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Is Shake Shack Inc.'s (NYSE:SHAK) CEO Being Overpaid? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Randy Garutti became the CEO of Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) in 2012. This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO. View our latest analysis for Shake Shack Our data indicates that Shake Shack Inc. is worth US$2.5b, and total annual CEO compensation is US$3.8m. (This figure is for the year to December 2018). We note that's an increase of 254% above last year. We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at US$541k. We examined companies with market caps from US$2.0b to US$6.4b, and discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was US$5.2m. That means Randy Garutti receives fairly typical remuneration for the CEO of a company that size. This doesn't tell us a whole lot on its own, but looking at the performance of the actual business will give us useful context. You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Shake Shack has changed over time. Shake Shack Inc. has reduced its earnings per share by an average of 16% a year, over the last three years (measured with a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 29% over last year. Investors should note that, over three years, earnings per share are down. But in contrast the revenue growth is strong, suggesting future potential for earnings growth. These two metric are moving in different directions, so while it's hard to be confident judging performance, we think the stock is worth watching. It could be important to checkthis free visual depiction ofwhat analysts expectfor the future. Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Shake Shack Inc. for providing a total return of 81% over three years. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size. Remuneration for Randy Garutti is close enough to the median pay for a CEO of a similar sized company . The company isn't showing particularly great growth, but shareholder returns have been pleasing. So we can conclude that on this analysis the CEO compensation seems pretty sound. CEO compensation is one thing, but it is also interesting tocheck if the CEO is buying or selling Shake Shack (free visualization of insider trades). Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out thisfreelist of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Chinese Hackers Infiltrated Eight Major Tech Providers For Years With 'Devastating' Impact: Report Eight of the world’s biggest technology firms were targets of an intense hacking campaign, battling teamssponsored by China’s Ministry of State Security, according to a report fromReuters. The attacks, which started as early as 2014, reportedly focused on gathering corporate and state secrets in an effort to boostChina’s economic interests. Among the infiltrated companies were Hewlett Packard,IBM, Fujitsu, Tata Consultancy Services, NTT Data, Dimension Data,Computer SciencesCorporation and DXC Technology, a Hewlett Packard spin-off. Known as Cloud Hopper, the campaign was initially disclosed via anindictment in December. That indictment, though, identified just two companies.Reuters‘ report shows the intrusions were much more widespread that initially revealed. The attacks also had a ripple effect, impacting companies including travel reservation system Sabre, Swedish telecom giant Ericsson andHuntington Ingalls Industries, a shipbuilder for the U. S. Navy. However, the agency notes, “it’s impossible to say how many companies were breached.” It’s unclear if the Cloud Hopper hacks were tied with therecent outagesof Sabre that resulted in massive flight delays around the country. Sabre and IBM have previously said there was no evidence any sensitive corporate data was taken (including traveler information). A Huntington Ingalls spokesperson told Reuters there was no breach of the company’s data, as well. Other affected companies declined to comment. Reuterssays it was unable to determine the full extent of the damage done by the attacks, but one expert it spoke with said the impact was “devastating.” —The fall and rise of VR: The struggle tomake virtual reality get real —“It’s just lazy”: Current’s CEO onFacebookCalibra’s similar logo —Slack went publicwithout an IPO. Here’s how a direct offering works —Welcome to the next generation ofcorporate phishing scams —Listen to our new audio briefing,Fortune500 Daily Catch up withData Sheet,Fortune‘s daily digest on the business of tech.
U.S. Companies Find Legal Ways Around Trump’s Huawei Blacklist (Bloomberg) -- American technology companies have resumed selling certain products to Huawei Technologies Co. after concluding there are legal ways to work with the Chinese telecom giant in spite of its inclusion on a Trump Administration blacklist. Micron Technology Inc., the largest U.S. maker of computer memory chips, said on Tuesday that it had started shipping some components to Huawei after its lawyers studied export restrictions. Intel Corp., the largest microprocessor maker, has also begun selling to Huawei again, according to a person familiar with the matter. It’s not clear how many other suppliers have reached the same conclusion. The U.S. Commerce Department added Huawei last month to what’s known as an entity list, a move designed to bar the Chinese company from buying American components and software. The Trump Administration said Huawei helps Beijing in espionage and represents a security threat -- charges the company denies. Officials at Commerce and the White House are frustrated that companies have resumed Huawei shipments, according to another person familiar with the matter. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The chipmakers are taking advantage of certain exceptions to the export restrictions. Even when companies have headquarters in the U.S., they may be able, through ownership of overseas subsidiaries and operations, to classify their technology as foreign, according to Cross Research analyst Steven Fox. If less than 25% of the technology in a chip originates in the U.S., for example, then it may not be covered by the ban, under current rules. “It took them weeks to figure this out,” Fox said. “What they did was look at the laws and the rules and applied them to their business.” Micron, which also reported earnings on Tuesday that topped analysts’ estimates, soared as much as 14% in New York trading. Intel, Nvidia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. also rallied, while Asian chipmakers from Tokyo Electron Ltd. to SK Hynix Inc. gained too. Micron has operations all over the world, some added through acquisitions, and it owns plants in Singapore, Japan and Taiwan. Intel has factories in China and Ireland and a major design center and production facility in Israel. The company declined to comment. Companies can legally continue some shipments to Huawei under what’s known as the de minimis rule, says Kevin Wolf, former head of the Commerce Department’s export control section. “Commodities made overseas from U.S.-origin technology are only subject to the entity list prohibitions if the technology and commodity are sensitive items controlled for ‘national security’ reasons,” Wolf said. “But a commodity made overseas from less sensitive U.S.-origin technology is not subject to the entity list prohibitions.” The de minimis threshold is 25%, according to the Commerce Department. National security hawks in the Trump Administration thought that inclusion on the entity list would ratchet up pressure on Huawei, but they didn’t understand or misinterpreted the existing rules, people familiar with internal deliberations said. Those advisers didn’t fully grasp the limits of export controls in constricting supply chains that reach deeply into China. Micron Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Mehrotra, in a conference call discussing his company’s earnings, declined to explain his analysis, despite repeated questions. In a brief interview after the call, he also wouldn’t elaborate and said he hopes the U.S. and China quickly resolve their trade dispute. The Semiconductor Industry Association trade group put out a statement aimed at supporting its members’ right to keep working with an important customer: “SIA companies are committed to rigorous compliance with U.S. export control regulations. As we have discussed with the U.S. government, it is now clear some items may be supplied to Huawei consistent with the Entity List and applicable regulations.” The trade war and Huawei sanctions put U.S. chipmakers in a tough position. They need to comply with new rules in their home country, while at the same time navigating the intricacies of business in China, an increasingly crucial market. More than 60% of the $470 billion of chips sold last year went through China. If Huawei’s American suppliers can resume some sales, that may avoid the detrimental financial impact many have been anticipating. Even though these companies have found ways to legally keep exporting some of their products to Huawei, they are prohibited from providing post-sale support like software updates, repairs or installation help. That means that while an item in a box can be shipped from Taiwan to China, for example, the company still can’t provide information on software repairs or assistance from Silicon Valley. Wolf said that, in his experience, that can be a significant handicap. Finding legal ways to sidestep restrictions is taking on added significance for U.S. companies as the Trump Administration expands curbs on technology exports to China. Last week, the Commerce Department blacklisted five Chinese entities over accusations they were developing supercomputers for military applications. Bloomberg has also reported that some Chinese video surveillance firms may be barred from U.S. suppliers. The Commerce Department could easily change the definition of what foreign-made items are subject to the regulations. That change wouldn’t require Congressional approval, Wolf said. Still, it’s not clear if the Trump administration is looking into making such changes. “Micron will continue to comply with all government and legal requirements just as we do in all our operations globally,” said Micron CEO Mehrotra. “Of course, we cannot predict whether additional government actions may further impact our ability to ship to Huawei.” (Updates with Micron, other chipmaker shares from the sixth paragraph.) To contact the reporters on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net;Jenny Leonard in Washington at jleonard67@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net, Tom Giles For more articles like this, please visit us atbloomberg.com ©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Why Shares of General Mills Are Falling Today Shares ofGeneral Mills(NYSE: GIS)traded down 8% on Wednesday morning after the consumer staples company reported quarterly sales that came in below estimates. The company's recent acquisition was a bright spot, but its legacy businesses continue to underperform. General Mills on Wednesday morning reported fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.83 per share, topping consensus estimates of $0.77 per share. But investors were more focused on revenue that, at $4.16 billion, came in below the $4.24 billion expectation. Image source: Getty Images. Retail sales in North America, which include yogurts, cereal, and snack products, were down 2% in the quarter, while the company's Europe and Australia division reported net sales that were down 10%. General Mills said results were hurt by difficult comparisons to last year, as well as slowing ice cream demand and ongoing challenges in France and throughout Europe. The one bright spot was the company's pet segment, fueled by its 2018 purchase of theBlue Buffalo pet food franchise. On a pro forma basis, pet sales climbed 38% in the quarter to $406 million, the result of moving Blue Buffalo products through General Mills' massive distribution network. For the full year, pet sales were $1.43 billion, up 11% pro forma. Although the growth in the pet segment is encouraging, pet revenue accounted for less than 10% of General Mills' $16.87 billion in total annual sales. The company needs to see improvements in its other divisions to really generate growth. General Mills is forecasting organic sales growth of 1% to 2% in the new fiscal year, driven by expected improvements in its Haagen-Dazs and Old El Paso Mexican-food franchises as well as growth in yogurt and in emerging markets. The company is also continuing to ramp up its pet business, earlier this month opening a new 400,000-square-foot production plant to support Blue Buffalo. That's better than declining sales, but not a lot for investors to get excited about. Blue Buffalo is delivering, but General Mills still has a lot of work to do restoring its other businesses to health. More From The Motley Fool • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,728 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • 20 of the Top Stocks to Buy (Including the Two Every Investor Should Own) • What Is an ETF? • 5 Recession-Proof Stocks • How to Beat the Market Lou Whitemanhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
When Your Credit Card's Travel Insurance Coverage Isn't Enough [Question]I see the need for travel insurance, and some credit cards offer protection that I think is pretty comparable to what one could purchase in the marketplace. Do I still need travel insurance if I have coverage through a credit card? [Answer]If you're taking a short, inexpensive domestic trip - say, a $200 flight followed by a stay at your aunt's house - the cancellation and delay protections folded into a travel credit card will probably suffice. But if you're plunking down a large deposit on a blowout vacation or if you are heading abroad, an independent travel insurance plan is the safest option. SEE ALSO: The Travel Tipping Quiz Independent travel insurance policies are more comprehensive than the coverages rolled into your credit card as a free perk. A policy will cover under more circumstances if you must cancel or interrupt a trip, and you can customize your policy in a variety of ways. For example, you can add riders that cover adventure activities, allow you to cancel for any reason or include coverage of preexisting health conditions. Or you can choose a policy that allows you to cancel based on a hurricane warning at your destination instead of only if the storm directly hits the locale. You can insure the entire prepaid, nonrefundable portion of your trip, whereas a credit card carries an annual or per-trip limit. Plus, you'll need to pay for all or part of your trip with that card, depending on the issuer's terms and conditions. Travel credit cards are especially weak when it comes to medical care and medical evacuation. Although many include travel accident insurance, which provides reimbursement if you or someone in your party dies or is dismembered on a trip, few cards will cover you for unexpected illnesses, injuries and medevac. But a third-party policy will cover these emergencies at limits you specify. Even premium credit cards with fairly strong insurance benefits have gaps. Katherine Fan, senior travel features reporter at ThePointsGuy.com , says the Chase Sapphire Reserve ($450 annual fee) and Citi Prestige ($495 annual fee) consistently rank well among credit credits for travel insurance benefits. The Reserve card offers up to $10,000 per person in cancellation and interruption insurance, reimbursement of up to $500 per ticket for expenses related to a delayed trip of more than six hours, up to $3,000 per passenger for lost luggage and up to $100 a day for five days for essentials in delayed baggage. The Reserve also provides up to $100,000 in evacuation coverage for injury or illness, plus reimbursement for emergency medical or dental expenses - but only up to $2,500. The Citi Prestige card provides up to $5,000 per trip in cancellation and interruption insurance, reimbursement of up to $500 for expenses related to a delayed trip, up to $3,000 per passenger for lost luggage, up to $500 for delayed baggage and up to $100,000 in medical evacuation coverage, but no coverage for medical expenses. But one complaint with the Citi Prestige is that it does not cover costs relating to missed connections if the delay that caused you to miss your connection was less than six hours, says Fan. Story continues To find an independent policy, start your search at www.insuremytrip.com or www.squaremouth.com . List your prepaid, nonrefundable costs, sort the results from least to most expensive, then start at the bottom and work your way up to find the most economical plan with adequate coverage limits (we recommend a minimum of $50,000 for medical care and $100,000 for medevac). A comprehensive policy will typically run 5% to 10% of your total trip cost. Alternatively, you can insure only for emergency medical and medevac for a lower premium. SEE ALSO: 26 Secrets to Save Money on Travel EDITOR'S PICKS How to Boost Your Credit Score The Travel Tipping Quiz 26 Secrets to Save Money on Travel Copyright 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors
Apple's self-driving car project keeps moving with Drive.ai Drive.ai was known for itsbrightly colored autonomous vans, so it's somewhat ironic that the secretive and elusive Apple self-driving car division acquired the brand. After murmurs earlier this month, Project Titan (as Apple's autonomous car team is known) is moving along with its so-called "acqui-hire" of Mountain View-based Drive.ai. Drive.ai operated self-driving shuttles in Texas for the past year and raised $77 million since 2015, according to itsCrunchbase listing. In March, its eight-monthfree shuttle pilot in Frisco, Texasended and its four vehicles went to Arlington, Texas for a separate free service. The seven Drive.ai vans operating in Arlington were pulled off the road atthe end of May.Read more... More aboutApple,Autonomous Vehicles,Drive.Ai,Project Titan, andTech
Did South Jersey Industries, Inc. (NYSE:SJI) Insiders Buy Up More Shares? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sellSouth Jersey Industries, Inc.(NYSE:SJI), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.' Check out our latest analysis for South Jersey Industries In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Non-Executive Chairman of the Board Walter Higgins bought US$137k worth of shares at a price of US$30.21 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$33.71. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. The good news for South Jersey Industries share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price. In the last twelve months insiders paid US$397k for 12936 shares purchased. South Jersey Industries may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! South Jersey Industries is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that South Jersey Industries insiders own 0.6% of the company, worth about US$20m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. The fact that there have been no South Jersey Industries insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders own shares in South Jersey Industries and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. Of course,the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in South Jersey Industries, you should check out thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. Of course,you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere.So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
CoinMarketCap acquires little-known data firm as it seeks to improve pricing on site CoinMarketCap's goal to revamp its cryptocurrency data site took a big step today with the announcement of the firm's first acquisition. The site, which has come under fire as of late for including pricing and volume data from "fake" exchanges, announced on Wednesday its acquisition of Hashtag Capital, a startup that previously operated a trading operation, according to crypto news site CoinDesk. As per the report, the acquisition of Hashtag follows CoinMarketCap's move to work with cryptocurrency exchanges to increase transparency around the data they provide CMC. With the addition of Hashtag, CMC will aim to offer users the "true price" of crypto assets that go "beyond our traditional volume-weighted average prices to even more sophisticated price algorithms and analyses," according to a statement by Brandon Chez, CEO of CMC. Readers of The Block might recall that CoinMarketCap has long been trying to improve the quality of its data. In April, the firm said it was looking at ways to eliminate fake volumes by examining volumes versus cryptocurrency holdings in cold wallets. “You can look at the order book data and compare that up against [the amount of cryptocurrency they hold in cold storage] and get a better understanding of what’s actually going on,” said Luke Wagman, chief evangelist at CoinMarketCap. Still, all of this is in the users’ hands. “We don’t want to police the industry,” he said.
The Sharpe Ratio: Definition and How to Use It As an investor, your objective is to balance the potential for returns with risk. When assessing risk, investors andfinancial advisorsoften apply the Sharpe ratio to their investment analysis. Just one popular method for evaluating stock, the Sharpe ratio is a tool of technical analysis that helps investors and portfolio managers determinethe return on investments compared to the risk.Here’s a closer look at the Sharpe ratio and how you can apply this calculation to your portfolio. Sharpe Ratio Explained Developed by economist and Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe, the Sharpe ratio helps investors evaluate the return of an investment compared to the risk involved. This ratio is calculated by subtracting the risk-free rate of return from the investment’s rate of return and then dividing the outcome by the standard deviation, or the total risk, of the investment’s return. Generally, investors useU.S. Treasury Bondreturns as the risk-free rate because it’s assumed the government won’t default on its debt payments. For example, let’s say you have an investment with a rate of return that is 14%, a standard deviation that is 12%, and the risk-free rate of return is 2%. You would determine the Sharpe ratio by subtracting 2% from 14% and then dividing the result (12%) by 12%. This would give you a Sharpe ratio of 1, which is considered acceptable to investors. As a general rule, anything above 2 is very good, while above 3 is excellent. The result of the calculation will determine if returns are due to smart investment selections or a product of taking on excess risk. One portfolio may reap greater returns than the next, so it may only be a good investment choice if the return doesn’t come with a higher level of risk exposure. Why the Sharpe Ratio Is Important The Modern Portfolio Theory suggests that by adding investments that havelow correlationsto a diversified portfolio, the investor may be able to reduce their risk exposure without forfeiting returns. Therefore, by adding diversified assets to a portfolio, the Sharpe ratio should increase in comparison to other portfolios withless diversification. However, investors must assume that risk and volatility are equal for this evaluation to be true. Investors can use their real returns and the Sharpe ratio to assess past and future portfolio performance. The outcome may indicate if the investor took on excess risk to achieve greater returns. Additionally, investors can use expected portfolio returns and the probable risk-free rate to predict the future Sharpe ratio. Typically, the higher the Sharpe ratio, the more attractive the return and the better the investment. However, if the calculation results in a negative Sharpe ratio, it means one of two things: either the risk-free rate is greater than the portfolio’s return, or the portfolio should anticipate a negative return. In both cases, a negative Sharpe ratio shows that the investment is worse than the risk-free rate and you might be better off not making that investment at all. Limits of the Sharpe Ratio The Sharpe ratio is a relative measure of risk-adjusted return. If evaluated alone, it may not provide the appropriate data to assess aportfolio’s actual performance. Furthermore, the ratio uses the standard deviation, which assumes equal distribution of returns. This means that the Sharpe ratio doesn’t account for other factors that may impact fund performance. Since standard deviation accounts for positive and negative deviation returns, it doesn’t accurately measure the negative impact of risk because it could be skewed by a higher number of positive returns. Standard deviation assumes that any movement in price, either up or down, is equally risky, though downward movement would result in losses, while upward movement would result in gains. Additionally, portfolio managers may try to manipulate the Sharpe ratio to give the illusion of historically positive returns to attract more clients. They can accomplish this by extending the measurement snapshot, which may cause a lower estimate of volatility or risk. For instance, applying an annual standard deviation of daily returns will give you a higher ratio than using weekly returns, and so on. Sharpe Ratio Alternatives The Sortino ratio is an alternative performance metric. The Sortino ratio differentiates toxic volatility from complete volatility by using the investment’s standard deviation of negative asset returns. Experts refer to this as the ‘downside of deviation’ in contrast to the standard deviation that accounts for total portfolio returns. Essentially, it’s removing the upward price movement. In some cases, utilizing the Sortino ratio removes the confines of the Sharpe ratio. The Treynor ratio is another Sharpe ratio alternative. This variation uses a portfolio’s beta or market correlation rather than the standard deviation or total risk. An investor can use the Treynor ratio to determine whether a greater return is worth the risk of a volatile investment. To calculate the Treynor ratio, subtract the risk-free rate from the return of the portfolio and then divide by theportfolio’s beta. While the Treynor ratio is a good alternative to the Sharpe ratio, it looks at the historic performance of an investment, which doesn’t necessarily accurately determine the future of that investment. The Bottom Line As useful as the Sharpe ratio may be, volatility is only one factor to consider when assessing the quality of an investment. It’s also wise to consider a company’s balance sheet strength, profitability and strategic positioning. One of the best ways to reduce risk is diversifying your portfolio. You may want to enlist the help of a financial advisor to properly diversify your investments. But before you do, consider thequestions you should ask a financial advisor. Risk Assessment Tips • Instead of manually performing your own technical analysis, you might work with a financial professional who can analyze and choose investments on your behalf. Finding the right financial advisor thatfits your needsdoesn’t have to be hard.SmartAsset’s free toolmatches you with financial advisors in your area in five minutes. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that will help you achieve your financial goals,get started now. • Whether you work with a money manager or take a DIY approach, an important first step is to choose the right asset mix for your portfolio. To see what’s right for you, use ourasset allocation calculator. This investment tool considers your time horizon and risk tolerance to give you a snapshot of what different investment portfolios could look like based on your risk tolerance. • Assess different investments withlow correlations. Investments with low correlations may help minimize the volatility in your portfolio. Photo Credit: ©iStock.com/Jirapong Manustrong, ©iStock.com/vm, ©iStock.com/AndreyPopov The postThe Sharpe Ratio: Definition and How to Use Itappeared first onSmartAsset Blog. • How to Buy Amazon Stock • What is the Discount Rate and Why Does It Matter? • Understanding Mutual Fund Expense Ratios
How General Mills scored big on Beyond Meat Cereal king General Mills (GIS) hit a grand slam home-run with its early investment in the upstart Beyond Meat (BYND). “We have a really good return on a really small investment, just to put it into perspective,” General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening told Yahoo Finance. A General Mills spokesperson confirmed it sold its stake in the company at the time of the offering. General Mills was one of the first outside investors to invest in Beyond Meat back in 2013. The investment fell under General Mills venture capital arm known as 301 Inc.Led by veteran food trend-spotter John Haugen, 301 Inc.invests in upstart food brands such as Beyond Meat. The 301 Inc. team provides the entrepreneurs at these new companies with advice on how to grow, in addition to the injection of capital and access to contacts. The 301 Inc. portfolio now consists of a dozen or so companies, Harmening said. ranging from an emerging soup company to a fresh take on cottage cheese. “The portfolio is growing quickly and we have been very pleased,” added Harmening. In the case of Epic Provisions — a meat snacks business not invested in via 301 Inc. — General Mills invested in the company early on and then bought it out in 2016 for an undisclosed sum. Suffice it to say, Beyond Meat has enjoyed life as a public company, thus far. Beyond Meat’s stock is up an insane 140% since its May IPO. Investors have wagered Beyond Meat turns a profit amid a barrage of new products in 2020. Optimism that the company will ink a deal with McDonald’s (MCD) soon has also spurred the buying activity. “Fundamentally you have a business here that is real and that is in the early innings,” former long-time Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb said on Yahoo Finance’sThe First Trade. “They [Beyond Meat] have sales orders for the next two or three years in the fast-food industry and the grocery industry.” Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and co-host of ‘The First Trade’ at Yahoo Finance. Follow Brian Sozzi him on Twitter@BrianSozzi Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance • Why Shake Shack CEO is testing a 4-day workweek • Trump's trade war with China may shock investors this summer • 2 black swans could come out of nowhere and kill stocks this summer • Why scrapping Trump's corporate tax cuts could crush businesses Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,SmartNews,LinkedIn,YouTube, andreddit.
