In theory, derivatives are said to aid economic growth and are responsible for economic growth that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. Wrong, asserts Alan Newman, editor of CrossCurrents.
The theory that derivatives are responsible for economic growth have long ignored the obvious; they do not provide better economic growth. In fact, they hamper economic growth.
Over the last few years, we have been acutely aware of what we see as irresponsible stances of the financial industry, those committed to protect investors (such as the SEC) and by the Federal Reserve Board to hide all the facts.
Over time, more leverage, more credit, and methods to accommodate leverage and credit, have proliferated. We are now a society living, not only on borrowed money, but very likely on borrowed time as well.
While we have no doubt that derivatives, and especially leverage, have potential to temporarily boost economic growth, the attendant risks are gigantic.
Best Diversified Bank Companies For 2015: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG)
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Gallagher), along with its subsidiaries, provides insurance brokerage and third-party claims settlement, and administration services to entities in the United States and abroad. It operates in three segments: brokerage, risk management and corporate. The Brokerage segment primarily consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations. The Company�� risk management segment provides contract claim settlement and administration services for enterprises that choose to self-insure some or all of their property/casualty coverages and for insurance companies that choose to outsource some or all of their property/casualty claims departments. Majority of its international brokerage operations are in Australia, Bermuda, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its international risk management operations are principally in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Company operates in Australia and Canada primarily as a retail commercial property and casualty broker. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Barmore Insurance Agency, Inc. In December 2013, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired McIntyre Risk Management, LLC. In December 2013, the Company acquired Cleaveland Insurance Group and Jenkins and Associates. Effective December 26, 2013, Arthur J Gallagher & Co acquired Rock Island-based Cleaveland Insurance Group. In February 2014, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co acquired Benefit Development Group of Selma, Alabama. In February 2014, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co announced the acquisition of Kent, Kent & Tingle in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Brokerage Segment
The Company�� retail brokerage operations negotiate and place property/casualty, employer-provided health and welfare insurance and retirement solutions principally for middle-market commercial, industrial, public entity, religious and not-for-profit entities. Many of the Company�� retail brokerage customers choose to place their insurance with insurance ! underwriters, while others choose to use alternative vehicles, such as self-insurance pools, risk retention groups or captive insurance companies. Its wholesale brokerage operations assist its brokers and other unaffiliated brokers and agents in the placement of specialized, and hard-to-place insurance programs.
The Company�� primary sources of compensation for its retail brokerage services are commissions paid by insurance carriers. It operates its brokerage operations through a network of more than 300 sales and service offices located throughout the United States and in 16 other countries. In addition, the Company offers client-service capabilities in more than 110 countries worldwide through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. The Company�� retail brokerage operations place all lines of commercial property/casualty and health and welfare insurance coverage. Its retail brokerage operations are organized in more than 190 geographical centers located in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom and operate within certain key niche/practice groups, which account for approximately 67% of its retail brokerage revenues.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company�� wholesale insurance brokerage operations accounted for 22% of its brokerage segment revenues. Its wholesale brokers assist its retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance. These brokers operate through over 65 geographical centers located across the United States, Bermuda and through its approved Lloyd�� of London brokerage operation. In certain cases, it acts as a brokerage wholesaler, and in other cases, it acts as a managing general agent or managing general underwriter distributing specialized insurance coverages for insurance carriers. Over 75% of the Company�� wholesale brokerage revenues come from non-affiliated brokerage customers.
