Investing Insights tag:www.businessweek.com,2010-03-09:/investing/insights/blog/30 2011-07-06T15:09:00Z Learn how to invest in stocks and bonds, and find quality business investment opportunities. Get the latest investing tips and finance news from leading experts. Movable Type 4.37 U.S. Domestic Common Stock Holders Got A 4.1% Pay Hike in Q2; 11.1% YTD tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.31613 2011-07-06T15:03:34Z 2011-07-06T15:09:00Z It's been a good first half for U.S. dividend investors. U.S. listed common stocks increased their dividend payment $11.2 Billion in the second quarter of 2011, compared to the $19.0 Billion increase in the first quarter. The decrease is more... Howard Silverblatt Buybacks Increase Just 4% - Can the Buyback Bonanza Return? tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.31605 2011-06-29T14:06:30Z 2011-06-29T14:14:24Z S&P 500 Q1,'11 stock buybacks increased 62.6% to $89.84B from the $55.26B in Q1,'10, but are up just 4.0% from Q4,'10 $86.36B. The 4.0% increase in buybacks from last quarter is significantly less than the 8.1% average price increase, and... Howard Silverblatt Back To Paying More Taxes Abroad Than To Uncle Sam; Someone Say Jobs, Repatriation, Fair Trade tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.31478 2011-06-03T17:53:45Z 2011-06-03T17:58:46Z Back in 2002 S&P Indices deleted the foreign issues from the S&P 500, in effect making the S&P 500 a pure U.S. play, which fit well with S&Ps other country indices. But being an American company doesn't mean that you're... Howard Silverblatt For Baby Boomers - The Hour It Is Getting Late tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.31397 2011-05-26T14:26:15Z 2011-05-26T15:18:15Z For over seventy years, the relationship between employee and employer not only encompassed the exchange of services for compensation, but extended to obligations in the form of pensions and Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB), specifically medical care. These benefits are... Howard Silverblatt Everything Is Beautiful - But What Price Beauty? tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.31343 2011-05-19T14:06:55Z 2011-05-19T14:11:04Z For 18 consecutive quarters, from Q2,'02 through Q3,'06, S&P 500 operating earnings increased at least 10% each quarter. Initially the gains were a rebound from the earnings declines of the 2000-2002 Bear market and recession, and later on they were... Howard Silverblatt YTD DIVIDEND INCREASES SURPASSES FULL 2010 tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.31167 2011-04-27T18:59:29Z 2011-04-27T19:03:37Z The net S&P 500 Indicated Dividend Rate (increases less decreases) year-to-date of $20.985 Billion has just surpassed (today's XOM put it over) the total increase in 2010 of $20.650 billion. Using the analogy of dividends being your pay check, YTD... Howard Silverblatt Cash Flow Sets Annual Record tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30818 2011-04-12T19:49:20Z 2011-04-12T19:52:43Z S&P 500 issues posted a record high annual cash-flow value for 2010, at $1,145 Billion dollars, outpacing the prior record of $1,117 Billion set in 2006 (2.51% on a dollar basis, and 1.94% on an indexed per share basis). The... Howard Silverblatt No New Jobs Until Sales Pick-up, And Sales Are Starting To Inch-Up tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30810 2011-04-08T19:42:58Z 2011-04-08T19:47:58Z Earnings have recovered to their pre-recessionary postings with margins near record levels. While higher productively, work them 'longer and harder' and low-to-stable labor costs have all helped, the key to the earnings recovery was the reduction in work force initiatives,... Howard Silverblatt Waiting to Spend Like a Sailor on Leave tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30784 2011-03-28T14:39:09Z 2011-03-28T15:06:10Z Recently, Warren Buffett stated that his "trigger finger is itchy" to make acquisitions, then he pulled the trigger with a US$ 9 billion cash offer for S&P MidCap 400 specialty chemical maker, Lubrizol Corp (LZ), which gained 27.7% for the... Howard Silverblatt Amazing Progress for Slow-Moving Dividends, But It's Only the First Inning tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30761 2011-03-23T19:15:22Z 2011-03-28T14:28:19Z Dividends are back in the game, but it's going to be a long game. The Fed action allowing most banks (BAC not) to increase their dividends is a start, but it is going to be years until we see them... Howard Silverblatt 2010 Buybacks Set % and $ Record - But Will Investors Bite Again? tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30760 2011-03-23T16:26:29Z 2011-03-23T16:40:14Z The headline news is that S&P 500 companies spent $299 billion on stock buybacks in 2010, up $161 billion or 117% from the $138 billion they spent in the 2009 - both the percentage and dollar value increase are record... Howard Silverblatt Two Year Run Leaves Investors up 95% - And Here Comes Oil tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30216 2011-03-05T02:29:05Z 2011-03-05T02:39:07Z Next week will mark the two-year anniversary of the bear market low on March 9, 2009. The quick 17-month 56.78% steep decline from the market high on October 9, 2007 (1565.15) to its low on March 9, 2009 (676.53) was... Howard Silverblatt Is Breaking Up So Hard To Do, or 5 Will Get You 11 tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30181 2011-02-23T21:11:27Z 2011-02-23T21:13:18Z Over the last month, five S&P 500 issues have declared their intention to break off part of their ongoing business operating and distribute the shares to existing holders, leaving them with separate companies, and eleven separate stocks. Unlike the typical... Howard Silverblatt A Few Preliminary Q4 Stats, And Observations tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30139 2011-02-12T14:58:43Z 2011-02-12T15:29:59Z Q4 OVERVIEW:(facts first, commentary at end) I've completed my preliminary Q4 2010 review based on the current S.E.C. filings (finals in March) and the statistics that emerged show an improving corporate and economic environment. Comparisons to either the fourth quarter... Howard Silverblatt Dividends Move Into Full Swing; A Return To The Normal tag:www.businessweek.com,2011:/investing/insights/blog//30.30122 2011-02-09T13:54:44Z 2011-02-09T14:33:40Z As of the close of yesterday (2/8/2011), the indicated dividend rate on the S&P 500 has increased more than the full 2 month Feb,'10 turnaround period January got off to a strong start, with February, as expected, surging ahead All... Howard Silverblatt