Friday, July 31, 2015

Federal Agencies, Servicemembers Brace for Possible Shutdown

Federal agencies are once again finding themselves in the position of having to decide what to do if the federal government shuts down next Monday evening.

As published reports have maintained, much of the government will continue to function, including mail service and troops staying put. But the paychecks of more than 800,000 federal workers could be jeopardized if they’re told to stay home next week, according to The Washington Post.

Indeed, while more than 2 million other employees who are considered essential by the government—including the active military—would be entitled to their salaries, they may not get paid on time, the Post reported.

A glance at federal agencies’ contingency plans as of Tuesday on the Office of Management and Budget’s website shows a list of plans that haven’t been touched since the last shutdown loomed in 2011.

Indeed, John Nester, a spokesman for the Securities and Exchange Commission, told ThinkAdvisor Tuesday that the SEC is “currently reviewing” its plan and has “no update” to report at the present time.  

As Time reported on Tuesday, it’s safe to “assume that most agency priorities have not significantly changed: in many cases the spending bill that is set to expire Monday is the same one that nearly expired two years ago.”

However, The Post notes that while no law exists requiring that nonessential employees be compensated if they are ordered off the job, Congress has in the past voted to reimburse their losses once shutdowns ended. “But this go-round could be different. The bitterly divided Congress includes many lawmakers who are unsympathetic to the plight of federal workers and could be loath to help them recoup their money,” says The Post.

The just–released First Command Financial Behaviors Index found that the majority of servicemembers and their families doubt that lawmakers will take appropriate actions to avoid a government shutdown in October or a second round of sequestration in the coming year.

The latest survey results reveal that 86% of middle-class military families (senior NCOs and commissioned officers in pay grades E-6 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000) are not confident that Congress will pass a continuing resolution to fund the government by Sept. 30 and avoid a partial shutdown of federal operations. Also, 71% doubt that lawmakers will be able to take appropriate action to avoid another sequester in the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor Monday that two dozen Senate Republicans have spoken out against Tea Party Republicans’ “foolhardy plan to drive the economy off a cliff, Thelma and Louise style.”

The reviews are in: “The ransom demanded by House Republicans in exchange for keeping the government open is unworkable and unrealistic,” Reid stated in reference to the bill passed by the House Sept. 20, which funds the government until mid-December but seeks to defund the Affordable Care Act.

President Barack Obama “has been clear," Reid said. "I have been clear. Any bill that defunds Obamacare is dead on arrival in the Senate.”

Reid went on to state that this week the Senate “will act as quickly as Tea Party Republicans will allow. Once the Senate has acted, House Republicans will face a choice whether to pass a clean continuing resolution or shut down the federal government.”

---

Check out Government Shutdown Wars Return: 5 Reasons This Time Is Worse on ThinkAdvisor.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Will SandRidge Investors Enjoy a Significant Future Pay Day?

In the oil and gas industry, net pay is more than what is in a paycheck. It's the term used to describe an area of reservoir rocks that has commercially producible hydrocarbons. The more pay that's discovered, the bigger the payday down the road for all involved.

For SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD  ) , that pay has come from the Mississippi Lime formation. However, the company has really only been scratching the surface of that play. It turns out the company is quite possibly sitting on more areas of pay than previously thought.

SandRidge is now exploring the other zones in and around the part of the Mississippian that it has primarily been targeting. The initial tests of those additional zones have produced some really encouraging results. This stacked pay potential actually encompasses up to five zones in total over much of SandRidge's acreage. That could materially increase the resource potential, meaning that the acreage the company holds could be much more valuable.

In the slide below from a recent investor presentation, SandRidge lays out the advantages of having these stacked pay zones as well as its current development plans. It also has a nice schematic to visually show what this looks like.

SandRidge Energy Investor Presentation (Link opens a PDF)

There are a couple of items investors should take note of. First, the initial results of the Middle Mississippian wells are nearly double the company's current overall initial production rate average of 377 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Further, the real game changer is that SandRidge could drill these wells while utilizing its existing infrastructure, which would really improve overall returns.

That means that SandRidge's infrastructure is even more of a competitive advantage when adding in its stacked pay potential. It would yield an even greater rate of return for the $140 million invested in electrical infrastructure as well as the $530 million invested to drill salt water disposal wells. Bottom line here, if SandRidge can prove the potential of these additional zones it will add significant value to the company.

One area to watch closely is the Woodford. SandRidge just launched a test program this quarter on the Woodford, which is thought to be the Mississippian's source rock, or the area which under the right conditions can generate hydrocarbons. SandRidge is actually working with Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN  ) , which already has had a lot of success unlocking the Woodford. In fact, some of its more recent wells have produced up to 1,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day. If SandRidge finds anything near those production numbers from its Woodford acreage it would be a big future value creator for the company.  

Stacked pay, when combined with multi-well pad efficiencies really can be a financial game-changer for the industry and its investors. One area where stacked pay is really starting to bear fruit is in the Bakken. Leading driller Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR  ) is also leading in the development of the Three Forks formation, which has multiple pay zones below the Bakken. Unlocking these additional zones is adding tremendous unbooked net resource potential for the company. In fact, Continental thinks there is just as much oil in the Three Forks as there is in the Bakken, which is an absolutely remarkable number. 

Similar potential could be waiting for SandRidge to unlock. Add it all up and there is potential for significant future pay day for SandRidge investors as it unlocks more oil and gas from just inside its own core acreage position. 

More Compelling Companies
All that being said, SandRidge is just one of the many companies driving the record oil and natural gas production that is revolutionizing the United States' energy position. There are three other must know names. As a thank you for reading, the Motley Fool is offering you a comprehensive look at the three energy companies we think are set to soar during this transformation in the energy industry. To find out which three companies are spreading their wings, check out the special free report, "3 Stocks for the American Energy Bonanza." Don't miss out on this timely opportunity; click here to access your report -- it's absolutely free. 

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Why Active ETFs Are Doing So Well: AdvisorShares CEO

Noah Hamman isn’t about to weigh in on the always-controversial active versus passive debate.

The founder and CEO of Active ETF provider AdvisorShares Investments thinks it’s rather moot, and sets his sights on a bigger target.

“I’m not trying to convince anyone that an active ETF is better than a passive ETF,” he says, when asked to pretend the interviewer is legendary passive investment advocate John Bogle, the Vanguard founder. “I’m instead looking at the $13 trillion in mutual funds, 80% of which are actively managed, and telling them there is a better way.”

He notes that when passive ETFs were introduced, passive strategies could be gotten from many different sources. It was the transparency, liquidity and accessibility that gave them their unique value proposition.

“It’s the same now with active ETFs. You can get active management anywhere, but active ETFs are more liquid, transparent and have a lower cost than comparable products.”

And of course, there’s the product’s tax efficiency, especially when compared with its mutual fund counterpart.

“For these reasons, active ETFs are attracting more assets at this stage of their development than passive ETFs did at the same point in theirs,” he adds.

Hamman points to the number of new products coming available as proof of their popularity, despite recent regulatory hurdles like a moratorium on derivatives.

Hamman knows a little something about the active ETF and alternative investment space. In 2006, he was an equity founding partner of Arrow Investment Advisors, advisor to the Arrow Funds. In the first 24 months of operation, Arrow had $350 million in assets under management and distribution relationships with firms including Merrill Lynch. Before that, Noah was vice president of business development for Rydex Investments.

Giving credence to his active/passive peace plan, Hamman notes that at Rydex, he led the launch of the firm's index-based ETF, commencing with the launch of RSP (Rydex S&P Equal Weight ETF). In addition, he diversified the firm's business and product lines by developing the firm's first buy-and-hold mutual funds.

As for the near-future for active products, Hamman sees a particular type of advisor as the key.

“It will be the fee-based advisors that will drive their growth in large part,” he concludes. “The commission-based people will still go for more of A-share and C-share mutual funds, but for the former, it fits.”

---

For direct insights on the role of ETFs in client portfolios from multiple experts—including Rick Ferri, Ron Delegge, Skip Schweiss and more—we invite you to register for AdvisorOne’s premiere advisorcentric Virtual ETF Summit, which starts July 23 (and get multiple hours of CFP Board CE).

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Breaking Down Financial Securities Licenses

So, you've decided to sell investments. Whether you want to be a registered representative (RR) or an investment advisor, the first step in either process is obtaining the proper securities license. The license needed is determined by several factors, such as the type of investments to be sold, method of compensation and the scope of services that will be provided. In this article, we'll examine the different types of licensing and show you how to determine which license is right for you.

FINRA Licensing Breakdown
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) oversees all securities licensing procedures and requirements. This self-regulatory organization administers many of the exams that must be passed to become a licensed financial professional. It also performs all relevant disciplinary and record-keeping functions.

FINRA offers several different types of licenses needed by both representatives and supervisors. Each license corresponds to a specific type of business or investment. While there are several licenses geared toward specific types of securities, there are three general licenses that the majority of representatives and advisors usually obtain:

Series 6
The Series 6 license is known as the limited-investment securities license. It allows its holders to sell "packaged" investment products such as mutual funds, variable annuities and unit investment trusts (UITs). The Series 6 exam is 135 minutes long, and covers basic information regarding packaged investments, securities regulations and ethics.

