The Wall Street Journal: The day after federal prosecutors accused former New York state pension executive Navnoor Kang of taking bribes, the giant retirement system fired another employee in connection with the case, said people familiar with the matter. The New York Common Retirement Fund escorted Philip Hanna from the pension’s Albany offices … [Read more...]
This is Going to be a Punishing Blow to Big Bank Research
We wrote recently on why savvy investors should eschew Wall Street research and make independent research a cornerstone of their investment strategy. Here, the Financial Times provides yet another reason for you to avoid investment banking research. The big banks are slashing research staff because they don’t generate enough profit for the banks. The trend is expected to accelerate as incoming EU regulations will require money managers to pay investment banks directly for any research they consume instead of using their client’s commissions. This is likely to be a punishing blow to investment … [Read more...]
It Looks Like a New Amazon Cargo Hub is Nearing Reality
The Wall Street Journal reports the breaking news on Amazon’s brand new cargo hub. Amazon.com Inc. said Tuesday it plans to build its first air cargo hub to accommodate its growing fleet of planes, signaling the company is ramping up its expansion into transporting, sorting and delivering its own packages. The Seattle-based retailer said it expects the new air hub, located at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport in Hebron, Ky., to create more than 2,000 jobs. The move will lessen its dependence on traditional carriers, including United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. , both of whose … [Read more...]
Want to Get Away? Read this First
Good advice from Fidelity Investments on travel security and peace of mind. Keep these documents safe. When embarking on vacation, take steps to keep these documents safe and accessible as you travel. Health-related information. When traveling overseas, you may find yourself in situations where you need information about your current vaccinations. For instance, some countries in Central and South America, and also in Africa, require tourists to have a certificate showing they've had a yellow-fever vaccination. For both domestic and international travel, it's also a good idea to bring … [Read more...]
Portfolio Strategy: When Good Companies Make for Poor Investments
Good companies don’t always make good investments. If you are a regular reader of this site you know we have written that often. Coca-Cola is a great business, but if you would have purchased it at year-end 1999, ten years later you would have been looking at an average annual return of about 2%. Over the course of that ten-year period, Coke had an average return on capital of about 21% and its earnings tripled. Why did the stock of one of the world’s great companies perform so poorly despite the impressive financial performance? The 45X earnings that investors paid to buy Coke shares … [Read more...]
Can a New Border Tax Protect America’s Place In the World?
The Wall Street Journal outlines President Trump’s plan for reducing the trade deficit and boldly slashing income tax rates: The Trump administration took a step toward a House Republican tax plan Thursday when it tentatively endorsed a proposal to tax U.S. imports and exempt exports from taxation, an idea known as “border adjustment.” House Republicans are banking on the idea to help pay for deep cuts in corporate and individual income-tax rates. “This president is looking at a very bold tax reform approach,” Rep. Kevin Brady (R., Texas) told Fox News. “Our competitors are already … [Read more...]
A Father and Son Team for the Ages
Here’s an excellent article in today’s Boston Globe about the unique bond between the New England Patriot’s coach Bill Belichick and his late father Steve, a legendary coach at the U.S. Naval Academy. ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The seemingly inexplicable roots of an unparalleled football mind become a bit less unfathomable on the third floor of Ricketts Hall at the Naval Academy. There, in a lounge by the reception area for Navy’s football program that is filled with mementos of a storied history, shelves of books protected by locked glass doors line two walls on either side of large flat-screen … [Read more...]
Brokers Happy to Avoid Looming New Rules
UBS and other brokers are cheering the idea that the Trump administration may delay or rescind new rules that would have forced the banks to act as fiduciaries for the retirement accounts of their clients. Big brokerages are in the businesses of distributing securities, not advising clients on what's best for them. If you are allowing a non-fiduciary to guide your investments, you should understand that they have no legal obligation to have your best interests in mind. If you want conflict-of-interest free guidance, find an advisor such as Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. that, by law, must … [Read more...]
Is this the White Knight for America’s Dying Malls?
American malls have been bruised and battered by online retailers. The big-box department stores that were once of the anchor of the American shopping mall look like they are on their way out. Here, MarketWatch reports on a new concept that may replace department stores as the anchors of malls. As department stores struggle, a new type of tenant may take their place: food halls. “Food will be an anchor tenant for many major real-estate developments in this country,” said Damian Mogavero, a culinary industry insider who spoke to MarketWatch ahead of the publication of his book “The … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 472
- 473
- 474
- 475
- 476
- …
- 637
- Next Page »