Wal-Mart vs. The Government 1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day. 2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute! 3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year. 4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target +Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.…
World edges closer to deflationary slump as money contracts in China All key indicators of China’s money supply are flashing warning signs. The broader measures have slumped to stagnation levels not seen since the late 1990s. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International business editor 6:32PM BST 13 May 2012 Narrow M1 data for April is the weakest since modern records began. Real…
The ISM manufacturing index increased to 54.8 in April from 53.4 in March, coming in well above the consensus expected 53.0. (Levels higher than 50 signal expansion; levels below 50 signal contraction.) The major measures of activity all increased in April and most remain well above 50, signaling growth. The production index rose to 61.0 from 58.3 and the employment…
Van Eck Hotline on Money and the Economy For: Monday, April 16, 2012 (800) 219-1333. VetHotline@aol.com. As the recovery in the U.S. economy approaches its third full year, there are millions of people that continue to deny its very existence. It seems like every spring and summer, the media and Wall Street are filled with predictions about how the economy…
The Disbelievers April 2012 BYRON WIEN One of my Ten Surprises was that the Standard & Poor’s 500 would reach 1400 sometime during 2012, and here we are at the beginning of the second quarter and it’s already there. When I wrote that, my objective was to have the most optimistic estimate among Wall Street strategists. I actually thought the…
The US, France, UK, and Canada will release their quarterly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers this coming week after markets slipped off multi-year highs last week. The US is expected to grow at a rate of 3.0% year-over-year. Treasuries broke out of a 5-month range two weeks ago on expectations of continued growth, but economic reports disappointed this week and…
Gasoline Deficit Looms in U.S. East on Shutdowns: Energy Markets 2012-03-22 14:05:46.263 GMT By Paul Burkhardt March 22 (Bloomberg) — The biggest wave of refinery closures on the U.S. East coast is raising the specter of gasoline shortages during the peak-demand driving season. The region will have lost almost half of its refining capacity in six months by July, according…
Stocks to Begin a ‘Steady Upward Trajectory’ Goldman Says Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said stocks will probably begin a “steady upward trajectory” over the next few years as any declines in economic growth are already reflected in share prices. “Given current valuations, we think it’s time to say a ‘long good-bye’ to bonds, and embrace the ‘long good buy’ for…
Will Greece Resolution Spark a Bigger Crisis? Published: Thursday, 8 Mar 2012 | 2:58 PM ET By: John Carney Senior Editor, CNBC.com Markets around the world were buoyed on hopes that Greece’s long and winding journey to debt restructuring may at last be its final port of call. But some are warning that this may actually be the beginning of…
Non-farm payrolls increased 227,000 in February Brian S. Wesbury – Chief Economist Robert Stein, CFA – Senior Economist Date: 3/9/2012 Non-farm payrolls increased 227,000 in February and were up 288,000 including revisions to December/January. The consensus expected a gain of 210,000. Private sector payrolls increased 233,000 in February. Revisions to December/January added 42,000, bringing the net gain to 275,000. February…
Positive economic news was offset by struggles in the energy sector as the markets lagged slightly, slowing the torrid growth that has defined 2012 so far. The Dow slipped 5 points or 0.03% closing at 12,977. It is up 6.2% for the year. The Nasdaq closed up 13 points or 0.4% finishing last week at 2,976. The Nasdaq is up…
If the Obama Administration would allow the repatriation of Apple’s $60+ billion ( and other companies like Cisco etc.) sitting offshore, at a reasonable tax rate, imagine how many more jobs Apple could be responsible for in the USA. Apple: 514,000 U.S. Jobs Created Or Supported. From www.appadvice.com While Apple has taken criticism for outsourcing and working conditions of its…
It will be a busy week around the globe as four central banks (Bank of England, European Central Bank, Bank of Australia, and Bank of Canada) will release their interest rate decisions or QE purchase targets. The ECB, which will offer its decision on Thursday, is widely expected to keep its benchmark interest rates unchanged at 1.00% after conducting a…
THE NEW TAX NUMBERS FOR 2012 Things to Consider A number of figures used in tax and retirement planning have been updated for 2012. Most limits for pension and IRA contributions have been increased slightly. For example: The maximum contribution that can be made to a defined contribution plan in 2012 under Section 415 is the lesser of $50,000 or…