You look at your driving record and see speeding tickets, an accident, maybe a DUI, and chalk everything up to dumb mistakes or bad luck behind the wheel. “Motor vehicle records give insight into how folks behave,” says Karen Phelan, senior director of life Insurance for LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a data analytics company in Atlanta.
Month: January 2017
Will Home Depot Raise Its Dividend in 2017?
The rebound in housing after the financial crisis was good news for homeowners, and it also helped drive improving results for Home Depot . The home improvement retailer benefited from greater interest both from do-it-yourself homeowners and from professional contractors, and investors have enjoyed not only long-term average annual returns in excess of 20% for more than 30 years but also significant gains in dividend payments.
Stocks Lower as British Pound Suffers Brexit Jitters
Stocks in Europe and Asia fell Monday while the British pound dropped to three-month lows amid escalating concerns over the U.K.’s access to the European Union’s single market. The Stoxx Europe 600 slumped 0.6% in afternoon trading, led by declines in the banking and auto sectors, while London’s export-heavy FTSE 100 index stalled after 14 consecutive sessions of gains.
Oil Prices Under Pressure on Doubts Over Output Cuts
Oil prices were under pressure on Monday due to doubts that large oil producers will reduce production as promised and on expectations that U.S. production would increase again this year. Benchmark Brent crude oil was up 8 cents a barrel at $55.53 after being down for most of the day by 1416 GMT and U.S. light crude was flat at $52.37 a barrel.
Liz Weston: Retirement advice from retired financial experts
So I asked money experts who have quit the 9-to-5 for their best advice on how to prepare for retirement. They still faced curveballs when it was their turn.
IMF Upgrades U.S. Growth Forecast on Trump Stimulus Plans
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t taken office yet, but he’s already reshaping the global growth outlook. The International Monetary Fund on Monday bumped up its economic growth forecasts for the U.S., saying output could grow nearly a half-percentage point faster than previously thought over this year and next, thanks to Mr. Trump’s plans to cut taxes and boost infrastructure spending.
IMF raises China growth forecast but warns on debt
A worker sits by a billboard depicting the Central Business District under construction in Beijing, China, Monday, Jan. 16, 2017. The International Monetary Fund on Monday raised its growth forecast for China but warned rising debt that has prompted … Workers pause at the construction site of the Central Business District in Beijing, China, Monday, Jan. 16, 2017.
How Risky Is Royal Gold, Inc.?
In the end, Royal Gold isn’t risk free, but it may not be as risky as your typical ‘gold’ stock. A miner like Newmont digs holes in the ground, pulls out gold, and sells it.
7 Obamacare Provisions That Could Be Eliminated As Soon As Jan. 20
By the end of this week, President-elect Donald Trump will officially become the 45th president of the United States. With his ascent into the Oval Office will also come a changing of the guard when it comes to policy.
3 Top Growth Stocks Priced at a Bargain This Winter
Last year began ugly for the stock market, with all three indexes racking up double-digit percentage losses at one point. However, by year’s end, the broad-based S&P 500 had risen by a healthy 9.5%.
3 Stocks the Market Loves to Hate but That You Should Love
One way for investors to find value in today’s market is to look for stocks that are temporarily out of favor. All too often traders sell off a company’s stock based on short-term problems that don’t impair the company’s long-term earnings power.
Judges win claim over pension scheme changes
The government has lost a legal case over the way it changed the pension scheme for the UK’s judges in 2015. The central London Employment Tribunal has upheld a claim by 210 judges that they suffered age, race or sex discrimination during the change.
As Michael Lynton Exits, Will Sony Double Down on Hollywood or Sell?
One rumor holds that Sony may finally be ready to part with its either-all or parts of its entertainment assets, with CBS’ Leslie Moonves angling to buy. It’s a rare thing for an executive who presides over a corporate disaster to remain on the job and even get promoted.
Escalation clauses can make the difference when bidding wars arise
Even though much of the District is in what we would consider a fairly normal market, with moderate price increases and a climate that favors neither buyers nor sellers, there are some pockets that remain hot sellers’ markets. Whether it’s the most sought-after neighborhood or a hard-to-find price point, the end result is often the same – a bidding war breaks out.
Rpt: Samsung Probe Finds Battery Was Main Cause of Note 7 Fires
A Samsung investigation into what caused some Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire has concluded that the battery was the main reason, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. The world’s biggest smartphone maker is seeking to put behind it one of the biggest product safety failures in tech history as it prepares to launch the Galaxy S8, one of its flagship phones, sometime in the first half of this year.