Risk Management Segment
The Company�� ! risk mana! gement segment provides contract claim settlement and administration services for enterprises that choose to self-insure some or all of their property/casualty coverages and for insurance companies that choose to outsource some or all of their property/casualty claims departments. During 2011, approximately 67% of its risk management segment�� revenues were from workers compensation related claims, 26% were from general and commercial auto liability related claims and 7% were from property related claims. In addition, it generate revenues from integrated disability management (employee absence management) programs, information services, risk control consulting (loss control) services and appraisal services, either individually or in combination with arising claims. The Company manages its third-party claims adjusting operations through a network of approximately 110 offices located throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The Company competes with Aon Corporation, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Inc., Brown & Brown Inc., Hub International Ltd., Lockton Companies, Inc., USI Holdings Corporation, Aon Hewitt, Towers Watson & Co., Crump Group, Inc., CRC Insurance Services, Inc., RT Specialty, AmWINS Group, Inc., Swett & Crawford Group, Inc., Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc., Crawford & Company, ACE Limited, AIG Insurance and Zurich Insurance.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Insurance brokerage and third-party claims settlement claims company Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) raised its quarterly dividend 3% to 36 cents per share, payable on Mar. 20 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 4.
AJG Dividend Yield: 3.00%
Best Diversified Bank Companies For 2015: United Community Banks Inc. (UCBI)
United Community Banks, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for United Community Bank that provides retail and corporate banking services to individuals and small to mid-size businesses. It offers various deposit accounts, such as checking accounts, savings and time deposits, demand deposits, non-interest bearing deposits, NOW accounts, and money market accounts. The company�s loan portfolio comprises commercial loans secured by real estate, commercial and industrial loans, commercial construction loans, residential construction and mortgage loans, and consumer installment loans. It also offers wire transfers, brokerage services, and other financial services; and ATM, telephone, and online banking services. In addition, the company acts as an insurance agency, as well as provides retail brokerage services through an affiliation with a third party broker/dealer. As of March 25, 2013, it operated 103 banking offices in north Georgia, the Atlanta region, coastal Georgi a, western North Carolina, east Tennessee, and northwest South Carolina. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Louis Navellier]
United Community Banks (UCBI) has 106 branches in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. The bank has seen continual credit improvements and a recovering economy drive 100% earnings gains this year. The bank is one of the few seeing strong loan growth, and business is so good that UCBI paid back its TARP obligations without needing to issue new equity. This cheap stock was upgraded to an ����last July and at the current price. The P/E ratio right now is just 5.
Hot Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Coleman Cable Inc.(CCIX)
Coleman Cable, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and supplies electrical wire and cable products for consumer, commercial, and industrial applications primarily in the United States and Canada. It provides industrial wire and cable products, including portable cords, machine tool wiring, building wires, welding, mining, pump, control, stage/lighting, diesel/locomotive, instrumentation, tray, thermocouple, high temperature, and metal clad cables, as well as other power cord products under the Royal, Seoprene, Copperfield, Continental, Triangle, and Corra/Clad brand names. The company also offers assembled wire and cable products comprising various types of extension cords, ground fault circuit interrupters, portable lighting, retractable reels, holiday items, solar lighting, recreational vehicle cords and adapters, and surge and strip products, as well as booster cables, battery cables, and battery accessories for the automotive aftermarket. It provides assembled wire a nd cable products under the brand names of Woods, Moonrays, Polar Solar, Yellow Jacket, American Contractor, Road Power, Power Station, Booster-in-a-Bag, TRC, Shock Shield, Electra Shield, Fire Shield, and Designers Edge, as well as privately-labeled brands. In addition, the company offers electronic wire products, such as telephone, data, security, coaxial, industrial automation, instrumentation, twinaxial, fire alarm, plenum, and home automation cables that connect devices under the Signal, Plencote, Soundsational, and Clear Signal brand names. Further, it provides fabricated bare wire products consisting of stranded, bunched, and single-end copper, copper-clad steel, and various copper alloy wires under the brand name of Copperfield. The company sells its products to specialty distributors, retailers, and original equipment manufacturers. Coleman Cable, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is based in Waukegan, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
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 Coleman Cable (Nasdaq: CCIX ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Damian Illia]
On Jan. 17, Mario Gabelli (Trades, Portfolio), the chairman and chief executive officer of GAMCO Investors Inc., bought Coleman Cable Inc. (CCIX) at an average price of $23.26 and currently holds 729,100 shares of the stock. He is betting in favor of the Electrical Components & Equipment sub-industry.