This license is also required for insurance agents that sell variable products of any kind, because securities constitute the underlying investments within those products. Principals who supervise representatives holding a Series 6 license must obtain the Series 26 license in addition to having already obtained the Series 6.

Series 7
The Series 7 license is known as the general securities representative (GS) license. It authorizes licensees to sell virtually any type of individual security. This includes common and preferred stocks; call and put options; bonds and other individual fixed income investments; as well as all forms of packaged products (except for those that also require a life insurance license to sell). The only major types of securities or investments that Series 7 licensees are not authorized to sell are commodities futures, real estate and life insurance.

The Series 7 exam is by far the longest and most difficult of all the securities exams. It lasts for six hours and covers all aspects of stock and bond quotes and trading; put and call options; spreads and straddles; ethics; margin and other account holder requirements; and other pertinent regulations.

Those who carry this license are officially listed as "registered representatives" by FINRA, but they are generally referred to as stockbrokers. Many insurance agents and other types of financial planners and advisors also carry the Series 7 license to facilitate certain types of transactions inherent in their businesses. Principals of general representatives must also obtain the Series 24 license.

Series 3
The Series 3 license authorizes representatives to sell commodity futures contracts, which are generally considered the riskiest publicly traded investments available. Representatives that carry the Series 3 license tend to specialize in commodities and often do little or no other business of any type.

The Series 3 exam is approximately 120 minutes long and covers all forms of commodities transactions, options, hedging, margin requirements and other regulations. An offshoot of this license is the Series 31 license, which allows representatives to sell managed futures (pooled groups of commodities futures similar to mutual funds).

NASAA Licensing Breakdown
Not all securities licenses are administered by FINRA. The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) oversees the licensing requirements of three key licenses:

Series 63
The Series 63 license, known as the Uniform Securities Agent license, is required by each state and authorizes licensees to transact business within the state. All Series 6 and Series 7 licensees must carry this license as well. The provisions of the Uniform Securities Act are tested on the 75-minute exam.

While this test is much shorter and covers less material than the FINRA exams, it is known for asking "trick" questions that force the candidate to definitively know the difference between which transactions and situations are permitted and which are required by the rules. This test also contains some experimental questions that the NASAA uses to gauge future relevance.

Series 65
The Series 65 license is required by anyone intending to provide any kind of financial advice or service on a non-commission basis. Financial planners and advisors that provide investment advice for an hourly fee fall into this category, as do stockbrokers or other registered representatives that deal with managed-money accounts.

The exam for this license is a 180-minute exam that covers the rules and regulations pertaining to registered investment advisors, as well as various investment vehicles and disciplines, economics, ethics and analysis. Much of the material is covered on the Series 7 exam as well, as many of the advisors who sit for this exam are not, and may never become, Series 7 licensed and therefore need exposure to the investment material covered therein.

Series 66
This Series 66 is the newest exam offered by NASAA. In essence, it combines the Series 63 and 65 exams into one 150-minute exam. This test contains no investment material, as the Series 66 license is only available to candidates that are already Series 7 licensed.

Making the Grade
Most securities exams administered by both FINRA and the NASAA have a passing score of 70%, except for the Series 7, 63 and 65, which have passing rates of 72%, and Series 66, which has a passing score of 75%. All tests are now given via computer at approved proctor testing sites.

Broker-Dealer Sponsorship Vs. RIA Requirements
Once all relevant securities tests have been taken and a passing grade received, licensees must register their securities licenses with an approved broker-dealer, who will hold their licenses and oversee their business (in return for a portion of the commission income). Those who intend to hold themselves out to the public as Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) must register with the state they do business in if their assets under management are less than $25 million, or with the SEC if the assets exceed $25 million. Registered Investment Advisors do not need to associate themselves with a broker-dealer.

Company Policy
The majority of financial and investment companies that hire or train new advisors will have a mandatory licensing program included in the training package. The company will, in most cases, mandate which licenses must be obtained to sell the company's products and services. Those that decide to go into business for themselves still need to meet the licensing requirements of their chosen profession; the only real freedom of choice comes in which profession is chosen.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Don't Get Too Worked Up Over Fabrinet's Earnings

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Fabrinet (NYSE: FN  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. FCF = free cash flow. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over the past 12 months, Fabrinet generated $35.6 million cash while it booked net income of $61.3 million. That means it turned 5.7% of its revenue into FCF. That sounds OK. However, FCF is less than net income. Ideally, we'd like to see the opposite.

All cash is not equal
Unfortunately, the cash flow statement isn't immune from nonsense, either. That's why it pays to take a close look at the components of cash flow from operations, to make sure that the cash flows are of high quality. What does that mean? To me, it means they need to be real and replicable in the upcoming quarters, rather than being offset by continual cash outflows that don't appear on the income statement (such as major capital expenditures).

For instance, cash flow based on cash net income and adjustments for non-cash income-statement expenses (like depreciation) is generally favorable. An increase in cash flow based on stiffing your suppliers (by increasing accounts payable for the short term) or shortchanging Uncle Sam on taxes will come back to bite investors later. The same goes for decreasing accounts receivable; this is good to see, but it's ordinary in recessionary times, and you can only increase collections so much. Finally, adding stock-based compensation expense back to cash flows is questionable when a company hands out a lot of equity to employees and uses cash in later periods to buy back those shares.

So how does the cash flow at Fabrinet look? Take a peek at the chart below, which flags questionable cash flow sources with a red bar.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. TTM = trailing 12 months.

When I say "questionable cash flow sources," I mean items such as changes in taxes payable, tax benefits from stock options, and asset sales, among others. That's not to say that companies booking these as sources of cash flow are weak, or are engaging in any sort of wrongdoing, or that everything that comes up questionable in my graph is automatically bad news. But whenever a company is getting more than, say, 10% of its cash from operations from these dubious sources, investors ought to make sure to refer to the filings and dig in.

With questionable cash flows amounting to only -0.4% of operating cash flow, Fabrinet's cash flows look clean. Within the questionable cash flow figure plotted in the TTM period above, stock-based compensation and related tax benefits provided the biggest boost, at 8.8% of cash flow from operations. Overall, the biggest drag on FCF came from capital expenditures, which consumed 33.3% of cash from operations.

A Foolish final thought
Most investors don't keep tabs on their companies' cash flow. I think that's a mistake. If you take the time to read past the headlines and crack a filing now and then, you're in a much better position to spot potential trouble early. Better yet, you'll improve your odds of finding the underappreciated home-run stocks that provide the market's best returns.

If you're interested in companies like Fabrinet, you might want to check out the jaw-dropping technology that's about to put 100 million Chinese factory workers out on the street – and the 3 companies that control it. We'll tell you all about them in "The Future is Made in America." Click here for instant access to this free report.

We can help you keep tabs on your companies with My Watchlist, our free, personalized stock tracking service.

Add Fabrinet to My Watchlist.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Pentagon Hands Out $880 Million-Plus in New Contracts Tuesday

The Department of Defense issued 14 separate contract awards Tuesday, totaling just over $880 million in combined value. Among publicly traded U.S. defense contractors, a few of the notable winners were:

Navistar (NYSE: NAV  ) , whose Defense division was awarded an $18.2 million increase funding for work on the Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) MaxxPro Survivability Upgrade. Tuesday's award brings the cumulative value of this contract to $152.3 million for Navistar. Raytheon's (NYSE: RTN  ) Integrated Defense Systems division, which won a $10.4 million contract modification to supply Radar Digital Processor Upgrade Kits for the PATRIOT anti-aircraft missile system, roughly doubling the size of the initial contract. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT  ) , which won a $27.9 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract "with provision to issue cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement-no-fee contract," hiring it to maintain software aboard Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft, to provide engineering support on same, and to draw up an emergency operational flight plan. Lockheed is expected to complete this work by June 20, 2016. Bell Helicopter Textron (NYSE: TXT  ) , which is being awarded $38.8 million to supply the Marines with two new Lot 10 AH-1Z "Viper" attack helicopters by this September. FLIR Systems (NASDAQ: FLIR  ) , which won $42.6 million to supply an unspecified number of Hand Held Imager-Miniaturized Long Range (HHI-Mini LR) laser range finders to the Naval Surface Warfare Center by June 2018.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Will Wells Fargo Stock Reach a New 52-Week High Today?

Big banks had an exceptionally fantastic week as investors showered all with share price boosts. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , Citigroup (NYSE: C  ) , JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) all rode the wave higher and higher, and all closed very near their 52-week highs.

For B of A, the meteoric rise is a bit of a stumper, considering the fact that it is facing a judge in a Manhattan courtroom this week, and the outcome of this hearing could have dire consequences for the big bank. Apparently, investors have faith -- and it's showing.

Citi had some good news, settling up with insurer Allstate (NYSE: ALL  ) over some cruddy MBSes, in a "mutually agreeable" manner, according to Bloomberg. JPMorgan and Wells likely felt pretty smug as Fannie Mae plummeted this week, along with Freddie Mac -- less than one week after telling Bloomberg how it has been squeezing mortgage originators out of profits by cutting the banks out of the lucrative securitization process.

