Showing posts with label Government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Government. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Stop selling! Stocks are STILL your best bet
Bonds and gold have outperformed stocks. That can't last. And even if stock returns are subpar, they're the cleanest dirty shirt.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.
Even though the S&P 500 is not too far from its all-time high, it's been a reluctant rally. Investors are still nervous.
How do I know this? Well, the CNNMoney Fear & Greed Index continues to show signs of Fear even though the so-called "fear gauge" of the market, the VIX (VIX) is near a 52-week low. (Our index includes the VIX and six other indicators of market sentiment.)
Click chart for detailed look at the Fear & Greed index.
And just look at the kind of financial assets that have done well this year. Fearful investors have bragging rights so far in 2014.
Gold has outperformed the broader market.
Utilities have outperformed the broader market.
Long-term Treasury yields have plunged.
This isn't sustainable. The only reason for gold, utilities and bonds to be better performers than the S&P 500 for a long stretch is if the economy is imploding. As in 2008. Or 1929. That's not happening.
Paging Men Without Hats! Investors are doing the Safety Dance! (We can leave your friends behind.)
Yes, stock returns are likely to be subpar for the next few years ... especially if you've grown accustomed to the insane gains we've had since the market bottomed in 2009. But so what?
Small returns for stocks are better than the zilch you'd earn from cash or in bonds after inflation. And gold? That may be a good hedge, but it should be only a small part of your portfolio, not your entire nest egg.
Most experts I spoke to say that stocks continue to be the best game in town. That isn't the same thing as saying that stocks are going to go up to the ionosphere like they did last year. But it's all relative.
Hank Smith, chief investment officer of Haverford Trust, uses a Margaret Thatcher-coined acronym to rationalize why investors should buy stocks over bonds or gold. TINA. There Is No Alternative.
I agree. To paraphrase Pimco's bond guru Bill Gross -- by way of Johnny Cash -- stocks are the cleanest dirty shirt.
So what should investors be doing now? Pulling money out of U.S. stock funds is probably not the wisest idea. It's a panic move.
Smith says investors need to stick with big blue chips. These companies can give you the potential for gains through earnings growth as well as income from sizable dividends. And you can build a diversified portfolio with this group as opposed to making a bet on just one sector.
Some examples of stocks Smith's firm owns are healthcare giants Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Merck (MRK); tech leaders Microsoft (MSFT), Intel (INTC) and Cisco (CSCO); brand name stalwarts Coke (KO) and Pepsi (PEP); big banks Wells Fargo (WFC) and JPMorgan Chase(JPM); and energy titans Chevron (CVX) and ConocoPhillips (COP).
Ted Parrish, co-manager of the Henssler Equity fund, agrees that this is the time to flock to safe quality bets. And that doesn't have to mean boring utilities.
"We don't have a permanent pair of rose-colored glasses on, but this rotation into defensive assets is unsustainable," Parrish said. His fund also owns Wells Fargo. Other dividend-paying companies he likes are regional bank BB&T (BBT), Canadian financial firm Bank of Nova Scotia(BNS) and tech companies Applied Materials (AMAT), Qualcomm (QCOM) and Oracle (ORCL).
Parrish also thinks the bull run in bonds may soon come to an end. Remember how everyone thought that rates would rise earlier this year because the Federal Reserve was shifting away from quantitative easing? Well, the Fed hasn't deviated from that plan. But someone hasn't told the bond market apparently.
"It's weird to see bond yields go down when you know the Fed has to increase rates eventually. That day of reckoning is coming, and that's going to hurt bond prices and push yields higher," Parrish said.
It makes sense. Investors have flocked to the types of things that do well if you want to go hide in a bunker and wait for economic Armageddon.
But the last few jobs reports are hinting at slow and steady (if not spectacular) growth in the economy. Sure, I've been lamenting for years about how the recovery is low and slow. My belovedbarbecue recovery metaphor. But at least it is a recovery.
That spells trouble ahead for bonds and utilities, which are basically bond proxies thanks to their large dividend yields.