Best Diversified Bank Companies For 2015: Planet Platinum Ltd (PPN)
Planet Platinum Limited is an Australia-based company engaged in the operation of Showgirls Bar 20 and the on-going rental of property in Elsternwick. The Company operates in two segments: hospitality and entertainment and property rental businesses. The Company�� hospitality and entertainment segment comprises operations of Showgirls Bar 20 in Melbourne and is engaged in the nightclub through the provision of beverages and adult entertainment. Property segment comprise maintaining of rental property at Home Street, Elsternwick. The Company continues to receive lease rentals from its Home Street property. The investment property is located at 12 Home Street, Elsternwick Victoria. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tabitha Jean Naylor]
Americans consume a lot of chicken. It estimated that Americans consume about 81 pounds of poultry per year, per capita. With there being upwards of 310 million people living in the United States, it is no wonder why poultry production is big business. Two of the biggest names in poultry production are Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN) and Pilgrim's Pride (NASDAQ: PPN).
Best Diversified Bank Companies For 2015: Kabel Deutschland Holding AG (KD8)
Kabel Deutschland Holding AG is a Germany-based holding company and cable network operator. Through its operating entitities, the primarily being Kabel Deutschland Kundenbetreuung GmbH and Kabel Deutschland Vertrieb und Service GmbH, the Company provides analogue and digital television, broad band Internet and cable-based telecommunication services throughout Germany. The Company's activities are divided into two business segments: TV Business, the Company's dominant segment which includes cable-based television products such as analogue and digital cable television and radio, as well as digital pay-TV and related products. The second segment, Internet and Phone, offers broadband Internet access, fixed-line and mobile phone services, mobile data services, as well as additional options to those homes which can be connected to the Company's upgraded network. In October 2013, Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, a subsidiary of Vodafone Group PLC, acquired 76.57% interest in the Company. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sarah Jones]
Kabel Deutschland (KD8) jumped 8.2 percent to 80.84 euros, for the biggest advance on the Stoxx 600, after Vodafone, the world�� second-largest wireless carrier, confirmed it discussed acquiring the German cable operator to expand in the broadband and TV market.
- [By Alex Webb]
Vodafone Group Plc (VOD)�� 7.7 billion-euro ($10.2 billion) bid for Kabel Deutschland Holding AG (KD8) cleared a major hurdle by winning the backing of at least 75 percent of the German company�� shareholders.
Best Diversified Bank Companies For 2015: Telstra Corporation Ltd (TLSYY.PK)
Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) telecommunications and information services company providing telecommunications and information services for domestic and international customers. The Company operates in nine segments: Telstra Consumer and Country Wide (TC&CW); Telstra Business (TB); Telstra Enterprise and Government (TE&G); Telstra Wholesale (TW); Telstra Media Group; Telstra International Group; TelstraClear; Telstra Operations and Other. On July 6, 2011, Telstra announced changes to its organisational structure. Effective August 1, 2011, the entire sales and retail customer service workforce, was unified in a single business unit, Telstra Customer Sales and Service, responsible for sales and services to all segments, including consumer, business, enterprise and government customers. On March 27, 2012, the Company sold its 67% shareholding in Dotad Media Holdings Limited, and on July 21, 2011, it sold its 64.4% shareholding in Adstream (Aust) Pty Ltd. On 17 May 2012, the Company acquired an additional 11% interest in Autohome Inc. Effective August 22, 2013, Telstra Corp Ltd acquired NSC Group, a provider of industrial automation services. In November 2013, Telstra Corporation Limited increased its Autohome shareholding from 66% to 71.5%. Effective January 21, 2014, Telstra Corp Ltd acquired O2 Networks, a developer of data networking and network security software.
