For Investors Only

Thirteen (13) companies announced increased distributions or dividends including Oneok (OKE) with a huge increase from 40 cents to 56 cents.

Arch Coal misses by 16 cents, a loss of 60 cents/share.

Harley-Davidson beats by 13 cents.

Comcast beats by 4 cents.

BNY Mellon beats by 4 cents.

McDonald's misses by 3 cents -- $1.21/share; shares initially down slightly, then up slightly

ATT (T): barely beat by a penny; first quarter net income dipped 1.2 % to $3.65 billion as expenses rose but robust demand for its more expensive wireless data plans drove quarterly revenue higher. Revenue totaled $32.5 billion for the three-months period ending March 31, up 3.6% from a year ago. Earnings per diluted share of 70 cents beat analysts' estimate by a penny.



Nabors Industries (NBR): 16 cents; barely beats, by 1 cent. 

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Another Inconvenient Truth -- Hurricane Weather Has Not Been That Extreme

WeatherBELL.com is reporting:

What is different is that the ECMWF model has a forecast for higher than average activity near the East Coast of the U.S. [for 2014].!

We have been in awe at the lack of activity near the East Coast over the last 20 years, given the similar cycle to the 1950s. While Irene and Sandy have drawn significant attention, they were nothing compared to the meteorological mayhem of the 1950s or the intensity of 1938 and 1944. There is nothing to prohibit another Sandy-type hit from the southeast or three storms up the East Coast in one year despite a relatively low number of named storms in a season.

The benchmark year on the eastern seaboard, 1954, had well below normal tropical activity in the deep tropics, with only Hazel being a strong storm south of 20°N, so there is strong historical support for the ECMWF's idea.