"In an improving economy, rates should normalize and bonds and utilities will underperform again," says Bernie Williams, chief investment officer of USAA Investment Solutions ... and not the former New York Yankee outfielder.
Once again, this does NOT mean that stocks are going to have a smooth ride up. The bumpy ride we've had this year will likely continue. And don't get greedy and expect another year like last year. Those are the exceptions. Not the rule.
"I've been telling clients all year we are not getting 30%+ returns again, but I don't expect the S&P 500 to fall apart either. There is just going to be some gut-wrenching volatility," said John Norris, head of wealth management at Oakworth Capital Bank.
Norris adds that as long as investors can withstand the occasional turmoil and accept the fact that normal returns are in the single digits, then there's absolutely no reason to bail on stocks for the perceived safety of fixed income.
"Nobody likes losing money. But at the same time, even my most risk averse investors don't plan on dying in the next three months," Norris said. "If you have a 20-year window, stocks are not going to underperform bonds."
Friday, 7 March 2014
Belize Politics Go International
Original Article
Rarely does political drama play out on an international stage, and it is usually relegated to
small, local elections that only the residents of some small town or city would be interested in.
Recently Las Vegas and one of it's residents has been thrust into the international spotlight
through the internet and social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and various blogs. Lord Neil
B Gibson, the Las Vegas based businessman, developer and international finance figure has
rocketed into the fiery discussions that are taking place in the country of Belize, specifically
regarding an election for the position of Standard Bearer in the Cayo South Constituency Area.
Social media, news outlets and radio have been awash with discussion regarding the election of
businessman Ralph Huang to this position, and conspiracy theories abound as to the
connection he has to Lord Neil B Gibson. Accusations of corruption have already been made
only days after the election from the opposing party, and a large-scale smear campaign has
begun to play out on the global stage with regards to Mr. Huang, Mr. Gibson and the future of
Belizian governmental positions.
Interesting spins on the situation are being presented through such media outlets as Channel 5
Belize, 7 News Belize and the associated Youtube Channels of each station. Many local blogs
have also taken to the internet in an attempt to drum up the suspects of corruption with regards
to the relationships that Lord Neil B Gibson has with both Huang and other Belizian
governmental officials. The majority of the coverage centers around the fact that Mr. Huang has
admitted that Gibson both contributed to his campaign and also supported his election. The
coverage being presented is amaturish at best in it's attempts to stir up controversy, as the
press releases, posts and announcements that can be found both on the official business
websites of Neil Gibson as well as his business websites and social media have never
attempted to make even the slightest hiding of his contributions and support. Gibson went as far
as to create professional videos distributed on Youtube endorsing Huang and touching on the
reasons he believes Huang was right for the job. Gibson has also shown a long track record of
complete transparency with regard to his interest in Belizian development projects, going as far
as to publicly promote the ongoing developments attached to each potential project in Belize on
his network or websites and press.
The levels of transparency with regard to Lord Neil B Gibson's interests in Belize are far beyond
those typically put forth by any business entity. A quick perusal of the news sections of his
websites show postings regarding Belizian development interests, with postings on the subject
going back to October of 2013. Additionally, completely transparent postings on the subject of
endorsements and campaign contributions go back to early January as seen here: http://
www.lordneilgibson.com/lnbg-llc-endorses-huang/
All of the websites and Youtube videos across Gibson's network openly discuss the subject of
his endorsement of Huang, and never is their relationship attempted to be covered up in any
regard. So the question of corruption should be addressed, except possibly it should be directed
at other entities aside from Lord Neil Gibson and Ralph Huang. Possibly we should be looking
into why media outlets and bloggers in Belize are so aggressively attempting to make the
relationship between two businessmen into an issue, when the entire situation played out on the
world stage through the internet in a completely documented manner. If there were any issue
that should be covered up involving Lord Neil Gibson and Belizian governmental officials, then
why would they be posing for pictures together that are widely distributed on the internet? If
there were cover-ups happening, then why is the credited sources of all of the photographs that
are being distributed in association to the "scandal" stories of Gibson posing with Belizian
politicians being taken directly from Gibson's websites? If there was a cover-up happening,
wouldn't the transparency of the relationships actually be covered up by the parties involved?