Telstra Consumer and Country Wide
The TC&CW segment is responsible for providing the full range of telecommunication products, services and solutions (across Mobiles, Fixed and Wireless Broadband, Telephony and Pay TV) to consumer customers in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. This is achieved through inbound and outbound call centres, Telstra Shops (owned and licensed), Telstra Dealers and Telstra Digital. Telstra Digital is responsible for delivering self service capabilities for all Telstra customers, across all phases of the customer experience from browsing to buying and bill ! and service requests.
Telstra Business (TB)
TB is responsible for providing Australia's small to medium enterprises. It provides a range of telecommunications products, services and solutions, including the latest in cloud computing.
Telstra Enterprise and Government (TE&G)
TE&G is responsible for provision of network services and applications and integrated voice, data and mobile solutions. It provides these solutions via Telstra Next Generation Services to enterprise and government customers.
Telstra Operations (TOps)
TOps is responsible for overall planning, design, engineering and architecture of Telstra networks, technology and information technology; construction of infrastructure for its Company's fixed, mobile, Internet protocol (IP) and data networks; delivery of customer services across these networks; operation, assurance and maintenance, including activation and restoration of these networks, and supply and delivery of informationtechnology solutions to support its products, services, customer support functions and its internal needs. It also delivers network-centric professional services, managed services and outsourcing services for Telstra customers.
Telstra Wholesale (TW)
TW is responsible for the provision of a range of telecommunication products and services delivered over Telstra networks and associated support systems to non-Telstra branded carriers, carriage service providers and Internet service providers. Telstra Wholesale also provides services to NBN Co Limited.
Telstra Media Group (TMG)
TMG is responsible for the management and growth of the domestic directories and advertising business, including print, voice and digital directories, digital mapping and satellite navigation, digital display advertising and business information services. This includes the management of Yellow Pages, White Pages, Whereis, Citysearch, 1234 and Quotify. It also mana! ges of it! s investment in Digital Media content, services and applications, including Trading Post, Telstra Advertising Network, BigPond content including music, movies, sport and games, Internet Protocol television (IPTV), online portals and the FOXTEL partnership.
Telstra International Group (TIG)
TI is responsible for managing Telstra�� assets outside Australia and New Zealand. It includes CSL New World Mobility Limited, which is its 76.4% owned Hong Kong-based subsidiary in, responsible for providing full mobile services, including handset sales, voice and data products to the Hong Kong market. These services are delivered over CSL�� third generation (3G) and 4G Long Term Evolution networks. Its mainland China business provides digital media services in auto, IT and consumer electronics (this includes the Autohome and Sequel IT businesses). Its managed services and international connectivity business, provides managed network services, international data and voice, and satellite across Asia Pacific, China, India, Europe, and Africa.
TelstraClear
TClear is the Company�� New Zealand subsidiary. TClear is responsible for providing full telecommunications services to the New Zealand market.
Telstra Innovation, Products and Marketing
TIPM is responsible for innovation, product, promotion and pricing across Telstra. TIPM is also responsible for the overall brand, sponsorship, promotion and advertising direction of Telstra, as well as maintaining industry analyst relations and embedding market-based management across the Company. This is done by delivering data-driven customer insights that put the customer at the centre of everything Telstra does.
Corporate areas
Corporate areas provides operational and strategic legal support and advice across the Company; manages Telstra's public policy and communications; provides the functions of corporate
planning, accounting and administration, treasury, risk ma! nagement ! and assurance, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy. The segment also supports in organisational design and change, implementation of people and culture initiatives, leadership development, talent and succession management, health, safety and wellbeing, professional development, workplace relations and all employment and remuneration policies. The segment provides the functions of credit management, billing and procurement.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Hunkar]
Current Dividend Yield: 4.91%
Company: Telstra Corp Ltd (TLSYY.PK)
Sector: Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
Country: ItalyCurrent Dividend Yield: 6.43%
Sector: Telecom
Country: Australia
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