For Wells, today promises to be another good day, and not just because of the general financial sector rally. In addition to the uplifting housing news this week, CEO John Stumpf spoke at an investors' conference in New York and took on a very prescient subject: interest rates. In plain language, Stumpf acknowledged the challenges that the current environment presents and even admitted that his bank may have erred in leaving too much cash on the sidelines, waiting for the big change-up to occur.

It's not very often that a big bank CEO admits to being wrong, but it's just this kind of straight shooting that has kept Wells' figurative head above water when peers were in danger of drowning. In the first hour of trading, Wells is down a smidge, but I think it will rally, and then some. Investors want honesty, and Wells will surely be the recipient of some appreciation on that score.

Wells Fargo's dedication to solid, conservative banking helped it vastly outperform its peers during the financial meltdown. Today, Wells is the same great bank as ever, but with its stock trading at a premium to the rest of the industry, is there still room to buy, or is it time to cash in your gains? To help figure out whether Wells Fargo is a buy today, I invite you to download our premium research report from one of The Motley Fool's top banking analysts. Click here now for instant access to this in-depth take on Wells Fargo.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Capital Southwest to Change CEOs in June

Dallas-based Capital Southwest Corp. (NASDAQ: CSWC  ) will have a new CEO soon. The asset manager and venture capitalist says Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Gary L. Martin will resign effective June 17 and be replaced by new President and CEO Joseph B. Armes, who currently serves as CEO of family investment vehicle JBA Investment Partners.

Martin joined Capital Southwest in 1972 as chief financial officer.

In a filing with the SEC, Capital Southwest disclosed that it will be paying Armes an annual base salary of $430,000, plus:

An annual cash bonus of up to 150% of base salary. 7,500 stock options vesting over five years. 1,250 shares of restricted stock. 6,000 "phantom stock options," which allow Armes to benefit from an appreciation in Capital Southwest's stock price (if it happens) as if he had exercised stock options and sold stock for a profit -- but do not require him to go through with the actual mechanics of such exercise and sale.

link

Thursday, June 4, 2015

A Cystic Fibrosis Backup Plan

Vertex Pharmaceuticals' (NASDAQ: VRTX  ) shares are up around 60% today after announcing data for its third cystic fibrosis drug.

The first one, Kalydeco, is already approved. The drug is a potentiator that keeps partially functioning cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, or CFTR, protein open longer to increase the flow of salt and water. By itself, that helps 4% of patients that have mutations that allow the CFTR protein to reach the surface, but aren't fully functioning.

But about half of cystic fibrosis patients have two F508del mutations, which keeps the CFTR protein from getting to the surface of the cell. Another one-third have a single F508del mutation. For those patients, Kalydeco isn't useful by itself since keeping the protein open longer isn't beneficial if the protein isn't on the surface.

Enter CFTR correctors, which help get the protein to the surface. The first one Vertex developed, VX-809, seems to be helping patients when combined with Kalydeco, but the phase 2 data in patients with F508del mutations was far from clean. Vertex recently announced the start of two phase 3 trials to test the combination, but given the data, it's hard to have confidence the trials will be successful.

Yesterday, Vertex announced phase 2 data for VX-661, another corrector, in patients with two F508del mutations, which was was much cleaner. When combined with Kalydeco, the two higher doses produced a statistically significant improvement in FEV1, a measure of lung function. As part of the clinical trial, patients were taken off the drug and the FEV1 increase largely went away, suggesting the observed effect is real.

The data for VX-661 plus Kalydeco isn't perfect -- for instance, the highest dose produced a slightly lower effect than the second highest dose -- but it should give investors confidence that the combination will work in a larger phase 3 trial. What it says about the likelihood of its big brother, VX-809, passing its phase 3 trials, remains to be seen.

It appears that Vertex's hypothesis that combining a potentiator and a corrector can help patients with two F508del mutations. But it's entirely possible that VX-661 works and VX-809 doesn't, or at least doesn't work all that well.

It'll be a waste of money if VX-809 fails its phase 3 clinical trials, but it won't be the end of the world since VX-661 isn't that much further behind.

Whichever drug(s) end up working -- Vertex has a third corrector, VX-983, that should enter phase 2 development in the second half of the year -- the biotech won't have any real competition. Current cystic fibrosis treatments, such as Gilead Sciences' (NASDAQ: GILD  ) Cayston or Novartis' (NYSE: NVS  ) Tobi, are antibiotics that treat bacterial infections in the lungs that occur because the nonfunctioning CFTR protein causes buildup of mucus in the lungs, a safe haven for bacteria.

Gilead doesn't bother breaking out Cayston's sales, but they're far from a blockbuster. Novartis sold $317 million worth of Tobi in 2012. But Vertex should be able blow past those sales numbers because it'll sell its combination product at significantly higher price -- Kalydeco cost nearly $300,000 per year -- justifying the cost because it treats the underlying problem rather than the symptoms.

Another biotech with upcoming data
Will MannKind's disruptive technology revolutionize the way diabetes is treated around the world -- or will the FDA put the kibosh on this product before it even hits the market? In a new premium research report on MannKind, these complex issues are made crystal clear, in addition to showing you why to buy or sell the stock today. To find out more click here to grab your copy today.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Factory Activity Steady; Construction Spending Inches Up

ISM Manufacturing Bill Pugliano/Getty Images WASHINGTON -- U.S. manufacturing activity held steady at firmer levels in June and automobile sales were on track to beat expectations, pointing to momentum in the economy after a rough winter. The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday its index of national factory activity was at 55.3, little changed from May's 55.4 reading. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. The forward-looking new orders subindex hit a six-month high, but factory employment was unchanged. "Manufacturing has gathered some momentum in the second half of the year. That's an important pillar for the economy along with housing. The details are better with new orders rising," said Ryan Sweet, senior economist at Moody's Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Separately, early sales reports indicated the auto industry overall had a better-than-anticipated showing last month, even though there were two fewer selling days than a year ago. General Motors (GM) bucked Wall Street's low expectations and negative publicity over a flood of safety recalls, reporting a modest rise in U.S. sales in June. Chrysler Group and Nissan Motor also reported year-to-year increases Tuesday. They, along with Ford Motor (F), topped analyst expectations. The reports were the latest to suggest the economy rebounded in the second quarter after a weather-induced slump earlier in the year. However, another report showing construction spending barely rose in May indicated that second-quarter growth could fall short of expectations. Economic growth contracted at a 2.9 percent annual pace in the first quarter, also weighed down by a slow pace of inventory accumulation by businesses. Economists last week slashed their second-quarter growth estimates after weak consumer spending in May. Growth forecasts are now running as high as a 3.5 percent pace and as low as a 2.1 percent rate. Construction spending edged up 0.1 percent to an annual rate of $956.1 billion, the Commerce Department reported. However, April's data was revised up to show a 0.8 percent rise in construction spending, taking some of the sting out of the report. Economists had expected construction spending to advance 0.5 percent after a previously reported 0.2 percent gain. Construction spending in May was held back by a 0.3 percent decline in private construction projects, which offset a 1 percent rise in public construction outlays. Private construction accounts for the largest portion of construction spending. Private residential construction tumbled 1.5 percent, reflecting weak housing starts. A run-up in mortgage rates has stymied the housing market recovery. Investment in home building and nonresidential structures such as factories and gas pipelines contracted in the first three months of this year for a second straight quarter. Spending by the federal government dropped 8.9 percent, the largest fall since December 2010. State and local government projects increased a solid 2 percent. -.

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Market Wrap for May 19: Markets Finish Higher On M&A Monday

Related BZSUM Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Drift Higher Amid A Flurry Of Weekend M&A Activity Mid-Day Market Update: Campbell Soup Slides After Weak Forecast; InterMune Shares Spike Higher

Markets moved higher Monday after a weak morning to recover lost ground from last week's sharp sell off.

Major Averages

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 20.55 points, or 0.12 percent, to 16,512.00.

The S&P 500 climbed 7.22 points, or 0.38 percent, to 1,885.00.

The Nasdaq Composite gained 35.23 points, or 0.86 percent, to close at 4,126.00.

Top Stories

Sunday night AT&T (NYSE: T) and DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) officially announced intentions for AT&T to acquire DirecTV. The deal assigns DirecTV a $67.1 billion enterprise value. DirecTV shareholders will receive most of the payout in AT&T stock and about a third in cash.

The United State Attorney General Eric Holder announced indictments against five Chinese officers for online espionage. These are the first charges of their kind and have gotten a mixed response from domestic markets.

Stock Movers

Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) shares were up nearly 6.97 percent into the close to $54.53 after the company reported full-year results. Ryanair's net profit for the year ended March 31 slipped to 522.8 million euros ($716 million), versus a year-ago profit of 569.3 million euros.

Shares of InterMune (NASDAQ: ITMN) got a boost, shooting up 12.82 percent to $38.71 after the company presented Phase 3 ASCEND study of Pirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Leerink upgraded the stock from Market Perform to Outperform.

Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) were down 12.01 percent to $70.64 after the company's board rejected the new $119 billion takeover offer from Pfizer (NYSE: PFE).

