Stayin' Alive -- April 15, 2015

Updates

April 15, 2015: remember the "drop-dead date" for Greece -- April 9, 2015. The date, as expected, has moved. The "new" "drop-dead date" for Greece is April 24, 2015, nine days from now.  

Original Post

Wow, I couldn't be in a better mood.

There seems to be a news embargo on:

• EbolaLand
• ISIS and the Mideast implosion
• Greece
• the Ukraine war
• Iowa politics

All I see are good-news stories on the internet today. I don't watch television (as a general rule) so I have no idea what is really going on. About the only "bad" news is Soviet ships in the English Channel. British fighters respond (LOL) and tourists gawk. It certainly looks like the -- disclaimer: this is not an investment site; do not make any investment or financial decisions based on anything you read here -- worst has passed. Have we seen the Hillary "re-set" in the market, the price of oil, housing?

The weather is incredible this morning in north Texas. That will change tomorrow and through the weekend as another "winter" storm comes through -- this is April, isn't it? The Kennedys might get some more skiing in this weekend in Colorado.

Stayin' Alive, The Bee Gees
The little bit of bad news that is getting past the censor today is this story on Greece. The Telegraph is reporting:

The depth of Greece's financial woes have been laid bare as official figures showed the country has fallen further into the red following the election of its Leftist government.

Greece's primary budget surplus, which excludes its debt interest payments, shrunk to just over €1bn during January and February, compared to €3.17bn over the same period in 2014.

Separate data from the country's official statistics authority also showed a gaping hole in the public finances last year. Greece's budget deficit reached 3.5pc in 2014, while its primary budget surplus was only 0.4pc.

Public debt also hit an eye-watering 177pc of GDP in 2014 or €317bn, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority. 

It looks like George Soros could buy the entire country, not just an island. 

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Embracing Cap and Trade

What a great state! California! The Los Angeles Times is reporting:

Almost 11 million customers of the state's for-profit electric utilities will be getting credits averaging $27 per household on either their April or May bills. The rebates come courtesy of a complex California program that requires polluting industries to pay for the right to release into the atmosphere carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming. 

The rebates account for a portion of the revenues generated by the so-called Cap and Trade program. Most of the proceeds are dedicated to climate change mitigation and other environmentally beneficial activities. They include some funding for a proposed high-speed rail project that would link Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This was the last line of the article. I have no idea what it means:

The rebate will continue twice a year until 220.