Corruption happens in government all the time, and Belize is no stranger to it. Corruption is bad
for all people who are touched by it, and should be exposed at all costs. However, the definition
of corruption is not about a business man contributing to another business man's campaign to
run for office, and the fact that one business man lives in Las Vegas and the other in Belize is
also not part of the definition. Corruption is about a lack of transparency as to the source of
money or influence with regards to projects. Perhaps we should consider the sources of the
smear campaign against Gibson, and how they are attempting to twist facts to create doubts at
to his motivations. Perhaps it is not Gibson and Huang who should be mentioned with regard to
transparency as far as political funding sources....perhaps they should be used as a model for
the necessary change.
Rarely does political drama play out on an international stage, and it is usually relegated to
small, local elections that only the residents of some small town or city would be interested in.
Recently Las Vegas and one of it's residents has been thrust into the international spotlight
through the internet and social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and various blogs. Lord Neil
B Gibson, the Las Vegas based businessman, developer and international finance figure has
rocketed into the fiery discussions that are taking place in the country of Belize, specifically
regarding an election for the position of Standard Bearer in the Cayo South Constituency Area.
Social media, news outlets and radio have been awash with discussion regarding the election of
businessman Ralph Huang to this position, and conspiracy theories abound as to the
connection he has to Lord Neil B Gibson. Accusations of corruption have already been made
only days after the election from the opposing party, and a large-scale smear campaign has
begun to play out on the global stage with regards to Mr. Huang, Mr. Gibson and the future of
Belizian governmental positions.
Interesting spins on the situation are being presented through such media outlets as Channel 5
Belize, 7 News Belize and the associated Youtube Channels of each station. Many local blogs
have also taken to the internet in an attempt to drum up the suspects of corruption with regards
to the relationships that Lord Neil B Gibson has with both Huang and other Belizian
governmental officials. The majority of the coverage centers around the fact that Mr. Huang has
admitted that Gibson both contributed to his campaign and also supported his election. The
coverage being presented is amaturish at best in it's attempts to stir up controversy, as the
press releases, posts and announcements that can be found both on the official business
websites of Neil Gibson as well as his business websites and social media have never
attempted to make even the slightest hiding of his contributions and support. Gibson went as far
as to create professional videos distributed on Youtube endorsing Huang and touching on the
reasons he believes Huang was right for the job. Gibson has also shown a long track record of
complete transparency with regard to his interest in Belizian development projects, going as far
as to publicly promote the ongoing developments attached to each potential project in Belize on
his network or websites and press.
The levels of transparency with regard to Lord Neil B Gibson's interests in Belize are far beyond
those typically put forth by any business entity. A quick perusal of the news sections of his
websites show postings regarding Belizian development interests, with postings on the subject
going back to October of 2013. Additionally, completely transparent postings on the subject of
endorsements and campaign contributions go back to early January as seen here: http://
www.lordneilgibson.com/lnbg-llc-endorses-huang/
All of the websites and Youtube videos across Gibson's network openly discuss the subject of
his endorsement of Huang, and never is their relationship attempted to be covered up in any
regard. So the question of corruption should be addressed, except possibly it should be directed
at other entities aside from Lord Neil Gibson and Ralph Huang. Possibly we should be looking
into why media outlets and bloggers in Belize are so aggressively attempting to make the
relationship between two businessmen into an issue, when the entire situation played out on the
world stage through the internet in a completely documented manner. If there were any issue
that should be covered up involving Lord Neil Gibson and Belizian governmental officials, then
why would they be posing for pictures together that are widely distributed on the internet? If
there were cover-ups happening, then why is the credited sources of all of the photographs that
are being distributed in association to the "scandal" stories of Gibson posing with Belizian
politicians being taken directly from Gibson's websites? If there was a cover-up happening,
wouldn't the transparency of the relationships actually be covered up by the parties involved?