LifeLock (NYSE: LOCK) was also down, falling 17.57 percent to $10.70 after the company announced Friday that it had halted its mobile wallet service, shocking the street.

Provectus Biopharmaceuticals (NYSE: PVCT) was also down, falling 3.38 percent to $3.01, letting out some air after the company's opening on the NYSE Friday.

Commodities

Energy prices were mostly down Tuesday, with WTI and Brent mixed. Near the close of equities, WTI crude futures were up 0.59 percent to $102.62. Brent futures dropped 0.36 percent to $109.36. Natural gas was last up 1.36 percent on the day.

Precious metals were mostly flat for the day. At last check, COMEX gold futures were up 0.06 percent to $1,294.20. Silver contracts gained just 0.16 percent to $19.36 near the close of equities.

Global Markets

Asian markets were mostly down last night. The Shanghai index fell 1.05 percent with Hong Kong's Hang Seng down 0.04 percent. Japanese markets were also down, with the Nikkei dropping 0.64 percent.

European markets were mixed on the day. The Euro Stoxx index, which tracks 50 eurozone blue chips gained 0.09 percent percent. London's FTSE gave up 0.16 percent, and France's CAC added 0.30 percent.

Currencies

The US dollar once again tanked on the expectation that the Federal Reserve will not reduce its stimulus. The PowerShares ETF (NYSE: UUP) that tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of foreign currencies fell 0.02 percent to 21.39.

The closely watched EUR/USD pair gained 0.712 percent to $1.371. The other big mover on the day is the USD/RUB, which fell 0.6 percent.

Volume and Volatility

After a week of heavy volume, trading normalized Tuesday. Only 50.89 million shares of the S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: SPY) traded hands, compared to a three month average of 117.16 million.

After leaping higher mid-morning, volatility died down for the day. The CBOE measure of S&P 500 (VIX) fell 0.32 percent to 12.40.

Posted-In: China Eric Holder Europe Gold Japan SilverEarnings News Commodities Forex Econ #s Economics After-Hours Center Markets Analyst Ratings Movers Best of Benzinga

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

  Most Popular Weekly Highlights: Apple's Rumored 3D Printer, Apple/Beats Deal And More Surface Mini Rumor Roundup Stocks To Watch For May 19, 2014 #PreMarket Primer: Monday, May 19: DirecTV Rises On Offer From AT&T; AstraZeneca Rejects Pfizer Bid Shares Of Dish Respond To Rumors Of Verizon Soft Talks UPDATE: Raymond James Upgrades AT&T Following Acquisition Announcemnt Related Articles (AZN + BZSUM) Ligand-AstraZeneca Collaborate - Analyst Blog Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Monday May 19, 2014 Market Wrap for May 19: Markets Finish Higher On M&A Monday Mid-Day Market Movers Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Drift Higher Amid A Flurry Of Weekend M&A Activity ISI Says A

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs

Related ZIGO UPDATE: AMETEK to Buy Zygo for $19.25/Share Zygo Corporation Appoints Gary K. Willis as Interim Chief Executive Officer Related KEP Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Higher; UTi Worldwide Reports Q4 Loss Balanced View on Korea Electric Power Corp. - Analyst Blog

Zygo (NASDAQ: ZIGO) shares gained 31.06% to touch a new 52-week high of $19.24 after Ametek (NYSE: AME) announced its plans to buy Zygo for about $364 million.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE: KEP) shares rose 2.09% to reach a new 52-week high of $19.06. Korea Electric Power's PEG ratio is 0.23.

PHI (NASDAQ: PHII) shares jumped 97.46% to reach a new 52-week high of $80.96. PHI shares have jumped 26.08% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 15.37% in the same period.

China XD Plastics Company (NASDAQ: CXDC) shares gained 4.17% to touch a new 52-week high of $6.01. China XD Plastics' trailing-twelve-month revenue is $1.05 billion.

Posted-In: 52-Week HighsNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

  Most Popular SEC Halts Trading Of GrowLife, Here's Why Can Marijuana Traders Handle A Stock Meltdown? Five Star Stock Watch: Gilead Sciences Terra Tech CEO Derek Peterson: CBD Extraction 'Not Where It Needs To Be' JP Morgan Sees Opportunities In Facebook, Priceline, Netflix, Pandora Following Recent Sell-Off Ford Shares Trade Lower Following 15% Price Target Cut from Morgan Stanley Related Articles (AME + CXDC) Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs UPDATE: AMETEK to Buy Zygo for $19.25/Share Intel Unveils Upgraded MinnowBoard - Analyst Blog Badger Meter Attains 52-Week High - Analyst Blog Morning Market Movers Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Gainers Around the Web, We're Loving...

Tax Q&A: When to change to Roth IRA?

As the April 15 tax deadline fast approaches, you probably have questions. Fortunately, we have answers. Every day until April 15, members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have agreed to answer selected tax questions from USA TODAY readers. Submit your questions to jwaggoner@usatoday.com.

Q. When is a good time to change a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA? What is the tax rate for switching to a Roth IRA? I need advice about the feasibility of doing this or keeping my money in a traditional IRA account. Can I do it in increments as time goes on to lower my tax burden? I am retired.

A. That depends on a variety of factors. First, you will pay the taxes owed upon the conversion to a Roth IRA. Your traditional IRA has never been taxed. So upon conversion, those funds will be taxed at ordinary income tax rates. You can determine how much you want to convert in a given time period to control the amount of taxes owed. Besides spreading this out over several years, you also want to ensure not to do too much in any one year which could increase your overall tax bracket for all of your earnings in that one year.

NEED HELP: Get all the latest tax news and advice

It is true that all of the distributions from a Roth are tax free after you pay the taxes on the conversion. But you should consider how long the assets will grow inside the Roth prior to taking them out. If you are going to be taking the assets out in a relatively short period of time or they will be in lower growth assets then a conversion may not make sense. The benefit to a Roth is the tax-free distributions but if there is minimal growth then that benefit is not as good as if there is significant growth that now will be tax free. Also you need to think about tax brackets. If your bracket will decrease significantly in retirement due to earnings and you will not be in a very high bracket then paying the taxes upon conversion only to take a tax free distribution in a lower bracket may not make! sense.

Douglas P. Duerr, CPA/PFS, CFP. Duerr & Duerr, LLP - Partner, Montville, N.J.

Previous questions:

I moved. Do I need to file a state return?

Can you roll a 401(k) to a Roth IRA?

Are Social Security benefits taxable?

Deducting storm losses

Why can't I deduct rental property losses?

Can I put money back into my IRA?

Who qualifies as a dependent?

Deductions for a business with no income?

How to report 401(k) rollover?

Are health insurance premiums deductible?

Should my daughters file taxes?

Can pension income go to a Roth IRA?

What to do if you forgot a tax payment

Is a gift from an IRA taxable?

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Is Gold Safe to Buy? Here are 13 Gold Stocks Saying “No”

Facebook Logo Twitter Logo RSS Logo Louis Navellier Popular Posts: 8 Keys (And 24 Stocks) To Build Wealth TodayGoogle Stock Rides Higher on Earnings and InnovationAmazon Stock Falling For a Reason: Slower Growth Recent Posts: Is Gold Safe to Buy? Here are 13 Gold Stocks Saying “No” Will Shareholders Subscribe to Comcast, Time Warner Merger? 3 Industrial Stocks Building on Strong Fundamentals View All Posts

Is gold headed for a comeback? At first glance, it sure looks like it. Gold futures just cracked $1,300 an ounce for the first time in three months. This is officially the longest rally in gold prices since 2011.

But if you look more closely at what gold was up to before the latest rebound, you’ll see that the metal hasn’t quite regained its luster. While 2014 may be a better year for gold, it’s simply too risky to put new money in the yellow metal. Or, in companies that mine gold, for that matter.

That’s because there are several other headwinds kicking up.

First, there’s the Federal Reserve’s newly revealed tapering plan. Essentially, the more confidence there is in central banks, the worse it is for gold and other precious metals. So because the Fed implied that it may not conduct quantitative easing “to infinity,” confidence in the Fed improved over the fall, hurting gold in subsequent trading days.

The other factor weighing down the gold market is that a lot of gold has just become available on the world markets. As part of the new nuclear agreement struck with Iran last month, sanctions were removed on $8 billion in Iran’s frozen assets. This means that the country will rely less on gold, which it had previously traded for crude oil under the economic sanctions.

Right now, what the gold market needs is a lot more instability among central banks as well as tension in the Middle East—uncertainty makes gold more appealing to nervous investors. Recently we’ve seen some jitters surrounding rising rates in India and a slowdown in China’s manufacturing, so that has rekindled interest in gold for some.

Even so, I don’t think this alone will sustain gold prices going forward. So I don’t recommend you go loading up on gold stocks right now. In fact, I ran 13 of the largest gold companies through Portfolio Grader this morning, and I was shocked to see how poorly all of these stocks performed in my screens.