How Many South Jersey Industries, Inc. (NYSE:SJI) Shares Did Insiders Buy, In The Last Year? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares inSouth Jersey Industries, Inc.(NYSE:SJI). It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia Universitystudyfound that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. See our latest analysis for South Jersey Industries Non-Executive Chairman of the Board Walter Higgins made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$137k worth of shares at a price of US$30.21 each. That implies that an insider found the current price of US$33.71 per share to be enticing. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. Happily, the South Jersey Industries insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices. In the last twelve months insiders paid US$397k for 12936 shares purchased. South Jersey Industries may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! South Jersey Industries is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 0.6% of South Jersey Industries shares, worth about US$20m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. The fact that there have been no South Jersey Industries insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders do have a stake in South Jersey Industries and their transactions don't cause us concern. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at thisFREEreport showing analyst forecasts for South Jersey Industries. Of courseSouth Jersey Industries may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see thisfreecollection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
House Panel Votes to Subpoena Kellyanne Conway Over Hatch Act Violation The House Oversight Committee has voted to issue a subpoena to force White House counselor Kellyanne Conway to appear before the panel as it looks into allegations that she repeatedly violated a federal law that limits political activity by government workers. Conway did not show up at a hearing Wednesday, after the White House said Monday it would not allow her to appear. The Democratic-led panel voted 25-16 to issue a subpoena. Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the panel’s chairman, said Conway’s actions were a clear-cut violation of the law and President Donald Trump should fire her. Federal law prohibits executive branch employees from using their official authority or influence to affect the result of an election. Republicans accuse Democrats of trying to curb Conway’s free speech. —Meet the2020 Democratic presidential candidatesyou’ve (probably) never heard of —Issues that divide 2020 candidates going into thefirst Democratic debate —Meetthe Republicanslikely to challenge Trump in the 2020 primary —Why 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are flocking toFox News —How woulda recessionshape the 2020 presidential race? —The campaign finance power behindTrump impeachment efforts
Here's How P/E Ratios Can Help Us Understand Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll apply a basic P/E ratio analysis to Eastman Chemical Company's (NYSE:EMN), to help you decide if the stock is worth further research. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months,Eastman Chemical has a P/E ratio of 10.72. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying $10.72 for every $1 in prior year profit. View our latest analysis for Eastman Chemical Theformula for price to earningsis: Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for Eastman Chemical: P/E of 10.72 = $76.37 ÷ $7.12 (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.) A higher P/E ratio means that buyers have to paya higher pricefor each $1 the company has earned over the last year. That is not a good or a bad thingper se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future. Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases. Eastman Chemical shrunk earnings per share by 27% over the last year. But it has grown its earnings per share by 4.4% per year over the last three years. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 1.1% annually. This growth rate might warrant a below average P/E ratio. We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. The image below shows that Eastman Chemical has a lower P/E than the average (18.2) P/E for companies in the chemicals industry. Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Eastman Chemical shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Since the market seems unimpressed with Eastman Chemical, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. You should delve deeper. I like to checkif company insiders have been buying or selling. Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth. While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores. Net debt totals 59% of Eastman Chemical's market cap. If you want to compare its P/E ratio to other companies, you should absolutely keep in mind it has significant borrowings. Eastman Chemical trades on a P/E ratio of 10.7, which is below the US market average of 17.8. The P/E reflects market pessimism that probably arises from the lack of recent EPS growth, paired with significant leverage. When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So thisfreevisual report on analyst forecastscould hold the key to an excellent investment decision. You might be able to find a better buy than Eastman Chemical. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out thisfreelist of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
American couple reported missing in Barbados after renting jet ski A New Jersey couple who went on a jet ski ride Monday while vacationing in Barbados has not been seen or heard from since. A concerned local vendor alerted police after Oscar Suarez, 32, and Magdalena Devil, 25, rented a jet ski from him on Holetown Beach around 2:30 p.m. and failed to return from their excursion at the scheduled time of 2:55 p.m., NBC News reports. Suarez and Devil, who arrived in the Caribbean country on Saturday and planned to return home one week later, were both wearing lifejackets at the time they vanished. A subsequent search led by the nation's coast guard, police force and a group of jet ski vendors failed to locate either the couple or their watercraft. Local authorities also confirmed that Suarez and Devil had not returned to their room at the all-inclusive Discovery Bay Hotel, in Trents, St. James. Suarez's sister, Susanna Cruz, took to Facebook Wednesday to ask others to share news of the pair's disappearance, "especially if you have contacts in Barbados." "My mom and I are travelling [sic] to Barbados this morning," she wrote. "We pray to arrive there to some good news about Oscar and Maggie." The New York Post reports that Suarez is the father of a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl from a previous relationship and is employed as an assistant director of dining services at a New Jersey-based company called Compass Group. Devil works as a baker and runs an Instagram where she showcases her culinary creations. Suarez's cousin, David Monzon, told The Post the missing man's two kids have been asking for their dad since he vanished Monday. Anyone with information on the pair's whereabouts is urged to contact the Holetown Police Station at 419-1700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477). View comments
Arthur J. Gallagher to Buy Minority Stake in Renomia a.s In its effort to expand outside the United States,Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.AJG has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Renomia a.s. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2019.Founded in 1993, Prague-based Renomia a.s. is the largest independent broker in Central and Eastern European (CEE) offering its services to commercial clients. The company has broking operations in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Croatia in addition to a broad franchise network in the rest of the CEE region.The acquisition should complement Arthur J. Gallagher's international property/casualty brokerage operations. The company remains committed to expansion in economies that offer immense growth opportunities. The acquisition of Renomia is thus a strategic fit.In the first quarter of 2019, international operations across Australia, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, New Zealand and the United Kingdom generated 26% of revenues. Given the number and size of its non-U.S. acquisitions, the insurance broker expects international contribution to total revenues to increase. Its recent acquisitions have helped it expand in New Zealand, Australia and United Kingdom.Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher have gained 16.9% year to date, underperforming the industry’s increase of 29.7%. The company’s policy to ramp up its growth profile and a strong capital position should continue to drive shares higher. Arthur J. Gallagher carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). There have been a number of acquisitions in the insurance space of late given the significant capital available. Brown & Brown of Kentucky, Inc., a subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc. BRO, acquired United Development Systems, Inc. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. HIG acquired The Navigators Group, Inc.A Stock to ConsiderA better-ranked insurer is Erie Indemnity Company ERIE, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).  You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Erie Indemnity operates as a managing attorney-in-fact for subscribers at the Erie Insurance Exchange in the United States. The company delivered positive earnings surprise of 5.11% in the last reported quarter.More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportErie Indemnity Company (ERIE) : Free Stock Analysis ReportBrown & Brown, Inc. (BRO) : Free Stock Analysis ReportArthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThe Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (HIG) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
5 Game Changing M&A Deals of the Last Decade • (4:00) - Facebook's Acquisition of Instagram • (8:50) - Gilead Buys Pharmasset for $11 Billion • (13:05) - Disney’s Acquisition of Marvel and Star Wars • (17:25) - Grubhub Purchase of LevelUp • (25:05) - Microsoft’s Buys Github for $7.5 Billion • (34:40) - Honorable Mention: Other M&A To Watch • (Time) - Episode Roundup:GILD, DIS, FB, GRUB, MSFT, AMZN, CVS, INTC, CRM, NVDA • Podcast@Zacks.com Welcome to Episode #183 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast. Every week, host and Zacks stock strategist, Tracey Ryniec, will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds and ETFs and how it impacts your life. This week she’s joined by Zacks Senior Strategist, Kevin Cook, to discuss the best M&A deals of the last decade. Which deals were game changers for their companies? Plenty of these deals were mocked initially, especially Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram. But those skeptics have been proven wrong. It’s easy to shrug at M&A deals, especially if they’re smaller. But adding the right company can completely transform a company’s trajectory. Just ask these 5 companies. 5 of the Best M&A Deals of the Last 10 Years 1.Facebook FBbuys Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 before it even goes IPO. Instagram had just 30 million users and no revenue. It was known simply as a photo sharing app. But Instagram has developed into a separate social media platform that dominates its space and has created careers for influencers, models, actors and others. It has given Facebook dominance on 2 platforms. 2.Gilead GILDbuys Pharmasset in 2011 for $11 billion. This was a huge risk at the time as Pharmasset had no marketed products. But Gilead was able to roll out products quickly and dominate the Hepatis C treatment market for years to come. Was it the start of the biotech M&A revolution? 3.Disney DISmade not just one, but two, game changing M&A deals over the last 10 years: Marvel in the summer of 2009 for $4.2 billion and Lucasfilm (aka Star Wars) in Oct 2012 for $4 billion. Both paid for themselves, and then some, within 5 years. 4.Grubhub GRUBbought LevelUp in July 2018 for $390 million. The addition of a complete mobile payment and ordering/loyalty program is pushing Grubhub directly into the restaurant kitchens. Grubhub isn’t just about delivery anymore. Is it going to be a data company? 5.Microsoft MSFTbought GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion. This had tech watchers both excited and distressed. The platform is popular with developers around the world. It’s too soon to know if this will be game changing, but it’s $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016 may be. Stay tuned to the Microsoft annual report for the fiscal 2019 revenue numbers. They may be a surprise. There were several runner-up companies which also made great acquisitions over the last 10 years, such as Amazon’s August 2014 purchase of Twitch for $970 million. What else do investors need to know about M&A? Tune into this week’s podcast to find out. [In full disclosure, Tracey owns shares of FB and GOOGL in her personal portfolio and wants to own the others after doing this podcast.] Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportThe Walt Disney Company (DIS) : Free Stock Analysis ReportFacebook, Inc. (FB) : Free Stock Analysis ReportGrubhub Inc. (GRUB) : Free Stock Analysis ReportMicrosoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis ReportGilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
Trump Will Meet With Putin on the Sidelines of the G20 Summit The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Japan this week. During the last formal meeting between the two leaders, Trump refused to acknowledge Putin’s role in meddling in the 2016 election. They will likely be accompanied by four or five officials each. A Kremlin officialsaidthe two plan to meet for at least an hour. The meeting is currently tentatively set for Friday. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakovsaidthat the two leaders will likely discuss “issues of strategic stability” and “numerous regional conflicts.” A U.S. administration official confirmed the meeting toReuters, saying, “It’s not a formal summit, but it is expected to be a conversation that will focus primarily on regional security issues, including Iran, Ukraine, Syria, the Middle East. They should also touch on arms control issues and on improving the bilateral relationship.” Trump and Putin briefly met in November and December of last year, but the last formal meeting between the two leaders was in Helsinki last July. —Meet the2020 Democratic presidential candidatesyou’ve (probably) never heard of —Issues that divide 2020 candidates going into thefirst Democratic debate —Meetthe Republicanslikely to challenge Trump in the 2020 primary —Why 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are flocking toFox News —How woulda recessionshape the 2020 presidential race? —The campaign finance power behindTrump impeachment efforts
How Financially Strong Is Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN)? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN), a large-cap worth US$11b, comes to mind for investors seeking a strong and reliable stock investment. Big corporations are much sought after by risk-averse investors who find diversified revenue streams and strong capital returns attractive. However, its financial health remains the key to continued success. Let’s take a look at Eastman Chemical’s leverage and assess its financial strength to get an idea of their ability to fund strategic acquisitions and grow through cyclical pressures. Remember this is a very top-level look that focuses exclusively on financial health, so I recommend a deeper analysisinto EMN here. See our latest analysis for Eastman Chemical EMN's debt level has been constant at around US$6.7b over the previous year – this includes long-term debt. At this stable level of debt, the current cash and short-term investment levels stands at US$195m to keep the business going. Additionally, EMN has produced US$1.6b in operating cash flow over the same time period, resulting in an operating cash to total debt ratio of 24%, meaning that EMN’s operating cash is sufficient to cover its debt. With current liabilities at US$2.4b, it seems that the business has been able to meet these obligations given the level of current assets of US$3.6b, with a current ratio of 1.51x. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. For Chemicals companies, this ratio is within a sensible range as there's enough of a cash buffer without holding too much capital in low return investments. With total debt exceeding equities, Eastman Chemical is considered a highly levered company. This isn’t uncommon for large companies because interest payments on debt are tax deductible, meaning debt can be a cheaper source of capital than equity. Since large-caps are seen as safer than their smaller constituents, they tend to enjoy lower cost of capital. By measuring how many times EMN’s earnings can cover interest payments, we can evaluate whether its level of debt is sustainable or not. Net interest should be covered by earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) by at least three times to be safe. In EMN's case, the ratio of 6.16x suggests that interest is appropriately covered. Large-cap investments like EMN are often believed to be a safe investment due to their ability to pump out ample earnings multiple times its interest payments. EMN’s debt and cash flow levels indicate room for improvement. Its cash flow coverage of less than a quarter of debt means that operating efficiency could be an issue. Though, the company exhibits an ability to meet its near-term obligations, which isn't a big surprise for a large-cap. Keep in mind I haven't considered other factors such as how EMN has been performing in the past. I recommend you continue to research Eastman Chemical to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for EMN’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor EMN’s outlook. 2. Valuation: What is EMN worth today? Is the stock undervalued, even when its growth outlook is factored into its intrinsic value? Theintrinsic value infographic in our free research reporthelps visualize whether EMN is currently mispriced by the market. 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore ourfree list of these great stocks here. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Low Leverage In Midstream Space Benefits This ETF TheAlerian Energy Infrastructure ETF(NYSE:ENFR), an exchange traded fund with exposure to midstream master limited partnerships and energy infrastructure companies, is having a banner year with a gain of 18%, a performance that exceeds that of the largest traditional energy ETF by about 800 basis points. What Happened As hasbeen previously noted, ENFR is excelling due in part to the aforementioned midstream exposure, but there are other tailwinds to consider, including the deleveraging that's happening at many midstream MLPs. “After becoming overextended during the oil price downturn from 2014-2016, midstream companies have placed greater emphasis on reducing leverage to a more comfortable and sustainable level,” saidAlerican in a recent note.“Lower leverage provides increased flexibility to withstand challenging market environments and lays the foundation for companies being able to grow their dividend or buy back shares.” Alerian is the index provider for ENFR's underlying benchmarks, the Alerian Midstream Energy Select Index. Why It's Important Increasingly sturdy balance sheets are always a positive trait, regardless of sector or industry, but it's a vital characteristic in the MLP space because some member of this group were previously dividend cutters when oil prices plunged several years ago. Additionally, as highlighted by ENFR's dividend yield of almost 5.3%, this is a high-yield asset class, meaning it can be vulnerable to rising interest rates because higher rates boost financing costs. In other words, it's a good thing that MLPs, including some ENFR components are making deleveraging a priority. “Ahead of the significant drop in oil prices from late 2014 to early 2016, midstream (and energy in general) had become overextended through heavy spending, leading to higher leverage,” said Alerian. “High leverage constrained financial flexibility for companies, limiting management teams’ options for reacting to the energy downturn when flexibility was most needed. As a result, many MLPs experienced painful distribution cuts.” What's Next Although it appears likely the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates this year or at the very least, keep rates on hold, deleveraging in the MLP arena is undoubtedly positive and can serve as a positive catalyst for the group and funds such as ENFR. Some ENFR holdings have already made significant progress in shoring up their balance sheets. “Gibson Energy(GEI CN) has also decreased leverage significantly from 5.2x in 2016 to 2.3x at the end of 2018, well below the company’s long-term target range of 3.0-3.5x, with asset sales helping to fund growth capital and reduce the need to issue debt,” according to Alerian. Related Links: A Fast-Growing 5G ETF New Video Game ETF Arrives See more from Benzinga © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
U.S. manufacturing veterans launch 'microfactories' to assemble electronics By Stephen Nellis SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Bright Machines, a startup founded by a group of software and manufacturing executives, on Wednesday released its latest "microfactories" designed to automate the assembly of electronics. While automation has taken hold in factories for cars and other products, the company's chief executive, Amar Hanspal, said machines have eluded electronics assemblers because they can take months to program and electronics designs change too quickly. The microfactories consist of pods about the size of a large refrigerator and contain sensors, robotics and software. The machines learn how to handle tasks now handled by humans such as inserting delicate memory or processors chips onto circuit boards. Founded by Autodesk Inc and Flex Ltd veterans, the San Francisco-based startup raised $179 million last year and now has 400 employees. Hanspal, formerly co-CEO of Autodesk, told Reuters the company has been working with about 20 different brands in more than two dozen locations in Mexico, China, India, Hungary, Romania and the United States. Hanspal would not name the firm's customers but they are using its machines to make devices as diverse as networking gear for data centers to coffee makers. He said Bright Machines has signed contracts for about $100 million in sales over the next 18 months. "They're trying to double the capacity of what they can build with the same number of people," Hanspal said. "The biggest issue for them has been the part of the factory that's least automated." Bright Machines uses software to address the challenges of electronics, leaning on a software office it opened last year in Seattle. Instead of programming a robotic arm to maneuver its screwdriver to a predetermined set of coordinates above a circuit board, Bright Machine feeds its systems pictures of what the finished circuit board should look like. Using computer vision, the system "learns" where a given part is supposed to go, and a combination of sensors and machine learning guide the robotic arm to the part. In the past, factories did not trust machines to place pricey chips because robotic arms could break them if a circuit board was slightly misaligned when fed into the machine, Hanspal said. One Bright Machines customer uses machines to place dozens of processors that cost $1,000 each. "To scrap a component like that is, to our customers, a big deal," said Nick Ciubotariu, the company's senior vice president of software engineering, who joined the company from Amazon.com Inc, where he was a senior engineering manager at its Alexa unit. "Having a computer vision system that intelligently recognizes where things are supposed to go, even if there's a little bit of variance in where that component is, is a very a big deal." (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)
Should You Buy Peak Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKIS) For Its 7.2% Dividend? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Could Peak Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKIS) be an attractive dividend share to own for the long haul? Investors are often drawn to strong companies with the idea of reinvesting the dividends. If you are hoping to live on your dividends, it's important to be more stringent with your investments than the average punter. Regular readers know we like to apply the same approach to each dividend stock, and we hope you'll find our analysis useful. With a five-year payment history and a 7.2% yield, many investors probably find Peak Resorts intriguing. We'd agree the yield does look enticing. When buying stocks for their dividends, you should always run through the checks below, to see if the dividend looks sustainable. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. Although Peak Resorts pays a dividend, it was loss-making during the past year. When a company is loss-making, we next need to check to see if its cash flows can support the dividend. Last year, Peak Resorts paid a dividend while reporting negative free cash flow. While there may be an explanation, we think this behaviour is generally not sustainable. Given Peak Resorts is paying a dividend but reported a loss over the past year, we need to check its balance sheet for signs of financial distress. A rough way to check this is with these two simple ratios: a) net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and b) net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA is a measure of a company's total debt. Net interest cover measures the ability to meet interest payments on debt. Essentially we check that a) a company does not have too much debt, and b) that it can afford to pay the interest. Peak Resorts has net debt of 5.91 times its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) which implies meaningful risk if interest rates rise of earnings decline. Net interest cover can be calculated by dividing earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) by the company's net interest expense. Interest cover of less than 5x its interest expense is starting to become a concern for Peak Resorts, and be aware that lenders may place additional restrictions on the company as well. Low interest cover and high debt can create problems right when the investor least needs them. We're generally reluctant to rely on the dividend of companies with these traits. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Peak Resorts's latest financial position,by checking our visualisation of its financial health. One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. Peak Resorts has been paying a dividend for the past five years. During the past five-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.55 in 2014, compared to US$0.28 last year. Dividend payments have fallen sharply, down 49% over that time. When a company's per-share dividend falls we question if this reflects poorly on either the business or management. Either way, we find it hard to get excited about a company with a declining dividend. Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. Strong earnings per share (EPS) growth might encourage our interest in the company despite fluctuating dividends, which is why it's great to see Peak Resorts has grown its earnings per share at 21% per annum over the past five years. When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. It's a concern to see that the company paid a dividend despite reporting a loss, and the dividend was also not well covered by free cash flow. Next, earnings growth has been good, but unfortunately the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Overall, Peak Resorts falls short in several key areas here. Unless the investor has strong grounds for an alternative conclusion, we find it hard to get interested in a dividend stock with these characteristics. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 3 analysts we track are forecasting for Peak Resortsfor freewith publicanalyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try ourcurated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Prosecutors investigate alleged chicken price-fixing U.S. prosecutors are investigating poultry processors over criminal allegations that they colluded to prop up prices. The Justice Department disclosed the inquiry Monday by intervening in a court case involving numerous chicken processors, distributors and sellers. The prosecutors asked a federal judge to halt certain depositions and discovery for six months "to protect the grand jury's investigation." The precise scope of the investigation was unclear. But the case stems from allegations that poultry processors illegally squelched competition by collectively fixing prices, lowering production and sharing data. The civil case, filed initially by chicken purchaser Maplevale Farms, targets chicken companies controlling 90% of the wholesale broiler chicken market, which represents most of the industry's sales. Defendants, including Tyson Foods, Sanderson Farms and Koch Foods, have denied the allegations. Plant-based nuggets?: Tyson Foods moves into meat alternatives Plant-based or animal-based meats?: How they compare Tyson Foods, the nation's largest producer of meat, in February 2017 disclosed a federal investigation into the company in connection with the allegations. Tyson Foods, one the world's biggest meat sellers, Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @ NathanBomey . This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prosecutors investigate alleged chicken price-fixing
Trump says he 'decided not to kill a lot of Iranians' after drone shootdown WASHINGTON — President Trump touted his decision to call off a strike against Iran in an interview on Fox Business Network Wednesday morning. The aborted strike came after the U.S. military accused Iran of shooting down an American drone over international waters on June 20. Trump called off the operation minutes before it was set to begin because he was told it would kill 150 Iranians and felt that was not a proportionate response. The president discussed his thinking in the interview. “They shot down our drone. I decided not to kill a lot of Iranians. I know a lot of Iranians. I like Iranians so much, and that plays into your decision too,” Trump said, adding, “I mean, they’re human beings. They’re people. I didn’t want to kill 150 people when they shot down an unmanned drone, so I didn’t do that.” President Trump holds an executive order imposing fresh sanctions on Iran in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, June 24. (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters) The shootdown of the drone came amid steadily escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran over that country’s nuclear program. Iran’s government said the drone was over its airspace. Some international observers and even U.S. officials have cast doubt on the claim the drone was over international waters. Last May, Trump pulled out of the multilateral nuclear accord with Iran that was crafted by the administration of President Barack Obama. Since then, Iran has said it will step up uranium production, and the U.S. has increased its military presence in the region. The Trump administration, which has said it will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, has also accused Tehran of being responsible for recent attacks on commercial ships in the region. Trump brought up the aborted strike when Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo asked him point-blank, “Are we going to have a war with Iran, Mr. President?” “I hope we don’t, but we’re in a very strong position if something should happen. We’re in a very strong position. It wouldn’t last very long. I can tell you that,” Trump said. Even as tensions have mounted between the U.S. and Tehran, the Trump administration has maintained that the president does not want to go to war . Trump has campaigned on the idea of stopping the “endless” American wars in the Middle East, and his advisers say the president’s strategy for Iran remains focused on using sanctions to apply “maximum economic pressure.” However, Trump has acknowledged that some of his top aides, particularly national security adviser John Bolton, are advocating a more hawkish approach to Iran. Story continues In his interview with Bartiromo, Trump was asked if he still believes sanctions are sufficient, and he described them as “very biting” and effective at curbing Iran’s hopes of being a military power. Trump, who has suggested he would not need an exit strategy for a potential conflict with Iran, also discussed what his vision for military action might look like. Though many experts believe a war with Iran would be a large-scale conflict, Trump vowed it could be limited in scope and quick. “I’m not talking boots on the ground. I’m not talking we’re going to send a million soldiers,” Trump said. “I’m just saying if something would happen, wouldn’t last very long.” ___ Read more from Yahoo News: In rambling interview, Trump calls Biden 'a lost soul' AOC accuses Trump administration of creating ‘concentration camps’ U.S. ‘probably had excellent presidents who were gay,’ Buttigieg says Trump wants his next press secretary to be a cable news ‘street fighter’ Orlando Sentinel endorses ‘not Donald Trump’ for president
Pennsylvania woman shot through wall while sleeping, cops say A Pennsylvania woman was struck by gunfire over the weekend while sleeping in her bedroom, WNEP reports. The unidentified 25-year-old victim, who lives in Hazleton, was shot on Sunday after a bullet went through the wall of her second-floor bedroom, police said. Authorities received a call around 4 a.m. that morning about gunshots in the area before learning that the woman had been hit. "This is a serious matter, and there is no quality of life if you're not safe in your home or your neighborhood," Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale said. The victim was taken to a hospital, where she is expected to recover, police said. Law enforcement is now searching for the suspect and a motive behind the shooting. In the meantime, residents in the small Pennsylvanian city say they are on alert. "It makes me a little scared because you never know what's going to happen, where it's going to happen," Brandon Schilling told the station. "For the kids, for myself, it's like a safe place is at home and it seems like you're not even safe at home," added Yahaira Gonzalez.
Kansas abortion ruling prompts new attack on death penalty TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A recent Kansas Supreme Court ruling declaring that the state constitution protects access to abortion opened the door to a new legal attack on the death penalty. Attorneys for five of the 10 men on death row in Kansas argue that the abortion decision means the state's courts can enforce the broad guarantees of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" in the Bill of Rights in the Kansas Constitution. The lawyers contend the convicted killers cannot be executed because capital punishment violates their "inalienable" right to life. They include Frazier Glenn Miller Jr., a white supremacist convicted of killing three people at two Jewish sites in the Kansas City area in 2014, and Jonathan and Reginald Carr, two brothers who, authorities said, forced five people to remove money from ATMs and have sex with one another before killing four of them in Wichita in 2000. Defense attorneys launched the new legal attack on capital punishment in filings with the state Supreme Court in May, less than two weeks after the abortion decision. The justices took the claims seriously enough to order defense attorneys and prosecutors to file additional written arguments, with the last ones due in mid-November. "It hasn't been argued under the Kansas Constitution, at least, not in the way we are presenting it in these cases," Meryl Carver-Allmond, an attorney for two of the men. "This is a new argument." The Kansas Supreme Court's abortion ruling in April was the latest in a long list of decisions that have angered conservative Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature. It said the state's Bill of Rights grants a right to "personal autonomy" that includes access to abortion. Four of the seven justices were appointed by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and two by moderate Republican Gov. Bill Graves. The seventh, the only dissenter in the abortion case, was appointed by conservative GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. Story continues Past decisions in capital murder cases also have sparked anger. Kansas' last legal executions were in 1965, by hanging, and the state enacted its current death penalty law in 1994. The court has yet to rule in Miller's case. In 2014, the court overturned death sentences for the Carr brothers in two separate rulings. Those decisions helped fuel unsuccessful election campaigns in 2014 and 2016 to oust all but Brownback's appointee. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the rulings, sending the Carrs' cases back to the Kansas Supreme Court. The cases are pending. Republican Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt told The Associated Press this week that the abortion decision "opened the door for a wide range of new litigation." "There is a certain irony that a case regarding abortion is now being urged by some as a reason to upend the death penalty in Kansas," Schmidt said. "I think that's just the start, because this holding was so sweeping. I think it's not just going to be abortion." In 2001, in its first ruling under the state's current death penalty law, the Kansas Supreme Court rejected an argument that the state constitution grants a right to life barring executions for crimes. Defense attorneys now argue that the abortion decision provides grounds for reconsidering that conclusion. David Lowden, an assistant district attorney in Sedgwick County, where the Carrs were convicted, argued in filings this month that it remains a "vast legal reach" to argue that capital punishment violates the state constitution. "I'd rather air it out now, while it's fresh, rather than find out 10 years from now somebody wants to try to do this," Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said in an interview. Jeffrey Jackson, a Washburn University of Topeka law professor, said the right to life has never been interpreted to include freedom from being executed for a capital crime. "When you're trying your client from being executed, you find all the stuff. Your requirement is that you make all the arguments that you can credibly make," Jackson said. "I just think that this one's — it would not withstand scrutiny." Richard Levy, a University of Kansas law professor, said the abortion ruling suggests the Kansas court might recognize rights for the state's residents that aren't recognized nationally. Levy said he has doubts that the Kansas Supreme Court would declare capital punishment violates the state constitution but added, "I don't think the argument is frivolous." "I think it's more likely that the end result would be the death penalty is still constitutional but more safeguards have to be applied in Kansas than at the national level," Levy said. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
Are Dividend Investors Making A Mistake With Peak Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKIS)? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Dividend paying stocks like Peak Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKIS) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. In this case, Peak Resorts likely looks attractive to dividend investors, given its 7.2% dividend yield and five-year payment history. It sure looks interesting on these metrics - but there's always more to the story . Before you buy any stock for its dividend however, you should always remember Warren Buffett's two rules: 1) Don't lose money, and 2) Remember rule #1. We'll run through some checks below to help with this. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Peak Resorts! Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Although it reported a loss over the past 12 months, Peak Resorts currently pays a dividend. When a company recently reported a loss, we should investigate if its cash flows covered the dividend. Last year, Peak Resorts paid a dividend while reporting negative free cash flow. While there may be an explanation, we think this behaviour is generally not sustainable. Given Peak Resorts is paying a dividend but reported a loss over the past year, we need to check its balance sheet for signs of financial distress. A rough way to check this is with these two simple ratios: a) net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and b) net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA measures a company's total debt load relative to its earnings (lower = less debt), while net interest cover measures the company's ability to pay the interest on its debt (higher = greater ability to pay interest costs). With net debt of more than 5x EBITDA, Peak Resorts could be described as a highly leveraged company. While some companies can handle this level of leverage, we'd be concerned about the dividend sustainability if there was any risk of an earnings downturn. We calculated its interest cover by measuring its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), and dividing this by the company's net interest expense. Interest cover of less than 5x its interest expense is starting to become a concern for Peak Resorts, and be aware that lenders may place additional restrictions on the company as well. Low interest cover and high debt can create problems right when the investor least needs them. We're generally reluctant to rely on the dividend of companies with these traits. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Peak Resorts's latest financial position,by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. Peak Resorts has been paying a dividend for the past five years. During the past five-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.55 in 2014, compared to US$0.28 last year. Dividend payments have fallen sharply, down 49% over that time. We struggle to make a case for buying Peak Resorts for its dividend, given that payments have shrunk over the past five years. Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. Strong earnings per share (EPS) growth might encourage our interest in the company despite fluctuating dividends, which is why it's great to see Peak Resorts has grown its earnings per share at 21% per annum over the past five years. To summarise, shareholders should always check that Peak Resorts's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. We're a bit uncomfortable with Peak Resorts paying a dividend while loss-making, especially since the dividend was also not well covered by free cash flow. We were also glad to see it growing earnings, but it was concerning to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. In summary, Peak Resorts has a number of shortcomings that we'd find it hard to get past. Things could change, but we think there are likely more attractive alternatives out there. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 3 analysts we track are forecasting for Peak Resortsfor freewith publicanalyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try ourcurated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
European authorities arrest 6 allegedly involved in $27 million crypto theft The UK's South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit, along with the Dutch police (Politie), Europol, Eurojust and the UK's National Crime Agency, has arrested six suspects allegedly behind a €24 million ($27 million) cryptocurrency theft, EuropolannouncedTuesday. The suspects - five men and one woman - were arrested at their homes in the UK and the Netherlands after a 14-month investigation, according to the announcement. The theft, which mainly targeted users’ bitcoin assets, is believed to have affected at least 4,000 victims in 12 countries, with the numbers “continuing to grow,” Europol said. A technique called typosquatting, also known as URL hijacking, was apparently used by the suspects to gain access to victims’ bitcoin wallets for stealing their funds and login details, per the announcement.“The investigation has grown from a single report of £17k [$21,583] worth of bitcoin stolen from a Wiltshire-based victim to a current estimate of more than four thousand victims in at least 12 countries. We expect that number to grow,” said Louise Boyce, detective inspector from the UK's South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit, in a separatestatementon Wednesday. The authorities have also seized “a large number of devices, equipment and valuable assets” from the suspects, Boyce added.
