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bostonangler

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Posts posted by bostonangler

  1. HHS nominee Tom Price faces insider trading accusations

    President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services bought shares in a medical device company last year and then introduced legislation in the House to help the company less than a week later, CBS News has confirmed.

    The new revelations about Rep. Tom Price, first reported by CNN on Monday evening, raises new ethics concerns and questions about whether Price engaged in insider trading. This comes just days before he’s slated to testify at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

    According to House records, Price, R-Georgia, bought between $1,000 to $15,000 worth of shares in the company Zimmer Biomet last March.

    Days later, he introduced a bill that would have delayed a regulation until 2018 that industry analysts said would financially hurt Zimmer Biomet. Records show that after the introduction of the measure, the company’s political action committee donated to Price’s reelection campaign.

    In a statement Tuesday, Zimmer Biomet’s vice president for corporate communications, Monica Kendrick, said that the firm didn’t know about Price’s purchase of stock in the company and said it wasn’t involved in the introduction of his bill to delay the regulation.

    “Zimmer Biomet had no knowledge of Congressman Price’s purchase of Zimmer Biomet stock. As is common practice, the Zimmer Biomet PAC regularly makes donations to various political campaigns, all of which are disclosed as required by law,” she said. “These actions are not connected. Zimmer Biomet has supported the Comprehensive Joint Replacement (CJR) program developed and implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Zimmer Biomet was not involved in the Healthy Inpatient Procedures (HIP) Act, which was introduced by Congressman Price to delay CJR implementation.”

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said in a statement Monday that the Office of Congressional Ethics must “conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into these potential violations of the STOCK Act before Rep. Price’s nomination moves forward.” The STOCK Act was designed to combat insider trading among members of Congress.

    “This new report makes clear that this isn’t just a couple of questionable trades, but rather a clear and troubling pattern of Congressman Price trading stock and using his office to benefit the companies in which he is investing,” Schumer said. “The President-elect claims he wants to drain the swamp, but Congressman Price has spent his career filling it up.”

    This comes after The Wall Street Journal reported in December that Price traded more than $300,000 in healthcare stocks over the last four years while advocating or sponsoring bills that could have affected the stocks of those companies.

    CBS News’ Steve Chaggaris and Emi Feldman contributed to this report.

    © 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  2. 41 minutes ago, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

    And herein lies the Crux of the policy called liberalism. Just because you know how to use that language to change the meaning of words to suit what you think it should be doesn't actually change the meanings of words. Gambling is gambling whether it's an educated guess on how many cards are left in the deck for you to get 21 or whether it's an educated guess on which companies to invest into in the stock market, a guess is a guess at that is gambling.

    Due Diligence or DD is the difference. Reviewing the books, sales, production costs, etc. is information/education. Studying companies, consumer trends, technology, can all help in making wise investments. Going to Vegas, of betting on sports is always subjected to luck. Think about your industry. You have an inside track on trucking. Are fuel costs going up or down? Are manufacturers producing and thus shipping more? Is our government going to privatize our interstates and if so, will there be tolls to effect profits? You would know if investing in the trucking industry right would be wise or unwise. It is information like that which can turn a profit.  

    If you think investing is liberal, you need to think again.

     

    B/A

    • Upvote 1
  3. 2 minutes ago, yota691 said:

    Tickets are free to the inauguration....always have been....but I can bet anything you want you won't see this from a Trump administration. And these numbers are probably on the conservative side.....

    How Much Did The Obama Family’s Vacations and Travel Cost Taxpayers?

    Judicial Watch, which watches the Obama Administration like a hawk, has totaled the amount the Obama family has spent on vacations at taxpayers’ expense, and the number is staggering:  over $85 million.

    Yup anyone can stand outside, but the party is 1 million per table of 8. Plus staying at Trump's hotel is $18,000 per night with a five night minimum. I would say that is a bit steep for most of us.

    As for President vacations, I have no idea what we have spent on any of the president's vacations. I'm sure a lot of that is for security and when adjusted for inflation I would guess they all would be in the tens of millions.

    B/A

    • Upvote 1
  4. 15 hours ago, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

    I will make you a bet that by the end of Feb 2017 you will see the market soar over 20,000 

    The bet 100,000 dinar. 

    So put your wealth were you mouth is, or are you just trying to create fear? 

    First, I love your optimism. Second, I do not ever gamble. Third, this is an investment article. No fear mongering. I have stated in other investment threads, that I have booked my profits of 20 and 30% from the last 4 years including the big bump since November. But in the past I have been greedy with these types of gains, hoping for 40%, 50% or more and ended up late on selling and losing much of my profits. I have learned not to be greedy.

    So take it as you see fit. But if you have made large gains in your 401K, IRA or whatever, take some profits and look for the next buying opportunity. JMHO

     

    B/A

    • Upvote 3
  5. Donald Trump made his mark both producing and starring in TV reality shows, but the production planned for Friday does not compare – it is poised to be more historic, more grand, and without a doubt much more expensive.

    The price tag could surpass $200 million for an oath of office that takes about a minute, and a grand array of festivities that follow. And much as he has with his beauty pageants and his NBC program The Apprentice, the President-elect is reported to be personally involved in the tiniest of details for the Inaugural events.

    “He looks like he's just an average guy. But he's a brilliant man,” said Phil Ruffin, an Inaugural Committee vice chair.

     

     

    As they have for generations, American taxpayers will pay for the official part of the program – more than $115 million in recent years for the platform in front of the Capitol, the parade viewing boxes, and a dragnet of security along the 1.2 miles up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.

    But another $90 million to $100 million will come from corporations and big money donors. Six- and seven-figure donors will be offered elaborate inauguration packages, including exclusive dinners, tickets, concerts and inaugural balls.