Just take a look:

13 Gold Stocks to Sell Now
Ticker Company Quantitative Grade Fundamental Grade My Rating
ABX Barrick Gold F D Strong Sell
AEM Agnico-Eagle Mines D D Sell
AU AngloGold Ashanti F D Strong Sell
AUY Yamana Gold F D Strong Sell
BVN Compania de Minas Buenaventura SA F D Strong Sell
EGO Eldorado Gold F D Sell
GFI Gold Fields F D Strong Sell
GG Goldcorp D C Sell
GOLD Randgold Resources D C Sell
KGC Kinross Gold F D Strong Sell
NEM Newmont Mining F D Strong Sell
NGD New Gold F D Strong Sell
RGLD Royal Gold C D Sell

My publisher on the East Coast tells me that they got quite a lot of snow today, so if you’re from around those parts I hope you’re staying warm and dry. .

Monday, May 25, 2015

Twitter Inc (TWTR) Q4 Earnings Preview: What To Watch?

Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) will report its first set of earnings as a public company on Feb. 5. On the same day, Twitter will hold a conference call to discuss the fourth quarter financial results at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).

San Francisco, California-based Twitter is one of the world's largest social networks with over 230 million monthly active users. The service is free for its users, but the company generates revenue through advertising and data licensing.

Wall Street expects Twitter to report a loss of 2 cents a share while revenue is estimated at $217.78 million, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

[Related -Gold hasn't lost its allure in my portfolio]

As with any social networking site, the ability to monetize users and traction on mobile will be the key focus. Advertising revenue is a key metric. UBS analysts expect ad revenue of $213 million and mobile ad revenue of $158 million.

Data Licensing revenue is another focus. Given the scale and real-time nature of the Twitter platform, this business could be a significant contributor longer-term, despite the company currently focusing on the advertising opportunity

Worldwide desktop data for Twitter showed a 2.4 percent increase in unique visitors but a 48 percent decline in total page views and a 30 percent decrease in total minutes for the first two months of the quarter, according to comScore. These data reflect the shift towards mobile usage.

[Related -Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR): Social TV – A Big Catalyst For Shares]

According to comScore, U.S. mobile data for Twitter showed unique mobile visitors (iPhone + Android) were up 20.4 percent and that total user minutes were up 46.0 percent.

UBS analyst Eric Sheridan views that higher mobile engagement as a positive in the face of weaker desktop usage data, particularly since 76 percent of total monthly active users (MAUs) are from mobile.

The Street will focus on MAUs, especially on the mobile front, as well as timeline views. Sheridan sees global MAUs of 249 million and timeline views of 167.4 billion.

Adjusted EBITDA margins are another key metric. Twitter's stated long-term adjusted EBITDA margin target is 35 to 40 percent and investors look at the progress on that front.

Twitter recently acquired MoPub, a mobile advertising exchange. This was a smart strategic acquisition for Twitter as it will bolster its efforts towards greater programmatic ad selling and achieving scale. Management may provide additional color on the initial benefits being generated from this acquisition.

During late third quarter and throughout the fourth quarter, Twitter released a wave of enhancements to its core platform and to its advertising product suite which could serve to increase user engagement and/or increase the appeal of the platform to advertisers.

The enhancements include Lead Generation Cards (allow marketers to collect information on qualified leads); Scheduled Tweets (allows marketers to schedule Tweets for future publication); Photo/video previews in Tweets and Custom Timelines (Timelines featuring a set of user-curated Tweets).

The company also launched enhanced mobile targeting (by device, OS, etc.); Search filters in the mobile app; Tailored Audiences; Native advertising product in MoPub; and conversion tracking.

Out of several enhancements, Tailored Audiences is worth mentioning. On Dec. 5, Twitter announced Tailored Audiences – its retargeted advertising product. Similar to Facebook's FBX, Tailored Audiences provides a mechanism for advertisers to market directly to customers who have engaged with their own websites, with one notable difference Twitter's offering includes the ability to reach customers on mobile.

Sheridan said Tailored Audiences could be a material driver of revenues going forward, given increased advertiser adoption of re-targeted advertising over the past year.

During the quarter, Twitter also debuted the See It functionality (provides TV remote control-like features via Twitter) and TV conversation targeting (allows networks and brands to promote Tweets to users who engage with specific shows). These enhancements are designed to establish Twitter as the go-to second screen platform.

Additional topics to be discussed on the call include monetization of Vine, a mobile app owned by Twitter that enables its users to create and post short video clips. Investors could also look for investment plans for MoPub or to create a Twitter Ad Network. Further, Twitter's recent purchase of 900 patents from IBM could also be discussed.

Investors have high expectations from the quarter as this will be Twitter's first quarter following its IPO late last year. With only 27 percent Buy ratings on the sell side and the average target price of $50, investors expect a substantial beat. TWTR shares, which have a market cap in excess of $34 billion, have gained more than 40 percent since it began trading on Nov. 7, 2013. 

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Stocks to Watch: Hhgregg, Select Comfort, Walgreen

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are Hhgregg Inc.(HGG), Select Comfort Corp.(SCSS) and Walgreen Co.(WAG)

The first retailer out with holiday results, Hhgregg, expects that its fiscal third-quarter results will be well below estimates. Same-store sales slumped 11% amid a 20% tumble for consumer electronics and 25% for computing/wireless. The weakness will result in a profit miss for the quarter, but Chief Executive Dennis May adds the retailer didn’t partake in the race to the bottom—selling product regardless of  profitability–in an effort to hold up its bottom line. Shares were down 13% at $11.78 premarket.

Select Comfort said its fourth-quarter results won’t meet its forecast thanks to December not being up to snuff. That “reflected a tepid retail holiday-shopping season,” Chief Executive Shelly Ibach stated. “We expect this challenging environment to continue in 2014 and are planning accordingly.” Shares were down 13% at $18.60 premarket.

Walgreen reported that after two months of increased same-store traffic away from the pharmacy, that measure fell again in December at Walgreen. But last month’s 1.3% drop from a year earlier was more than offset by the average purchase size rising 3.8%, pushing front-end same-store sales up 2.5% alongside a 5.3% jump in prescriptions filled. Overall same-store sales jumped 6.1%, the biggest gain since September despite the front-end underperformance. Shares were up 1.6% at $57.75 premarket.

Private-equity firm Carlyle Group LP(CG) named former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski as managing director and partner in its U.S. buyout team, with Mr. Genachowski returning to the private sector where he previously worked as a venture capitalist.

CommonWealth REIT sa(CWH)id Monday that it had invited activist investor Keith Meister of Corvex Management LP to join its board as the company also appointed two independent directors to the board.

General Electric Co.'s(GE) healthcare unit agreed to acquire several of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.'s(TMO) life-sciences businesses for roughly $1.06 billion.

Men's Wearhouse Inc.(MW) commenced a cash tender offer to buy Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. for about $1.6 billion, the latest bid in a months-long acquisition battle between the rival men’s clothing retailers.

T-Mobile US Inc.(TMUS) agreed to buy a block of airwave rights from rival Verizon(VZ)Wireless to bolster its network in major cities. T-Mobile—the fourth-largest U.S. carrier behind Verizon, AT&T Inc.(T) and Sprint Corp.(S)–intends to pay $2.365 billion in cash and transfer spectrum licenses valued at about $950 million to Verizon. The larger carrier originally bought the spectrum for about $2.4 billion.

Verint Systems Inc.(VRNT) agreed to buy customer-service software firm Kana Software Inc.(SWKH) from private equity firm Accel-KKR for about $514 million in cash, as the data-analysis company seeks to expand its offerings.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Target offers 10% off as credit fraud apology

UPDATED 6:59 p.m. ET to add detail on Target's 10% discount.

Target, stung by a massive credit-card security breach, is taking the unusual step of offering a 10% discount Saturday and Sunday in its U.S. stores at the height of the holiday rush, its CEO announced.

In addition, the company says it is going to offer free credit monitoring to customers who could be at risk from the breach.

In another development, the nation's largest bank, JPMorgan Chase, said Saturday that it was putting limits on about 2 million debit cards used at Target during the period in which the fraud was perpetrated. Those customers were told in an email and on the website they could only use their cards for no more than $100 in cash withdrawals and $300 in total purchases per day.

The actions come after the Minneapolis-based mass-market retailing giant disclosed Thursday that about 40 million credit and debit card accounts were stolen starting with the Thanksgiving weekend. Patrons who swiped credit cards at Target stores from Nov. 27 to Dec. 15 could be at risk.

MORE:Target offers 10% storewide discounts this weekend after apologizing for data loss

The company has said that it doesn't believe that personal identification numbers, or PINs, were exposed.

The breach appears to have been the second largest in U.S. history, topped only by a 2005 case involving retailer TJX, which had 45.7 million card users victimized, according to the Associated Press.

MORE: Customers express anger and frustration over Target credit breach

Target was besieged by concerned customers after the breach was disclosed. It says its phone lines have been tied up as a result. On Friday, the 1,800-store chain reacted by announcing its special program and trying to reassure consumers that data can no longer be stolen.

"The issue has been identified and eliminated," wrote CEO Gregg Steinhafel in a note on Target's website. "We recognize this has been confusing and disruptive during an already busy holi! day season. Our guests' trust is our top priority at Target and we are committed to making this right."