Have Insiders Been Buying Eloro Resources Ltd. (CVE:ELO) Shares? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So before you buy or sellEloro Resources Ltd.(CVE:ELO), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.' Check out our latest analysis for Eloro Resources Chief Financial Officer Miles Nagamatsu made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$182k worth of shares at a price of CA$0.50 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than CA$0.19 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders bought 826k shares for a total of CA$404k. Eloro Resources may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably donotwant to miss thisfreelist of growing companies that insiders are buying. Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Eloro Resources insiders own about CA$1.1m worth of shares. That equates to 16% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Eloro Resources shares in the last quarter. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Eloro Resources insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares.I like to dive deeperinto how a company has performed in the past. You can accessthisinteractive graphof past earnings, revenue and cash flow for free. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss thisfreelist of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Italy Won the 2026 Winter Olympics Bid. Here’s Why That Could Be Trouble The prosperous northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto, representing “Team Milan-Cortina,” has won the bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Now, the country is left to wonder: How can we possibly pay for this? For most Italians, the prospect of the country hosting the Olympics games again has gone down about as well as ordering a cappuccino after lunch. Cue eye-rolls and barely concealed expressions of incredulity. In 2016, Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi, a member of the populist Five Star Movement, pulled the Eternal City out of the running for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. (A year later, the International Olympic Committee awarded those games to Paris). Meanwhile, Italy Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio, the highest ranking Five Star politician in the country, did his best to ice the Milan-Cortina candidacy last autumn when he told journalists, “as the government, we won’t provide a single euro — neither for direct nor indirect costs.” Fast-forward to today, however, and the government has already changed its tune. The coalition government has said it will kick in about 415 million euros ($473 million), most of which would go towards security. “In Italy we have a saying, ‘Saltare sul carro dei vincitore,’” said Massimiliano Trovato of Istituto Bruno Leoni, which translates to “To jump on the bandwagon.” They may be celebrating on the streets of Milan, but when the winning spirit eventually fades, the games’ organizers will have to scrounge up the funds for a project budgeted to cost $1.6 billion. Sponsors, local businesses and the IOC will offset a big chunk of the cost. But the Italian government, plus Lombardy, Veneto, the city of Milan and the tiny alpine municipality of Cortina d’Ampezzo will still be on the hook for roughly $700 million, Trovato estimates. That figure is manageable, he says, as long as the organizers don’t go over-budget. They almost always do. Trovato had done cost-benefit analysis research on Olympic host cities long before the games were awarded to his home region. His conclusion: most of the time it’s a bad deal.Citing a 2016 study, cost-overruns on the Summer Games average 176 percent of the original budget, he says. For Winter Games, it averages to 142 percent over-budget. “I have long been against these kinds of projects,” he says. “The Olympics is like throwing a very expensive party. Some people like very expensive parties. But there may be better ways to spend public funds.” Italy’s dismal finances were hard to hide at what otherwise should have been a joyous press conference on Monday. Italy Undersecretary of State Giancarlo Giorgetti sheepishly told reporters, “We have budget problems in Italy but I think that this is something that everyone has.” What he was referring to was Italy’s debt load, one of the biggest in the world. The Italian government had forecasted Italy’s public debt would begin to swing lower in the next decade to 120 percent of GDP, a forecast that the OECD, for one, isn’t buying. In addition to staggering debt, Italy’s problem is slow-to-no-growth and soaring unemployment. Deficit hawks in Brussels have repeatedly slapped down the government’s attempts to spend its way out of the current decade-long rut. And that straight jacket has hobbled the country’s economic ambitions since the 2008 financial crisis. Under this lens, the success of the Olympic Games will be measured. Analysts note that cost-overruns on an event of this size is unlikely to add much to the Italian debt load. (There are rosy predictions that a well-run Games could even contribute 840 million euros to Italian GDP in the next decade). But Italy’s many creditors will be watching the run-up to these Games particularly closely nonetheless. Trovato believes that if any faction can pull off the Winter Games, it’s the Milan, Lombardy, Veneto trio. But, he notes, if there are any benefits to be had it will reaped almost exclusively by this part of the country, Italy’s richest. “To call this a victory for Italy is wrong,” Trovato said. “It’s a victory for Lombardy and Veneto. That’s a very different thing.” —Meet the A.I. landlord that’s building asingle-family-home empire —Slack went public without an IPO. Here’show a direct offering works —5 things to knowabout Facebook’s new cryptocurrency, Libra —Thispot company stockis now more popular thanAppleamong millennials —When thenext recession hits, four good things could happen Don’t miss the dailyTerm Sheet,Fortune‘s newsletter on deals and dealmakers.
Tesla: Sales record within reach but deliveries are problem DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is close to setting a quarterly record for deliveries, but the company is having trouble shipping vehicles to the right places as the second quarter comes to a close, CEO Elon Musk told workers in an internal memo. Musk wrote that the company could break the record of 90,700 deliveries set in last year's fourth quarter if everyone goes "all out" before the quarter ends on Sunday. Wall Street will be watching, because shares of the Palo Alto, California, company are down more than 30 percent this year, as investors became concerned about demand for Tesla's electric vehicles. In the first quarter the company delivered only 63,000, a 31 percent drop from the fourth quarter of last year. The company has not changed its guidance of 360,000 to 400,000 vehicles this year, and Musk has repeatedly denied there is a demand problem for the company's three vehicles, the Model S full-size sedan, the Model 3 small sedan and the Model X SUV. But Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a note to investors Wednesday that it's unlikely the company will deliver 90,000 to 100,000 vehicles this quarter, and reaching annual delivery targets "is going to be an Everest-like task in our opinion." He expects 84,000 to 88,000 deliveries for the quarter when the company announces its numbers sometime next week. Shares of Tesla rose about 2 percent in trading early Wednesday to $224.52. "Tesla has become the ultimate 'prove me' stock, and it must start with a good 2Q delivery unit number" to restore its credibility with Wall Street, Ives wrote. "Musk & Co. have talked the talk, now it's time to walk the walk." Details of the internal memo were reported Tuesday night by Bloomberg News. Also, the electric vehicle website Electrek.com reported that Tesla production Vice President Peter Hochholdinger is no longer with the company. He's a former Audi executive who was in charge of part of the operations at the company's assembly plant in Fremont, California. The website cited a source it did not identify, and a Tesla spokesman did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about the departure. Wedbush rates Tesla shares as "Neutral" and has set a 12-month price target of $230. Ives wrote that he still sees Tesla as in the driver's seat for a transformational electric vehicle market opportunity in the coming years, but it has to steer around near-term problems involving demand and profitability. Tesla lost $702.1 million in the first quarter, among its worst quarters in two years. Musk predicted another loss in the second quarter but said Tesla would be profitable again by the third quarter.
How Many Sharps Compliance Corp. (NASDAQ:SMED) Shares Did Insiders Buy, In The Last Year? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares inSharps Compliance Corp.(NASDAQ:SMED). It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Columbia Universitystudyfound that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. View our latest analysis for Sharps Compliance Independent Director Parris Holmes made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$132k worth of shares at a price of US$3.34 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$3.51. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. The good news for Sharps Compliance share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders bought 46250 shares for a total of US$153k. In the last twelve months Sharps Compliance insiders were buying shares, but not selling. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably donotwant to miss thisfreelist of growing companies that insiders are buying. Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at Sharps Compliance. Overall, three insiders shelled out US$153k for shares in the company -- and none sold. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook. I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 35% of Sharps Compliance shares, worth about US$20m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. The recent insider purchases are heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Sharps Compliance we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. Of course,the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Sharps Compliance, you should check out thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. But note:Sharps Compliance may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Group Warns That A U.S. Pullout From IMO 2020 Won't Have Much Impact One scenario that has hung over the implementation of IMO 2020 is the possibility that the Trump administration, faced with rising gasoline and diesel costs that could be attributed all or in part to the new regulation, decides to pull the U.S. out of the pact. The setup would fit the current political landscape – a multilateral organization with an international treaty of which the U.S. is just one of many signatories, so the whole issue of sovereignty can be raised; and reaffirming that sovereignty by pulling out of the treaty. The rule goes back to a 2008 decision by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an agency of the United Nations that can be portrayed as a multilateral villain; rising oil prices hitting the average gasoline consumer; and in particular, increasing diesel prices affecting over-the-road truck drivers who would properly be seen as part of the demographic that makes up President Trump's base. A diverse group that includes oil producers and independent refiners has issued a report under the auspices of Charles River Associates (CRA) that in effect says about a possible withdrawal from IMO 2020 – don't bother. It isn't going to make any difference. The group that commissioned CRA to do the report is theCoalition for American Energy Security.It appears to have no other issue on its agenda except implementation of IMO 2020. It includes the U.S. trade association for refiners (American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, or AFPM), the biggest group of independent U.S. oil producers (the Independent Petroleum Association of America) and the cross-industry behemoth the American Petroleum Institute. The United Steelworkers, which represents many refinery workers, also is a member. IMO 2020 is a rule being implemented by the multinational IMO, first agreed upon in 2008 and affirmed in 2016, to reduce the sulfur content of marine fuel. The first reduction was from no limit to 3.5 percent sulfur. The IMO 2020 rule limits sulfur to 0.5 percent on January 1, though changes to get ready for it are expected by fall. IMO 2020 is expected to produce greater demand for an existing diesel product that is used in marine applications – marine gasoil – or a diversion of a diesel intermediate product, vacuum gasoil, that now goes to make over-the-road diesel (or gasoline). The thrust of the report can be found in a series of points that most observers have been making for awhile about a possible U.S. withdrawal from IMO 2020. – The U.S. is not that big a deal in the market for marine fuels, also known as bunker fuels. U.S.-flagged vessels are only about 1 percent of all merchant ships measured by volume. Sales of bunker fuels in the U.S. account for about 7 percent of global sales. – A potential goal that a U.S.-opt out would have would be to encourage ships of other nations calling on U.S. ports to also be in non-compliance. "Flag States' control over compliance is limited since Port States can enforce compliance on any ship entering their ports and waterways," the report says. "It is therefore highly unlikely that significant levels of non-compliance would be driven by Flag State non-enforcement." – If the U.S. wanted to encourage ships to come into its ports and be non-compliant, it couldn't do it alone. "Such an arrangement alone would only have a minor impact on global non-compliance given the U.S. position in global bunker fuel sales and the high percentage of ships leaving the U.S. for countries that would not be willing partners in a non-compliance scheme," the report says. – Other countries with significant ports have no intention of allowing IMO 2020 violations. To the contrary, Singapore, as the report notes, is threatening prison terms of up to two years for the captain of any ships coming to port there that are not in compliance. Rotterdam pushed for IMO 2020. The United Arab Emirates is not a member of MARPOL, the original treaty that led to IMO 2020. But one of its key ports, Fujairah, is demanding compliance from ships stopping there. – This is not an issue where too many ship owners want to find themselves out of the mainstream. Companies already have sustainability goals, the report said, and they wish to "avoid negative customer perceptions." Some insurance companies have signaled that they may withhold coverage from non-compliant vessels. – The U.S. may want to pull out because it doesn't want to be part of an international effort, but according to the report, it would need an international effort to have any impact. There would need to be a "coalition of IMO 2020 non-compliance trade partners" to have any significant shift away from MGO or VLSFO and back into HSFO. Such a grouping could use its breadth to try to force some ports to begin accepting non-compliant ships. There are several major countries that have not signed on with compliance for IMO 2020, including China. But Japan, the Netherlands and Singapore have, and given those countries' key roles in international trade, an effort to undercut IMO 2020 would face a formidable challenge if ships needed to avoid those ports of call. The report is optimistic about the ability of the refining sector to meet the new demands, but that would be expected in a report funded in part by the AFPM and such larger refiners as Valero. The report also cites the increased production in the U.S. of low sulfur crude oil as a boost to the U.S. ability to produce compliant fuel. But the crude oil from shale, while also being low sulfur, has a gravity that is considered "light" and does not produce a high yield of fuel oil. That is normally a benefit for most refiners, but not to meet the challenges of making VLSFO. (One market reaction from the preparation for IMO 2020 has been that crudes that are low-sulfur and heavy – an unusual combination – have increased sharply in value relative to other grades of crude oil.) The report also doesn't see a significant change in price as a result of IMO 2020. It cites the Energy Information Administration report that sees the U.S. government agency projecting a 5 percent increase in diesel prices between 2019 and 2020. But the Charles River report itself sees only a change of about 4 cents/gallon; in other words, less than the price of diesel might move in a week. Image Sourced From Pixabay See more from Benzinga • Port Report: Shipping Set Fair In 2019, Moody's Says, But Clouds Loom • World's Largest Trailer Maker Inches Closer To A Hong Kong IPO • Schneider Starts Intermodal Service At CSX Indianapolis Ramp © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Ohio farmland is underwater. That's big trouble for the corn industry GREENVILLE, Ohio – Scott Labig spotted Larry Campbell's tractor from the seat of his John Deere, just on the other side of their shared fence. These neighbors and friends have been planting side by side for 40 years in Darke County, one of Ohio's leading producers of corn and soybeans. But this recent June day was different than any other day in those past four decades, and Labig had to call his friend about it. He needed reassurance, connection, encouragement. And it couldn't wait to talk until they were both done for the day. Labig was doing something he had never done in his career. Something his father and his grandfather never did either in their time working this same land for the last century. "I am ashamed of how I am planting corn today," Labig told Campbell on the phone. "This is terrible." He was putting seeds into mud. How could things actually grow in this mess? It didn't feel like he was doing his job properly. It didn't look like a garden, he thought. American farmers in danger:Low prices, floods and trade wars put their survival at risk Campbell knew what to say because he was telling himself the same thing as he plowed the mud on his side of the fence. "Close your eyes and keep driving," he said. Those dire conditions are actually what good luck looks like for farmers this year. Labig and Campbell were, after all, able to plant something during the few days when the skies closed. Others in Ohio haven't planted a single seed in 2019 because of the unrelenting rain, particularly in the northwest corner of the state. In a terrible twist, this is also the area most dependent on sunny skies and warm weather this time of year: These farmers typically produce 45% of all of Ohio's corn. Still, the record-breaking deluge has put thousands of acres – and farmers – underwater across the state. This time of year, Ohio's farmland should be alive and brand new again, peppered with the pop of bright green corn stalks already reaching the height of a tall man's shins. Instead, standing water comes up to the knee in some fields. Plots are more like muddy swamps where the only thing that's growing is mold and disease and mosquitoes. US-China trade war:How the battle could ruin your Fourth of July More on trade war:As the trade war with China heats up this summer, who is feeling the chill? The planting reports confirm this. On June 11, when almost all of Ohio's corn should have been planted, only 50% of the crop was in the ground,according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers should have had 89% of their soybeans in the ground then, too. Instead, they reported about 39% of their crop in the fields. This is, of course, not a problem that stops at the Ohio border.The planting season, overall, is at its slowest pace in 40 years. There have been extreme weather events across the Midwest and the Great Plains during this year's planting season, one that typically ends by early June for corn and mid-June for soybeans. At the beginning of June,31 million acres of America's farmlandremained unplanted. There's been flooding in Missouri, tornadoes in Indiana and heavy rains pretty much everywhere else. Farmers across the country are taking to Twitter to share shocking images of unplanted fields, seeking advice, community and comfort from others facing similar trials. It's a trending topic, and the hashtag says it all:#Noplant19. It's already the wettest yearlong period in Ohio since 1895. For the first six months of the year,the state's seen about 10 inchesmore than the mean for the last decade. It's already been called disastrous. In June, Gov. Mike DeWine’s requested aUSDA Disaster Designation for Ohiofarmers affected by heavy rainfall. And according to this week's forecast, the rain isn't stopping any time soon. Related:Does rain cause more mosquitoes? Among the number of suffering states in America's corn belt, Ohio's planting progress is the worst anywhere. The reason for this actually goes beyond the rain. When the downpour has stopped for a day or two, cloudy skies and cooler than average temperatures have ensured that the water on the ground isn't drying up. Even if the sun is out, farmers can't plant in a puddle. The effects of unplanted fields for the farmer is immediate and obvious. Fewer plants mean lower yield means less money in the bank. All of this also means more hardship and heartache for a position that already hasthe highest suicide rate of any job in this country, double even that of veterans. This isn't just about the farmers, though. These crops – corn and soybeans – are tied up in a lot of what we all eat and how much we spend on it. So the long term and less obvious impact of today's rain and mud? That could show up on higher grocery bills. Still, the future and far-reaching economic consequences are harder to predict than the weather. But, like the rain still standing on fields in Ohio, the costs of delayed planting won't just disappear on their own. That's how economist Matthew Pot sees it, and he sees a lot. He was raised on a farm in the Canadian province of Ontario, and he also studies grain markets. He's got a whole company dedicated to it, Grain Perspectives. Pot can't say exactly what will happen with the price of corn and soybeans after this wet season, if it will affect prices listed on grocery store shelves. It won't affect the corn we buy. That's because the corn grown in Ohio is not the kind that we eat. However, it is eaten by animals we do eat. It's mostly raised for livestock feed and for use in ethanol. There's still hope, too, that the farmers and the fields aren't totally doomed. So much of this crop's fate will be determined by the weather in the next few months, Pot said. If there are enough sunny, warm days – but not too warm and not too sunny – the shorter season corn that's been planted in the last couple weeks still has enough time, technically, to grow before the first frost. That is, of course, if the first frost doesn't come early this year. The list of potential complexities behind what farmers will grow and sell and what others will buy really could go on and on, and they are even coming from thousands of miles away. Pot, for instance, considers the influence on prices of all the corn coming from a huge harvest in Brazil and Argentina. And if farmers are trying to avoid corn altogether, the number one substitute – soybeans – is also newly complicated. Farmers have long rotated soybeans and corn in their fields to keep the soil healthy. But many are turning to soybeansinsteadof corn this year because soybeans have a shorter grow time. But the current U.S. trade war with China has created a tumultuous climate for soybean prices. China is the largest buyer of America's soybeans. It's a lot to take in, things are moving quickly and they are changing daily. Uncertainty has been a part of these markets, but even the experts are noticing that the current chaos is unprecedented. Little things are happening that just don't happen, like how the USDA is changing bushel yield estimates in June. That's later than normal. "2019 will be a year that will be an analog year where people will talk about for the next multiple decades in the industry for sure," he said, "because it stands out that much." Ryan Fennig has seen this, too, in his world. He's a farmer in Mercer County, but he also is a crop insurance agent. (Scott Labig is a client.) Fennig's been getting thousands of calls and texts and emails from his thousand clients in the past year. They are worried about all that those things that economists like Pot talks about. But Fennig says the farmers he works with are also driven by another force. Some didn't have to plant this year to provide for their families, to survive. They can not plant and file crop insurance and get at least some money for the year. But he's heard, time again, that these same folks wanted to plant because they understand there is livestock to feed, people to feed. Planting may have been the wrong choice for the farmer, but it may have been the right one for his or her neighbor. They have a responsibility. They think of the bigger picture, he said. That if they don't get out in the mud today and do what they can, the rest of us may not be able to go to the store and buy milk later. More:Who are the top losers of the U.S-China trade war? In the last few months, Fennig said, he's gone from a crop insurance agent to a psychiatrist. The calls might start at 5 a.m. and keep coming until 2 a.m. He's usually awake to pick up. Fennig walks the farmers through options, decisions. He reassures them about what their policies will do. Sometimes, he'll do more listening than talking. Farming is always a gamble, a game where the bets are placed against Mother Nature. Every farmer knows that, and crop insurance helps soften the losses. It's a relatively new safety net established bythe Federal Crop Insurance Act of 1980. Simply put, it works a bit like long-term disability benefits, helping people still get paid after some catastrophe limits income. Essentially, farmers get a payment if they have insufficient yields of corn, but the amount of coverage is tied to deadlines for planting. The last day to file for corn was June 5. On that day, a farmer might expect to get 55% of their average production history covered. But each day after, their coverage goes down 1% daily. (For instance, a June 6 filing would yield 54% coverage.) The deadline for soybeans was June 20. Farmers, of course, don't have to file for insurance even if they have it. They also don't have to file insurance for all their acreage, either. That's what Labig did. He was able to plant corn and soybeans in all but 50 acres of his property. So much goes into the decision to plant or not, to file or not, but what farmers want is quite simple. You ask 10 farmers if they want to plant, no matter what, and 10 farmers will tell you "yes," said Ty Higgins, spokesperson for the Ohio Farm Bureau. But so many of the farmers he's talked to this year fear they won't have any income in 2019 if they do bet on the land and plant. Not farming is unnatural for the farmer. It doesn't feel right. And there is no way to fix it, to control the weather or the market or international politics. It's lonely out in the fields, too. It's often just the farmer and the farm and those fears for hours and hours. And most farmers also can't avoid these worries. They live where they work and work where they live. The Labigs can see the water in their fields from the front windows of their house. It's so high that wind causes ripples on the surface. Close up, it could be a lake. Scott Labig processes all of this with a simple focus. He says he takes it one day at a time. Every night, before he goes to bed, he goes to his calendar and writes down what he needs to do the next day. The next day is often just an hour away: These days, he can't start his list until 11 p.m. For Campbell, there have been even more sleepless nights. "It's been one of those years, you want to wake up and forget about it," he said. Fred Pond feels it, too, even though he's not a farmer. He's part of the agriculture industry that goes beyond the field, like the tractor repair shop and the local grain elevator. These are the retail and service operations that also rely on Ohio's corn and soybean harvest – but they don't have crop insurance. He runs Pond Seed Company in Scott, Ohio, and provides products to farmers in some of the areas hardest hit by the rainfall. His employees are terrified, he said. They are paid on sales commissions, and they can't sell seeds to farmers who aren't planting. Pond bought all of his staff their favorite ice cream the other week. He doesn't know what else to do. Strangely enough, Pond has still been really busy. He's been spending a lot of time helping farmers make the best decision possible. One farmer made the best decision three times this year. He first bought corn seed that matures in 112-114 days. Rainfall closed that time frame, so he came back to get 107-109 day corn. Weather, again, closed that window. Then, he came back one more time for 103-day version. Pond's even, for the first time, selling 88-day corn seed. "I'm 60 and I have never seen that," he said. "This is uncharted territory." The soil, however, does offer some hints on where the season is going next. It's what Labig and Campbell saw when they were out in their fields. To the trained eye, mud is not just mud out here. Laura Lindsey, an agronomist with Ohio State University, explains it this way. It's called soil compaction. That means that the pore space for air and water is much smaller than it's supposed to be. It causes erosion and reduced, less healthy crop yields. "As things get later, you feel more comfortable planting in the marginal conditions," she said. "Time is running out, and it's not something we want to do, it's not something we recommend farmers to do. But when the clock is ticking, it's really hard. You just can't wait." The clock started ticking for what felt like all of Darke County on June 3. The sky would up open again in just about 48 hours. When Campbell went out to plant on that finally clear day, he could see every one of his neighbors also out on their tractors. That's something he's never seen before, and he saw them all out even after sunset. He saw them because he was still out there, too. And they all kept working, even when they planted everything they could in their own fields. Farmers here then head over to their neighbors' lands, offering to do whatever they can as soon as they can. That's how Labig's soybeans got planted, actually. Two friends, a tractor and a little bit of time made all the difference. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer:Ohio farmland is underwater. That's big trouble for the corn industry
Need To Know: Sharps Compliance Corp. (NASDAQ:SMED) Insiders Have Been Buying Shares Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares inSharps Compliance Corp.(NASDAQ:SMED). Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.' Check out our latest analysis for Sharps Compliance Independent Director Parris Holmes made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$132k worth of shares at a price of US$3.34 each. That implies that an insider found the current price of US$3.51 per share to be enticing. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider purchases were made at close to current prices. In the last twelve months insiders paid US$153k for 46250 shares purchased. Sharps Compliance may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! Sharps Compliance is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Over the last quarter, Sharps Compliance insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. Overall, three insiders shelled out US$153k for shares in the company -- and none sold. This makes one think the business has some good points. Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Sharps Compliance insiders own about US$20m worth of shares. That equates to 35% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. It is good to see recent purchasing. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Sharps Compliance we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check thisfreereport showing analyst forecasts for its future. Of courseSharps Compliance may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see thisfreecollection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
US military says 2 service members killed in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military said two of its service members were killed Wednesday in Afghanistan. The deaths occurred a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the Afghan capital of Kabul, where he said Washington was hopeful of a peace deal before Sept. 1. At a news conference Wednesday in New Delhi, Pompeo said he was aware of the two deaths. He offered his condolences. "I'm praying for them, for their families, and for all the soldiers that were around them," Pompeo said. "I think this drives home the need for us to be successful, right. The mission set that we've undertaken in Afghanistan is a reconciliation to reduce the level of violence, to reduce the level of risk to Afghans, broadly, and the risk to American service members." In announcing the deaths, the U.S.-led military coalition in Kabul said only that they had been killed, with no explanation. Later, a U.S. official said the two died of gunshot wounds sustained during combat while on a joint patrol with Afghan forces. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the incident and so spoke on condition of anonymity. More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led coalition invaded in October 2001 to oust the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Efforts to find a peaceful end to Afghanistan's protracted war accelerated last year with the appointment of U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who will begin a fresh round of direct talks with the Taliban on Saturday in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, where the insurgents maintain a political office. Khalilzad has held a series of meetings in Kabul as well, in an effort to restart Afghan-to-Afghan of talks that would also include the Taliban. Such a planned meeting was scuttled earlier this year because neither side could agree on participants. Story continues The Taliban have refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government, calling it a U.S. puppet, but have said they would talk with government officials if they arrive at the meeting as ordinary Afghans. Before leaving Afghanistan for India, Pompeo on Tuesday underscored Khalilzad's strategy in the talks, which involves four interconnected issues: counterterrorism, foreign troop presence, inter-Afghan dialogue and a permanent cease-fire. Wednesday's U.S. military statement announcing the killings of the U.S. service members was a terse, two-paragraph announcement. The statement also said the identities of the soldiers would not be released until their families had been notified. Talks between Khalilzad and the Taliban have focused on U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal and guarantees from the Taliban that Afghanistan would not again become a safe haven for terrorists to plan global attack like 9/11. Pompeo said the United States and the Taliban were close to a deal on countering terrorism. Pompeo added that discussions with the Taliban have also begun on U.S. troop withdrawal. "While we've made clear to the Taliban that were prepared to remove our forces, I want to be clear we've not yet agreed on a timeline to do so," Pompeo said. ___ Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Islamabad and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.
