For Investors Only

The real question is why Wal-Mart wouldn't partner with Amazon. Seriously. Everyone else (except Apple) will eventually partner with Amazon. Yahoo!Finance is reporting:

Amazon.com Inc. is in talks to bring listings for J. Crew khakis, Ralph Lauren polo shirts and Lord & Taylor suits to its site, according to people familiar with the talks.

The discussions, which seek to win over retailers that have largely shunned the online marketplace, involve about 10 well-known retailers, these people said, including Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and Neiman Marcus Group Inc.

Amazon wouldn't sell the goods directly; the listings would be links to the retailers' own sites. The arrangement would generate traffic for the retailers, while providing Amazon with more customer data and a new enticement for its Prime shipping program as it plans to raise rates.

Having said that, being re-directed to another site is generally an unsatisfactory experience. A better way would be to make it an "Amazon" experience. Even buying one-cent books from other re-sellers through Amazon seems like an all-Amazon experience. 

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Seventeen companies announce increased dividends or distributions including Wal-Mart, Xcel Energy, T-Rowe Price (from 38 cents to 44 cents), Allstate, and my favorite, Tootsie Roll.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on anything you read here or anything you think you may have read here. Anything other than the Bakken may be tongue-in-cheek and/or completely wrong. And even what I write about the Bakken is subject to error. 

Abraxas Petroleum Corp. announces 2013 year end reserves grew 3% over 2012 to 31.0 MMBoe with 11.3 MMBoe of reserve additions more than offsetting 9.1 MMBoe of divestitures; provides production and CAPEX update.  Three percent?

Newmont Mining misses by $0.11, misses on revs: Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.33 per share, $0.11 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $0.44; revenues fell 12.4% year/year to $2.17 bln vs the $2.19 bln consensus.

This will be kind of interesting to watch over the next twenty years: whether its better for a state to fill its coffers by taxing oil (North Dakota, the Bakken) or by taxing recreational drugs (Colorado, marijuana). The AP is reporting that that the Colorado pot market exceeds all tax hopes. I would think it would only be natural to legalize heroin and tax that also, if taxes from marijuana are working out so well.