Loren C. Steffy's Blog, page 40
July 20, 2012
What I’m reading with my morning coffee | 7.20.12
Top 2 percent in tax debate aren’t job creators or millionaires. Cutting through the political rhetoric surrounding the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. J.C. Penney aims to get rid of checkouts. You’ll still have to pay, but not at a counter. World braces for new food crisis. Midwest droughts are driving up prices of [...]
July 17, 2012
Another look at the myth of stock buybacks and shareholder value
Companies like to dress up buybacks as boosting shareholder value, but in most cases, companies that are buying their own shares are violating the most basic rule of investing.
July 16, 2012
The U.S. rating downgrade one year later
The worst fears about the downgrade haven't materialized, but the reasons for the cut haven't changed.
Libor investigation leads to the doorstep of NY Fed
A report linking the New York Fed to the Libor-fixing investigation adds another political dimension the the broadening scandal because Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was running that Fed branch at the time.
Where I’ve been the past week
You may have noticed the blog was rather quiet last week. I took a little time off as part of a working vacation. I was invited to speak about energy to the Public Policy Forum of Crested Butte, Colo., and I decided to spend a little extra time in the mountains while I was there. [...]
July 6, 2012
Dynegy’s parent joins subsidiary in bankrupty filing
Dynegy eventually reached a settlement with creditors representing about $2.5 billion in claims that paved the way for today's filing by the parent company.
July 3, 2012
Judge denies insurance coverage for Stanford victims
A decision on whether a brokerage insurance fund should cover Stanford's losses raises questions about the fund's real purpose.
BMC agrees to nominate two Elliott directors
BMC reaches a deal with dissident shareholders that ends burgeoning proxy fight.
July 2, 2012
What will be the real cost of health care reform?
We don’t really know, of course. That’s the way it usually works with sweeping reforms. In this case, many businesses seem to believe the law, as upheld by the Supreme Court last week, will increase their costs. But businesses historically have a poor track record of predicting how new laws will affect them. Certainly, in [...]
June 28, 2012
Supreme Court decision ensures your health insurance premiums will go up
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the individual insurance mandate for President Obama’s health care law, which clears the way for the next — and most expensive — round of reforms that will be enacted in 2014. The decision will allow millions of people who currently don’t have insurance to get coverage through state exchanges [...]