Mudslinging and Mirth: What to Expect During Wednesday's Democratic Debate With U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts the only candidate in Wednesday’s spread of10 consistently polling as a top-five contender, several lesser-known candidates will use the opportunity to be seen and heard. There also is likely to be banter over a lot of issues that have not recently grasped the public’s attention but will probably be part of the campaign discourse. The public will expect Warren to aceWednesday’s debate, said veteran Democratic consultant Ed Kilgore. “Elizabeth Warren is going to have a lot of pressure on her in part because she’s the only first-tier candidate who will be on the stage the first night and secondly, because of pretty high expectations for how she’ll perform,” Kilgore said. “She was a championship debater going back to high school and she has a pretty impressive set of policy proposals,” the consultant added. He referred to Warren’s ideas that include breaking up tech giants such asFacebookandGoogleto create a more equitable and competitive marketplace, and taxing the very rich to fund universal child care and pre-K programs. “The headline is going to be Warren and blank,” Democratic strategist Eric London toldFortune. “It’s going to be Warren and two other people.” The Washington-based consultant noted there have been predictions that Wednesday’s faceoff will be negative and aggressive. Candidates will need to watch for that, he said. “It’s high stakes because if you act over aggressive you do look desperate and you might do the winnowing yourself,” according to London. “I think the candidates will have to be careful about how they sling.” The public also can expect candidates to bring up age-old issues such as the 1994 crime bill and the 2005 bankruptcy bill, said Democratic strategist Rebecca Katz. Today’s candidates often say both pieces of legislation go against their beliefs. “I think what will be so surprising is how much of the past we may be discussing,” Katz said. “Some of these politicians have a long history in government and (U.S. Sen. Bernie) Sanders (of Vermont) and (former Vice President Joe) Biden have cast many votes.” Even more significant, she said, is that Wednesday will present a unique opportunity for the public to see three women candidates on the stage. The layout at Miami’s Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, a 90-year-old Art Deco theater that holds 2,200, will be, left to right: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, former U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Warren, former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and former U.S. Rep. John Delaney of Maryland. Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie of NBC News, Jose Diaz-Balart of Telemundo and NBC News, Chuck Todd of NBC News and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC will moderate. Candidates will have up to 60 seconds to answer questions. The Democratic National Committee chose to spread the first debate over two nights because of the large number of candidates who qualified to take part based on number of donors and poll numbers. Higher polling candidates will be at the center of the stage, meaning that Warren and former O’Rourke will stand next to one another center stage. O’Rourke’s poll numbers have been sliding, and he likely will feel the pressure to perform well and raise his numbers, political watchers are saying. One factor that will not be president on the first night is Democratic frontrunner Biden, and this also is likely to affect the dynamics on Wednesday night, experts said. This will present an opportunity for candidates to take shots at the former vice president without him being able to immediately respond. As for members of the public who are still trying to figure out the difference between20 candidates, London advises viewers to pay attention. “Could you imagine somebody being president and could you imagine somebody going toe-to-toe with Donald Trump,” the strategist said. “I think people will be surprised at how many people could fulfill both of those (roles).” London added, “At the end of the first night there’s going to be one or two people who have been written off, who people are going to say after this debate, ‘Wow, they were impressive.’ “ —Democratic debate watch parties—and drinking games—are a thing —Meet the2020 Democratic presidential candidatesyou’ve (probably) never heard of —Issues that divide 2020 candidates going into thefirst Democratic debate —These are thetop-polling Democratic candidates —The2019 Democratic debate clashesyou won’t get to see —What to know About the2019 Democratic debate: start time, schedule, format
Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for June 26th Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong momentum characteristics for investors to consider today, June 26th: John Bean Technologies Corporation(JBT): This technology solutions provider to food and beverage industry has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 4.9% over the last 60 days. John Bean Technologies Corporation price-consensus-chart | John Bean Technologies Corporation Quote John Bean Technologies’ shares gained 11.3% over the last one month more than S&P 500’s rise of 4.1%. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. John Bean Technologies Corporation price | John Bean Technologies Corporation Quote Roper Technologies, Inc.(ROP): This developer of software and engineered products and solutions has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 1.3% over the last 60 days. Roper Technologies, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Roper Technologies, Inc. Quote Roper Technologies’ shares gained 5.4% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Roper Technologies, Inc. price | Roper Technologies, Inc. Quote Broadwind Energy, Inc.(BWEN): This products provider to the energy, mining and infrastructure sector has a Zacks Rank #2 and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 63.6% over the last 60 days. Broadwind Energy, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Broadwind Energy, Inc. Quote Broadwind Energy’s shares gained 21.2% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Broadwind Energy, Inc. price | Broadwind Energy, Inc. Quote Energy Recovery, Inc.(ERII): This energy solutions provider to industrial fluid flow markets has a Zacks Rank #2 and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 3.8% over the last 60 days. Energy Recovery, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Energy Recovery, Inc. Quote Energy Recovery’sshares gained 4.3% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. Energy Recovery, Inc. price | Energy Recovery, Inc. Quote See thefull list of top ranked stocks here Learn more about theMomentum score and how it is calculated here. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportRoper Technologies, Inc. (ROP) : Free Stock Analysis ReportJohn Bean Technologies Corporation (JBT) : Free Stock Analysis ReportEnergy Recovery, Inc. (ERII) : Free Stock Analysis ReportBroadwind Energy, Inc. (BWEN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
Introducing Ekso Bionics Holdings (NASDAQ:EKSO), The Stock That Tanked 88% Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Long term investing is the way to go, but that doesn't mean you should hold every stock forever. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. Spare a thought for those who heldEkso Bionics Holdings, Inc.(NASDAQ:EKSO) for five whole years - as the share price tanked 88%. And we doubt long term believers are the only worried holders, since the stock price has declined 26% over the last twelve months. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 48% in the last 90 days. While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness. See our latest analysis for Ekso Bionics Holdings Because Ekso Bionics Holdings is loss-making, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth. In the last half decade, Ekso Bionics Holdings saw its revenue increase by 13% per year. That's a fairly respectable growth rate. So it is unexpected to see the stock down 34% per year in the last five years. The truth is that the growth might be below expectations, and investors are probably worried about the continual losses. You can see how revenue and earnings have changed over time in the image below, (click on the chart to see cashflow). Thisfreeinteractive report on Ekso Bionics Holdings'sbalance sheet strengthis a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. Ekso Bionics Holdings shareholders are down 26% for the year, but the market itself is up 6.6%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, longer term shareholders are suffering worse, given the loss of 34% doled out over the last five years. We would want clear information suggesting the company will grow, before taking the view that the share price will stabilize. If you would like to research Ekso Bionics Holdings in more detail then you might want totake a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company. Of courseEkso Bionics Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see thisfreecollection of growth stocks. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Buried in Facebook’s Libra White Paper, a Digital Identity Bombshell The Takeaway • Facebook’s Libra white paper includes a brief but potentially seismic nod to digital identity standards. • With 2 billion users worldwide, Facebook may be able to succeed where others have failed in jump-starting a globally accepted digital ID. • Some identity experts say this is even more important than the cryptocurrency, but others question how much control Libra would give users and find its approach overbearing. Buried in Facebook’s Libra white paper are two short sentences hinting that the project’s ambitions go even further thanbringing billions of people into the global financial system. More than launching a price-stable cryptocurrency for the masses, Libra could be aiming to change the way people trust each other on the internet. Related:What Indonesia Reveals About Facebook’s Cryptocurrency Ambitions At the top of page nine, in a section describing the consortium that will govern the Libra coin, the white paper states: “An additional goal of the association is to develop and promote an open identity standard. We believe that decentralized and portable digital identity is a prerequisite to financial inclusion and competition.” That’s all the paper has to say on the topic of identity, perhaps explaining why the brief mention of such afoundational issuefor 21st-century commerce escaped widespread notice despite all the hype over the document itself. But to some observers, the line dropped like a bomb. Related:Swiss Central Banker ‘Relaxed’ About Facebook’s Libra Crypto Dave Birch, director of Consult Hyperion and the author of books ondigital identityandbitcoin, flagged these lines as “the most interesting” in the paper. Smoothing pathways on the internet using identity is a bigger deal to many people than a putative cryptocurrency, Birch argued, adding: “There are no throwaway remarks in a Facebook white paper that has taken a year to put together. It’s in there for a reason. [Facebook] are actually going to try and fix the identity problem.” A Facebook spokeswoman said this week that the company had nothing to add about identity beyond what’s in the white paper. It’s a problem almost as old as the internet itself. As the classic “New Yorker” cartoon put it, “on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” In such an environment, businesses need to guard against fraud, but the copious amounts of personal data consumers must share to prove they are who they say they are leaves themvulnerable to identity theftandspying. Fixing this problem means finding a way to have the sort of credentials an individual holds in their physical wallet realized in a verifiable digital version which can be trusted across the internet. And for many technologists who have thought long and hard about identity, the solution must be “self-sovereign,” or controlled by the individual. Birch, who has long seen the potential of social networks as natural springboards for managing digital identity, described a scenario where a user’s “I am over 18” credential (rather than their exact birthdate) is needed to log into a dating site. This could be accessed through Libra’s cryptocurrency wallet Calibra via one of its partners, Mastercard, for example, with its two-factor authentication process. Then a cryptographic credential is sent back to Calibra containing no personally identifiable information but stating this person is over 18, which can then be presented to the dating site at log in. While others have proposedsimilar arrangements(sometimesinvolving blockchains), none had the reach of Facebook, with its 2.38 billion users worldwide. If Libra were “to drift in the direction of self-sovereign solutions, Facebook’s endorsement of that approach might make more of an impact on the market than, say,uPortorEvernymmight have done,” Birch said,referring to two such blockchain ID startups. And despite its reputation as theultimate Peeping Tom, Facebook has hinted at such aspirations before. In February, while Libra was still under wraps, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he wasinvestigating blockchain’s potentialto allow internet users to log in to various services via one set of credentials without relying on third parties. Stepping back, technologists have been trying to address the challenge of identity for more than a decade by establishingopen standards. In the same way that URLs, for example, open webpages anywhere on the internet, standards are also needed to ensure digital attributes about an individual can be universally issued and verified. The OAuth standard, for example, is what let you log into websites through a third-party service like Facebook without sharing a password.More recently, such work under the auspices of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has included things like Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and the verifiable credentials standard, both meant to enable self-sovereign digital identity. Some veterans of this field were taken aback by the suggestion that the Libra Association (a group of 30 or so companies, expected to reach 100 or more) would develop an open identity standard. “That’s very world domination-ish of them,” saidKaliya Young,a co-authorof “A Comprehensive Guide to Self Sovereign Identity” and co-founder of the Internet Identity Workshop.“Some of us have been working on that problem for a really long time. You already have a set of open standards for verifiable credentials that are basically done and working.” Young pointed out that “unilaterally declaring” an open standard belies the process of going through standards development with an open community, adding that all the people working on identity standards are connected to one another in reaching a common goal. “Thatwork is being led by a community of people deeply committed to there being no one company owning it in the end, because identity is too big to be owned, just like the web is too big to be owned,” she said. (Indeed, Facebook was previously said to haverebuffed an invitationto participate in the DID project alongside Microsoft.) Phil Windley, chair at the Sovrin Foundation, which contributed the codebase to the Hyperledger Indy blockchain ID project, acknowledged the risk of parsing two sentences in Libra’s paper too finely. But he made the point that “decentralized” and “portable” (Facebook’s words) are not exactly the same as self-sovereign. “Decentralized” could simply mean a user’s identity data – their attributes and identifiers – are spread among nodes that are run on the Libra blockchain, said Windley. This doesn’t imply the user necessarily has control of them. Likewise, “portable” just means credentials can be moved from one place to another but doesn’t necessarily mean you get a say in how they are used. Windley told CoinDesk: “People often use ‘decentralized’ as an unalloyed gilt and just assume that it means everything is going to be great. That could be what they are doing here – just using ‘decentralized’ as a synonym for ‘awesome.’” That said, Windley was respectful about the scale of Libra’s vision, which he suspects is much bigger than dealing with know-your-customer (KYC) checks and the regulation around building a global permissioned currency platform. He pointed to the paper’s authors which include many firms like Mastercard or Kiva, folks who have thought very hard about digital identity. (Neither company would comment on Libra’s approach to digital identity). “I suspect given Libra’s goal of financial inclusion, they are probably thinking about it bigger than just authentication and authorization for a few narrow purposes,” said Windley. “I think there is enough there (e.g. the smart contract language) to believe a stablecoin is just one thing that they envisage using Libra for.” In the absence of any detail on what might comprise a decentralized identity standard from Libra’s perspective, some dots can be joined by examining the recent work of George Danezis and his co-founders at Chainspace, a startup acquired by Facebook in May. A paper introducing a “selective disclosure credential scheme” calledCoconutexplains how a system of smart contracts (computer programs that run on top of blockchains) could “issue user credentials depending on the state of the blockchain, or attest some claim about a user operating through the contract – such as their identity, attributes, or even the balance of their wallet.” The Coconut protocol goes on to describe how credentials can be jointly issued in a decentralized manner by a group of “mutually distrusting authorities.” These credentials cannot be forged by users or a group of corrupt authorities, and are also “re-randomized” prior to being presented for verification to further protect user privacy. Unlike some computationally-hungry proving schemes, this is done in a matter of a few milliseconds making it highly scalable. Returning to the question of standards, Birch said W3C, DIDs and verified credentials might be the right option for Libra, but whether it’s that or something else, basically whatever they choose would end up being a standard, he said, concluding: “And you could argue, is that necessarily a bad thing? I mean what happens if they come up with a good standard for identity and attributes and so on and then other people can use it, e.g. banks would be one obvious example.” Mark Zuckerbergimage via Facebook • Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency: Bad for Privacy, Bad for Competition • Second US Congressional Hearing Is Scheduled on Facebook’s Libra Crypto
Mississippi fights lawsuit over reliance on mental hospitals JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — As the federal government tries to compel Mississippi to give mentally ill people more options to get the treatment they need in their own communities, the experiences of Harold Biggs and Pamela Kirby offer a sharp contrast. Biggs, 75, has tried for decades to get help for his adult daughter, who has borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder with schizoid affect and intellectual disabilities. For most of that time, he's felt that his only option was to ask a judge to confine her to a state mental hospital, where she's spent 12 of the last 24 years. And during her time on the outside, Biggs says she often doesn't get adequate treatment or supervision. "I feel terrible about it to have to do that," Biggs testified earlier this month in federal court. "I feel responsible in a lot of ways. I'm the one who has to do the commitment." U.S. Justice Department lawyers who are suing the state in a trial that began June 4 say that Biggs' experience is too often typical. In 2014, the most recent year with figures available, Mississippi had the nation's highest per capita number of people in government psychiatric hospitals. Mississippi spends more per capita on mental health than any neighboring state, and 2018 federal figures show adults are twice as likely to be hospitalized in Mississippi as nationwide. Pamela Kirby is proof that there's a different option. The 38-year-old student took a leave of absence from her doctoral program due to a combination of physical and mental problems. She says she was hearing voices and ended up homeless. For many people seeking treatment for serious mental illness in the Magnolia State, that could have been a ticket to one of the state's four mental hospitals. But Kirby was flagged for what's known as assertive community treatment, getting counseling, medication and other support that came to her. She improved, and she re-enrolled in 2015 at Jackson State University. Now, Kirby says she's close to completing her dissertation, and hopes to win a college teaching job in her native Alabama. Story continues "Now it seems like it's all going to work out for the best," Kirby said. The Justice Department has warned Mississippi since 2011 that its reliance on hospitals is a problem. Federal officials say Mississippi violates the U.S. Supreme Court's 1999 Olmstead decision, which said "unjustified" confinement in a mental hospital violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The decision says people with mental disabilities are supposed to be treated in the least restrictive possible setting, if possible outside a hospital. The original Olmstead case dealt with people with developmental disabilities, but the Mississippi case deals only with adults with psychiatric illnesses. Other states have been accused of violating Olmstead, and those states have often reached legal settlements agreeing to do more. Mississippi balked at settling after negotiations. The Justice Department wants Mississippi to expand services such as assertive community treatment, which helped Kirby, but is available in fewer than a quarter of the state's 82 counties. Officials also want broader crisis intervention to keep mentally ill people out of jails, plus housing and employment that support people with mental illness. The vast majority of mentally ill people in Mississippi do get treatment in community settings — 82,000 last year compared to 2,700 who were admitted to state hospitals. But about 40% of Mississippi's mental health spending is on hospitals, federal data show, compared to about 26% nationwide. Federal lawyers emphasize that Mississippi must do better at connecting people who leave hospitals to community treatment, keeping them from falling through the cracks of inadequate discharge planning. While state officials say they're making good progress in expanding community treatment and reducing reliance on state hospitals, they say the federal government is making exorbitant demands that exceed its authority. "DOJ is essentially insisting that the poorest state in the nation have the most robust system of community-based services," Jim Shelson, one of the lawyers defending the state, said in his opening argument. "We submit that's not realistic and not what Olmstead requires." Shelson also faults the federal government for not providing a cost estimate for the changes. Federal lawyers say that isn't their job. Federal officials have suggested that Mississippi could draw down more federal Medicaid money with a larger emphasis on community treatment, and shift money away from hospitals. State officials argue that they'll still have to spend money to support the four hospitals' overhead costs, and that community treatment is more expensive than federal officials claim. Justice Department lawyers dispute Mississippi's claims of progress, saying Mississippi was barely moving until it was legally threatened. "Mississippi has still not complied with the requirements and promise of the ADA," Justice Department lawyer Deena Fox told U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves in opening arguments. If Mississippi wins the trial, it could undermine the Justice Department's ability to pursue disability challenges nationwide to mental health confinement. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband told the National Disability Rights Network earlier this month that it's one of three Olmstead cases the Justice Department is pursuing, along with others in Florida and Texas. Reeves is hearing the case without a jury and isn't expected to rule for months. ___ Follow Jeff Amy at: http://twitter.com/jeffamy
BTS Announces New Concert Film Bring the Soul: The Movie , Coming in August After just blessing ARMYs with a brand-new mobile game , BTS is at it again with a new movie. On June 26, the K-pop act revealed their latest project, Bring the Soul: The Movie , on their official Twitter account. Bring the Soul: The Movie will be BTS’s third feature film — following 2018’s Burn the Stage: The Movie and 2019’s Love Yourself in Seoul — and it’s set to release later this summer. Alongside the news, the group also unveiled the official poster for the movie. The band’s previous theatrical releases were received with more than ample support. Burn the Stage grossed over $18.5 million during its limited run and, shortly after, Love Yourself in Seoul went on to become the largest event cinema release to date worldwide, surpassing One Direction’s former record. Per the film’s official website , Bring the Soul , like the two previous films, will follow the septet’s 2018 Love Yourself tour , but more specifically, the European leg of the tour , covering the seven concerts the band held across four cities, including London, Berlin, and Amsterdam. In addition to the concert aspect, Bring the Soul is also reported to include never-before-seen stories from the Bangtan Boys on tour, and a recap from the members after their last 2018 European tour stop, in Paris. https://twitter.com/bts_bighit/status/1143655171899215873 “On the day following the final concert of their Europe tour, on a rooftop in Paris, BTS tells their very own stories," the official synopsis reads, "from experiencing new cities to performing in front of thousands of ARMY across the globe. A glimpse into BTS’ world away from the stage, featuring intimate group discussions alongside spectacular concert performances from the tour. Shining brighter than any light on the stage, now the group invites us behind the spotlight.” Story continues Bring the Soul , produced by Big Hit Entertainment in tandem with Camp Entertainment and distributed by Trafalgar Releasing, will debut in cinemas worldwide on August 7, with limited screenings. "Trafalgar Releasing is thrilled to collaborate with Big Hit Entertainment again for Bring the Soul: The Movie , giving fans around the world an intimate opportunity to see the band following their landmark Love Yourself tour,” Trafalgar Releasing’s CEO wrote in a press release per Forbes . “The ARMYs are truly a community, and we are excited to bring them together for an all-new BTS experience in cinemas worldwide.” Tickets for Bring the Soul will go on sale on July 3. And, of course, ARMYs are already preparing for a movie marathon . https://twitter.com/btspavedthewae_/status/1143689798369939457 Let us slide into your DMs. Sign up for the Teen Vogue daily email . Want more from Teen Vogue ? Check this out: Khalid Hinted That the Long-Awaited BTS Collab Is Coming Soon See the video. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro stagnant on Wednesday The Euro went back and forthduring the trading session on Wednesday as we continue to see a lot of choppiness. At this point, I anticipate that the market is going to try to find buyers at the 200 day EMA and the 1.1350 level. The market has resistance above at the 1.1450 level that extends to the 1.15 handle. Once we break above there it’s very likely that the market will enter a major uptrend and could last for several years. With the Federal Reserve looking likely to cut rates, it makes sense that this market could continue to rally. After all, the ECB has been dovish for quite some time so this was already known. That being the case it’s very likely that markets are trying to turn for the next several years. To the downside I think there is plenty of support as we have seen the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level hold. Ultimately, this is a market that has been oversold for some time and now that we are starting to form a bit of a “rounded bottom”, it would make sense that the buyers are starting to jump in and try to take advantage of an obvious change. Overall, this is a market that has a lot of choppiness ahead of it but it certainly looks as if it is a “buy on the dips” type of market going forward as the US dollar is getting hammered against several other currencies. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Grains go profit taking; Coffee up to 2019 highs, sugar rallies amid monsoon rains • Gold Price Futures (GC) Technical Analysis – Nearest Downside Target is 50% Level at $1383.30 • GBP/USD Price Forecast – British pound fails to hang onto gains • Gold Price Forecast – Gold markets pulled back for support • Gold Extends Decline and Tests the 1.400 Level Amid China-US Trade Truce Talks • Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude oil markets continue to tread water
Donald Trump fires back at Megan Rapinoe in tweet storm about protest Megan Rapinoe and Donald Trump are going round-and-round about protesting during the national anthem and visiting the White House. (Getty Images) USWNT star Megan Rapinoe and President Donald Trump are continuing to go round-and-round about protesting during the national anthem and visiting the White House. On Wednesday morning Trump fired back at Rapinoe for her comment about not wanting to visit the White House, using his very favorite social media platform, Twitter. To quickly recap this kerfuffle, Rapinoe has chosen to stay silent during the national anthem to protest injustice and inequality, which she’s been doing for several years. Her practice of silence has come into the spotlight with the USWNT in the Women’s World Cup, and Trump recently said that he doesn’t believe it’s appropriate for her to protest during the anthem. Eight by Eight magazine then released a months-old video of Rapinoe saying definitively, “I’m not going to the f---ing White House. ... We’re not going to be invited. I doubt it.” Now that you’re all caught up, here’s what Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. Women’s soccer player, @mPinoe , just stated that she is “not going to the F...ing White House if we win.” Other than the NBA, which now refuses to call owners, owners (please explain that I just got Criminal Justice Reform passed, Black unemployment is at the lowest level... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2019 ....in our Country’s history, and the poverty index is also best number EVER), leagues and teams love coming to the White House. I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven’t yet.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2019 ....invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose. Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2019 As always, there’s a lot to unpack. Trump starts by talking about Rapinoe, but quickly pivots to the NBA, invoking the Golden State Warriors refusing to visit the White House after their NBA championship. He then mentions NBA commissioner Adam Silver wanting team owners to be called “governors” due to the slavery connection of the word “owner,” and goes off on a tangent about “Criminal Justice Reform,” “Black unemployment,” and the poverty index. None of that is about Megan Rapinoe. Story continues He comes back to the topic at hand by professing his fandom for the “American Team,” chastises Rapinoe for mentioning a White House visit before the USWNT wins the Women’s World Cup, then he throws all of that out the window and invites the USWNT to the White House, win or lose. Of course, he ends by scolding Rapinoe about being “disrespectful” through her protests, and telling her to “Be proud of the Flag that you wear.” Of course, Rapinoe has already visited the White House, and been visibly proud of the flag that she wears. But things were a little different in 2015. Please nobody show him Megan's 2015 selfie. pic.twitter.com/Bc2r7LoKos — Slade (@Slade) June 26, 2019 Rapinoe has already made her feelings about visiting this current White House abundantly clear, and it doesn’t seem like an invitation from the man she’s called ““misogynistic,” “small-minded,” and “racist” will change her mind. And beyond all of that, that three-tweet thread was his second attempt. He had to delete them the first time around because he made a critical mistake in the first tweet, tagging a different Megan Rapino who is not the soccer player. (She even spells her name differently.) The mentions of this non-soccer Megan Rapino are likely a garbage fire now, but she was able to maintain her sense of humor and totally own the guy who made them that way. Who knew it was possible to dunk on someone in soccer? pic.twitter.com/G45RoW7cKb — James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) June 26, 2019 Trump has somehow made an enemy of two different Megans Rapino/Rapinoe. That’s not easy to do. More from Yahoo Sports: Rapinoe: ‘I’m not going to the f---ing White House’ Machado feels the love in his return to Baltimore Iggy says Warriors called fractured leg a ‘bruise’ Women’s World Cup is succeeding, no thanks to FIFA
GLOBAL MARKETS-Dollar gains on lower rate cut expectations, stocks flat (Adds U.S. market open, byline, dateline; previous LONDON) * Graphic: World FX rates in 2019 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh * Dollar gains as traders pare bets on bold U.S. rate cut * Gold sheds 1% as bets on big U.S. rate cut fades * European stocks close lower, Wall Street rises By Herbert Lash NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - The dollar rose and European shares fell on Wednesday as traders scaled back expectations of an aggressive cut in U.S. interest rates in July, while Wall Street rose on hopes of a China-U.S. trade breakthrough at the G20 summit later this week in Japan. Gold fell 1% after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday the U.S. central bank is "insulated from short-term political pressures," suggesting policymakers would not bow to pressure from President Donald Trump to sharply cut rates. Trump said Powell was doing a "bad job" and he called on the central bank to lower rates so the United States can compete with countries that he said are devaluing their currencies. A pullback in the Japanese yen and Swiss franc was limited as traders remain jittery about a resolution to the U.S.-China trade spat. Some bids for both safe-haven currencies persisted amid tensions between Iran and the United States. "Our expectation is that there will be some sort of trade truce or some goodwill signs coming out of the G20 meetings between Donald Trump and (Chinese President) Xi Jinping," said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Funds. "But neither side is ready to end the war," Kelly said, adding trade differences between the two countries likely will continue through to the U.S. presidential elections in November 2020. Earlier Wednesday, Trump told Fox Business Network he would impose additional duties on Chinese imports if he does not clinch a deal with Xi. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe shed 0.01%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 index lost 0.23% and the FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading regional shares fell 0.22%. Stocks rose on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 49.15 points, or 0.19%, to 26,597.37. The S&P 500 gained 5.33 points, or 0.18%, to 2,922.71 and the Nasdaq Composite added 48.14 points, or 0.61%, to 7,932.85. Gold snapped a six-session streak of gains after prices hit a six-year peak of $1,438.63 on Tuesday, mostly on expectations the Fed would cut rates in acknowledgment of slowing growth. Spot gold shed 0.93% to $1,409.50 an ounce. The greenback was slightly lower against the euro at $1.1374, and the dollar index edged up 0.04%. The Japanese yen weakened 0.44% versus the greenback at 107.68 per dollar. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 11/32 in price to lift its yield to 2.0296%. Germany's 10-year bond yield nudged off record lows. Oil prices rose about 3%, buoyed by U.S. government data that showed a much larger-than-expected drawdown in U.S. crude inventories and surprise drops in refined product stockpiles. Brent crude futures rose $1.48 to $66.53 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $1.59 to $59.42 a barrel. (Reporting by Herbert Lash Editing by Susan Thomas)
Buybacks Decline in First Quarter, But Overall Number Was Still Strong This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. Exchange traded funds focusing on stocks that are big buyers of their own shares, including theSPDR S&P 500 Buyback ETF (SPYB) and theInvesco Buyback Achievers ETF (PKW) , are delivering impressive showings this year. That even as share buybacks dipped a bit in the first quarter, but the decline was not alarming as the first three months of 2019 still represented one of the best periods on record for repurchase plans. First-quarter buybacks in the U.S. reached $205.8 billion. “This ends the streak of four consecutive quarters of record buybacks as Q1 2019 declined 7.7% from the Q4 2018 record of $223.0 billion. The quarter was up 8.9% from the Q1 2018 $189.1 billion, which set a record at the time,” said S&P Dow Jones Indices in a note released Monday. SPYB focuses on S&P 500 companies with the highest buyback ratio in the past 12 months. The fund tracks the S&P 500 Buyback Index and is home to 100 stocks. That index “screens securities based on the cash value of the actual buyback, not the reduction in number of shares outstanding, in order to more fully capture the shareholder value created by increasing share repurchases,”according to State Street. Apple Inc a Dominant Player Apple Inc. (AAPL) was once again a buyback giant in the first quarter. “Apple sets another index record, spending $23.8 billion in buybacks for the quarter; company accounts for eight of the top ten record quarters,” said S&P Dow Jones. Twenty-five percent of S&P 500 companies decreased their shares outstanding counts by at least 4% in the first quarter. “Despite the quarterly decline, companies continued to buy back shares in earnest, posting the second highest expenditure on record,” said Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “With Q2 2019 currently projected to be another strong buyback quarter, investors will need to start separating EPS growth in two categories – actual growth vs. growth from share count reductions. You don’t want to pay the same multiple for buybacks as you do for growth.” PKW includes a broader selection of U.S. companies that have effected a net reduction in shares outstanding by 5% or more in the trailing 12 months. Not surprisingly, buybacks looked top heavy in the first quarter. “For the 12-months ending March 2019, the top 20 issues represented 41.4% of all buybacks, compared to 36.1% for the 2018 period,” according to S&P Dow Jones. For more on core investing strategies, visitETFtrends.com. POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • As Bitcoin Surges Past $13K, Calls to Embrace Crypto Grow • GLDM Marks One Year Anniversary Today, Leads Gold-Backed ETF Flows • ROBO Global Healthcare Technology ETF Debuts on NYSE • Gold And Silver Rally On Unusual Options Activity • Save On Starbucks And Invest It In Starbucks READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM >
