Crisis? What Crisis? No Need For Congressional Bailout? Companies Adding Way More Jobs Than Expected -- September 30, 2020

CNBC: link here.

• almost a million new jobs added; exceeds forecast
• actual numbers: 749,000 jobs added vs forecast of 600,000
• construction, trade transportation, utilities, and hospitality led the gains
• one wonders what Steve Liesman had to say? LOL -- Mr Gloom and Doom

Yahoo!Finance: link here.

• poetic
• "rosy fingers of dawn" -- Homer
• "closely watched private jobs report" -- US mainstream media
• the numbers
• forecast: 649,000
• actual: 749,000
• considering the state of the economy, the forecast was actually pretty good
• this would be a headline story only if the actual numbers missed on the downside
• August's increase was ... drum roll ... upwardly revised ... drum roll ... to 481,000, from 428,000 previously reported
  

Consumer confidence: SURGES! Link here. Look at these "official" numbers -- amazing -- the turnaround --

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index^® increased in September, after declining in August. 

The Index now stands at 101.8 (1985=100), up from 86.3 in August. 

The Present Situation Index – based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – increased from 85.8 to 98.5. The Expectations Index – based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions – increased from 86.6 in August to 104.0 this month.

GM auto news: introduces all-electric Buick Electra -- wow, what a great name -- the model/make was manufactured from 1959 to 1990 over six generations according to wiki. Apparently GM is bringing it back ... to China. From the linked greencarreports, this effusive lead:

The Buick brand established a strong foothold for GM in China’s auto market long before the rapidly developing nation became the world’s electric vehicle leader. And Monday, the automaker showed China a grander piece of Buick’s future, incorporating GM’s latest electric propulsion systems and Ultium battery system.

That future comes in the form of a familiar flagship name—Electra—that’s been a no-brainer for EVs all along. With a new “potential energy” design language, the Electra is a low-set, sporty four-seat crossover, with butterfly doors and a theme of far-out futurism “inspired by a space capsule.” 

“The advanced Ultium battery unlocks the exciting new possibilities for what future EVs will look like,” said Molly Peck, the executive director of sales and marketing for Buick at SAIC-GM, the Chinese joint-venture company that has permitted GM’s expansion.

The doors open with facial recognition, and once in, the driver faces an augmented-reality head-up display and live-view navigation as part of the multi-screen interface. The steering wheel is retractable, and the seats are suspended on an armature structure.

There’s even a skateboard integrated within the stoplight, under the rear bumper “to expand users’ personal mobility options.

Disney: might theme parks in California remain closed for a year? The tea leaves suggest just that. 

Disney laying off 28,000 workers; mostly part-time workers. Disney has obviously done the math on what it would cost them to lay-off full-time employees and train/hire new recruits once parks re-open.

Disney, in round numbers, ballpark figures:

• market cap: $225 billion
• enterprise value: $265 billion
• trailing P/E: 50
• forward P/E: 50
• return on assets: 2%
• return on equity: -1%
• diluted EPS: - 60 cents/share
• total cash: $25 billion
• total debt: $70 billion
• no dividend paid in July, 2020 (link here)?  unlikely to pay in December, 2020; 
• dividend history:
• 2012: December, 75 cents
• 2013: December, 86 cents
• 2014: December, $1.15
• 2015: July and December; 66 cents and 71 cents, respectively
• 2016: July and December, 71 cents and 78 cents, respectively
• 2017: July and December, 78 cents and 84 cents, respectively
• 2018: July and December, 84 cents and 88 cents, respectively
• 2019: July and December, 88 cents and 88 cents, respectively
• 2020: July -- no dividend

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