MORE:Secret Service probes Target credit card breach

He apologizes and says that the 10% storewide discount, available only this weekend, is the same that employees receive. It will be available for in-store purchases, not those made online.

MORE: Debit card PINs not part of Target data breach

He says that just because customers may have shopped at Target during the period in which data thieves were at work doesn't necessarily mean they are victims. Not only are there "typically low levels of actual fraud" in these situations, but "we want to reassure guests that they will not be held financially responsible for any credit and debit card fraud."

He indicates details about free credit monitoring will be worked out later. "We will be in touch with those impacted by this issue soon on how and where to access the service," he says.

Target says in the fine print on its website that the 10% discount excludes a whole bunch of cards, whether they are gift, telephone airtime, entertainment, iTunes or prepaid cards. It also doesn't apply to purchase of liquor, Apple or Bose products, all video games and Playstation 4 or Xbox One consoles. Then there are services that do not fall under the special discount like Target Mobile, prescriptions, optical or Target Clinic. The offer cannot be combined with other storewide or department coupons.

Since Target didn't have time to promote the special discount in its advertising, many customers may be surprised to find out they are getting it. Spokeswoman Molly Snyder says the word was getting out through store greeters who were informing customers as the flocked in Saturday.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Higher Mortgage Rates Take Toll on Home Sales, Prices

Views Of Brooklyn Brownstones Ahead Of Existing Home SalesCraig Warga/Bloomberg via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- Americans bought fewer existing homes in September than the previous month, held back by higher mortgage rates and rising prices. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales of resold homes fell 1.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.29 million. That's down from a pace of 5.39 million in August, which was revised lower. The sales pace in August equaled July's pace. Both were the highest in four years and are consistent with a healthy market. Mortgage rates rose sharply over the summer from their historic lows, threatening to slow a housing recovery that began last year and has helped drive modest economic growth. But many economists expect home sales will remain healthy, especially now that rates have stabilized and remain near historically low levels. Final sales in September reflected contracts signed in July and August, when rates were about a percentage point higher than in May. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.28 percent last week, down from a two-year high of 4.58 percent in August. That's also far below the 30-year average of 7 percent, according to Bankrate.com. Sales of existing homes have risen at a healthy 10.7 percent in the past 12 months. Still, that's the slowest year-over-year increase in five months. And the median home price has risen 11.7 percent in the past year, the Realtors said. That's also the slowest annual gain in the past five months. Price increases may be slowing because more homes are finally coming on the market. The supply of available homes rose 1.8 percent from a year ago to 2.21 million, the first year-over-year increase in 2 ½ years. The limited number of homes for sale is a key reason prices have risen so fast in the last year. The economy is growing modestly and employers are adding jobs at a slow but steady pace. That's helped a growing number of Americans buy homes. Still, many first-time buyers have been unable to enter the market. They made up just 28 percent of purchases in September, down from 32 percent a year ago. In healthier housing markets, they typically make up at least 40 percent of buyers. First-time buyers are having trouble qualifying for loans because many banks have adopted tougher lending restrictions and higher down payment requirements since the housing bubble burst. In their place, investors and Americans willing to pay cash are playing an outsize role in sales. Cash purchases made up 33 percent of September's sales, up from 28 percent a year ago. Borrowing rates began to rise in May after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggested that the Fed could start to slow its monthly bond purchases by the end of the year. The purchases are intended to keep interest rates low and stimulate the economy. But the Fed decided against slowing its purchases at its September meeting, citing weak economic data and looming budget battles in Washington. The budget fights led to a partial government shutdown Oct. 1. The nation's borrowing limit was increased but only at the last minute. Economists have cut their forecasts for growth in the October-December quarter by about a half-percentage point because of the shutdown and debt limit fight. As a result, many economists think the Fed won't slow its bond purchases until January or even later. That's likely to keep mortgage rates low well into the new year.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Stocks to Watch: Google, Morgan Stanley, General Electric

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Friday’s session are Google Inc.(GOOG), Morgan Stanley(MS) and General Electric Co.(GE)

Google Inc. posted a 12% increase in third-quarter revenue, as it tries to keep pace with its users’ shift to mobile devices. The Internet-search company Thursday said net income rose 36% amid several new initiatives to raise the price marketers pay for advertisements on smartphones and other mobile devices. Shares were up 9.5% to $973.01 in premarket trading as earnings and revenue beat expectations.

Morgan Stanley swung to a third-quarter profit, solidly beating analyst estimates, as strong results in the company’s wealth management business helped offset a slump in fixed-income trading revenue. Shares jumped 3.7% to $30 in premarket trading.

General Electric Co.’s third-quarter earnings fell 8.6% as the conglomerate’s financial unit posted weaker revenue and restructuring charges hurt results, though the industrial business’s results continued to strengthen. Shares rose 2.6% to $25.30 premarket, as profit exceeded expectations.

Specialty pharmaceutical firm pSivida Corp.(PSDV) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration didn’t approve a treatment for an eye disease found in patients with diabetes. The company’s stock tumbled 47% to $2 premarket, while shares of Alimera Sciences Inc.(ALIM) were down 39% to $1.66, as the treatment is licensed and sold by Alimera in other markets.

Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. will discontinue its Phase 3 trial of Iclusig, which was placed on clinical hold by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week after follow-ups found some patients treated with the drug suffered from serious arterial thrombosis or other conditions. Shares slumped 30% to $3.15 premarket.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.’s third-quarter earnings jumped 15% as the burrito chain reported more customers visited its restaurants, boosting sales to help offset some food cost pressures. In premarket trading, shares climbed 7.7% to $473, as sales topped expectations.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. posted a quarterly profit for the first time since early 2012, but the chip maker sounded less optimistic about the current period than some analysts expected. Shares fell 11% premarket, to $3.65.

Shares of Acacia Research Corp. tumbled after the developer and acquirer of patented technologies issued third-quarter results that badly missed Wall Street expectations. The stock was down 19% to $15.80 premarket.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Judge hears claims BP lied about Gulf oil spill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A trial over BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has resumed with a federal judge hearing claims that the company misled federal officials and withheld information about the amount of crude spewing from its blown-out well.

During opening statements Monday for the trial's second phase, plaintiffs' attorney Brian Barr said BP failed to prepare for a blowout and compounded the problem by lying about how much oil was flowing from the well.

BP attorney Mike Brock said second-guessing the company's efforts to cap the well is "Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst."

The government and BP have different estimates; establishing how much oil leaked during the 86-day struggle to cap the well will help determine the penalties the oil company must pay.

Under the Clean Water Act, a polluter can be forced to pay a maximum of either $1,100 or $4,300 per barrel of spilled oil. The higher maximum applies if the company is found grossly negligent, as the government argues BP should be. But the penalties can be assessed at amounts lower than those caps. Congress passed a law dictating that 80 percent of the Clean Water Act penalties paid by BP must be divided among the Gulf states.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is scheduled to hear four weeks of testimony for the second phase, which also is designed to help the judge determine how much oil spilled into the Gulf.

The second phase is divided into two segments. The first explores methods BP employed to cap the well. The second is designed to help Barbier determine how much oil spilled into the Gulf.

The first phase ended in April after Barbier heard eight weeks of testimony about the causes of the blowout.

BP insists it was properly prepared to respond to the disaster, but plaintiffs' attorneys will argue the London-based global oil company could have capped the well much sooner if it hadn't ignored decades of warnings about the risks of a deep-water blowout.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Who Gets the Beach House?: A How-To for Advisors on Helping a Family Decide

Beach houses are often perceived as the pinnacle of achievement for a high-net-worth family. Like the Bush or Kennedy family compounds in New England, they evoke thoughts of multigenerational ties and shared values, songs by the campfire and touch football on the lawn.

And then there’s the reality.

When Stacy Allred, a director in the wealth structuring unit of Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group, sat down to work with a West Coast family on preserving their cherished gathering spot along with a sense of multigenerational harmony, she quickly found herself dealing with a challenge that has cropped up for many baby boomers and their children. While a beach house, mountain retreat or European villa may be just a vacation home, it is also charged with emotions and family history that must be considered when the time comes for the next generation to take possession of that beloved second home.

A Small Cabin Becomes a Large House

In the case of Allred’s clients, a young couple living in San Francisco back in the 1960s bought a small cabin on a large piece of land on the coast, two hours from the city. What was at first a getaway for the young couple and their four small children became a place that the whole extended family enjoyed, including aunts, uncles and cousins. A series of renovations and additions turned the small cabin into a large house, and those four children now have adult children of their own.

“The original matriarch and patriarch have died, and the trust they left for upkeep and maintenance is dwindling,” recounts a Merrill viewpoint, “Who Gets the Beach House?,” published this August, just as many families were enjoying their final summer days on the shore. “After years of exposure to the elements, the home needs a new roof, new siding and other major repairs. Yet those physical upgrades, while significant, are merely symbolic of much larger challenges facing a family that longed for the home to be as meaningful for subsequent generations as it had been for them. Who pays the bills? Who oversees the upkeep? Who gets to use the house, and when?”

For the Northern California family, one son had done particularly well financially. While it might seem that his good fortune solved the family’s beach house preservation issues, it was only the beginning of a process that involved a meeting of siblings and their spouses plus nieces and nephews, featuring Allred as mediator.