This photo is about bodies – migrant bodies, and our body politic. Don't look away This is a story about bodies. A body of water. A river running through mountain, bosque, desert and city; along two pueblos, between two states and separating two countries. I lived beside a running body of water for a time – this is what I learned: it is impossible to ignore its power. It whispers its summons: cross here. Ford the still points. Wade. Float. Swim. Drown. Once, many years ago, I heard that after a prolonged torrential rainfall the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo del Norte, to Mexicans) had reached unprecedented levels. Its floodwaters swept through a riverfront church, pulled a large wooden cross from the wall and carried it on its current. A woman who had camped out on the Mexican side of the river with her two children, waiting to cross into the US, saw the dark shape in the water. Before it surged past her, she pushed her children into the river, toward it. “Hold on,” she said. “Hold on to it until you reach the other side.” Maybe she believed they would be borne above the waters by faith. Maybe she so despaired of their survival on her side of the river she was willing to chance it. Maybe someday she might stop replaying the exact moment when she let go of their hands in the water. You cannot step into the same river twice, but you can step into the same story again and again and again. A story of desperate need and desperate hope that drives people to risk everything in uncertain and unfamiliar waters. Photograph: Julia Le Duc/AP On Monday, Valeria Martínez, a two-year-old Salvadoran child, was found drowned in the shallows of the Rio Grande; her father, Óscar Alberto Martínez, 26, by her side. The photo that circulated is as haunting, in its way, as the 2015 photograph of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian child whose image – tiny, lifeless, lying face down in the surf in Greece – moved European leaders to re-examine their policies toward migrants. In this photo, Valeria wears little black sneakers and her red pants show the padded bottom that indicates a diaper beneath. Martínez, face down in the water, has tucked his daughter under his shirt so she won’t be torn away from him in the river. And then there’s this: she clung to him – as I remember my own daughter at that age, clinging to me when I carried her into a hospital, and we were both terrified to death but together, together – because Valeria’s arm is still flung around his neck when they are found. Story continues This is a story about bodies – but not just Valeria’s body, and Martínez’s. It is a story about the body politic. About how we, the people of this nation, react to a photo that illuminates the lethal consequences of the manipulation and damage that has been done to the asylum process. By some accounts Valeria’s family had spent months in Mexico waiting to get on a list that might – no guarantees – enable them to lodge their asylum request at a port of entry. The “metering” and “remain in Mexico” policies that Donald Trump has instituted during his tenure have forced some asylum-seeking families – displaced by the climate crisis or grinding poverty or devastating violence – to try and find another way to have their asylum claim heard in the US, even if it is a risky way, even if it means battling a body of water. Likewise, the administration’s use of the border patrol – and even active-duty military troops – to physically prevent asylum seekers from reaching ports of entry has had a chilling effect on established asylum processes. Organizations like Human Rights First have proposed a “ genuine humanitarian response ” to the asylum crisis the administration has created: deploying Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to ports of entry to assist in asylum processing, appointing more immigration judges and interpreters, along with making immigration courts independent, among other solutions. Other NGOs and agencies used to dealing with refugee and asylee needs from a trauma-informed and humanitarian perspective probably have suggestions and potential solutions, too. And from these we may be able to establish a roadmap that is less oppressive than the one proposed by this administration. Years ago, when I was envisioning the immigration dystopia that would become my novel Ink , I needed to create a “catalyst” moment, when the public at large became aware of what was happening in the novel’s universe in the same sort of way my protagonists were experiencing it. After a lot of dithering, I finally settled on a photograph of a child as that catalyst, and as it was shared and reshared by news sites and individuals alike, it became a proof and test of my proxy world’s humanity. I have thought about that a lot in the past two years, as I’ve seen people stirred to action by the photographs of immigrant children separated from their parents by CBP and ICE. And now too, with this photo of Valeria and her dad. What will the body politic do with the evidence before it? I hope the answer is that we, as the recently coined hashtag says, will not look away. Because if we do, we will be haunted by more than just a photograph. Sabrina Vourvoulias is the author of Ink (Rosarium Publishing, 2018), a near-future immigration dystopia, and is the editor of Generocity.org , a Philadelphia social impact news and event group
Sweden's Ericsson to build factory in U.S. to make 5G radios (Reuters) - Swedish telecoms equipment supplier Ericsson said on Wednesday it plans to build its first fully-automated factory in the United States to make radios required to deploy 5G technology and make it operational in early next year. The company said it would decide on a location after discussions with state and local authorities in the United States. Ericsson has a research and development site - a software development center – in Austin, Texas. (Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel)
SEMAFO Inc. (TSE:SMF) Insiders Have Been Selling Want to participate in a short research study ? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell SEMAFO Inc. ( TSE:SMF ), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. What Is Insider Buying? It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.' View our latest analysis for SEMAFO The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At SEMAFO The Chief Financial Officer, Martin Milette, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$288k worth of shares at a price of CA$4.82 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of CA$5.08. When an insider sells below the current price, it suggests that they considered that lower price to be fair. That makes us wonder what they think of the (higher) recent valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. It is worth noting that this sale was 83.4% of Martin Milette's holding. Over the last year, we note insiders sold 104k shares worth CA$498k. SEMAFO insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! Story continues TSX:SMF Recent Insider Trading, June 26th 2019 For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. SEMAFO Insiders Are Selling The Stock Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at SEMAFO. In total, insiders dumped US$498k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. This may suggest that some insiders think that the shares are not cheap. Insider Ownership Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Based on our data, SEMAFO insiders have about 0.2% of the stock, worth approximately CA$3.4m. We consider this fairly low insider ownership. What Might The Insider Transactions At SEMAFO Tell Us? Insiders sold SEMAFO shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. When you consider that most companies have higher levels of insider ownership, we're a little wary. As the saying goes, only fools rush in. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future . Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com . This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Royal Gold Hits 52-Week High: What's Driving the Rally? Shares ofRoyal Gold, Inc.RGLD scaled a fresh 52-week high of $102.62 during the Jun 26 trading session, later retracing a bit to close trading at $101.26.Royal Gold, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, has a market cap of $6.62 billion. Over the last three months, its average volume of shares traded has been approximately 421M. It has an expected long-term earnings per share growth rate of 10%.Interestingly, gold price is currently trending above $1,400 an ounce — at levels last seen in 2013. This upswing has been fueled by the safe-haven demand, triggered by the U.S.-China tensions and geopolitical uncertainties. This apart, a weaker greenback and slumping bond yields have further escalated prices. So far this year, gold prices have gained 10.6%. The yellow metal had witnessed a 2.1% drop in prices last year.The Gold Mining industry has rallied 33% year to date compared with the S&P 500’s growth of 16.4%. Going by the EV/EBITDA multiple (a preferred valuation metric for mining companies that have high capital expenditures), this industry has a trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA multiple of 9.9, much lower than the S&P 500’s EV/EBITDA multiple of 11.3. Notably, Royal Gold’s stock has appreciated 11.7% in a year’s time, higher than the S&P 500’s gain of around 9%. Driving FactorsFor fiscal 2019, Royal Gold expects improved results, backed by several positive catalysts, including the beginning of production at Cortez Crossroads, early deployment of the Peñasquito Pyrite Leach Project and production improvements at Rainy River. Long-hole drilling at the Wassa and Prestea mines will likely continue, which will support production in the current fiscal year. Royal Gold is focused on allocating its strong cash flow toward dividend payouts, debt reduction and new businesses.Royal Gold announced that the Peak Gold joint venture, in which its subsidiary Royal Alaska holds a 40% interest, has completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the Peak Gold Project located near Tok, Alaska. The company is focused on maximizing the value of interest in this project.This February, Royal Gold entered into a silver mine life-purchase agreement with Khoemacau Copper Mining Limited (“KCM’’). The agreement highlights the purchase and sale of silver, produced from the Khoemacau Copper Project in Botswana. The deal is expected to act as a catalyst for the company.Also, on Feb 27, Centerra Gold Inc. received an amendment to the Mount Milligan environmental assessment certificate that permits access to additional sources of surface water and groundwater sources until November 2021. Mount Milligan commenced accessing water from the newly-permitted sources in the beginning of April this year. Further, Centerra expects mill throughput to be at a full capacity of 55,000 tons per day, starting mid-May and to remain at that level throughout the remainder of the current calendar year. Centerra expects these additional sources to supply enough water to relieve constraints on the mill operations, which have been hit since late 2017.Positive Growth Projections:The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Royal Gold’s fiscal fourth-quarter 2019 earnings is currently pegged at $0.50, reflecting expected year-over-year growth of 16.28%. Royal Gold, Inc. Price and Consensus Royal Gold, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Royal Gold, Inc. Quote Stocks to ConsiderA few better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Materion Corporation MTRN, Flexible Solutions International Inc FSI and AngloGold Ashanti Limited AU, all currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Materion has an expected earnings growth rate of 27.3% for 2019. The company’s shares have gained 22.7% in the past year.Flexible Solutions has an outstanding projected earnings growth rate of 342.9% for the current year. The company’s shares have soared 158.9% in a year’s time.AngloGold has an estimated earnings growth rate of 90.6% for the ongoing year. Its shares have surged 117.7% in the past year.More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportFlexible Solutions International Inc. (FSI) : Free Stock Analysis ReportRoyal Gold, Inc. (RGLD) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAngloGold Ashanti Limited (AU) : Free Stock Analysis ReportMaterion Corporation (MTRN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
UPDATE 1-VEON settles Egypt tax liability, paving way to buy Global Telecom shares (Adds details, analyst comment) By Patrick Werr CAIRO, June 26 (Reuters) - Telecoms operator VEON Ltd has settled a tax dispute with Egypt, the finance ministry said on Wednesday, clearing the way for its potential purchase of the 42.3% stake in its Egyptian subsidiary Global Telecom Holding it does not own. Amsterdam-based VEON has secured approval from Egypt's Financial Regulatory Authority to buy the outstanding 42.3% stake in Global Telecom for $600 million, or 5.08 Egyptian pounds per share, after agreeing to settle the tax liability for $136 million, the finance ministry and VEON said. The share purchase could give the market a boost ahead of share offerings planned by the Egyptian government, analysts said. "The wider expectation is that this will move the market," said Wael Ziada, head of investment company Zilla Capital. "It will infuse a significant amount of cash into the market by taking out a stock with significant capitalisation and replacing it with cash that will start getting allocated to the existing stocks." The mandatory tender offer must still be approved by other Global Telecom shareholders at a meeting scheduled for Aug. 27. VEON has telecom operations in Russia and in Asia and North Africa. It holds a 55.6% stake in Global Telecom, which operates the Djezzy network in Algeria, Mobilink in Pakistan and Sheba Telecom in Bangladesh. Global has negligible Egyptian operations despite its listing on the Cairo bourse. VEON acquired Global Telecom's assets in 2011 when, as Vimpelcom, it took control of Egypt's Orascom Telecom. It has sought to buy out the remaining portion of Global Telecom since 2013 but has stumbled on the question of outstanding tax liabilities, said Allen Sandeep, head of research at Naeem Brokerage. "(The purchase) is crucial because it will unlock 10.1 billion Egyptian pounds ($607 million) that is held by local investors and foreign hedge funds," Sandeep said. Egypt has announced that it will offer shares in several state-controlled companies, including Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Co and Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemical Industries Co. The offerings were delayed after turbulence in emerging markets in 2018. ($1 = 16.6500 Egyptian pounds) (Gdynia Newsroom; Editing by Susan Fenton)
U.S. Supreme Court chips away at federal agency power By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday constrained the power of federal agencies, scaling back a legal doctrine that calls for judges to give agencies deference to interpret their own rules but declining to eliminate it as four conservative justices wanted. The court, in a ruling written by liberal Justice Elena Kagan, unanimously sided with a Vietnam War veteran who sued the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) after being denied retroactive disability benefits. But the justices split 5-4 in deciding not to entirely throw out the legal doctrine called "Auer deference," which is rooted in Supreme Court precedents dating back to 1945. "So the doctrine emerges maimed and enfeebled - in truth, zombified," wrote conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who had wanted to terminate Auer deference. Paring back the regulatory authority of federal agencies - which can control rules in important areas such as energy, climate change and the workplace - has been a key goal of many business and conservative groups, which complain about what they call the "administrative state." The new limits on Auer deference could constrict administrative agencies from issuing or maintaining certain policies and rules. The Supreme Court threw out a lower court's ruling denying retired U.S. Marine James Kisor, 75, benefits dating back to 1982 arising from battle-related post-traumatic stress disorder. The justices sent the case back to the lower court to reconsider Kisor's claim on the meaning of a regulation that the VA had said was unfavorable to Kisor. Kagan was joined by the three other liberal justices and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts in deciding that the court should uphold Auer deference because of its longstanding tradition of adhering to prior decisions, a principle known as stare decisis. Gorsuch and fellow conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh said Auer deference should have been formally eliminated since it is already on "life support." Kisor's attorney, Paul Hughes, said the ruling significantly narrows agency authority and "delivers a significant victory, not only for our client James Kisor, but also for regulated parties across the spectrum." TRUMP PURSUES DEREGULATION Republican President Donald Trump has pursued extensive deregulation including efforts to roll back government regulations related to environmental protections, financial services and other industries. Trump's Justice Department defended the VA in the case and had argued that Auer deference should be narrowed, but not overruled. Story continues The doctrine's critics have said judicial deference has allowed agencies to accumulate power by enabling them to issue vague or burdensome regulations and then enforce them according to the policy preferences of unelected administrators. Supporters of judicial deference have said the views of agencies should be accorded greater weight because they often have technical expertise that judges lack. Some liberals view the attack on the "administrative state" as an effort by conservatives to hinder government regulation of a wide range of businesses. Sam Berger of the liberal advocacy group Center for American Progress said it was heartening that the court did not "wipe away decades of precedent to favor the interests of big businesses and the wealthy over everyone else." The name of the doctrine arose from a 1997 Supreme Court ruling in the case Auer v. Robbins, which extended a 1945 precedent in the case Bowles v. Seminole Rock & Sand Co that had accepted an agency's take unless it was plainly wrong or inconsistent with the regulation. Kisor, who served during the Vietnam War installing field telephone networks, fought in a 1965 battle in which several of his fellow troops were killed. The VA granted Kisor disability benefits for PTSD in 2006, but refused to pay him retroactively going back to 1982, when he first made a benefits claim. At that time, he had not been diagnosed with PTSD. The case hinged on the VA's interpretation of a rule requiring "relevant" military service records to reconsider a denied claim. The Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 2017 applied Auer deference to side with the VA over Kisor. The current VA secretary is Robert Wilkie. For a Reuters graphic on major Supreme Court cases of 2018-2019 term, click: https://tmsnrt.rs/2V2T0Uf (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) View comments
Gold Price Forecast – Gold markets pulled back rather significantly Gold marketshave pulled back rather significantly during the trading session on Wednesday, as we have broken below the shooting star from the previous session. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we should start selling drastically, but it means that we are testing the $1400 level. At this point, I believe it’s only a matter time before gold rallies, but we need to drop and offer enough value for people to jump back in. It’s obvious that the uptrend is shown, especially with the Federal Reserve looking to cut several interest rates. Looking at this chart, it’s obvious that the market tends to move based upon every $25, and I have this marked out on the chart. There should be plenty of buyers at each of these levels and now it’s simply our job as traders to identify support candles in those areas. The $1350 level underneath should be massive support, as it was massive resistance previously. Quite frankly, gold has been undervalued for a long time, and now it’s going to go looking for higher levels. I do think that it’s only a matter of time but a couple of days of stability or perhaps even selling pressure is needed to get involved in the futures markets. If the US dollar spikes, and it could based upon several other currencies, that could provide the downdraft that we need to get that value in this market. However, all central banks around the world are looking to ease from what it appears, and that of course helps the precious metals markets in general. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude oil markets continue to tread water • Stellar’s Lumen Technical Analysis – Resistance Levels in Play – 28/06/19 • Trump, Xi and the G20 Summit • Grains go profit taking; Coffee up to 2019 highs, sugar rallies amid monsoon rains • Gold Price Prediction – Prices Rebound Follow Soft Claims Data • Markets provoke the Fed, Brent breaks away
Did You Miss SEMAFO's (TSE:SMF) 35% Share Price Gain? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you want to compound wealth in the stock market, you can do so by buying an index fund. But you can significantly boost your returns by picking above-average stocks. To wit, theSEMAFO Inc.(TSE:SMF) share price is 35% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around -2.2% (not including dividends) in the same period. If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! Unfortunately the longer term returns are not so good, with the stock falling 21% in the last three years. View our latest analysis for SEMAFO In his essayThe Superinvestors of Graham-and-DoddsvilleWarren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. During the last year SEMAFO grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit. When a company is just on the edge of profitability it can be well worth considering other metrics in order to more precisely gauge growth (and therefore understand share price movements). However the year on year revenue growth of 46% would help. Many businesses do go through a faze where they have to forgo some profits to drive business development, and sometimes its for the best. You can see how revenue and earnings have changed over time in the image below, (click on the chart to see cashflow). If you are thinking of buying or selling SEMAFO stock, you should check out thisFREEdetailed report on its balance sheet. It's good to see that SEMAFO has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 35% in the last twelve months. That's better than the annualised return of 0.3% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. Before spending more time on SEMAFOit might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Granger Smith Reveals New Tattoo in Honor of Son River, Weeks After 3-Year-Old's Tragic Death Granger Smith is honoring his late son River . Over the weekend, the 39-year-old country musician debuted a new tattoo while making his emotional return to the stage at the Country LakeShake music festival in Chicago on Sunday. The tattoo consists of the name “River” written in large black script across Smith’s right forearm, paying tribute to his 3-year-old son who died earlier this month. Smith’s rep confirmed to PEOPLE on June 6 that River’s tragic death was due to a drowning accident at home. That same day, the country singer shared the “unthinkable” news on Twitter and Instagram, revealing “despite doctor’s best efforts, he was unable to be revived.” River was laid to rest on June 11. Smith also showed off the tattoo on Tuesday while presenting a check for $218,791 to Dell Children’s Medical Center, where River received medical attention before his death. “Let this be a small token of the gratitude that we’ve got for you guys,” he said of the donation. Granger Smith | Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Wire Granger Smith | Rick Kern/Getty RELATED: Granger Smith Emotionally Returns to the Stage Following the Death of His 3-Year-Old Son River The country star hit the stage smiling on Sunday for his first performance since River’s death. He started out his set by singing “Blue Collar Dollars” while hitting his heart and mouthing the words “Thank you” during every lyrical break. At one point during his emotional performance, Smith brought things to a quieter tone by grabbing a stool and taking it to the end of the stage. “I love this show and I love you guys for being here,” he told the crowd. He then gazed up into the sky, and started to sing the somber “Heaven Bound Balloons.” Granger Smith | RMV/Shutterstock Granger Smith with Amber and their children | Granger Smith/Instagram Before his performance on Sunday, Smith’s wife Amber shared a loving message to River on Instagram after their family visited a museum in Chicago. “Getting back on the road and back into daily life without River has not been easy in the slightest,” she said. “Every single thing reminds me of him, and all I can think about is how he would love exploring and seeing all that we are seeing. I see his name everywhere, I see little red-headed toddlers everywhere. I miss his silly personality and his bright light.” RELATED: Granger Smith Donates Over $200,000 to Dell Children’s Medical Center in Honor of Late Son River Amber added, “I look around at everyone else and wonder if anyone is going through something like we are. Dumb little things don’t matter anymore. My family does. My faith does. We’ve got this because God’s got us. Thank you all for your continued support, prayers and love. It really does help us so much. #livelikeriv.”
Protesters urge discussion of Hong Kong issue at G-20 summit HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of people joined Hong Kong's latest rally Wednesday night against legislation they fear would erode the city's freedoms, capping a daylong appeal to world leaders ahead of a G-20 summit that brings together the heads of China, the United States and other major nations later this week. Below neon-lit skyscrapers, the peaceful crowd of all ages listened to speeches in a public square and then in unison held up their smartphones with their lights on. A big sign read "Free Hong Kong Democracy Now." The police presence was light, a few officers watching from a distance. After the rally's end, younger protesters, some of whom have been more militant, headed to the nearby police headquarters, where they stood outside shouting demands for an independent inquiry into a heavy-handed police crackdown at a protest earlier this month. The protests were sparked by proposed legislative changes that would allow suspects to be extradited from Hong Kong to mainland China for trial. Many fear the proposals would erode Hong Kong's judicial independence and the civil liberties the semi-autonomous city was guaranteed after its handover from British rule in 1997. The government suspended debate on the legislation indefinitely after earlier protests, but activists are demanding that it be withdrawn completely. Earlier Wednesday, several hundred delivered petitions to the consulates of several G-20 countries. A sign addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron asked him to back up Hong Kong at the two-day meeting, which opens Friday in Osaka, Japan. Outside the U.S. Consulate, some protesters held up signs reading "President Trump — Please Liberate Hong Kong." The U.S. president is due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the summit. Beijing has strongly opposed any discussion of the issue at the G-20 summit, saying Hong Kong matters are an internal Chinese affair. The city of 7.4 million people is a territory of China. Story continues "I can tell you that for sure the G-20 will not discuss the issue of Hong Kong and we will not allow the G-20 to discuss the issue of Hong Kong," Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun said Monday. Protester Mandy Wong described Hong Kong as an international city whose residents will all be affected by the legislation, regardless of their country of origin. "That's why it is necessary for other countries or overseas people to pay attention to this extradition bill," the 25-year-old student said. The protesters aimed to present petitions at 19 consulates before the nighttime rally at Edinburgh Place, a public square near the waterfront in central Hong Kong. Some lawmakers were planning a no-confidence vote against the territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, but it didn't happen Wednesday. Pro-government supporters have a solid majority in the Legislative Assembly and the measure is not expected to pass. Lam's push to pass the extradition bills prompted hundreds of thousands of people to fill Hong Kong's streets in protest marches earlier this month. Smaller groups have surrounded government offices, the legislature and police headquarters. Besides withdrawal of the legislation, they are demanding accountability for the crackdown on a June 12 protest during which tear gas and rubber bullets were fired. Lam has apologized for her handling of the matter, but has declined to respond to other demands. Several foreign governments, along with legal, business, human rights and media groups in Hong Kong, have expressed concern about both the legislation and the government's handling of the protests. In a statement Tuesday in the House of Commons, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he raised the issue with Lam on June 12. Britain urges Hong Kong to establish a "robust, independent investigation" into the violence against protesters, and will not issue further export licenses for crowd control equipment to Hong Kong "unless we are satisfied that concerns raised on human rights and fundamental freedoms have been thoroughly addressed," he said. China has said it fully backs Lam's administration and rejected foreign criticism as interference in its internal affairs. At a daily briefing Wednesday, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang criticized British officials for making "irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong affairs." "China has expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to that," he said. "We urge the British side to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any way." ___ Associated Press video journalists Dake Kang and Raf Wober and news assistant Nadia Lam contributed to this report.
Thyssenkrupp sticks to elevator listing plan amid bid talk DUESSELDORF (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp is sticking to plans to list a minority stake in its elevator unit, the group's chief executive said on Wednesday, amid renewed speculation that Finland's Kone could bid for the division. "We want to list a minority on the stock exchange," Guido Kerkhoff said during an event at the University of Duesseldorf. Asked whether he would also consider a sale of the unit, valued at about 14 billion euros ($16 billion), Kerkhoff said: "There is nothing new to report." The steel industry continues to suffer from high raw material costs and cut-throat price competition, which makes it hard for any steel producer to make money, Kerkhoff also said. "I don't see this trend changing at the moment," he told Reuters on the sidelines of the event. ($1 = 0.8790 euros) (Reporting by Chris Steitz and Tom Kaeckenhoff; Editing by Edward Taylor and Douglas Busvine)
Does Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EIGI) Have A High Beta? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you own shares in Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EIGI) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. The first category is company specific volatility. This can be dealt with by limiting your exposure to any particular stock. The second sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the market. Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Beta is a widely used metric to measure a stock's exposure to market risk (volatility). Before we go on, it's worth noting that Warren Buffett pointed out in his 2014 letter to shareholders that 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' Having said that, beta can still be rather useful. The first thing to understand about beta is that the beta of the overall market is one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market. Check out our latest analysis for Endurance International Group Holdings Given that it has a beta of 1.23, we can surmise that the Endurance International Group Holdings share price has been fairly sensitive to market volatility (over the last 5 years). If this beta value holds true in the future, Endurance International Group Holdings shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether Endurance International Group Holdings is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below. Endurance International Group Holdings is a small cap stock with a market capitalisation of US$723m. Most companies this size are actively traded. It's not particularly surprising that it has a higher beta than the overall market. That's because it takes less money to influence the share price of a smaller company, than a bigger company. Since Endurance International Group Holdings tends to moves up when the market is going up, and down when it's going down, potential investors may wish to reflect on the overall market, when considering the stock. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Endurance International Group Holdings’s financial health and performance track record. I highly recommend you dive deeper by considering the following: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for EIGI’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor EIGI’s outlook. 2. Past Track Record: Has EIGI been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look atthe free visual representations of EIGI's historicalsfor more clarity. 3. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how EIGI measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with thisfree list of prospective options. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Investors Who Bought SEMAFO (TSE:SMF) Shares A Year Ago Are Now Up 35% Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. To wit, theSEMAFO Inc.(TSE:SMF) share price is 35% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around -2.2% (not including dividends) in the same period. So that should have shareholders smiling. Zooming out, the stock is actuallydown21% in the last three years. See our latest analysis for SEMAFO While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS). During the last year SEMAFO grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit. When a company has just transitioned to profitability, earnings per share growth is not always the best way to look at the share price action. We think that the revenue growth of 46% could have some investors interested. Many businesses do go through a faze where they have to forgo some profits to drive business development, and sometimes its for the best. Depicted in the graphic below, you'll see revenue and earnings over time. If you want more detail, you can click on the chart itself. If you are thinking of buying or selling SEMAFO stock, you should check out thisFREEdetailed report on its balance sheet. It's good to see that SEMAFO has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 35% in the last twelve months. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 0.3% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You canclick here to see if insiders have been buying or selling. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Swiss Stock Exchange Asks Central Bank to Issue Stablecoin PrincipalSwissstock exchangeSIX asked the country’scentral bankto issue astablecoin, local media SwissInforeportson June 26 Per the report, the crypto asset would be used to settle payments on its new digitalsecuritiestrading platform. The exchange reportedly announced during the Crypto Valley Association conference this week that users of its upcoming SDX platform will be able to swapfiat currencyfor a new stablecoin. The exchange explained that “SDX memberbankswill be able to settle their trades and other obligations against tokenised CHF within SDX once we are up and running.” The firm further explained that the tokens can be coined on-demand: “SDX would accept CHF payments from member banks in central bank money and issue equivalent tokenised CHF in SDX. The value of tokenised CHF would be pegged 1:1 with CHF at all times. We most definitely favour a central bank issued stablecoin.” The outlet further claims that Switzerland’s central bank confirmed that it is in talks with SIX “about different options on how to settle the cash side” of trades, but no final decision has been made as of yet. As Cointelegraphreportedin February, SIX Swiss Exchange will testblockchainintegration for its forthcoming parallel digital trading platform SDX in the second half of this year. The SDX platform is meant to allow for trading digitized versions ofstocks. Users will reportedly be able to use the token to buy securities or redeem it for cash. Also theUnited States'largest bank,JPMorgan Chase, isexpectingto pilot its own cryptocurrency JPM Coin by the end of 2019. • JPMorgan Will Pilot ‘JPM Coin’ Stablecoin by End of 2019: Report • French Central Bank: Facebook’s Libra May Need Banking License • Facebook’s Crypto Project Will Be A Milestone According to RBC • FT: Facebook Hires Standard Chartered Bank’s Head of Public Affairs for Crypto Project
Instagram will drop ads into your Explore feed Ads are infiltratingseemingly every aspectof Instagram, and that now includes the Explore feed. The social networkplans to roll outads to Explore's photos and videos over the course of the "next few months." They'll function much like the ads in your main feed, complete with "shop now" links on some promos. You can still tailor the ads to what you'd like to see, and it's an opt-in feature for marketers. This is bound to be annoying if you're used to Explore being an unsullied space. However, it's not at all shocking that Instagram would go this route. While regular ads are based more on your individual tastes, Explore ads can revolve around trends -- if there's a hot meme, marketers can seize the moment. That's good for both their bottom line and Instagram's, and they're not about to turn down the opportunity when more than half of users visit Explore at least once a month.
