How Can You Mend A Broken Heart -- January 16, 2017

More Trump jobs: Wal-Mart announces plan to create 10,000 jobs in nod to Trump -- WSJ. 
Retailer says latest job-creation effort will support 24,000 additional construction jobs.

More Trump jobs: General Motors plans at least $1 billion in fresh US investment; expected to create more than 1,000 jobs. Over at The Wall Street Journal:

General Motors Co. this week will announce plans to invest at least $1 billion across several U.S. factories, two people familiar with the plan said, a move aimed at underlining its commitment to U.S. manufacturing jobs in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the auto maker’s imports from Mexico.

GM’s announcement could come as early as Tuesday, the people briefed on the plan said. The company will cite a number of new jobs in excess of 1,000 stemming from the investment but doesn’t plan to specify which of its factories are in line for more work, one person said.

The move comes days after Mr. Trump publicly ratcheted up pressure on the nation’s largest auto maker. During his press conference last week, the president-elect thanked Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for recently announced U.S. investment plans that are expected to create a combined 2,700 jobs. He then turned up the heat on GM to follow suit.

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Back To The Bakken

Active rigs:

	1/16/2017	01/16/2016	01/16/2015	01/16/2014	01/16/2013
Active Rigs	36	49	157	187	185

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In Other News

Skiing competition canceled: too much snow. Ski World Cup in Switzerland called off. I can't make this stuff up.

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How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?

Enquiring minds want to know.

#16 in the 20-song countdown.


How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, The Bee Gees

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When Depressed, Go Downtown!

Downtown, Petula Clark
And what a great week to go downtown:

• IMF boosts estimates for USA GDP growth! Cites Trump impact!
• President Obama: first president in modern history never to have 3% growth in even one year -- and he had eight years; more than some presidents
• GDP growth in his last year: a paltry 1.6% (their words, not mine)
• IMF US GDP projections: 
• 2017: 2.3%
• 2018: 2.5%
• A record-busting inauguration forecast! Hundreds of thousands expected in DC!
• More room for Trumpers; many Dems say they won't show up; cite scheduling conflicts
• MLK's niece voted for Trump
• Downtown is getting safer! Chicago homicides already dropping significantly after Trump election. The 24 homicides over the year's first 15 days (a dynamic link) extrapolates to 584 Chicago homicides in 2017, compared with 797 in 2016. If that holds, that represents a decrease of 27% homicides in the Windy City, one year after the shocking Trump election. [Later, over the MLK weekend, ten homicides. Now, 26 homicides over 16 days extrapolates to 593.]

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No Match For "Hidden Figures"

From Yahoo!News headline: three new movies bomb at box office -- can't compete with black women! The bombs:

• Ben Affleck's "Live by Night"
• Martin Scorsese's "Silence"
• "Monster Trucks" 

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The New Amazon Credit Card

Mine should be arriving in less than two weeks. Is the new card worth it? Let's see what MarketWatch had to say:

Gasoline purchases:

• My current card gives me 5% back on gasoline purchases one quarter (three months) every year, which works out to 1.25% over the course of the year.  
• Amazon: 2% back on gasoline throughout the year; as well as 2% throughout the year at restaurants and drugstores ("rewards" not cash)

Gift card:

• new Amazon card "subscribers" received $70 gift card

Capital One "What's In Your Wallet?" may be the best competitor: 1.5% for all purchases and a $100 bonus when signing up.

MarketWatch says American Express's Blue Cash Preferred card offers 6% at US supermarkets; 3% at gas stations; and 1% on other purchases. Surprisingly, AMEX has no annual fee on this card. 

The big winner: Chase. The bank/card "will attract high-spending, low-risk customers who will use them responsibly."

The bigger winner: Amazon. It's a "rewards" card; not a cash-back card.

But money if fungible, and "rewards vs cash-back" won't matter. Amazon is more than just books.