“They didn’t want to come in as ‘deep pockets,’” Allred recalls of the son and his wife, who had asked her to help organize and run the meeting. “They wanted it to be collaborative. The biggest priority was maintaining family unity. They didn’t expect preferential weeks in the home, or an extra vote on matters pertaining to the house.”

For advisors who need to help their own clients resolve beach house estate planning issues, read on for a how-to from Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group.

Working with the northern California couple’s certified public accountant and estate attorney, Stacy Allred of Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group helped coordinate a strategy to create a trust to cover major capital improvements, ongoing maintenance and taxes for the family beach house.

The technicalities of the transaction look like this: The trust was structured to receive gifts as “current” gifts, meaning that the recipients had the right to withdraw the gifts from the trust within a limited window and use them for their own purposes. Thus, the couple was able to use their annual gift tax exclusion to fund the trust without having to cut into their lifetime gift tax exemption limit. This is because the government allows each spouse annual tax-exempt gifts of up to $14,000 per individual recipient, so the brother and his wife together were able to give a total of $28,000 to each of 18 relatives, for a total of $500,000. The couple can repeat this process each year until the trust has reached a level capable of maintaining the home for decades to come.

While every family situation is unique, the case of the California compound highlights “a universal point about the intergenerational issues surrounding the family vacation home,” according to the Merrill publication. “They should be handled with the same attention to detail you’d bestow on the succession of a family business.”

The Essential Master Plan

Michael Liersch, director of behavioral finance for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, acknowledges that such a view may seem counterintuitive, since a family retreat is supposed to be about feeling good and letting go. “People tend to think that a place of relaxation and fun is a place without rules,” Liersch says. “But a place of anxiety and uncertainty isn’t fun, and that’s what having no rules creates.”

Liersch advises creating a “master plan” that includes an online calendar that extended family members spread across the country or around the world can access through a file-sharing application. “That way people can request times for the home, and everyone knows who’s using the place and when,” he says. “The calendar can include maintenance schedules and track routine expenses.”

Wendy Goffe, a Seattle-based estate attorney, lays out the concept of the master plan in “From NASCAR Condominiums to Private Mausoleums: Keeping the Home in the Family,” noting that the first step in creating a master plan is to have a facilitator interview each family member.

To be sure, the master plan’s arguably most vital function is a clear directive on how the property will transfer from one generation to the next.

“The facilitator’s report provides sufficient information so that family members can make meaningful decisions with respect to the property jointly,” Goffe writes. “If the family is unable to reach an agreement, one or more family meetings guided by the facilitator could follow to resolve areas of dispute, further define areas of agreement, and continue building a consensus.  The development of a master plan with the assistance of a trained neutral third party is especially useful when the senior generation has already ceded control of the property to the next generation and questions and issues concerning actual management have arisen.”

How to Hand a House Down

The most efficient way to hand the house down is through an outright gift while the owners are still alive, according to Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group. “It’s relatively easy, inexpensive and can require minimal paperwork,” the viewpoint asserts.

Potential tax benefits also make this an attractive option. While 22 states impose estate and/or inheritance taxes, only Connecticut and Minnesota have a gift tax. At the federal level, gift and estate taxes stand at 40% for amounts greater than $5.25 million as of 2013, adjusted annually for inflation.

“There is, however, an advantage to giving the gift during your lifetime,” the viewpoint adds. “It’s analogous to being able to invest pre-tax versus post-tax dollars into a retirement account: When you write a check to cover gift taxes, you can simply pay the amount out of whatever available resources you have. But if you leave the home in your estate and wish to have your estate cover the tax bill, you may be drawing on funds that have already been nearly halved by the wealth-transfer rate as part of your taxable estate.”

Ways to ease the tax burden of a vacation house include:

1) A qualified personal residence trust (QPRT). A QPRT with a term of 10 years, for example, the house is given to the trust, thus removing it from a taxable estate. During the term of the trust, the original owner continues to use the home and pay taxes and other regular expenses. Once the 10-year term expires, the beneficiaries become the owners of the property, and from then on, whenever the original owner uses the property, he or she must pay fair market rent.

There are drawbacks to a QPRT, however. If the grantor dies before the trust term expires, the home reverts to his or her taxable estate. And then, says the Merrill viewpoint, there’s the potential emotional drawback: “The former owner may find it irksome to pay fair market rent topping $15,000 a week for a Martha’s Vineyard or Sun Valley retreat that still psychologically feels like home.”

2) To retain greater control and protect against hurt feelings, families can instead transfer ownership of the home to a family limited liability company. The grantors then gift shares in the LLC to transfer ownership. There is a tax benefit to this method, as well. While distributed shares are subject to gift taxes, because multiple people have shares, individual recipients don’t control the property and can’t sell it, so the value of their gifts can be discounted for tax purposes.

“Unlike a QPRT, an LLC offers the flexibility to maintain or share decision-making responsibility as you see fit,” the viewpoint notes. “As with a family-owned business, you might, for example, decide to distribute nonvoting shares to the kids, giving them a financial stake in the house while withholding their vote in major decisions until you feel the time is right.”

---

Read Americans, and Their Money, Flee High-Tax States at ThinkAdvisor.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

JPMorgan Top Stock Picker with Equities Out of Lockstep

Mike McGregor/Bloomberg Markets Howard Chen, left, and Craig Siegenthaler correctly predicted that AllianceBernstein stock would rebound.

Investors had declared the stock of AllianceBernstein Holding LP (AB) a loser. From Jan. 1, 2010, to Aug. 23, 2012, it had declined 43 percent compared with a 33 percent gain for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Nevertheless, on that day, Credit Suisse Group AG analyst Craig Siegenthaler lifted his rating on the New York-based money manager's shares to a buy.

"Many investors had left it for dead," Siegenthaler says. "It was a tough stock to even bring up in front of investors. Underneath the low valuation, the company was really in a transformational period."

Since his call, AllianceBernstein's shares have outperformed the S&P 500 by almost threefold, with the stock returning 73 percent for the year ended on Aug. 14. In recommending the shares to Credit Suisse customers, Siegenthaler said that the company was cutting expenses and that fixed-income sales were improving, Bloomberg Markets magazine will report in its September issue.

More from the September issue of Bloomberg Markets:

SPECIAL REPORT: Terrorism and Tungsten | Slideshow FAMILY OFFICES: World's Richest | Graphic QATAR: Money, Gas and Clout PHILANTHROPY: One Woman's Mission BILLIONAIRES: Charity, Russian Style | Slideshow MALAYSIA: Najib's Grand Plan

Siegenthaler's calls on stocks such as AllianceBernstein helped make him and his Credit Suisse partner, Howard Chen, the top U.S. analysts of brokerage and asset management firms in 2012, according to a ranking of stock analysts by consulting firm Greenwich Associates and Bloomberg Markets.

He currently has buy recommendations on private-equity firm Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG) and Zions Bancorporation. (ZION)

Analysts Surveyed

To compile the ranking, Stamford, Connecticut-based Greenwich Associates surveyed 945 buy-side analysts at 190 investment management firms, mutual funds, hedge funds, pension funds and insurers from December to March. The analysts were asked to name the Wall Street research teams they considered their most important sources of advice on investments.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)'s research unit, under Noelle Grainger, the bank's head of equity research in the Americas, scored the largest number of highly ranked analysts, making it the No. 1 firm in U.S. equities research for the fourth consecutive year, according to Greenwich Associates. Bank of America Corp.'s BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research unit was No. 2, followed by Morgan Stanley. (MS)

Research directors and analysts say the big news in their field is that the era of correlation -- when stocks move up or down in unison in reaction to macroeconomic events -- is finally ending. Weakening correlation signals that investors are less obsessed with big issues like Europe's debt crisis, the U.S. fiscal deficit and China's growth trajectory. They're looking instead at more stock-specific investment drivers such as earnings, technology innovations and market share, Grainger says.

Adding Value

"In 2012, people started to be willing to put a little more risk on the table," Grainger says. "It was a year where analysts could add more value based on their industry and company expertise."

It was also a year in which the tide lifted a lot of boats. More tha! n 300 of the stocks in the S&P 500 index saw returns in excess of 10 percent in 2012, including reinvested dividends. As the index surged, driven by four straight years of profit growth and three rounds of Federal Reserve stimulus, companies' stocks began to break away from the pack and move up or down on their merits.

"From the stock pickers' side, two things stuck out in the past year," says Brett Hodess, the head of Americas equity research at BofA Merrill Lynch. "It was still very important to look at macro events in order to see which sectors would be most favored. Then you had to figure out who the winners and losers would be. That was the way to outperform."

Calculating Correlation

The correlation among S&P 500 companies fell to an average of 0.59 last year, according to data compiled by Westport, Connecticut-based research firm Birinyi Associates Inc. A reading of 1.0 indicates they're all moving in the same direction by the same amount. In 2011, stocks had moved in unison by the most since at least 1980, reaching a record correlation of 0.86 in October as prices tumbled, according to Birinyi.