Diseases, food shortages plague migrant 'jungle camp' in Bosnia By Daria Sito-Sucic VUCJAK, Bosnia - Aid workers sounded the alarm on Wednesday about health and hygiene conditions in a makeshift forest camp in Bosnia for hundreds of migrants as they face the spread of scabies and other diseases as well as food shortages. Over the past 10 days, municipal authorities in Bihac have moved up to 700 migrants from Asia and North Africa who had been sleeping rough in the town to an improvised tent settlement at a former landfill some 8 km (5 miles) from the Croatian border. The Red Cross is the only relief agency providing hot meals and hygiene items to the migrants at the site at Vucjak and has erected about 50 tents so far as well as improvised quarantine arrangements for the sick. The European Union and U.N. agencies have criticised sanitary conditions at the site, which they also say is located in an area still peppered with landmines left over from the 1990s wars in Bosnia. "The health situation is alarming. Many people are already infected with scabies and there are other health problems too," said Katarina Zoric, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC). Scabies is a highly infectious skin disease. Zoric said the Red Cross could provide only basic medical aid but said some people at the camp were reportedly suffering from tuberculosis and hepatitis. Some had been brought to the camp after surgery. SNAKES Bosnia, which is not an EU member and was largely bypassed by refugees and asylum seekers during Europe's 2015 migrant crisis, has seen an increase in migrant arrivals since EU members Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia closed their borders. More than 33,300 migrants have entered Bosnia since last year, of whom around 9,000 have settled in the Bihac area hoping to cross the border into Croatia and thence to western Europe. The tents at Vucjak are pitched among piles of garbage and muddy pools following recent rainfall. The people used water from tanks to wash themselves in the scorching heat. Story continues "This is a jungle camp," said Mohammad Kamran Khan from Pakistan. "Every day I kill one snake, two snakes, or other animals (that pose a risk to the migrants)." Zoric said the camp was running out of some food supplies and called for international aid. The EU said on Tuesday it would provide 14.8 million euros ($16.8 million) to address the needs of migrants and refugees stranded in Bosnia. The mayor of Bihac, Suhret Fazlic, said he hoped the EU would press state institutions, which are in charge of migration and asylum policies, to take responsibility for the migrants. "Bihac was literally invaded by migrants," Fazlic told Reuters, adding that the town of 50,000 had provided shelter for at least 5,000 people. He said he was not happy with the Vucjak site and stressed it was just a temporary transit center. "A migrant crisis, which is a global problem, cannot be solved in Bihac. It must be solved at the state level, at the regional level and in cooperation with the European Union." Police sent back to the camp on Wednesday three groups of people who had been found exhausted in the woods. Croatian police had returned them to Bosnia after they walked over a nearby mountain. "The Croatian police beat us as if we were animals," said Hasnen Arshad, 17, from Pakistan. Arshad and other migrants also said the Croatian police had smashed their mobile phones and had taken money from them. "What to do now?", he asked. "No money, no mobile." Croatian police have repeatedly denied using strongarm tactics against migrants. ($1 = 0.8800 euros)
What Kind Of Shareholder Appears On The VAALCO Energy, Inc.'s (NYSE:EGY) Shareholder Register? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you want to know who really controls VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Institutions often own shares in more established companies, while it's not unusual to see insiders own a fair bit of smaller companies. Warren Buffett said that he likes 'a business with enduring competitive advantages that is run by able and owner-oriented people'. So it's nice to see some insider ownership, because it may suggest that management is owner-oriented. VAALCO Energy is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of US$101m, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems that institutions own shares in the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about EGY. Check out our latest analysis for VAALCO Energy Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. We can see that VAALCO Energy does have institutional investors; and they hold 41% of the stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at VAALCO Energy's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Our data indicates that hedge funds own 5.3% of VAALCO Energy. That worth noting, since hedge funds are often quite active investors, who may try to influence management. Many want to see value creation (and a higher share price) in the short term or medium term. As far I can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar. The definition of company insiders can be subjective, and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. I can report that insiders do own shares in VAALCO Energy, Inc.. In their own names, insiders own US$6.8m worth of stock in the US$101m company. This shows at least some alignment, but I usually like to see larger insider holdings. You canclick here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. The general public, with a 47% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. I like to dive deeperinto how a company has performed in the past. You can accessthisinteractive graphof past earnings, revenue and cash flow for free. Of coursethis may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at thisfreefreelist of interesting companies. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Facebook is seeking a director for its payment partnerships team Facebook is continuing to expand its blockchain team with a new job posting for a Director of its Payment Partnerships team. The hire will be responsible for bringing in new partners and investors to further the company's blockchain projects, as well as working with current partners. Whoever heads the team could have a role in shaping Facebook's relationships with regulators as well as its business partners, since the team is focused on negotiating partnerships for Facebook. The posting said this requires bridging product and engineering with legal, policy, sales and markets. The role could also entail some work surrounding regulation in different jurisdictions, since the responsibilities include working with the policy team to "educate policymakers in each region where needed on new product efforts." Facebook has reportedly been in talks with regulators about its upcoming coin, Libra, with some policymakers responding more positively than others. The company is also still seeking to expand the members of the Libra Association from its founding cohort to reach the planned 100 nodes. While the payment partnerships director could have a hand in these developments, the posting lists consumer use case as a primary focus, meaning the director would develop partnerships focused on benefiting the consumer.
YouTube lets you hide channels from your recommendations No matter how advanced algorithms get, none will understand your YouTube viewing preferences better than you. With that in mind, YouTube is adding a few new features that will give users more control over which videos appear in their homepage and Up Next suggestions. The changes will roll out beginning today on Android and iOS, and they'll arrive on desktop soon. YouTube admits that it doesn't always get its suggestions right, so it will let users remove suggested channels that they don't want to watch. You'll be able to click the three-dot menu next to a video and select "don't recommend channel." YouTube will also attempt to make it easier to find content you do want. When you scroll up on your Homepage or Up Next, you'll be able to select categories related to your interests. The goal is to help users find what they're looking for faster. YouTube will also clue users into why they're seeing a particular video suggestion -- like because they viewed similar content in the past or other viewers with similar interests have liked it. YouTube's algorithms have come under fire for everything fromfacilitating a "soft-core pedophilia ring"topushing extremist contentand suggestingconspiracy videosrelated to 9/11 misinformation, miracle cures and more. The new features don't address those issues, but at least now you have some control over what appears in your feed. If you watch one flat Earth video, you won't be subject to an endless stream of crazy.
Prince William and Kate Middleton Have ‘Been Talking’ About What They’d Do If George, Charlotte, or Louis Came Out as Gay From ELLE Prince William very thoughtfully responded to an audience question he received during his visit to the Albert Kennedy Trust today about how he and his wife Kate Middleton would react if any of their three children-Prince George, Princess Charlotte, or Prince Louis-came out as LGBTQ+ to them. He said that actually, he and Kate have been thinking about it and talking about it. He’d be "absolutely fine" with it personally but does worry about the scrutiny his kids would receive if they publicly came out and how to best support them. "I’ve been giving that some thought recently because a couple of other parents said that to me as well,” William began his response, via People . “I think, you really don’t start thinking about that until you are a parent, and I think-obviously absolutely fine by me [if they came out as gay]. The one thing I’d be worried about is how they, particularly the roles my children fill, is how that is going to be interpreted and seen." That's where his conversations with Kate have come in, William continued. "So Catherine and I have been doing a lot of talking about it to make sure they were prepared. I think communication is so important with everything, in order to help understand it, you’ve got to talk a lot about stuff and make sure how to support each other and how to go through the process. It worries me not because of them being gay, it worries me as to how everyone else will react and perceive it and then the pressure is then on them.” This is the first time William has spoken about how he'd react if any of his children didn't identify as straight. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are far from making that decision, with his and Kate's oldest son George being just five years old. ('You Might Also Like',) 10 Pairs of White Sneakers That Go With Everything 50 Surprising Things You Never Knew About 'Sex and the City' 20 Serums to Solve All Your Skincare Problems
O’Rourke on haunting photo: ‘Trump is responsible for these deaths’ Beto O’Rourke on Tuesday blamed President Donald Trump directly for the deaths of a father and daughter who were found earlier this week along a bank of the Rio Grande. “Trump is responsible for these deaths,” O’Rourke wrote on social media , sharing an Associated Press story and the image of drowned man and girl that was ricocheting around the internet. “As his administration refuses to follow our laws — preventing refugees from presenting themselves for asylum at our ports of entry — they cause families to cross between ports, ensuring greater suffering and death,” O’Rourke wrote. “At the expense of our humanity, not to the benefit of our safety.” O’Rourke, a former congressman from the border city of El Paso in West Texas, has long criticized Trump for immigration policies he has said are inhumane. The presidential candidate said on ABC’s “The View“ in May that existing barriers “contribute to death and suffering” by forcing immigrants to cross in more remote areas of the U.S.-Mexico border. But O’Rourke’s rebuke of Trump on Tuesday was especially stark — as was the brutality of the incident he was addressing. The man found with his daughter face down in the Rio Grande was from El Salvador and had become frustrated that his family could not request asylum at the United States border, according to the Associated Press , which was citing journalist Julia Le Duc’s reporting for La Jornada, a Mexican newspaper. The two were caught in the current of the river instead.
Major League Soccer Will Allow Gambling, Liquor Sponsors for Jerseys and Stadium Rights Major League Soccer unveiled sweeping changes to its commercial sponsorship guidelines Wednesday that allow its 24 clubs to secure jersey and stadium naming rights sponsorships with sports betting and liquor companies. The changes, which take effect immediately, put North America’s top professional soccer league far afield of its larger counterparts at the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League when it comes to embracing highly visible partnerships with the gambling industry. While jersey sponsorships are historically far more common in soccer than other sports, the NBA debutedsponsorship patches on the front of its teams’ uniformsin 2017, and there has been speculation that the NFL, MLB and NHL could follow suit in the coming years. The new rules also represent a loosening attitude toward liquor sponsors, who were until now prohibited from doing business with MLS clubs in a manner that beer and wine sponsors were not. Like gambling operators, spirits brands can now adorn MLS clubs’ jerseys and also become stadium naming-rights sponsors. “We want to be viewed as a progressive league, and provide our clubs with an appropriate level of flexibility,” Carter Ladd, the league’s senior vice president of business development, toldFortune. “We don’t want to be restrictive; we want to enable them in a positive way, and that’s why we’re taking this action… We strongly believe this is going to help drive new revenues.” The revised guidelines do come with restrictions, however. MLS remains sensitive about betting and liquor sponsors marketing to children and young people, and is taking steps to ensure all advertising by such sponsors is directed toward an “age-appropriate audience,” it said. The league will prohibit youth-sized replica jerseys from bearing such sponsors, and will bar them from appearing on the uniforms worn by clubs’ academy and youth players. MLS will also restrict players under the age of 21 from appearing in any alcohol-related advertising or digital content, and no players are allowed to appear in sports betting-related marketing. Still, Ladd said the league feels it is “uniquely positioned in the North American sports landscape” to benefit from changing attitudes—particularly toward sports gambling, which he noted has long “been embraced as part of the fabric of the game” in other countries. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last year to overturn the federal ban on sports betting, 15 states and the District of Columbia have now authorized the practice in some form, according to the American Gaming Association—and like other leagues, MLS is intent oncapitalizing on the fledgling legal sports betting marketas both a revenue generator and a fan engagement tool. In March, the league announced a multi-year deal with MGM Resorts that made MGM its first “official gaming partner,” and the new regulations make it easier for its teams to strike similar deals of their own. While MLS clubs will be subject to their own states’ laws governing sports gambling, the league’s new rules will allow sports betting sponsors to advertise in MLS stadiums and strike digital advertising agreements with clubs; use clubs’ marks and logos in their advertising; deploy “call-to-action” advertising encouraging legal-age fans to bet on MLS games; and buy advertising spots during MLS game broadcasts. Clubs are also now permitted to create “ancillary programming around sports betting,” such as shows that discuss betting odds, and include league footage in those programs. Perhaps most strikingly, the league’s clubs are now allowed to establish in-stadium sports betting facilities, in connection with licensed gambling operators, in jurisdictions that permit such establishments. In Washington, D.C.—where MLS club D.C. United recently opened its brand new Audi Field—Ted Leonsis, who owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals, plans to open such a facility within Capital One Arena, the downtown venue shared by both of his teams. “Right now, we want to take advantage of the widespread legalization of sports betting in the U.S.,” Ladd said, adding that the league will “pursue best practices to protect the integrity of the game.” On MLS’s more accommodating stance toward spirits, Ladd pointed to data indicating that Americans’ tastes aredrifting more toward liquor, which has steadily been taking market share from beer and wine. “Part of what drove our thinking is the research we did on where the [alcohol] industry is going,” he said. “As social mores change, there’s less of a line between beer and wine, and spirits. Ladd added that he expects the league’s new guidelines to “double, if not triple our revenues” from spirits sponsors, which he currently placed in the “seven-figure range.” With the revised sponsorship rules taking effect immediately, MLS expects clubs to start announcing new sports betting and liquor sponsorships before the end of this year. —Meet the A.I. landlord that’s building asingle-family-home empire —Slack went public without an IPO. Here’show a direct offering works —5 things to knowabout Facebook’s new cryptocurrency, Libra —Thispot company stockis now more popular thanAppleamong millennials —When thenext recession hits, four good things could happen Don’t miss the dailyTerm Sheet,Fortune‘s newsletter on deals and dealmakers.
5 Companies Reach Yearly Highs Recently, multiple companies have managed to achieve 52 week highs
Six people arrested for alleged involvement in £22m crypto heist Six people have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a £22 million cryptocurrency heist, police from the UK and the Netherlands claim. According to reports from MSN , five men and one woman have been arrested after search warrants were executed at homes in the South West of England, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam on Tuesday morning. More than 4,000 victims are believed to have been affected by the £22 million crypto heist, according to a UK regional cybercrime unit. The investigation reportedly relates to ‘typosquatting’. This is when an online cryptocurrency exchange is spoofed or recreated to mimic the real site and fool users into believing it’s the real thing. The attackers can then harvest users’ login details to enter their accounts and steal their funds. Detective Inspector Louise Boyce said: “The investigation has grown from a single report of $17,000 worth of Bitcoin from a Wiltshire-based victim to a current estimate of more than 4,000 victims in at least 12 countries. We expect that number to grow.” Reportedly, a large number of devices, equipment, and valuable assets have been seized by officers ready for examination. The three men arrested in South West England are being held on suspicion of committing computer misuse and money laundering offences. The suspects in the Netherlands – two men and one woman – have been arrested on suspicion of committing money laundering. Police are urging anyone who suspects they have been duped in a cryptocurrency theft-related crime to contact Action Fraud . Interested in reading more crypto crime-related stories? Discover more about the 18-year-old Japanese boy who was sent to the prosecutor’s office in connection with a crypto heist worth ¥15 million. The post Six people arrested for alleged involvement in £22m crypto heist appeared first on Coin Rivet .
U.S. funds look for 'crazy cheap' stocks as indexes hit record highs By David Randall NEW YORK (Reuters) - Record highs in the U.S. stock market and the anticipation of equity-friendly interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve later this year are prompting top-performing large-cap fund managers to seek out unloved stocks in hopes of further gains. They are now making bets on stocks ranging from financial companies like Charles Schwab Corp that may see their margins hit by lower interest rates; cyclicals like FedEx Corp that are tied to trade with China; to healthcare companies like Teladoc Health Inc that face the risk of further regulatory overhauls after the 2020 elections. They expect that these contrarian bets will pay off at a time when the benchmark S&P 500 is on pace for its best first six months of the year since 1997. "You're seeing really good companies trade at valuations that are crazy cheap right now," said Mark Mulholland, portfolio manager of the Matthew 25 fund, which is up 28.1% since the start of the year, well above the 17.3% gain in the S&P 500 over the same time. Mulholland has been adding to his positions in companies including Goldman Sachs Group Inc and FedEx, and is starting to look for a natural gas pipeline company as the energy sector continues to wane, all in search of macro trends that he can buy into at a cheap price. FedEx, for instance, is part of his play on e-commerce at a time when he is avoiding traditional bricks and mortar stores. "In three to five years, without question, FedEx will be a player in retail to some degree" whether through a partnership with Amazon.com Inc or another large company, he said. Shares of the company are down nearly 2.5% for the year and trade at a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 13.4. Joseph Dennison and Anthony Zackery, two of the portfolio managers of the Zevenbergen Growth Fund, said that they have been seeing opportunities in healthcare companies like diagnostics company Exact Sciences Corp and telehealth company TelaDoc Health Inc. Though both companies are up more than 25 percent for the year, volatility in the healthcare sector due to the prospects of a Democratic victory in the 2020 presidential election and a Democratic takeover of the Senate has continued to offer opportunities to add to their positions, Dennison said. "There are a lot of trades that happen in baskets and people don't always dig through the weeds and find the companies that are growing organically," said Dennison, whose fund is up 37.3% for the year. The broad stock market rally has been a boon for active fund managers, who are posting stronger performance numbers this year despite shedding more market share to passive index funds, said Todd Rosenbluth, director of mutual fund research at independent research firm CFRA. Approximately 47% of large-cap active funds are beating the S&P 500 this year, compared with 36% that beat the index last year, he said. Brian Yacktman, whose YCG Enhanced fund is up 26.7% for the year to date, said that the market's expectations of at least two interest rate cuts over the next 12 months left financial companies at attractive valuations given their growth rates. He has been building his position in companies like Charles Schwab and Wells Fargo & Co, both of which are down more than 1 percent for the year to date due to expectations that their margins will suffer as interest rates fall. "If the Fed does cut rates and investors push prices down further, that's no problem, we will buy more," he said. "We're investing in the things that people are scared to invest in." (Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Jennifer Ablan and Nick Zieminski)
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Trailer: Season 7 Says Goodbye, Inside and Outside of Prison A lot has changed in seven years. When “ Orange is the New Black ” first premiered on Netflix , the streaming service was still in the infancy of its eventual programming empire. Now, as the show is set to debut its final episodes, the group of women who were first brought together within the walls of Litchfield now find themselves drifting apart in more ways than one. Most notably, Piper (Taylor Schilling) is working to adjust to post-prison life, both inside of a cubicle and literally out in the wilderness. Related stories 'Cold Case Hammarskjöld' Trailer: Shedding Light on the Most Important Plane Crash You've Never Heard Of 'Dark': Here Are 8 Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed Amidst All Those Time Travel Shenanigans This first extended glimpse at the new season also shows a reunion of sorts with Alex (Laura Prepon), who is still serving her own sentence. There are plenty of other outside developments still affecting the rest of the women inside. Taystee (Danielle Brooks) is grappling with the aftermath of being charged and convicted for Piscatella’s death. And the show will continue to look at the prison staff, including the unlikely warden couple of Caputo (Nick Sandow) and Figueroa (Alysia Reiner). Uzo Aduba, Kate Mulgrew, and returning Netflix star Natasha Lyonne are all coming back for the final season, as previewed in an emotional farewell Twitter video last fall . When the show revealed that it would not be returning for another season, series creator Jenji Kohan said: “After seven seasons, it’s time to be released from prison. I will miss all the badass ladies of Litchfield and the incredible crew we’ve worked with. My heart is orange but fade to black.” Watch the full trailer for the season (including some questionable outdoor activity choices) below: “Orange is the New Black” Season 7 premieres July 26 on Netflix. Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram . View comments
7 of the Best Stocks to Buy for the 5G Revolution How to invest in the transition to 5G networks. The coming transition from 4G to 5G cellular networks (the "G" standing for generation) is expected to facilitate the next phase of technological change and innovation. The move from 3G to 4G allowed Uber (ticker: UBER ), Snapchat ( SNAP ) and online banking itself to emerge and change the culture. 5G could be 100 times faster than 4G; it's expected to facilitate the next wave of technological advancements, including autonomous vehicles, virtual and augmented reality and the internet of things. Market intelligence firm IDC expects the market for 5G infrastructure to soar from $528 million in 2018 to $26 billion in 2022. So, here are the best 5G stocks to buy now. Xilinx ( XLNX ) This $29 billion chipmaker is one of the earliest companies to cash in on the next generation of wireless networking, and as such rightfully deserves a place as one of the best 5G stocks to buy. As infrastructure spending increases, Xilinx will be a direct beneficiary since its chips are used as components for much of this 5G build-out; revenue in XLNX's communications segment soared 74% year over year in its most recent quarter. An impressive portfolio of radio frequency and system-on-a-chip technologies now can be used in all spectrum bands below 6 GHz, which will be important in helping to project 5G coverage over long distances. Qualcomm ( QCOM ) Any list of so-called 5G stocks would be incomplete without Qualcomm, another chipmaker that also happens to have an incredibly impressive portfolio of intellectual property related to 5G tech. A great settlement with Apple ( AAPL ) this year allows Qualcomm to supply chips for the iPhone for at least the next six years. Apple can now release a 5G-compatible iPhone sooner than previously expected, with Qualcomm licensing issues hammered out, benefitting both companies. Due to its widespread 5G intellectual property patents, royalties should be meaningful to shareholders for years to come. Trading at 14 times forward earnings and offering a 3.4% dividend, QCOM is fairly valued to boot. Story continues Ericsson ( ERIC ) Swedish communications equipment company Ericsson will be a key player in the global rollout of 5G technology, helping telecom companies upgrade their networks to the new higher speed networks. It also sells software and radio network hardware and recently struck a licensing agreement with high-growth Chinese smartphone maker Oppo. Recent national security concerns surrounding direct competitor Huawei's technology should benefit Ericsson, as it picks up market share. First-quarter profits of 4.9 billion Swedish krona ($528 million) blew past consensus expectations for 2.8 billion krona in earnings, partly driven by U.S. adoption of 5G. In June, Ericsson forecast global 5G subscriptions to be 1.9 billion by 2024, a 27% increase from its November forecast. Crown Castle ( CCI ) Building new cell towers will be one big infrastructure expense required to achieve 5G connectivity. The last leg of 5G transmission, unlike 4G, will require antennas within several hundred yards of the connected device to ensure signal strength and speed; previously, towers could beam connectivity over much longer distances. This will require tens of thousands of smaller cell towers -- the type Crown Castle specializes in. CCI boasts 65,000 small cell nodes, and plans to build 20,000 more in 2020. Carriers mostly rent tower space rather than build them, so this growth will translate into vast recurring revenue streams in upcoming years. This 5G stock also pays a 3.3% dividend . Verizon Communications ( VZ ) If staying power and dividends are traits you love in stocks, the major U.S. telecoms are for you, especially as 5G rolls around. And a major factor in any telecom's success is its coverage area, which makes top 50 markets a valuable competitive benchmark. In top 50 markets, Verizon dominates the ownership of key 5G spectrum bands, controlling 76% of the 28GHz band and 46% of the 39 GHz band -- crucial high-frequency transmission areas core to 5G's promise of higher data transfer rates. VZ is one of the best stocks to buy for 5G largely for its spectrum holdings and near-certain staying power; a 4.2% dividend doesn't hurt either. VMWare ( VMW ) The transition from 4G to 5G won't just require a buildout of physical infrastructure, it'll also require new software systems. VMWare offers technology that allows carriers to run multiple networks on the same hardware; it's already secured deals with the likes of AT&T ( T ), Vodafone ( VOD ) and Ericsson. Revenues have risen from $6 billion in fiscal 2014 to $9 billion in fiscal 2019, while over the same period earnings per share have nearly tripled, soaring from $2.04 to $5.85. Shares have enjoyed a healthy run-up since early 2016 as the anticipation of the coming network transition has increased. Marvell Tech ( MRVL ) This consumer semiconductor products company has its hands in a number of high-growth, interrelated areas, including 5G, cloud, artificial intelligence , enterprise hardware and the automotive space, especially after its $6 billion 2018 Cavium acquisition. While Marvell is definitely a long-term play on 5G -- the vast majority of additional revenue from the 5G rollout will come in 2020 and beyond -- there could be significant upside should MRVL lock down design contracts with additional manufacturers. Its most recent major design win was with Samsung to provide chips to power LTE and 5G base stations, which are integral to improving connectivity. MRVL trades for 19 times forward earnings and pays a 1% dividend. The best 5G stocks for investors: -- Xilinx ( XLNX ) -- Qualcomm ( QCOM ) -- Ericsson ( ERIC ) -- Crown Castle ( CCI ) -- Verizon Communications ( VZ ) -- VMWare ( VMW ) -- Marvell Tech ( MRVL ) More From US News & World Report Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks to Buy Now 10 Major Upcoming IPOs to Watch in 2019 7 of the Most Common Investing Mistakes
Mindy Kaling Celebrates 40th Birthday With 'The Office' Co-Star B.J. Novak Mindy Kaling rang in her 40th birthday with close friends and family, and also right by her side was her former lover, and “The Office” co-star, B.J. Novak . The “Late Night” star shared a photo as she was getting ready for her celebration and wrote, “Ringing in 40 with a night of good eats, friends, and a custom drink list! ❤️❤️❤️” The shin dig went down at the San Vicente Bungalows located in West Hollywood. The menu included a speciality cocktail named the “Mindy Mule” which contained vodka, ginger beer and lime juice. The other option was “Actually, Just A Diet Coke” which was ... just a Diet Coke with ice. Novak also posted a photo from the dinner that features Kaling holding a Happy Birthday cake with a photo of her giving a thumbs up on top. Fans commented on the photo “Get u a man that looks at u the same way bj looks at mindy” and “SOMEONE LOOK AT ME LIKE RYAN LOOKS AT KELLY.” Another fan wrote, “The way you still look at her though” and one wondered “Can you guys get married already” Many fans of “The Office” have always wished that Kaling and Novak would get back together. The two met when they started on the show. They briefly dated during the beginning of the NBC series and also ended their relationship during the show. Kaling starred as Kelly Kapoor and B.J. starred as Ryan Howard alongside Steve Carell. They both were writers on the show too. The two remain extremely close and have supported each other for years after “The Office” ended. Many people wondered if Kaling’s 1-year-old daughter Katherine Kaling is also Novak’s. Kaling has never publicly talked about the father. Netflix recently announced "The Office" will be taken off by NBC in 2021, which has caused an uproar among fans. The entire series is expected to be available via an NBC streaming app.
