Month: December 2016

How Ugly Can the Bond Rout Get?

The beauty of bonds comes from the predictability of their payment schedules. That predictability is maintained through the threat of default; if the bond payer doesn’t pay on schedule, the bond holder has recourse that often includes taking control of the defaulting bondissuer.

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Staying relevant through constant innovation and disruption is more important in the tech industry than in arguably any other sector. By investing heavily in research and development , these companies are making expensive bets on the future and what technology and trends will lead it — along with their own sales and profits.

China to Cut Solar, Wind Power Prices as Project Costs Fall

China is reducing the amount of money it pays to newly completed solar and wind power generators for their electricity, in order to reflect declines in construction costs, the country’s price regulator and economic planner said Monday. The nation will cut tariffs paid to solar farms by as much as 19 percent in 2017 from this year’s levels, and by as much as 15 percent for wind mills in 2018 from current prices, according to a statement posted on the National Development and Reform Commission’s website.

International Box Office Hits of 2016

This year’s international success stories: China’s half-billion-dollar blockbuster, Germany’s refugee comedy and the New Zealand indie that out-grossed ‘Rogue One.’ Hollywood tentpoles weren’t the only films attracting global audiences this past year.

These Stocks Could Double in 2017

Stocks that have been beaten down by pessimistic investors always have the potential to soar if things start to go right. They also have the potential to tumble further, punishing investors for betting on a turnaround that never surfaces.

Iran Says Will Only pay Half Price for New Boeing Planes

Iran’s official IRNA news agency is reporting the deputy transport minister as saying that his county will only pay half of the announced price for 80 new Boeing planes, given the reductions in its purchasing options. According to the Sunday report, Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan says that despite an initial $16.8 billion deal with Boeing to purchase 80 passenger planes, “Regarding the style of our order and its options, the purchase contract for 80 Boeing aircraft is worth about 50 percent of the amount.”

Netflix Uses AI to Figure Out How Much to Pay for Content

Netflix has crafted several computer algorithms to determine what shows to produce, what shows and films to license, what content to show to each user, and apparently how much to pay for each piece of content. In a recent Business Insider article detailing how documentarian Craig Atkinson ended up not selling his film to Netflix, he revealed an interesting detail about Netflix’s negotiation tactics.

Ice rinks across the country fight enemy No. 1: Energy bills

A small community skating rink that was once in danger of folding is working on a long-term plan to eliminate its biggest single expense – its energy bill – by becoming what its leaders believe would be the country’s first with no costs for electricity or heating fuel. The plan includes upgrading the existing equipment at Woodstock’s Union Arena for efficiency, finding ways to reuse some of the heat generated by the power-sucking compressors used to make ice and, finally, buying solar panels that will be erected elsewhere.

How Risky Will 2017 Be for Philip Morris International?

Tobacco has been a long-term winner for investors, and although it has been a separate publicly traded company for less than a decade, Philip Morris International has done just as well as many of its longer-tenured peers in the industry. However, Philip Morris faces several different types of risks, and each of them has caused investors some concern in the past year.

Boeing Sends Sub-Hunters to Norway

Earlier this year, Boeing Defense head Leanne Caret laid out a plan to refocus Boeing’s efforts away from fighter jet production, and toward the sale of auxiliary aircraft such as transports and surveillance and maritime patrol aircraft. Earlier this year, we told you about Boeing’s big $3.2 billion sale of nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to Great Britain.

4 Biotech Stocks to Buy in January

When an entire sector goes on sale it tends to create bargains. There’s no doubt that the biotech sector has the blue-light special flashing right now, as it has massively underperformed the S&P 500 year to date.

3 Top High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy in 2017

More often than not, dividend stocks are what form the foundation of any great retirement portfolio. Not only have dividend stocks handily outperformed non-dividend-paying stocks over the long run, but they also offer a number of other advantages that income investors are bound to like.

1 Reason Bank of Americas Stock Price Is Still So Low

It costs a little less than $23 to buy a share of Bank of America, and that’s after the post-election surge in bank stocks. Meanwhile, even the second least expensive big bank stock, Morgan Stanley The answer is that Bank of America has way more shares outstanding than any other bank.

China Inc. Struggle to Sell Bonds Poses Quandary for Economy

China’s roaring bond engine is stalling heading into the new year, posing a quandary for policy makers as they try to curb leverage while keeping economic growth on track. Bond issuance in December by Chinese companies and banks is 142 billion yuan less than the amount of notes they must repay this month, data combined by Bloomberg show.

WNBA offers players security app for safety overseas

In this June 5, 2016, file photo, Indiana Fever’s Marissa Coleman, left, shoots over Connecticut Sun’s Kelly Faris, right, during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Uncasville, Conn. The WNBA is offering a security app to its players … to help them stay safer while they are overseas this offseason.

Cancer patient donates years’ worth of pizza to food bank

A Pennsylvania man going through treatment for colon cancer won a pizza parlor’s raffle for a years’ worth of free pies and then donated his prize to a local food bank. Thirty-six-year-old Josh Katrick, of Northampton, had just completed his eighth round of chemotherapy when he learned that he was the winner of his favorite neighborhood restaurant’s contest.