Ringling Bros. Circus Folding Its Tent After Nearly 150 Years
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus said on Saturday it will cease performances after 146 years in business, owing to what it said were declining tickets sales and high operating costs.
Luxottica and Essilor Create Eyewear Giant in $49B Deal
Italy’s Luxottica and France’s Essilor have agreed a 46 billion euro merger to create a global powerhouse in the eyewear industry with annual revenue of more than 15 billion euros, they said in a statement on Monday. The deal, one of Europe’s largest cross-border tie-ups, brings together Luxottica, the world’s top spectacles maker with brands such as Oakley and Ray-Ban, with Essilor, the world’s leading manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses.
Global shares mostly lower amid worries over Brexit, Italy
Global shares were mostly lower Monday amid worries about Britain’s exit from the European Union and a downgrade of Italy’s credit rating. Takata’s shares fell in Tokyo after the air bag maker agreed to a guilty plea in the U.S. over massive recalls.
Scottish Newspaper Previews Trump Inauguration as ‘Twilight Zone’ Return
“The story begins in a nightmarish version of 2017, in which huge sections of the U.S. electorate have somehow been duped into voting to make Donald Trump president.” It’s probably fair to say that whoever is writing the TV page for Scotland’s Sunday Herald newspaper isn’t a massive Donald Trump fan.
FTSE 100 flat despite slide in sterling
The FTSE 100 rose initially – to hit a new intra-day high – but then fell back to stand 3.49 points lower at 7,334.32. The pound fell sharply overnight as traders reacted to reports that Theresa May would use a speech on Tuesday to signal a so-called “hard Brexit”.
Cathay Pacific to Revamp Fuel Hedging, Workforce; Shares Climb
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Asia’s biggest international airline, plans to shorten its fuel-hedging program and revamp its workforce as part of a new business strategy to halt a slide in earnings. The shares jumped the most in nine months.
Trump Offers Britain Quick Trade Accord as He Shuns Europe
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he would offer the U.K. a quick and “fair” trade deal when he meets Prime Minister Theresa May shortly after taking office, as he signaled a major shift in trans-Atlantic relations. “We’re gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly.
European Stocks Fall as Automakers, Banks Lead Declines
European stocks traded weaker at the open Monday in thin volumes owning to the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance. European stocks traded weaker at the open Monday as automaker and bank shares led markets lower in thin volumes owning to the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance.
H&M Stock Falls on Worse-Than-Expected December Sales
H&M stock dropped in the first hour of trading in Stockholm Monday after it announced sales growth in December was slower than expected. H&M stock dropped in the first hour of trading in Stockholm Monday after it announced sales growth in December was slower than expected.
Burberry Confirms New CEO Gabotti Will Take Position in July
Burberry said Monday that Marco Gabotti will take up the position of CEO from July 5, almost a year after he was appointed to the British luxury goods group. Current CEO Christopher Bailey will on the same day transition into the role of president and chief creative officer, the company said in a statement.
German Automaker Stocks Fall After Trump Raises ‘Border Tax’ Threat on Mexico Imports
German automarker shares traded lower in Frankfurt after President elect Donald Trump raised the specter of a so-called ‘border tax’ on cars built in Mexico but imported into the US. German automarker shares, including BMW AG , traded lower in Frankfurt Monday after President elect Donald Trump raised the specter of a so-called ‘border tax’ on cars built in Mexico but imported into the United States.
On Ericsson CEO’s Do-List: Reality Check, Then Hard Decisions
Borje Ekholm, the veteran executive brought in to turn around Swedish network-equipment maker Ericsson AB, faces tough decisions on staffing, competition and balance-sheet management that will test the former Investor AB chief’s ability to right the ship after a tumultuous 2016. Ekholm, a long-time board member at Stockholm-based Ericsson, takes over as chief executive officer on Monday at a company that saw its share price plummet 35 percent last year amid steep revenue declines, fierce competition from Chinese rivals, and dwindling carrier spending as large investments in fourth-generation wireless gear largely wound down.
Luxottica and Essilor to Merger in Near $50 billion Blockbuster Eyewear Deal
Luxottica Group and Essilor International said Monday that they would merge, creating an eyewear giant with combined revenues of nearly $16 billion. Luxottica Group SpA and Essilor International SA said Monday that they would merge, creating an eyewear giant with combined revenues of over a 15 billion .