What Kind Of Investor Owns Most Of Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (NASDAQ:EGLE)? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! A look at the shareholders of Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (NASDAQ:EGLE) can tell us which group is most powerful. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned. Eagle Bulk Shipping is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of US$336m, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about EGLE. View our latest analysis for Eagle Bulk Shipping Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. As you can see, institutional investors own 29% of Eagle Bulk Shipping. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Eagle Bulk Shipping's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters. It looks like hedge funds own 56% of Eagle Bulk Shipping shares. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. The definition of company insiders can be subjective, and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. The company management answer to the board; and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board, themselves. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. I can report that insiders do own shares in Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc.. It has a market capitalization of just US$336m, and insiders have US$8.6m worth of shares, in their own names. This shows at least some alignment. You canclick here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. The general public holds a 11% stake in EGLE. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Eagle Bulk Shipping better, we need to consider many other factors. I like to dive deeperinto how a company has performed in the past. You can accessthisinteractive graphof past earnings, revenue and cash flow, for free. Ultimatelythe future is most important. You can access thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
CORRECTED-Canadian businesses have a message ahead of the election: We need immigrant workers (Corrects headline and first paragraph to "foreign workers," not "immigrant workers," because "foreign" implies temporary and not permanent workers) By Steve Scherer and Fergal Smith OTTAWA, June 25 (Reuters) - Canadian unemployment is at an all-time low and businesses have a message for politicians ahead of October's national election: We need immigrant workers so do not make the campaign about keeping them out. Concern about immigration is on the rise in Canada, according to a recent survey, especially among Conservative voters whose party leads Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals in polls ahead of October elections. Unlike the United States where immigration is viewed by some as a threat, Canadian businesses broadly support Trudeau's promise to boost the number of immigrants and refugees allowed into the country every year to about 1% of the population. "We don't want immigration to be used as a political weapon here as it has been in the United States," said Goldy Hyder, head of the Business Council of Canada, whose members employ 1.7 million people. "We agree with the federal government's targets and we need to meet those targets ... The facts clearly demonstrate that Canada is going to need immigrants to help grow the economy." With unemployment at 5.4%, the lowest level since comparable data were first published in 1976, Canada needs workers. A June 25 report showed the country's farm labor shortage is costing billions and is expected to balloon in the next decade. Canadian packaged meat producer Maple Leaf Foods Inc.'s pork-processing plant in Brandon, Manitoba, is operating at 80% capacity due to both labor and hog shortages, said Susan Yaeger, head of recruiting and hiring. The hog deficit is a function of not being able to find skilled workers to operate the company's commercial farms. "Because of our low unemployment ... there's of course a dwindling labor pool for us to recruit from and our business is growing," she said. Despite this, some politicians are pushing to reduce the number of immigrants and refugees coming to Canada every year. Two-thirds of Canadians who said they voted for the Conservative Party said there were too many "visible minorities" - an academic way of saying non-white people - in the country, up from 53% in 2015, according to an April Ekos Politics survey. Under Trudeau, Canada's population growth accelerated to 1.4% in 2018 from 0.8% in 2015, official data show. That compares with U.S. population growth of about 0.6% in the same period. (https://tmsnrt.rs/2I7z8dv) The number of new permanent residents climbed by 12% in 2018 to 321,035, the highest yearly figure since 1913, eclipsing the government's target of 310,000. For People's Party leader Maxime Bernier, who split from the Conservatives, that is too much. He wants to cut immigration levels, and so does the Quebec provincial government. While the promise to do so helped put Quebec's right-leaning government in power last year, Bernier is now polling nationally at about 1%. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, who holds a slight lead over Trudeau, so far has acknowledged that "immigration, done right, is good for the economy and good for jobs." Companies across Canada are facing the same problem as Maple Leaf Foods. The meat-processing industry alone will need 25,000 workers over the next dozen years, according to a study by the Food Processing Skills Canada. On Tuesday, the Conference Board of Canada, a research group, said that by 2025 all labor force growth in Canada would be driven by new immigrants. The Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, Canada's most populous province, wants to further increase the number of workers brought into the country. "We could do with even more (immigrants)," said Rocco Rossi, head of Ontario's Chamber. "We have enormous needs." (Reporting by Fergal Smith and Steve Scherer, additional reporting by Kelsey Johnson)
Trump criticizes Rapinoe for spurning potential White House invite (Note strong language in paragraph three and six that some readers may find offensive) PARIS (Reuters) - United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to criticize U.S women's soccer team co-captain Megan Rapinoe for saying she would not visit the White House if the team won the World Cup. Defending champions the United States face hosts France in the quarter-finals on Friday. "Psssh, I'm not going to the fucking White House," Rapinoe said in response to a question by a reporter from soccer magazine Eight by Eight when asked if she was excited about a potential White House invite. In a video of the exchange that has since been posted on social media, Rapinoe, 33, adds, "No. I'm not going to the White House. We're not going to be invited. I doubt it." Trump responded in a series of tweets later on Wednesday. "Women's soccer player, @mPinoe, just stated that she is 'not going to the F...ing White House if we win'," he said. "I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women's Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven't yet invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose. "Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!" Rapinoe was one of the first American athletes to join former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protest against police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Rapinoe no longer kneels after the United States Soccer Federation changed its regulations to state that players must stand during the anthem, but she does not sing or cover her heart with her hand. In an interview with Yahoo Sports in May, she said: "I'll probably never put my hand over my heart... I'll probably never sing the national anthem again." Story continues Rapinoe received support from team mate Ali Krieger, who posted on twitter: "In regards to the “President’s” tweet today, I know women who you cannot control or grope anger you, but I stand by @mPinoe & will sit this one out as well. I don’t support this administration nor their fight against LGBTQ+ citizens, immigrants & our most vulnerable." Former U.S. international Abby Wambach, the country's record goalscorer added: “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Thank you for your leadership @mPinoe. Love & Solidarity." Trump canceled a White House invitation to Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles last year in the wake of the Kaepernick protests. The president said at the time that he had withdrawn his invitation to the Eagles after the team disagreed with his insistence on players being made to stand for the national anthem. He also decided not to extend a White House invitation to either of last year's NBA finalists, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, after the Cavaliers' LeBron James and Warriors' Stephen Curry said they would skip the visit. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru and Simon Evans in Paris, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Toby Davis)
How SEACOR Marine Holdings Inc. (NYSE:SMHI) Can Impact Your Portfolio Volatility Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Anyone researching SEACOR Marine Holdings Inc. (NYSE:SMHI) might want to consider the historical volatility of the share price. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market. Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Beta is a widely used metric to measure a stock's exposure to market risk (volatility). Before we go on, it's worth noting that Warren Buffett pointed out in his 2014 letter to shareholders that 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' Having said that, beta can still be rather useful. The first thing to understand about beta is that the beta of the overall market is one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market. See our latest analysis for SEACOR Marine Holdings Given that it has a beta of 1.49, we can surmise that the SEACOR Marine Holdings share price has been fairly sensitive to market volatility (over the last 5 years). Based on this history, investors should be aware that SEACOR Marine Holdings are likely to rise strongly in times of greed, but sell off in times of fear. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether SEACOR Marine Holdings is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below. SEACOR Marine Holdings is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of US$293m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. Relatively few investors can influence the price of a smaller company, compared to a large company. This could explain the high beta value, in this case. Beta only tells us that the SEACOR Marine Holdings share price is sensitive to broader market movements. This could indicate that it is a high growth company, or is heavily influenced by sentiment because it is speculative. Alternatively, it could have operating leverage in its business model. Ultimately, beta is an interesting metric, but there's plenty more to learn. In order to fully understand whether SMHI is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as SEACOR Marine Holdings’s financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for SMHI’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor SMHI’s outlook. 2. Past Track Record: Has SMHI been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look atthe free visual representations of SMHI's historicalsfor more clarity. 3. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how SMHI measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with thisfree list of prospective options. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Casa and BlockFi enter into a new partnership; promotes access to crypto financial services with custody solutions Custody startup Casa won’t provide financial products, but it’s now incentivizing those interested in crypto-backed loans and interest products to work with BlockFi. The custody service provider is partnering to offer membership benefits to customers, but keeping a wall between them and the lender. Those who are Casa members and utilize BlockFi can claim an additional ~60 basis points worth of BlockFi's current annualized interest (10% more interest) on BTC deposited into a BlockFi account, as well as up to 50 basis points (0.50%) worth of reduced rates on BTC backed loans. The partnership is essentially the same refer a friend program that BlockFi uses with other partners, with Casa just rebating the referral bonus back to its clients rather than pocketing it. There is also no data shared between the two companies, only the information that one is both a customer of Casa and BlockFi. Jeremy Welch, founder of Casa, said some customers expressed an interest in lending bitcoin, and because Casa heavily markets its security and privacy, the company sought to make a recommendation in-line with those values. Welch said Casa vetted BlockFi’s team and products extensively to ensure the partnership would align with what Welch called Casa’s stringent privacy policy. “There’s a very clear privacy wall between us,” he said. Despite the incentive to utilize BlockFi, Jeremy Welch, founder of Casa, said this would not open the door for the custody service to deal in financial products.
Broadcom Is Reeling from the Huawei Ban. Now It Faces Big Antitrust Trouble in Europe This isn’t turning out to be a great month for Broadcom. Less than two weeks ago, the California chip giant had toknock 8% off its 2019 revenue outlook, thanks to the ban on U.S. companies supplying China’s Huawei, the world’s biggest telecoms equipment firm. Thattook 8% offBroadcom’s share price. Now the company is facing a formal antitrust probe in Europe, over the way it allegedly shunts competitors out of the markets for TV set-top boxes and modems. And while the investigation will probably take years to play out—as is already happening in a separateU.S. antitrust investigationinto Broadcom—the European Commission is likely to hit Broadcom with a rarely-used tool that could affect its business model sooner rather than later. “TV set-top boxes and modems are part of our daily lives, for both work and for leisure,” said Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager ina statement. “We suspect that Broadcom, a major supplier of components for these devices, has put in place contractual restrictions to exclude its competitors from the market. This would prevent Broadcom’s customers and, ultimately, final consumers from reaping the benefits of choice and innovation.” The investigation isn’t just a concern for Broadcom because it could theoretically end up with a fine of up to 10% of the company’s overall annual revenues, which would be north of $2 billion in Broadcom’s case. The European Commission also wants Broadcom to change its allegedly lawbreaking ways while the investigation is still ongoing. This tactic is known in antitrust-speak as “interim measures,” and it hasn’t been deployed by the Commission for the last 18 years. Indeed, if the Commissiondoesgo ahead with imposing interim measures on Broadcom—the company has two weeks to explain why this shouldn’t happen—it will be the first time the tool has been used under the EU’s current antitrust enforcement law, which was was adopted in 2004. To be clear, the accusations being investigated are quite serious. Someone (it’s not clear who yet) passed the Commission information suggesting Broadcom makes set-top box and modem manufacturers agree to exclusivity provisions that stop them buying chipsets from the firm’s rivals. But why is the Commission waving this big stick at Broadcom when it failed to do so in other big antitrust dramas over recent years, such as the series of cases againstGoogle, or the competition watchdog’s probes intoMastercardandIntel? According to Commission spokesperson Ricardo Cardoso, the regulator has been “carefully assessing all the cases we were looking at” to see whether any merited the use of this rarely-deployed tool. Vestager signaled this would happen ina 2017Financial Timesinterviewthat cited the example of France, where the national competition regulator has been exercising this power for years. The “interim measures” weapon has recently been a hotly-debated subject in competition-law circles, particularly in the context of the fast-moving tech industry. As the British government’s Digital Competition Expert Panel recommended in aMarch report, antitrust cases typically take years to resolve, so regulators should make “more use of interim measures to prevent damage to competition while a case is ongoing.” The Commission looked at two things when deciding to threaten Broadcom with this interim measures, said Cardoso: “The first is that you have a serious at-first-sight infringement of competition rules. And secondly, that in this market, without these interim measures, there would be a risk of damage to the market which could not be repaired afterwards.” Cardoso denied that the Commission was taking this tack with Broadcom as part of a new strategy for dealing with tech companies in particular. Either way, though, the chipmaker would probably rather not have the honor of being the first target of this tool since the turn of the century. In a regulatory filing, Broadcom said it did not believe the interim measures would have a “material impact” on its set-top box and modem businesses. “Broadcom believes it complies with European competition rules and that the Commission’s concerns are without merit,” the company said. “Broadcom will respond to the Commission regarding its objections and proposed interim measures.” —Indian workers on H-1B visascould be casualties of a U.S. trade spat —China iscreating an “entity list”to avenge Huawei and punish foreign firms —4 reasons to beskeptical about Facebook’s Libracryptocurrency —Bernie Sanders wantsemployee ownership—already a trend in the U.K. —Listen to our new audio briefing,Fortune500 Daily Catch up withData Sheet,Fortune‘s daily digest on the business of tech.
UK heatwave this summer People enjoy the sunshine in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Park as the hot weather continues. (GETTY) Britain is going to swelter in temperatures of up to 34C this week - but are we in for a long hot summer? Europe is currently in the grip of a deadly heatwave, with parts of France expecting temperatures of up to 45C this week. The hot weather, caused by hot air blown over from the Sahara, is due to reach the UK on Friday and Saturday. But Brits might want to hold off from bulk-buying the factor 50 - the scorching temperatures won’t last long, according to the Met Office. The unusual temperatures are set to break records in Europe. (MET OFFICE) Temperatures are forecast to drop again on Sunday - meaning the hot spell is unlikely to be classed as a proper ‘heatwave’. Meteorologist for the Met Office, Emma Smith, said: “There needs to be three days of threshold temperature for it to be classified as a heatwave. “Some isolated heatwave temperatures could be met, but next week there is a cold front moving to the north of the country. “The warmest temperatures will be in the east of the country.” In parts of Europe the extreme summer heat is predicted to last into July, according to the EU’s Joint Research Centre. Read More on Yahoo News: Three dead in European 'hell' heatwave as Britain braces for 31c weekend temperatures UK weather: Temperatures could soar to 35C by Saturday but not before heavy rain and thunderstorms Temperature records are expected to be broken across France as it is set to reach a sweltering 45 degrees. The 2013 heatwave across Europe resulted in the deaths of 70,000 people. With hot temperatures on the way for the UK, are we going to break any records? #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/KfUMtVOHe0 — Met Office (@metoffice) June 26, 2019 Nearly all of France is now on orange alert, which is the second highest warning level and local authorities have issued advice on how to keep cool. Story continues According to the World Health Organisation, the heatwave is expected to peak by June 27 with extreme temperatures all across the continent. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK---
How to pick out an avocado that's perfectly ripe at the grocery store Walk by the pile ofavocadoslaid out at the grocery store and you're bound to find a few people hunched around, squeezing each fruit in hopes offinding the perfect one. But, there's more to finding the perfect avocado. Here's how to pick out an avocado that's perfectly ripe. First, you should know that there are a few types of avocados, and each will have a slightly different skin texture and shape. But, the most common kind you'll find at the grocery store are Hass avocados. In fact, they make up nearly 95 percent of avocados sold in the U.S. These should have a bumpy, pebbly looking skin. A perfectly ripe Hass avocado will have a dark green, almost purple skin color (similar to an eggplant), while a black color will indicate that it's gone bad. If you can't tell the difference, try removing the stubby stem on the end to see if it's green or brown underneath (if it's brown, skip it). However, keep in mind that this will speed up the oxidation process as you're allowing air to get to the flesh. In other words, you'll need to eat it pretty soon to keep it from browning, or if you don't buy it, you could be ruining the fruit for other grocery shoppers. A green skin color indicates that the avocado is not yet ripe, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you plan to use it in a few days or later in the week, this may be a better option for you. There are a few things you'll want to feel for on an avocado. First, check to see if there are any scrapes or bruises that could have ruined the fruit inside. You'll want to especially check for air pockets, as this can mean that the fruit is already past its prime. Next, give it a little squeeze. A ready-to-eat avocado will be firm, but have a little give to it. If it's hard as rock, it's not yet ripe. If it's too soft though, as soft as say, a stress ball or just downright mushy, it's gone bad. %InlineRelated-url="https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2019/06/26/make-any-avocado-go-from-inedible-to-perfectly-ripe-in-10-minutes/21351878/" CTA="SEE ALSO" title="Make any avocado go from inedible to perfectly ripe in 10 minutes"% Once you've picked the perfect avocado, you can eat it right away. If you're not quite ready to dig in, however, you canhelp preserve its ripenessby keeping it in the refrigerator. If you have an avocado that isn't ripe yet and you're dying to eat it, you're in luck! There are ways to help it ripen faster. Try tucking your avocado in a brown paper bag, as this will cause it to circulate ethylene gas, which will help it ripen at a faster rate. To create even more gas and speed up the process, add other fruits like an apple or a plum to the bag to help—the more the merrier! You can also try leaving your avocado out on your counter for a day or two on its own and it will naturally start to ripen.
Are 8x8, Inc.'s (NYSE:EGHT) Interest Costs Too High? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! 8x8, Inc. (NYSE:EGHT) is a small-cap stock with a market capitalization of US$2.2b. While investors primarily focus on the growth potential and competitive landscape of the small-cap companies, they end up ignoring a key aspect, which could be the biggest threat to its existence: its financial health. Why is it important? Given that EGHT is not presently profitable, it’s essential to evaluate the current state of its operations and pathway to profitability. The following basic checks can help you get a picture of the company's balance sheet strength. Nevertheless, this is not a comprehensive overview, so I suggest youdig deeper yourself into EGHT here. Over the past year, EGHT has borrowed debt capital of around US$216m – which includes long-term debt. With this ramp up in debt, EGHT's cash and short-term investments stands at US$346m to keep the business going. Moving on, operating cash flow was negative over the last twelve months. For this article’s sake, I won’t be looking at this today, but you can take a look at some of EGHT’soperating efficiency ratios such as ROA here. With current liabilities at US$75m, it appears that the company has maintained a safe level of current assets to meet its obligations, with the current ratio last standing at 5.32x. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. However, many consider a ratio above 3x to be high. EGHT is a relatively highly levered company with a debt-to-equity of 87%. This is somewhat unusual for small-caps companies, since lenders are often hesitant to provide attractive interest rates to less-established businesses. But since EGHT is presently loss-making, sustainability of its current state of operations becomes a concern. Maintaining a high level of debt, while revenues are still below costs, can be dangerous as liquidity tends to dry up in unexpected downturns. EGHT’s high cash coverage means that, although its debt levels are high, the company is able to utilise its borrowings efficiently in order to generate cash flow. Since there is also no concerns around EGHT's liquidity needs, this may be its optimal capital structure for the time being. I admit this is a fairly basic analysis for EGHT's financial health. Other important fundamentals need to be considered alongside. I recommend you continue to research 8x8 to get a better picture of the small-cap by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for EGHT’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor EGHT’s outlook. 2. Historical Performance: What has EGHT's returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look atthe free visual representations of our analysisfor more clarity. 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore ourfree list of these great stocks here. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup: President Trump vs. Megan Rapinoe PARIS — Because this is 2019, of course, the Women’s World Cup, just like seemingly everything else in America, is being overwhelmed by politics. Who knows if it can recover. In this case, the battle is between American forward Megan Rapinoe, an unapologetic critic of the United States and a proponent for social justice, and Donald Trump, the current president. Rapinoe has never been a Trump fan. The 33-year-old has taken strong stances on issues she finds important and previously knelt during the playing of the national anthem in support of then-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. “Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties,” Rapinoe told American Soccer Now in 2016. She now follows U.S. Soccer guidelines and stands “respectfully” for the anthem. She does not sing along or hold her hand over her heart, though . (Neither does Trump, it’s worth noting, during most playings of the anthem he attends.) Rapinoe told Yahoo Sports in May that she would “probably never put [her] hand over [her] heart” or sing again. She also dubbed Trump a “sexist,” “misogynistic,” “small-minded,” “racist” and “not a good person.” Trump either didn’t care or didn’t know much about Rapinoe’s criticism this spring because she never got on his radar until this week. Asked by The Hill about whether Rapinoe’s protest was appropriate, Trump offered a muted answer. “No,” he said. “I don’t think so.” That was a reasonable response. However, months-old video began getting re-aired on social and traditional media of Rapinoe saying that if the U.S. won the World Cup, “I’m not going to the [expletive] White House.” With that, everything heated up. Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday, hammering out a stream of oddly constructed and punctuated tweets that veered in various directions (including criticizing the NBA and touting economic indicators). Megan Rapinoe is no fan of President Donald Trump. (Getty) In the end he zeroed in on Rapinoe. “I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven’t yet invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose. Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her and the team. Story continues “Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!” There is almost no chance Rapinoe is ever showing up at the White House and a number of her teammates (including star Alex Morgan) have previously stated the same. Morgan told Time she wouldn't attend because she doesn't “stand for a lot of things the current office stands for.” She also defended using the platform as an athlete to promote political discourse. “There's a narrative that’s been said hundreds of times about any sort of athlete who’s spoken out politically, ‘Stick to sports,’” Morgan said. “We're much more than that, OK?” The team accepted an invitation from President Obama after winning the 2015 World Cup. This time, if anyone shows, it would clearly be a streamlined group. Mostly this is two sides of an argument not listening to the other. While Trump believes America has done so much for Rapinoe, Rapinoe, through her experience, believes the opposite. And whatever argument Trump might have about respecting the traditions of the country, there is little chance he would be heard by Rapinoe if he even lucidly made them. (Citing black unemployment figures isn’t really the point.) President Donald Trump responded to Megan Rapinoe's comments about not visiting the White House on Twitter Wednesday morning. (Getty) Rapinoe and Trump are actually similar in some regards. Neither will ever back down from a fight, and both walk and talk with full confidence in themselves. Whatever. This cake is baked. Those who support Trump will support Trump. Those who support Rapinoe will support Rapinoe. In the meantime, it’s everyone to your corners to celebrate victory with your respected base. Stuck in the middle is the American team, which traditionally has been extremely popular with large cross sections of the country. It is a diverse group. There are outspokenly liberal activists. There are openly gay players. There is a group that engages in a postgame prayer circle. It’s somewhat representative of the country. Mostly though, the team is just here to win soccer games, including a huge clash Friday (3 p.m. ET) with France that is being billed as a de facto World Cup final. This being the knockout stage of the World Cup, most of the players would likely just focus on the task at hand. That includes, to some extent, Rapinoe. She is scheduled to address the media Thursday in Paris, but it’s worth repeating, the video of her discussing a White House visit is old, not something she brought up this week. How a full-on battle with the president of the United States, and his many supporters, impacts the team (if at all) remains to be seen. It could cause divisions. It could rally them closer. Most likely, it won’t matter at all once the game against France begins. In the meantime, social media and politics roar to a boil. But that’s how things work in America these days. It’s never pretty. It’s always loud. More from Yahoo Sports: Rapinoe: ‘I’m not going to the f---ing White House’ Machado feels the love in his return to Baltimore Iggy says Warriors called fractured leg a ‘bruise’ Women’s World Cup is succeeding, no thanks to FIFA
Volkswagen's Traton sets price range for IPO at 27-28 euros a share FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen's truck unit Traton narrowed the price range for its initial public offering (IPO) to between 27 euros ($30.74) and 28 euros a share, the lower end of its earlier 27 euros to 33 euros price range, a bookrunner said on Wednesday. The books are covered for the full deal size, the bookrunner said. People close to the deal said earlier on Wednesday that the price range for the IPO was expected to be set at the lower end of the marketing range. Although markets are still receptive to IPOs given low volatility, sentiment for new listings is shaky. Global Fashion Group on Wednesday drastically cut the offering price of its IPO in a last ditch bid to woo investors. Volkswagen said earlier this month it aimed to raise 1.55-1.9 billion euros ($1.8-$2,2 billion) by selling 10%-11.5% of Traton, having scaled back earlier ambitions to list a stake of up to 25%. The carmaker plans to invest proceeds in transforming its auto production as it readies the launch of dozens of electric vehicles over the coming years and deepens an alliance with Ford Motor Co. (Reporting by Edward Taylor and Arno Schuetze; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Mark Potter)
The Stein Mart (NASDAQ:SMRT) Share Price Is Down 94% So Some Shareholders Are Rather Upset Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! This week we saw theStein Mart, Inc.(NASDAQ:SMRT) share price climb by 10%. But spare a thought for the long term holders, who have held the stock as it bled value over the last five years. Like a ship taking on water, the share price has sunk 94% in that time. So we don't gain too much confidence from the recent recovery. The real question is whether the business can leave its past behind and improve itself over the years ahead. We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson. View our latest analysis for Stein Mart Stein Mart isn't a profitable company, so it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size. In the last five years Stein Mart saw its revenue shrink by 0.1% per year. While far from catastrophic that is not good. If a business loses money, you want it to grow, so no surprises that the share price has dropped 42% each year in that time. It takes a certain kind of mental fortitude (or recklessness) to buy shares in a company that loses money and doesn't grow revenue. That is not really what the successful investors we know aim for. You can see how revenue and earnings have changed over time in the image below, (click on the chart to see cashflow). Thisfreeinteractive report on Stein Mart'sbalance sheet strengthis a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. The value of past dividends are accounted for in thetotal shareholder return(TSR), but not in theshare price returnmentioned above. Many would argue the TSR gives a more complete picture of the value a stock brings to its holders. Stein Mart's TSR over the last 5 years is -90%; better than its share price return. Even though the company isn't paying dividends at the moment, it has done in the past. Investors in Stein Mart had a tough year, with a total loss of 67%, against a market gain of about 6.6%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 36% per year over five years. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality businesses. If you would like to research Stein Mart in more detail then you might want totake a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company. We will like Stein Mart better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out thisfreelist of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
'Dog the Bounty Hunter' star Beth Chapman dies at 51 Beth Chapman has died at the age of 51. The reality star, who appeared on "Dog the Bounty Hunter" alongside her husband, Duane Chapman, for eight seasons, lost her battle with cancer on Wednesday,TMZreports. Chapman had been placed in a medically-induced coma in a Honolulu, Hawaii hospital, over the weekend. Duane confirmed the news on Twitter, writing, "It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side." She was initially diagnosed with stage II throat cancer in 2017 before announcing later that year that she was cancer free. However, the cancer returned in November 2018. Duane had been keeping fans up to date on Beth's condition since the weekend, when he tweeted, "Please say your prayers for Beth right now thank you love you." He also shared a sweet photo of her hand in the hospital bed, calling attention to her manicured nails. Chapman had four children: Dominic, Cecily, Bonnie Jo and Garry, the latter two of which she shared with Dog, whom she married in 2006. They met when she was 19, and he was 35. The grandmother of 14 also had custody of one of her granddaughters, whose mother, Barbara Katy, died in a car crash the day before Beth's wedding. Chapman became a licensed bail bondsman at the age of 29, which made her the youngest in Colorado state history at the time. Her stepdaughter, Lyssa, later broke her record at the age of 19. Beth would go on to become the president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States. Beth and Duane also starred on "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt," which ran for three seasons until 2015. The couple was in the process of filming a new show for WGN called "Dog's Most Wanted," which was reportedly planning on placing heavy emphasis on Beth's health troubles.
Kenya court stops building of coal plant in heritage site NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan environmental tribunal Wednesday blocked the construction of a government-backed coal power plant in Lamu County, which hosts a UNESCO world heritage site. Environmental rights activists celebrated the decision inside and outside the court. Environmental groups had challenged the government's issuing of licenses for the construction of the coal-fired plant, designed to produce 1050 megawatts of power, saying the plant would cause environmental damage. The tribunal said the National Environment Management Authority and the AMU Power Company had allowed public to give their views on the project before an environmental impact assessment was done. The public supported the project without the knowledge of a detrimental environmental impact assessment. The tribunal questioned whether the public would have supported the project had they known of its adverse effects. Public participation must be a meaningful engagement, the tribunal said. "We find that NEMA acted in violation in issuing the first respondent (AMU Power) with an operating license without having adequately involved Lamu residents in public participation as required by the law," ruled Mohammed Balala, a judge of the Environment Tribunal. American Ambassador Kyle McCarter publicly supported the plant in a series of tweets Tuesday night. He said that the U.S. state of Illinois, where he was a state senator, generates clean and cheap energy using coal. Some Kenyans disagreed with him arguing that corrupt Kenyan authorities cannot be trusted with environmental safety.
Eminem’s estranged father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., dead at 67: Report Eminem ’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., has reportedly died at the age of 67. Family sources told TMZ that Mathers Jr., who went by Bruce, passed away at his Fort Wayne, Indiana area home after suffering a heart attack. Though Eminem was named Marshall Bruce Mathers III after Mathers Jr., he barely knew his father. Mathers Jr. married Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, when she was just 15 and he was 22. They had their son two years later, and shortly after split up. Debbie and the future rapper moved to Detroit, while Mathers Jr. resettled in California, where he had two more children. Many of Eminem’s early lyrics addressed his father’s abandonment. In the classic “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” off 2002’s The Eminem Show , he rapped, “My f*ggot father must have had his panties up in a bunch/ ‘Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye/ No I don’t, on second thought I just fucking wished he would die/ I look at Hailie, and I couldn’t picture leaving her side.” As a child, Eminem would write letters to his father, but they would frequently come back marked “return to sender.” After Em made it big, Mathers Jr. attempted to reach out via a letter published in The Mirror in which he claimed it was Debbie would walked out on him and not the other way around. “I don’t need or want your money,” he wrote. “But the one ambition left in my life is to give you a hug and tell you I’ve always loved you.” At that point, Eminem had chosen to stay away from Mathers Jr. “I heard my dad is trying to get in contact with me, but not now. I never got one letter,” he told The Mirror . “I never got anything from him and I think he could have at least tried to write. He could have done something — made an effort.” Mathers Jr. is survived by his two other children, Michael and Sarah, who would respectively be approximately 41 and 39. [cos-videojs id=”eminemhighestchartingsongs-1511822680309,tourstoplimpbizkit2cthreedaysgrace2ceminem-1554498819346,nas27top5songs-1529617593231,migostopsongs-1515451977580,311setlist-1560281333375″ auto_play=true show_playlist=true sticky=true] Eminem’s estranged father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., dead at 67: Report Ben Kaye
eGain Corporation (NASDAQ:EGAN) Earns A Nice Return On Capital Employed Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we are going to look at eGain Corporation (NASDAQ:EGAN) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, we're going to calculate its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), in the hopes of getting some insight into the business. First, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Next, we'll compare it to others in its industry. Last but not least, we'll look at what impact its current liabilities have on its ROCE. ROCE measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Author Edwin Whitingsaysto be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.' The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) Or for eGain: 0.13 = US$3.9m ÷ (US$68m - US$38m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.) So,eGain has an ROCE of 13%. See our latest analysis for eGain ROCE can be useful when making comparisons, such as between similar companies. In our analysis, eGain's ROCE is meaningfully higher than the 9.5% average in the Software industry. I think that's good to see, since it implies the company is better than other companies at making the most of its capital. Separate from eGain's performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth. eGain has an ROCE of 13%, but it didn't have an ROCE 3 years ago, since it was unprofitable. That suggests the business has returned to profitability. It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. What happens in the future is pretty important for investors, so we have prepared afreereport on analyst forecasts for eGain. Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way the ROCE equation works, having large bills due in the near term can make it look as though a company has less capital employed, and thus a higher ROCE than usual. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. eGain has total liabilities of US$38m and total assets of US$68m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 57% of its total assets. This is admittedly a high level of current liabilities, improving ROCE substantially. While its ROCE looks decent, it wouldn't look so good if it reduced current liabilities. eGain looks strong on this analysis,but there are plenty of other companies that could be a good opportunity. Here is afree listof companies growing earnings rapidly. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Beth Chapman, of ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter,’ dies at 51 Beth Chapman, who was partners with Duane "Dog" Chapman both onscreen and off, has died after a battle with cancer. She was 51. The announcement was made by Dog Wednesday on Twitter, days after a choking emergency led to her being hospitalized and placed in a medically-induced coma. Her advanced lung cancer — stage IV — led to her having difficulty breathing, so her family gathered by her bedside in Honolulu — and requested prayers from fans. Beth Chapman, with husband Duane "Dog" Chapman in 2017, has died. After a battle with throat cancer in 2017, her cancer returned the next year. A family spokesperson said at the end she was had stage IV lung cancer. (Photo: Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) Dog wrote in his tweet announcing her passing, that at 5:32 a.m. local time in Hawaii, Chapman typically would be waking up to hike. Instead, today she “hiked the stairway to heaven... See you on the other side.” It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side. — Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) June 26, 2019 Dog was married to Chapman — his fifth wife — since 2006 and they made quite a pair on their reality series Dog the Bounty Hunter about his life as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman. She ran the bail bonds office and also went bounty hunting with her bruiser husband. Their show ran from 2004 to 2012 on A&E. Fans liked it not only for their dramatic captures but also for their openness about their private life. They shared their drama related to kids (they have 12 combined), custody battles and exes. The couple later appeared in their own spin-off, Dog and Beth: On the Hunt, that aired on CMT from 2013 to 2015. However, they parted ways with the network for a new show, Dog's Most Wanted, which is set to air on WGN America, in 2020. In a preview of the upcoming show, Chapman’s cancer battle is a big part of the storyline. She’s seen in her hospital bed and Dog, 66, talked about how the “love of my life” was fighting for her life. Chapman was first diagnosed with throat cancer — stage II — after having a lingering cough checked out in Sept. 2017. It seemed like good news when, just two months later, the couple said that she was cancer-free. Story continues A&E aired a two-hour special, Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives , documenting Beth’s cancer journey, in November 2017. However, Chapman’s cancer returned a year later. She underwent emergency surgery to remove a mass from her throat and began aggressive chemotherapy. It was an uphill battle, which she shared details about, including losing her hair . But it was worse — a family spokesperson said that she had stage IV lung cancer the second time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beth Chapman (@mrsdog4real) on Nov 29, 2018 at 3:54pm PST During her fight, there were things to celebrate, including Chapman and Dog becoming great-grandparents in January. But things were dire with Chapman, who was hospitalized in April with another blockage in her airways. The next month, she alluded to having stopped chemotherapy treatments . View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beth Chapman (@mrsdog4real) on Jan 25, 2019 at 9:13pm PST Chapman wrote on social media in May that Dog “has been by my side non stop since this happened strong and encouraging me every day. There is no doubt we’re my strength comes from. Being with him is the most important thing to me. Ours is one of the greatest love story’s never told.” Meanwhile, Dog told People magazine, “When we made a pledge many years ago, I said I’d love her in sickness and in health until death do us part,” he said. “And that truth has really, really come alive in my mind. And I have to stand on that; I gave her an oath that I would love her forever. And thank God it’s not till death do us part at this point.” As she endured her final days with severe breathing problems, Dog remained by her side. He made sure that his partner was comfortable and looking good, sharing a photograph of her glam nails. “You all know how she is about HER NAILS !!” he wrote. You all know how she is about HER NAILS !! pic.twitter.com/w8iWMYrWZd — Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) June 25, 2019 In addition to Dog, Chapman is survived by their combined brood of 12 children. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: 'Bourdain Day' tributes pour in from the late chef’s family, friends and fans: 'We miss your wit and spark' Pamela Anderson dumps 'monster' Adil Rami over cheating claims: 'This is my worst nightmare' Rosie O'Donnell wishes Meghan McCain 'wouldn't be mean to Joy Behar' Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle’s newsletter.