Heather Bellini, a software analyst at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) who ranked second in her industry, started coverage of Salesforce.com (CRM) Inc. in July 2011, putting the largest maker of customer-management software on Goldman's buy list. She saw cash flow rising on the continued success of Salesforce's Sales Cloud -- its core product -- as well as newer offerings such as the Service Cloud customer-support software. The shares fell after her July 12, 2011, buy recommendation and then gained 66 percent in 2012. The stock is up 6.3 perpercent this year as Aug. 14.

Bellini now has buy recommendations on Facebook Inc. (FB) and Oracle Corp. (ORCL)

Reassessing Private Equity

Credit Suisse (CSGN)'s Chen took a new look at publicly listed private-equity firms, including Apollo Global Management LLC, Blackstone Group LP (BX) and Carlyle Gro! up LP. (C! G) Investors are still struggling to properly value them, he says.

Private-equity firms lock up investor money for as long as a decade while they buy companies, overhaul them and, if all goes well, sell them for a profit. The firms, which use debt to finance the deals, typically charge an annual management fee of 1.5 percent to 2 percent and keep 20 percent of profits from investments.

Valuing the firms had traditionally consisted of a sum-of-the-parts analysis -- marking the value of investments every quarter, according to Chen. He argued in a February 2012 report to change that metric and judge the firms based on their longer-term cash earnings generated from management fees and profits from investments.

'False Precision'

"To me, sum of the parts has a false sense of precision," Chen says. "It doesn't get to the heart of how these companies create value and why they've been so successful."

Apollo and Blackstone were the best positioned in 2012 to deliver the biggest growth in cash earnings, Chen says. He maintained his buy calls on both firms throughout the year. From Chen's Feb. 7, 2012, note calling for a new valuation methodology, Apollo returned 129 percent as of yesterday's close and Blackstone, 46.6 percent.

Chen today has buy recommendations on IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE) and asset manager State Street Corp. (STT)

The top analyst of large-cap banks in the Greenwich Associates/Bloomberg Markets ranking is Betsy Graseck of Morgan Stanley. In one of her best calls, she saw bad news for JPMorgan as good news for investors.

'Double Down'

On May 18, 2012, eight days after the biggest U.S. bank by assets announced a $2 billion trading loss in the firm's London chief investment office, Graseck published a note telling investors to "double down" on the shares, which had plunged 27 percent from their March 2012 peak. The trading losses were attributed to Bruno Iksil, known in the market as the London Whale, an! d ultimat! ely totaled at least $6.2 billion.

"We pounded the table post-Whale," Graseck says. "The view was that management had the skills to be able to work with the Street and get the portfolio risks reduced." JPMorgan stock returned 67.6 percent from her May report to yesterday's close.

Another Graseck winner was Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks (STI) Inc., which she upgraded to a buy on July 2, 2012, after digging into data that showed a recovery in the housing market in the Southeastern U.S. SunTrust is the biggest lender in Georgia and has branches in Florida, Maryland and North Carolina. She also saw that SunTrust would benefit from a new wave of refinancing following the extension of the federal Home Affordable Refinance Program, which allows Americans with little home equity to refinance. Shares of SunTrust rallied 42.9 percent from her call to Aug. 14.

Trade Routes

Graseck's Morgan Stanley colleague Bill Greene ranks No. 1 in transportation. One of his best calls was a sell in March 2010 on Expeditors International (EXPD) of Washington Inc., which assists companies in shipping goods across international borders. Most of Expeditors' business is on trade routes across the Pacific Ocean, especially between China and the U.S. Greene predicted that the company's growth would stumble as freight flows shifted to emerging markets -- between China and Vietnam, for example. In addition, companies were increasingly near-shoring, or relocating factories and offices closer to headquarters, resulting in fewer international shipments.

"All of these factors were head winds to growth," Greene says.

Starting in the fourth quarter of 2011, Expeditors' profits missed analysts' estimates for six straight quarters, sending shares down 2 percent in 2012. They've returned 3.2 percent this year as of yesterday.

One-by-One

While judging stocks one by one has become easier, what hasn't changed since the financial crisis is investors' demand for research o! n global ! investment themes. Analysts now collaborate across industries and regions in order to produce comprehensive reports that identify worldwide trends.

"Companies are competing across traditional lines," Goldman software analyst Bellini says. "One thing that's important for us is to make sure we break down the silos that are set up due to the way the industries are covered. This lets us present portfolio managers with research that's more unified and consistent."

Bellini teamed up with William Shope Jr., Goldman's technology hardware analyst, who's tied for third in his group in the Greenwich Associates/Bloomberg Markets survey, and Michael Bang, a Seoul-based analyst at the firm, on a December report that noted how Apple Inc. (AAPL), Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) and Facebook would all benefit from changing trends in how consumers use smartphones and tablets.

Defying the Crisis

Stephen Penwell, Morgan Stanley's director of North American equity research, says his firm did a report that featured companies whose profit margins had risen even as global economic events such as the European debt crisis had intensified. They included discount chain Dollar General Corp. (DG), Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. (DNKN) and Web services firm Rackspace Hosting Inc. (RAX)

"Good old-fashioned stock picking is coming back in vogue," Penwell says. "Clients are beginning to make more bets and bigger bets."

If investors are looking to make a big bet on AllianceBernstein, Craig Siegenthaler says they're late to the party. On July 3, he concluded the shares would no longer outperform relative to other asset managers and downgraded them to a hold.

How We Crunched the Numbers

To create rankings of the top U.S. analysts by industry, Bloomberg Rankings worked with Greenwich Associates, a consultant to financial services firms. From December through March, Greenwich Associates interviewed buy-side analysts who use Wall Street research, asking each responden! t to list! the 10 firms they regarded as the most important sources of information on the industries they cover.

About 60 percent of these discussions were in person; the balance were conducted online. Greenwich Associates interviewed a total of 945 analysts at 190 institutions, including banks, insurance companies, investment management firms, mutual funds, pension funds and hedge funds.

These accounts represent an estimated total of $4.7 billion in commissions, or an average of almost $30 million in commissions per buy-side institution. Participating institutions were placed in seven tiers based on the commissions they generated. The responses of top-tier accounts received the greatest weight.

Greenwich Associates received responses for 58 industries, and we included in the ranking the 34 industries that had at least 45 responses. For the final ranking, Bloomberg Markets researched and added the names of the sell-side analyst or analysts with prime responsibility for tracking each industry.

Commission Weighted

Greenwich Associates listed as many as five winning firms for some industries and as few as two for others. The number of firms selected was a function of their commission-weighted share of the institutional vote. Statistical ties occurred when the difference between weighted shares was small. When the difference between the second- and third-ranked firms was substantial, no No. 3 firm was named.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Shorter the time target, less must be your equity exposure

Below is the edited transcript of his answers. Also watch the accompanying video.

Caller: I can invest Rs 20,000 per month. I want to earn around Rs 20 lakh in a time period of seven to eight years. I have investments in LIC, fixed deposits and NSC, and I have two dependents. How should I allocate the money?

A: Basically you already have a lot fixed deposits. So for Rs 20 lakh, that is, if you want to invest around Rs 20000 for a period of 10 years, I would suggest that you invest in diversified equity or even in top-capital equity. Essentially, you already have lots of debt schemes. I would recommend you do one of these two or three funds - Franklin India Bluechip, HDFC Top 200, Birla Sun Life Frontline Equity. You can pick and choose. This Rs 20000 could grow depending on the returns it could grow in 10 years to anywhere between Rs 40-53 lakh at an assumed return of around 14%.

Caller: I can invest Rs 10,000 per month and am looking at investment through an SIP. My goal is Rs 10 lakh in five years, and I have no dependents. How should I allocate the money?

A: You don�t have any dependents then possibly you don�t really need life insurance. You may need other kinds of insurance in terms of health or possibly disability insurance that you should seek. Separate advice but in terms of getting Rs 10 lakh for five years, when your period of investment is five years, a pure equity investment is not something that we would suggest. I would tend to suggest a balanced fund where about 70-75% is in equity and about 25-30% would be in fairly highly rated debt. This Rs 10000 per month will roughly give you, assuming a return of around 12.9% for five years, about Rs 8.5 lakh. If you want to get Rs 10 lakh, you should do Rs 12000.

Recommended funds are HDFC Prudence, you can do Reliance Regular Saving Fund � the balanced option or Birla Sun Life 95. The Rs 10000 or Rs 12000 that you decide to put in, I would suggest you spread it only over two funds and do not take all the three. You can pick and choose the two or three that you want.

Q: Would it be a safe assumption that if I am able to save Rs 10000 per month now its quiet possible that three or four years from now it will naturally scale up to maybe Rs 12000-13000� sheer inflation and perhaps the natural progress of things. Should one assume that when one has a goal of Rs 10 lakh five years down the line?

A: The point there is when he wants to increase his investment by Rs 2000 at that time, the period is only two or three years. And that time to invest in a balance fund would be a little more risky. As your goal comes nearer, you want more debt and much less equity. In fact, for a two-year horizon, it would be difficult to recommend equity. It will have to be pure debt instrument. If it is next year, he can still consider balanced fund but if it is after that then he should look at debt.