Amazon seeks permission to run wireless tests in Washington
PanARMENIAN.Net – Amazon is preparing to test experimental wireless communications technology, including mobile devices and fixed-base stations, in rural Washington and Seattle, the company disclosed in government filings this week, according to Business Insider. The filings do not specify what the tests would be for, but they hint at a new type of technology or wireless service, noting that the project would involve prototypes designed to support “innovative communications capabilities and functionalities.”
South Korea Prosecutor Seeks Arrest of Samsung’s Jay Y. Lee
Prosecutors are seeking a warrant to arrest Samsung Group’s Jay Y. Lee for allegations including bribery and embezzlement, a stunning turn for the scion of South Korea’s richest family groomed for decades to take over the company from his father. Lee, 48, the de facto head of the Samsung Group and vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., is accused of participating in payments that Samsung made to a close friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye in exchange for government support in the company’s succession planning.
European Stocks Called Higher, Pound Tumbles Ahead of May’s Brexit Speech
European stocks are expected to open higher Monday, with Britain’s FTSE 100 set to extend its record run amid yet another lurch lower for the pound on foreign exchange markets. European stocks are expected to open higher Monday, with Britain’s FTSE 100 set to extend its record run amid yet another lurch lower for the pound on foreign exchange markets.
Forecast predicts sharp plunge in UK merger activity
Mergers and acquisitions in the U.K. are likely to drop sharply this year amid uncertainty over Britain’s relationship with the European Union , according to research released Monday. The value of deals is expected to fall to $125 billion this year from $340 billion in 2016 as Britain begins to negotiate its exit from the EU, the law firm Baker McKenzie , a leading adviser on corporate transactions, said in a report.
Crackdown on Aussie Banks Boosted Mortgage Standards, APRA Says
Australian banks have “appreciably improved” their mortgage-lending standards, the nation’s regulator said, as it left the amount of additional capital banks are required to hold as a buffer against the build-up of credit risk at zero. The pace of lending to property investors is currently at around half of the regulator’s recommended levels, and higher-risk mortgages — such as those with loan-to-value ratios of over 90 percent — had fallen, the Australian Prudential and Regulatory Authority said in its annual report on the operation of the counter-cyclical capital buffer.
Six-Hour Meeting of Chinese Tycoons Eases LeEco Cash Crunch
It took Jia Yueting just over six hours in December to snag $2.2 billion from a Chinese real estate mogul to keep LeEco afloat. In so doing, the entrepreneur secured a vital financial and strategic ally as he prepares to do battle with the likes of Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Tesla Inc. Jia’s LeEco, the sprawling conglomerate with interests ranging from electric cars and TVs to entertainment, announced Friday its cash crunch was almost over after winning 16.8 billion yuan in strategic investments, mostly from Sun Hongbin’s Sunac China Holdings Ltd. Jia declared he’ll now use the money to “far surpass” China’s three biggest internet companies: Baidu Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent.
As OPEC Acts on Its New Year’s Resolution, U.S. Shale Pumps Away
U.S. shale is getting in the way of a New Year’s resolution by OPEC to cut production and boost the market. Producers and merchants increased their bets on lower West Texas Intermediate crude prices to the highest level since 2007 as futures held above $50 a barrel.
Asia Banks Seeking Tech Hires Over `Rock-Star’ Bankers This Year
Financial institutions in the Asia-Pacific region will be more inclined to hire technology specialists this year than investment bankers as they enhance product offerings and upgrade their systems, according to a survey by Options Group Inc. Among regional financial-services managers, 40 percent say they expect to increase their headcount for information technology-related roles this year, according to a September-October survey conducted by the New York-based recruiter. By comparison, only 18 percent of the 380 managers surveyed intended to add jobs in investment banking, while 29 percent may do so in fixed income and equities sales and trading.
Kaisa Mystery Taking Time to Clear as China Builder Delays
The first property developer from China to default on dollar bonds said last week it needed more time to release earnings already delayed by about two years. It’s the kind of treatment bond investors have gotten used to.
Should a Change in Leadership Mean a Change in Your Financial Strategy?
By Brad Sherman via Iris.xyz The market’s wild ride after the presidential election might have you wondering if a change in leadership should mean a change in your financial strategy.
Drain the FCC swamp
President-Elect Donald Trump is looking for bold actions to “drain the swamp” in Washington, DC and free America’s economy, so that it can once again become the global leader and innovator. A great place to start would be abolishing the Federal Communications Commission .
Kevin Starr, California’s premier historian, dies at 76
In this March 29, 2004, file photo, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, and state Librarian Kevin Starr, smile after unveiling the design chosen for the California Quarter during ceremonies in Sacramento, Calif. Starr, California’s former librarian and one of the state’s premier historians, died Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017.