How to Watch the First 2019 Democratic Debates Online for Free—Even Without Cable The 2020 race for the White House gets underway in earnest this week, as the first officialDemocratic presidential primary debates are held. It’s the first chance for many of the hopefuls to make a first impression—and in a field this large, that’s especially important. There are so many Democrats running for President right now that the debates are being held over two nights, each featuring 10 candidates. The first debate, which will be held Wednesday June 26, will feature candidates including Sen.Elizabeth Warrenand Sen.Cory Booker. Former Vice PresidentJoe Bidenand Sen.Bernie Sanderswill take the stage the following night. Got questions about the debate? We’ve got answers. • Dates:June 26 and June 27 • Time: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET (both nights) • Location:Miami NBC is hosting this round of the debates, meaning you can tune into NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo on your cable or satellite system. There are a number of online options to watch the debate, some of which require a subscription (or you’ll need to sign up for a free trial). Free options include:NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, and the NBC News app, which will all simulcast the debate. Telemundo’s digital platforms will as well. Other options include: • Sling TV:You’ve got a seven-day free preview before the monthly fees, which range from $25 to $40, kick in. • PlayStation Vue:The free trial is 14 days long. Subscription packages start at $45 per month. • Hulu with Live TV:You can try the service free for a week. After that, you’ll pay $45 per month. • YouTube TV:After a seven-day trial, you can expect monthly charges of $40. • Sen.Elizabeth Warren(D-Mass.) • Sen.Cory Booker(D-N.J.) • Former Rep.Beto O’Rourke(D-Texas) • MayorBill de Blasio(D-N.Y.) • Sen.Amy Klobuchar(D-Minn.) • Gov.Jay Inslee(D-Wash.) • Former HUD SecretaryJulián Castro(D-Texas) • Rep.Tulsi Gabbard(D-Hawaii) • Rep.Tim Ryan(D-Ohio) • Former Rep.John Delaney(D-Md.) • Former Vice PresidentJoe Biden(D-Del.) • Sen.Bernie Sanders(D-Vt.) • Sen.Kamala Harris(D-Calif.) • MayorPete Buttigieg(D-Ind.) • Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand(D-N.Y.) • Sen.Michael Bennet(D-Colo.) • Former Gov.John Hickenlooper(D-Colo.) • Rep.Eric Swalwell(D-Calif.) • EntrepreneurAndrew Yang(D-N.Y.) • Self-help authorMarianne Williamson(D-Calif.) If you’re supporting Gov.Steve Bullock(D-Mont.), Rep.Seth Moulton(D-Mass.), MayorWayne Messam(D-Fla.), or former Sen.Mike Gravel(D-Alaska), you’re out of luck. None of them met the minimum criteria for the debates and won’t be onstage. NBC is sending its heavyweights: • NBC Nightly Newsanchor Lester Holt • Todaycoanchor Savannah Guthrie • Meet the Presshost Chuck Todd • MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow • Noticias Telemundoanchor José Diaz-Balart. The Democratic candidates will assemble once again on July 29 and July 30—but must meet anew set of qualifications. Overall, there will be 12 Democratic primary debates before the election, with six scheduled for this year. —4 times 2020 candidates clashed during theDemocratic debate —5 things to watch for onnight 2of the Democratic presidential debate —What the2020 Democratic candidates didn’t sayduring the first debate —Elizabeth Warrenholds her own as lesser-knowns break out in first debate —Julián Castrobreaks out in a debate defined by border policy and immigration —Can socialism win in 2020?Democrats aren’t embracing it
Your landlord could help you add 40 points to your credit score Want an easy way to improve your credit score? Talk to your landlord. The credit scores of many Americans could get an immediate boost of as much as 40 points if their rental payments were added to their credit histories, according to a pilot program run by Goldman Sachs, which gave a first look to USA TODAY. The pilot’s results highlight one way to help millions of lower income and younger renters who have low scores or no scores at all and are denied loans or qualify for unfavorable terms. The biggest obstacle: Getting landlords to sign up. Right now, renters have roundabout ways to add the data themselves, but it often costs money. “One of the keys here is to make rent reporting as seamless and easy as possible for property managers,” said John Olson, Community Reinvestment Act officer for Goldman Sachs Bank USA. “It’s an opportunity for landlords to show that the do care and want their residents to thrive.” To prove the benefit of rent reporting, Goldman Sachs partnered with the nonprofit Credit Builders Alliance and tapped a Salt Lake City developer of an affordable housing property that the bank invested in. Thirty-two residents at Giv Development’s property signed up to have their rental history transmitted to their credit reports last year. College debt woes:The 'after' picture of student loans: Credit card debt, smelly cars, pawn shops to make ends meet Golden years?I retired at 34 with $3 million – here are 5 downsides of early retirement The results were encouraging, outperforming previous pilots. The average score of the participants increased by 42 points, going from a credit score of 616 to 658, on the cusp of being considered a prime borrower. Prior pilots that CBA worked on showed a 23-point average increase among renters. The impact was also immediate. Often,other strategies to improve your credit scoretake many months. “The nice thing about rent reporting is that property managers can report up to 24 months of rental history,” said Sarah Chenven, chief operating and strategy officer at CBA. “So, many folks were able to get that historical data and get that big boost quickly.” What does a 40-point increase mean? For some, it means having a credit score for the first time and a starting place to build a history, so they can qualify for credit cards and other loans. For others who had lower scores, the interest rate on their loans may be lower, providing a more affordable payment. Money and relationships:Love is thicker than Venmo: Tips for millenial couples on merging money Your credit history also affects whether you must pay a security deposit to set up utilities or a cell phone account. Depending on the state, your credit also plays a role in setting your auto insurance premiums. And, of course, landlords check credit reports when approving potential tenants or renewing existing ones. “We had residents that did everything right, paying rent on time for years and were very mindful about how they managed their money,” said Chris Parker, executive director of Giv Development. “They were the epitome of good credit risks. But that’s not what their credit reports were saying about them.” Only 17% of property managers report rent to the three major credit bureaus, even though nearly two-thirds are aware of the possible benefits to them, according to a TransUnion study released Wednesday. Almost three-quarters of renters surveyed by TransUnion said they would be more likely to make their payments on time, while two-thirds said they would choose the apartment that offered rent reporting over a similar one that didn’t. More than half would like to have their rent reported. “It’s an amenity that could be a competitor differentiator,” said Maitri Johnson, vice president of multifamily at TransUnion. The credit bureau offers a complimentary service to landlords for rent reporting. “There is heavy lifting in the beginning, but after that, it’s very easy,” Johnson said. In the meantime, renters can take matters in their own hands if they want their rent to show in their credit files. There are a handful rent reporting services that can facilitate the process, but often for a fee. But if you’re about to take out a big loan, it might be worth the cost. “If your job requires a car and you need a car loan,” Parker says, “it may be difference between a $500 versus a $300 car payment.” This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Your landlord could help you add 40 points to your credit score
Mohnish Pabrai Shares 2 Key Lessons A funny talk by Pabrai at the Guanghua School of Management
Accenture Will Acquire Australian Cybersecurity Firm BCT Solutions Accenture(NYSE:ACN)will acquire BCT Solutions, a consultancy firm specializing in cybersecurity. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. BCT Solutions was founded in 2015 by veterans Patrick Batch and Angus Heatley, and has offices in Canberra and Brisbane. About 87% of its workforce has served in the Australian Defence Force. "We are excited to join forces with Accenture to address the pressing challenges facing the Defence and broader public sector landscape," said Angus Heatley, a Director at BCT Solutions. "Most of the BCT workforce are veterans and have the deep, first-hand defence and national security industry experience, skills and understanding to better equip the men and women of Australia's Defence force." On Wednesday, Accenture shares traded at $184.72. Related Links: Susquehanna Thinks Accenture Is Losing Share To Deloitte, Downgrades Stock CrowdStrike Opens For Trade Well Above IPO Price See more from Benzinga • Cambium Opens Below IPO Price • Phunware's Phun Token Now Available Globally • Leaked Email From Tesla's Musk Says Automaker Approaching Record Vehicle Delivery Number © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
JPM's Jamie Dimon: Fed Chair Jerome Powell is a 'high-quality guy' JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon praised Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell as a "quality guy" amidPresident Trump's criticismof the central bank’s approach to monetary policy. "I think Jay Powell is a high-quality guy. And the president has his own way of communicating," Dimon told Yahoo Finance's Andy Serwer in an exclusive interview at the unveiling of JPMorgan Chase's new flagship bank branch. Trump hasrepeatedly slammedthe Federal Reserve's decision to raise rates last year. In the past, he said the "only problem" with the U.S. economy is the Fed and that "they don't have a feel for the Market." This week, Trump took to Twitter to claim the that the Federal Reserve "doesn't know what it's doing" and said that the central bank "blew it" by raising rates "far too fast." In that pair of Tweets posted on Monday, the president added that the stock market would be "thousands of points higher on the Dow" and GDP growth would be in the "4's or even 5'" if the Fed "had gotten it right." Trump went on to say the Fed is "like a stubborn child" when it comes to rate cuts. Like Powellhas repeatedly emphasized, Dimon said that the central bank has to remain independent. "The central bank is independent. And most presidents in their heart of hearts want lower rates. That should never be a surprise to anybody," he said. Market participants are attempting to read what the Fed's next move might be, with many leaning toward the rate cut camp following the latest FOMC press conference on June 19. "[They] signaled that they can go either way at this point. You know, but you asked a very important thing — The ‘why’ is often far more important than ‘what’ they do. If they're cutting rates because they're worried that the economy, that's not particularly so good. If they're cutting rates because they, you know, want to grow things faster, that may not be so bad. So it really depends," Dimon said. He added that the Fed has to be data dependent in its decision-making. "I mean, can you imagine the Fed saying, 'Doesn't make a difference what the data says, we're going to [do what] we feel like?'" Dimon said. "So they're trying to react properly to what's going on in the world. And they see the same things you and I see: slightly reducing business confidence, slightly reducing capital expenditures, you know, a lot of geopolitical noise out there. They should be responsive." — Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her onTwitter. • Dimon: Student lending is a ‘disgrace’ and it’s ‘hurting America’ • Dimon: If we are lucky, we’ll get a trade deal by the end of the year • Jamie Dimon: The U.S. economy should have grown 40% in the last decade, not 20% • Jamie Dimon describes the bank branch of the future: Fewer tellers, more advisors] • 11 problems that are holding the U.S. back • Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,SmartNews,LinkedIn,YouTube, andreddit.
How Do SMTC Corporation’s (NASDAQ:SMTX) Returns On Capital Compare To Peers? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we'll look at SMTC Corporation (NASDAQ:SMTX) and reflect on its potential as an investment. Specifically, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires. First of all, we'll work out how to calculate ROCE. Then we'll compare its ROCE to similar companies. Last but not least, we'll look at what impact its current liabilities have on its ROCE. ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussinhas suggestedthat a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'. Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) Or for SMTC: 0.067 = US$6.8m ÷ (US$225m - US$122m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.) So,SMTC has an ROCE of 6.7%. View our latest analysis for SMTC One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. In this analysis, SMTC's ROCE appears meaningfully below the 12% average reported by the Electronic industry. This could be seen as a negative, as it suggests some competitors may be employing their capital more efficiently. Separate from how SMTC stacks up against its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms is mediocre; relative to the returns on government bonds. Readers may find more attractive investment prospects elsewhere. As we can see, SMTC currently has an ROCE of 6.7%, less than the 15% it reported 3 years ago. So investors might consider if it has had issues recently. It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be deceptive for cyclical businesses, as returns can look incredible in boom times, and terribly low in downturns. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. What happens in the future is pretty important for investors, so we have prepared afreereport on analyst forecasts for SMTC. Current liabilities are short term bills and invoices that need to be paid in 12 months or less. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets. SMTC has total liabilities of US$122m and total assets of US$225m. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 54% of its total assets. With a high level of current liabilities, SMTC will experience a boost to its ROCE. Even so, the company reports a mediocre ROCE, and there may be better investments out there. Of course,you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates.So take a peek at thisfreelist of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. If you are like me, then you willnotwant to miss thisfreelist of growing companies that insiders are buying. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Former Fox News reporter explains why he left network Carl Cameron, formerly of Fox News announced new gig at a progressive news site. (Credit: YouTube) Former Fox News chief political correspondent Carl Cameron took a jab at his old network this week — while announcing that he’s starting a new adventure. Cameron, popularly known as “Campaign Carl,” announced in a YouTube video on June 24 that he’s joining a new, progressive website called Front Page Live , two years after leaving Fox News after 22-years of reporting. “The idea of fair and balanced news appealed to me,” Cameron said in the video. “But over the years right-wing hosts drowned out straight journalism with partisan misinformation.” Cameron was one of Fox’s first hires, and said he has a deep understanding of how the right thinks, and experience of “literally thirty years” of covering Donald Trump. Cameron didn’t sugarcoat his opinion on Trump either, calling him a “con man,” as well as accusing him of colluding with Russia and appealing to voters to be informed before the next election. However, his turn in allegiance wasn’t well received by everyone. Mark Levin, host of The Mark Levin Show and Life, Liberty on Fox News tweeted yesterday , claiming that he had personally seen Cameron “hobnobbing” with conservatives and his new liberal site contradicts what he “personally witnessed.” Carl Cameron used to show up at conservative social gatherings when he was a reporter for Fox News. He was very comfortable hobnobbing with conservatives. His alleged disgruntlement with Fox & his new liberal site belie what I personally witnessed. https://t.co/h3y9TDnXdE — Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) June 25, 2019 Some Twitter comments suggest that the move was likely for a paycheck, pointing out that Cameron has been “bashed by the liberal media” for being conservative in the past. I remember Carl Cameron being one of the first reporters being bashed by the liberal media as being totally conservative! — Scott Welch (@scottjw0219) June 25, 2019 Shorter Version: After 22 years at Fox I am now switching sides to make money off liberals who’ll believe anything I write as long as it’s Anti-Trump as we witnessed the past 2 years with Russian Collusion Delusion! — Joe Friday (@InsurancePlanX) June 25, 2019 So he was a country club conservative. Sell America out for a profit while proclaiming the high ground. Never seen that before. Did he move in with Bill Kristol and George Will too to join the "only real conservatives club"? 🤣 — HaitianLeg (@HaitianLeg) June 25, 2019 Another person pointed out that it was a bit suspicious that it took him all those years to express any sort of distaste for Fox News. Story continues Not sure why it took him 22 years to realize Foxnews wasn't a fit? It's seems convenient to trash Foxnews as he is starting a new venture. — Craig A Peters (@gocap555) June 25, 2019 Someone added that shifting to a liberal outlet may not have been the best move if Cameron took issue with Fox News’s lack of balance, and should have continued on with the network to improve its coverage. Switching to a rabid Liberal outlet is not, in my humble opinion an antidote to so-called "right wing propaganda", nor is it being fair & balanced! I used to love watching "Campaign" Carl Cameron. If he wanted to improve Fox's objectivity, he should've stayed; very disappointed! — Gabriel Santiago (@GabeSantiago1) June 25, 2019 In the video, Cameron said “My job, what I do, is inform. That’s it. Make your own decisions.” Some supported him in Twitter comments, pointing out that reporters have left Fox News so they’re able to “do their job with integrity.” Only if you ignore that Fox has become a full-on propaganda ministry for Trump since those days. Guess you haven't put your pom-poms down long enough to notice, but a number of straight news reporters have left Fox since, as they could no longer do their job with integrity. — Buster's View (@lkoneal) June 25, 2019 His criticism of Fox has nothing to do with his personal like or dislike of conservatives, it has to do its news coverage. — Annie (@txhighdudgeon) June 25, 2019 Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supports #WayfairWalkout: 'This is what solidarity looks like' Rep. Ilhan Omar dances to Prince in ‘Purple Rain’ tribute: ‘This is the only time I've related to a U.S. representative' NRA cancels NRATV — and the internet sends 'thoughts and prayers' Follow us on Instagram , Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Vodafone set for EU go-ahead on Liberty Global deal: sources By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Vodafone is set to secure EU antitrust approval for its $22 billion bid for Liberty Global's cable networks in Germany and central Europe after offering concessions in May, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Vodafone, the world's No. 2 mobile operator, is looking to the deal to help it better compete with German market leader Deutsche Telekom. It offered to strengthen rival Telefonica Deutschland by giving it access to its merged high-speed broadband network after the European Commission said the deal may reduce competition in Germany and the Czech Republic. The proposal would allow Telefonica Deutschland to offer super-fast services over Vodafone and Liberty Global's German subsidiary Unitymedia's cable networks in Germany. Smaller rivals, however, have criticized the concessions as insufficient, raising the possibility of a legal challenge to the EU decision. The Commission, which is scheduled to decide on the deal by July 23, and Liberty Global declined to comment. Vodafone did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by David Evans and Alexander Smith)
FINRA Study Finds Financial Prosperity Eludes Many Americans Despite Strong Economy The economy is strong, but the gap between those prospering and those struggling continues to widen. Cash-strapped Americans are failing to save money, struggle with student loan debt and face decreasing financial literacy, despite economic growth and declining unemployment over the past 10 years, according to new research from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation). The study, "The State of U.S. Financial Capability," finds that key indicators of financial capability are no longer improving in step with the economy. "This year marks a decade since one of the most significant financial downturns brought financial crisis and loss to millions of Americans," said Gerri Walsh, President of the FINRA Foundation. "While we've seen improvements in key measures of financial capability over the years, the 2018 findings suggest we have hit a plateau — and that not all Americans have recovered at the same rate." The nationwide survey of more than 27,000 respondents is conducted every three years and is one of the largest and most comprehensive financial capability studies in the U.S. Originally developed in 2009, it measures key indicators of financial capability and evaluates how these indicators vary with underlying demographic, behavioral, attitudinal and financial literacy characteristics—both nationwide and state-by-state. The FINRA Foundation is collaborating with USA Today to publish its research through a series ofarticleshighlighting the financial struggles many Americans face. The report's findings show: The divides between those prospering and those struggling are persisting or widening.Trends from the past four waves of the financial capability study show signs of widening or persistent gaps among certain groups on key measures of financial capability. While Americans, as a whole, have seen their ability to cover monthly expenses and bills improve since 2009, the 2018 data show that younger Americans, those without a college degree, African-Americans and those with lower incomes are struggling financially, calling into question the improved economy's ability to work as needed for all. Americans are not saving.Despite improvements in the ability to make ends meet, there has not been an increase in the number of Americans' saving. Nearly half of Americans have not set aside money to cover expenses for three months. Moreover, Americans are stressed about money. More than half (53 percent) of those surveyed reported that just thinking about their finances makes them feel anxious. Thesetipscan help you boost your savings. A majority of Americans have not planned for retirement.More than half of Americans (54 percent) have not tried to determine what they need to save for retirement, and only 58% of Americans have a retirement account, based on the survey. The study reveals a gender gap for retirement preparedness may be widening in a way that favors men.Calculatehow much will you need in retirement. High education costs are causing buyer's remorse for many.Among Americans with student loans, nearly half (47 percent) wish they had chosen a less expensive college. Among those with student debt, a similar percentage (48 percent) is concerned they will not be able to pay off their loans, and many did not fully understand what they were getting into when they got their loans, the survey shows. Meanwhile, late loan payments are rising. Financial literacy has declined.Only 34 percent of respondents could answer at least four of five basic financial literacy questions on topics such as mortgages, interest rates, inflation and risk — compared to 42 percent in 2009. This drop in scores appeared most pronounced among younger Americans ages 18 – 34, who have had little exposure to high interest rates or inflation as adults. Test how you fare on theFinancial Literacy Quiz. Financial education matters.Americans who have participated in a substantial amount of financial education are more likely to save and less likely to overdraw their checking accounts. Nearly half of Americans (49 percent) who have received more than 10 hours of financial education report spending less than they earn, compared with 36 percent of those people who received less than 10 hours of financial education. "The financial capability survey is an invaluable tool for researchers, policymakers and advocates to deepen our understanding of financial capability on both national and state levels," said Walsh. "The 2018 survey's insights underscore that a growing economy is not sufficient to improve people's financial lives, leading us to further explore how fintech innovations, quality financial education offerings and the rise of the gig economy may impact the financial decisions and behaviors of millions of Americans." To access the full report, datasets, survey instrument and methodology visitUSFinancialCapability.org.
3 Dividend Stocks That Could Pay You the Rest of Your Life Dividend payments can really add up over the years. Dividends have made up more than 40% of the stock market's total return over the past 80 years, which is why investors should seek out companies that can consistently pay dividends in the decades to come. We asked three of our Motley Fool contributors for the stocks they believe can pay dividends that could last a lifetime. They chose pharma powerhousePfizer(NYSE: PFE), renewable energy generatorTerraForm Power(NASDAQ: TERP), and candymakerHershey(NYSE: HSY). Here's why they believe this trio has the potential to pay dividends that endure. George Budwell(Pfizer):Pfizer is set to reclaim its position as the world's largest prescription drug company by 2024, according to a report by EvaluatePharma. That's a truly impressive feat, given that this titan of the biopharma world has been getting slammed by patent losses for the better part of the last decade. In fact, Pfizer is set to lose exclusivity for another top-selling product soon:Lyrica, a drug that has historically made up nearly 10% of Pfizer's annual revenue. So the fact that a top-drawer pharma analyst firm still has Pfizer climbing to the top of the rock pile over the next five years is quite the accomplishment. How has Pfizer managed to keep growing during this turbulent time? While the drugmaker's former management team attempted to go the mega-merger route by making offers for bothAstraZenecaandAllergan, these failed deals turned out to be a blessing in hindsight. Pfizer's robust clinical pipeline -- and strategic decision to cut out high-risk programs early on -- has paid huge dividends over the past few years. As proof, Pfizer sports two of the world's best-selling drugs in the breast cancer treatment Ibrance and the blood thinner Eliquis (co-owned byBristol-Myers Squibb). What does this all mean for Pfizer as an income play? As things stand now, Pfizer offers a modestly above-average yield of 3.47%. The real selling point for income investors, though, is the drugmaker's healthy long-term outlook. Despite these patent losses, Pfizer should be able to post low-single-digit top-line growth for a long time to come, and that's not even accounting for additional business development activities that might create further upside. Pfizer's dividend, in turn, should be a safe bet for investors on the hunt for a reliable source of passive income. Matt DiLallo(TerraForm Power):Renewable energy producer TerraForm Power has a checkered history when it comes to paying dividends. The wind and solar power generator had to stop paying its dividend a few years ago when its former parent company declared bankruptcy. TerraForm, however, now has anew parent, which has helped turn around its financial results and growth prospects. That enabled the company to start paying a dividend again last year. TerraForm anticipates that it can generate enough cash from its much-improved renewable operations to grow its dividend -- which currently yields 5.6% -- at a 5% to 8% annual rate through at least 2022. Further, it can deliver that healthy growth rate while maintaining a conservative payout ratio of about 80% to 85% of its cash flow. That will leave it with enough excess cash to invest in the expansion projects needed to support its dividend growth plan. The company should have no problem finding growth opportunities in the future, given that the world needs to invest a jaw-dropping$10 trillionto wean the economy off its addiction to fossil fuels. TerraForm already has three projects in development that would increase the power-generating capacity of its existing wind farms. In addition to that, TerraForm is in the process of acquiring a small portfolio of solar projects from a third-party developer. The company's ability to build and buy additional renewable-power-generating assets should enable it to continue growing its cash flow for years to come. That should allow TerraForm to keep paying dividends to its investors in the decades ahead. Rich Duprey(Hershey):This is the year Hershey is smashing records, and its stock has soared to an all-time high of $138 per share after the chocolatierfound its sweet spot. Ironically, it's not because of chocolate that the confectioner is gaining, but rather the snack foods acquisitions its made, such as SkinnyPop popcorn and Smart Puffs. Not that the chocolate business was bad -- Hershey even saw its e-commerce efforts start to pay off, with sales growing 50% in the first quarter -- but the snacks company is now a more well-rounded business. It's a smart transition Hershey is making, as consumers have become more health conscious, and eating chocolate, while still a guilty pleasure for many, is being pressured, which is why Hershey sought to diversify away from it. The company may have taken longer to make the switch than it should have, but now that management made the decision, it is implementing the process smartly, cutting costs where necessary, shedding underperforming brands, and boosting its more successful ones, all the while keeping an eye out for more acquisitions to make. Hershey trades at almost 23 times projected earnings, which isn't overwrought, and analysts see it growing earnings at 8% annually. Hershey has paid a dividend every year since 1930, and has a long history of raising its payout every year, except 2009 when it froze it, before resuming the next year and increasing it at an average rate of nearly 10% per year. The dividend currently yields 2.1%. While Hershey has been a fairly reliable performer over the years, returning almost 14,000% since the 1960s, when you add in reinvested dividends, total returns jump to over 30,000%. While past performance is no indicator of future results, Hershey has proven itself to be a stock that one might want to count on to pay them for the rest of their life. More From The Motley Fool • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,728 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • 20 of the Top Stocks to Buy (Including the Two Every Investor Should Own) • What Is an ETF? • 5 Recession-Proof Stocks • How to Beat the Market George Budwellhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Matthew DiLalloowns shares of TerraForm Power.Rich Dupreyhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends AstraZeneca. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.