Corruption happens in government all the time, and Belize is no stranger to it. Corruption is bad
for all people who are touched by it, and should be exposed at all costs. However, the definition
of corruption is not about a business man contributing to another business man's campaign to
run for office, and the fact that one business man lives in Las Vegas and the other in Belize is
also not part of the definition. Corruption is about a lack of transparency as to the source of
money or influence with regards to projects. Perhaps we should consider the sources of the
smear campaign against Gibson, and how they are attempting to twist facts to create doubts at
to his motivations. Perhaps it is not Gibson and Huang who should be mentioned with regard to
transparency as far as political funding sources....perhaps they should be used as a model for
the necessary change.
Friday, 31 January 2014
RACE FOR THE BELIZE UDP PARTY LEADER IS ON FOR 2014
RACE FOR THE BELIZE UDP PARTY LEADER IS ON FOR 2014
The race for Deputy Party Leader of the United Democratic Party is soon to enter the home stretch leg with the finish line set for February 17th. Two of the ruling UDP Ministers have entered their names contesting the seat of Deputy Party Leader, the second most powerful seat within the party’s hierarchy. It is widely known that the one that holds the DPL’s seat is the chosen one to also be the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Belize. Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Party Leader of the UDP Gaspar Vega has been challenged by Minister of Education Patrick Faber.
Both men have been canvasing the 31 constituencies and visiting with the delegates in efforts to garner support for their candidacy. Faber has publicly gone on record stating that he believes he can do a much better job at the post of Deputy Party Leader than the current holder. Well, in what has been dubbed as the game changer, Prime Minister of Belize and Leader of the UDP went on record stating that he does not support Minister of Education Patrick Faber. Barrow said and we quote, “I have said that while Minister Faber is, I think, an extremely well-qualified and able minister, while I think that he has a glorious leadership future in the United Democratic Party, at this time, and for this contest, I do not support him, end of story.” And that’s also the end of the quote.
Barrow went on to say that one of the major reasons for Faber not being his choice at this moment is because of Faber’s skin color and geographic location within Belize. Barrow says that the hierarchy of the Party must be equally distributed to the districts along with a diverse composition of ethnicities. Well, our editor here at CTV-3 news takes that to mean that the UDP Leader and Prime Minister of this country has decided to endorse looks over brains. If the reasons for his decision are solely based on ethnicity and geographic location, Belize is in for some darker days ahead. Leadership should not be about how one looks or where they are from, but rather, how they lead. But that’s for another story on another day.
While Faber does not count on the support of UDP Leader Dean Barrow, he does count on the support of several big wig names within the party. Former Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel, Dean Lindo and Mesopotamia Representative and Senior member of the party Michael Finnegan, have all come out in full support of Patrick Faber’s bid for Deputy Party Leader. Dean Barrow’s support for Vega struck through the political circuits of the UDP as hard hitting as a chess player saying Check. It will be interesting to see if this move was not one of the flexing of the political muscle by Barrow who is sending a message to the rank and file of the Party; what that message is, we are sure to find out in the days ahead.
Also in the race for Cayo south which is predicted to be a good one, is Ralph Huang which will be determined on February 16th of 2014 at Roaring Creek.
Friday, 3 January 2014
Lord Gibson and Associates back Ralph Huang for the UDP and Belize Elections
The Following endorsement has been released by Lord Neil B Gibson and Associates.
January 3, 2014
To Whom This May Concern
Re: Mr. Ralph Huang for Stander Bearer Political Endorsement
Our business organizations would honorably like to declare our political and financial support of Mr. Ralph Huang’s candidacy for the position of Stander Bearer in Cayo South Constituency Area representative Slated Convention United Democratic Party in Belize.
In these last five years, our organizations have worked closely with Ralph Huang in business and financial ventures. We have found Ralph to be an extremely strong professional with an extensive range of understanding of Belize, on economic impact values.
Ralph Huang is trustworthy, honest and dedicated in investing precious hours required for this governmental position. Our organizations are confident that Ralph is the only deserving candidate for this office.
Furthermore, our organizations have had ample opportunities in the last 5-years to analyze our future economic benefits and objectives of the various economic executions into the country of Belize. We have found Ralph's honest insight and practical approach for future country growth, with our country’s desire to invest into Belize.
