Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Notes From All Over; Dividend Play, Consider Black Hills Corporation -- Motley Fool -- February 17, 2021

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First group:

Second group:

  • 30-Year Treasury: link here. History. At 2.043% down slightly but still above 2%.

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Markets


Markets:

  • Dow and S&P down slightly; NASDAQ down 185 points
  • profit taking
  • money moving from tech to industrial?

Headline: stocks retreat from record highs even after retail sales surge past estimates

Retail sales rose strongly in January, 2021: link here.

  • rose by a seasonally adjusted 5.4% in January from a month earlier
  • the increase followed three months of decline during the holiday season
  • strongest gain since last June when the economy was in the process of reopening after pandemic-related closures
  • recall: $600-a-recipient stimulus checks distributed in early January
  • consumer spending is the main driver of the US economy, accounting for more than two-thirds of economic output

Dividend plays:

  • Three suggestions from Motley Foot: J&J, Emerson Electric, and Black Hills Corporation.

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ERCOT and ISOs: Texas / New England / New York

I have quit following the New York ISO and the New England ISO. 

After this debacle in the Lone Star State, those of us living here can no longer cast stones at New England ISO or New York ISO.

The good news: one less distraction for me. 

What happened (and continues to play out) in Texas is beyond embarrassing. It's criminal but two weeks from now it will be forgotten, and a month from now things will be back to normal, with movers and shakers advocating for more wind farms.

2 comments:

  1. Your last paragraph captures the "mentality " of a large swath of Texas population. Don't look at it as a serious problem that needs attention. Look at as a distraction that is to be avoided and ignored at all cost. Don't look for lessons learned and strive to apply the best, just sit back and blissfully wait for the next fiasco (which may be a repeat of the one you are still in). Then repeat the cycle of idiocy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I'll be surprised if I'm not completely accurate.

      What happened (and continues to play out) in Texas is beyond embarrassing. It's criminal but two weeks from now it will be forgotten, and a month from now things will be back to normal, with movers and shakers advocating for more wind farms.

      Delete