This distinction sets him apart from the other individual’s that we have dealt with in the past, to ensure our organizations future commitment to execute our organizations’ to invest into the country of Belize. Ralph Huang has shown great concern for the residents of the community and the willingness to listen to people's problems and challenges which is commendable.
Again, we are writing today to show our allegiance and support of Ralph Huang and his campaign. It will also be an honor to spread the word of Ralph’s candidacy, abilities and competence with other global business networks to support Ralph.
We are confident that Ralph Huang will succeed and bring the Country of Belize the global
economic growth the country needs to strive forward.
Respectfully,
SFBBL TRUST AG www.sfbblag.com
VISION BANKCARD www.vbci.com
LNBG, LLC (USA) www.lnbgllc.com
CITYWIDE LENDING GROUP www.citywidelgi.com
HULET AND ASSOCIATES scott@hulet.net
FOR EVERY SEASON INSURANCE www.foreveryseason.biz
LORD NEIL B GIBSON www.lordgibson.co.uk
TAMMY LIER ENTERTAINMENT GROUP www.tammylier.com
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Lord Neil B Gibson and LNBG LLC To Bring State Of The Art Medical Facilities To Belize
Lord Neil B Gibson and the associated management team of LNBG LLC are pleased to announce positive support from the government of Belize for the construction of numerous state of the art medical facilities within the country.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lord Neil B Gibson and the Hon. Erwin Contreras Meet in Las Vegas to finalize State of the art Medical Facilities for the Country of Belize
PRLog (Press Release) - Dec. 4, 2013 - LAS VEGAS -- Lord Neil B Gibson and the associated management team of LNBG LLC are pleased to announce positive support from the government of Belize for the construction of numerous state of the art medical facilities within the country, which are expected to dramatically improve the living conditions of Belizian citizens by making available US equipment and technologies as well as continuing access to medical care.
In a recent communication from Hon. Edwin Contreras of the Misistry of Trade, Investment Promotion, Privvate Sector Development and Consumer Protection Agency of Belize offered support of the project and extended government cooperation and resources.
“The Government and I are in full support of LNBG, LLC in their vision and efforts to help build new state of the art medical centers in different areas of Belize for the best service for our people’s health and welfare,” Contreras stated in the letter. “We are ready, willing and able to work with you closely in this program to advance our medical centers with new technologies, US equipment and new facilities.”
"This type of governmental support is crucial to the advancement of these types of projects," Lord Neil Gibson stated. "We are very pleased to have received word of this support and will be working closely with the Belizian government to complete these medical centers, bringing much needed services to the local population."
Information on the project can be found here. http://www.lordneilgibson.com/
Lord Neil B Gibson and the associated management team of LNBG LLC are pleased to announce positive support from the government of Belize for the construction of numerous state of the art medical facilities within the country.
 |
| Lord Neil B Gibson and the Hon. Erwin Contreras Meet in Las Vegas to finalize State of the art Medical Facilities for the Country of Belize |
In a recent communication from Hon. Edwin Contreras of the Misistry of Trade, Investment Promotion, Privvate Sector Development and Consumer Protection Agency of Belize offered support of the project and extended government cooperation and resources.
“The Government and I are in full support of LNBG, LLC in their vision and efforts to help build new state of the art medical centers in different areas of Belize for the best service for our people’s health and welfare,” Contreras stated in the letter. “We are ready, willing and able to work with you closely in this program to advance our medical centers with new technologies, US equipment and new facilities.”
"This type of governmental support is crucial to the advancement of these types of projects," Lord Neil Gibson stated. "We are very pleased to have received word of this support and will be working closely with the Belizian government to complete these medical centers, bringing much needed services to the local population."
Information on the project can be found here. http://www.lordneilgibson.com/
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Sunday, 22 September 2013
More Confirmation of Activities in Belize by Lord Neil B Gibson
According to the following documentation we have received, it appears that Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson was pursing Legal Business Activities in the Country of Belize. He was working closely with the Government and was not committing and illegal or fraudulent activities as he has wrongly been accused of....
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