    The approach is similar to past inaugural events – though on a grander scale.

     

    PHOTO: Workers prepare the West Front of the U.S. Capitol for the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 16, 2017 in Washington, DC.Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images
    Workers prepare the West Front of the U.S. Capitol for the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. more +

     

    Obama’s second swearing-in cost taxpayers more than $100 million, but he raised about what half of what Trump is reported to have collected.

    Donations for inaugural events have no legal limits, according to Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics. They will be reported 90 days after the new president takes office.

    The fundraising effort is a turnabout from early in Trump’s campaign, when he pledged to finance his march to the White House with his own wealth.

    “I don’t need anybody’s money,” he said at his campaign announcement. “I am using my own money, I’m not using lobbyists, I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.”

    But now Trump's inaugural committee is pulling in huge contributions from some of the biggest corporations that will want a good relationship with the new President.

    Reportedly among them: big banks and large corporations seeking to limit government red tape. And many individual donors to Trump’s festivities have backgrounds similar to Ruffin’s – wealthy business executives who have history with Trump, but few ties to old Washington.

    Ruffin, the billionaire casino executive who owns Treasure Island, partnered with Trump on the New York tycoon’s Las Vegas hotel. Later, Trump stood as best man at Ruffin’s wedding.

    “They wanted a million dollars for these eight tickets,” Ruffin explained. “For half a million you can get four tickets but I needed eight. So I had to send a million dollars.”

    “So of the ninety million dollars [raised], I am a million dollars of that,” he said.

    ABC News' Randy Kreider, Cho Park, Alex Hosenball, Alexandra Dukakis and James Gordon Meek contributed to this report.

    • Upvote 1
  6. If options traders are correct, stocks are in for a wild ride in February.

    Demand for one-month call options tied to the CBOE Volatility Index, a popular gauge of stock-market volatility, has spiked in the past week, a sign that some are bracing for a sharp downturn following the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

    In that time, investors have purchased 250,000 VIX call options with a strike price at 21, and another 100,000 with the strike at 22, according to Brian Bier, head of sales and trading at Macro Risk Advisors, an options brokerage. The options cost roughly 49 cents per contract, Bier said.

    By comparison, the CBOE Volatility Index VIX, -2.69%  was at 11.16 in midday trading on Friday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.03%  and the S&P 500 SPX, +0.18% were on track to record modest daily gains.

    It would take a massive selloff to make these options profitable, Bier said.

    Call options represent bets that the level or price of a given asset or index will rise during a given time—in this case, the period between Friday and Feb. 15, when these options expire.

    Investors frequently use VIX futures and options as a hedge against volatility. That way, if stocks tank, they can offset some of those losses with the profits from their options trades.

    “Even in the current low volatility environment, we’ve seen a lot of people still looking at the VIX as a hedge,” Bier said.

    Since the beginning of the year, stock-market volatility has been relatively subdued despite increasing uncertainty surrounding the future direction of fiscal and monetary policy in the U.S. The Daily Shot, a popular market newsletter, illustrates this divergence in the chart below.

    MW-FD670_vixJPG_20170113112802_NS.jpg?uuid=40c1a25a-d9ad-11e6-9ab7-001cc448aedeThe Daily Shot
     

    Aside from the beginning of Trump’s first 100 days in office, a period where investors expect Trump to begin implementing his plans for infrastructure spending, trade and deregulation, there are no clear market-moving catalysts, Bier said.

    Another reason for the increase in demand for one-month VIX options could be that they’re cheap relative to three-month, six-month and nine-month options, Bier said.

    MW-FD683_screen_20170113140102_NS.png?uuid=a0920390-d9c2-11e6-8020-001cc448aede
     

    “Investors are getting advantageous prices on hedging in the short end of the curve,” Bier said.

    Since touching a five-month high on Nov. 4, volatility has trended lower as U.S. stocks embarked on a torrid rally that took the Dow to within a hair’s breadth of the 20,000 milestone last week. But stocks have struggled to build on their gains this week, and some Wall Street analysts are saying that the inauguration could mark a near-term top.

    Trump will take the oath of office on Jan. 20.

     

     

    http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?/forum/18-wall-street/&do=add

  7. Don's what? Portable toilet names covered for inauguration

    Matthew Daly, Associated Press,Associated Press 1 hour 7 minutes ago
    f34ac49bdc264707bd662f716fff9d74_origina

     

     

    WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's the great port-a-potty cover-up for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

    Workers preparing for the inauguration Jan. 20 have taped over the name of the company — "Don's Johns" — that has long supplied portable restrooms for major outdoor events in the nation's capital.

    Virginia-based Don's Johns calls itself the Washington area's top provider of portable toilet rentals. But the name apparently strikes too close to home for inaugural organizers.

    Workers have placed blue tape over the company name on dozens of portable restrooms installed near the Capitol for the inauguration.

    The company's name is clearly visible upon close inspection, but is blocked for a wide-angle view by a TV or still camera.

    The inauguration will take place on the west side of the Capitol facing the National Mall. Portable toilets set up on the east side, near Senate office buildings, do not have taped-over logos.

    Robert Weghorst, chief operating officer for Don's Johns, said he did not know the logos were covered up until the AP reported on it, lighting up his company switchboard and "blowing up" its social media accounts.

    "We don't know why it's being done. We didn't tell someone to do it," he said in a telephone interview Friday. "We're proud to have our name on the units."

    Don's Johns has provided portable toilets for many large events in Washington, including the 2009 and 2013 inauguration ceremonies for President Barack Obama, Weghorst said. No logos were taped over during those events, he said.

    The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the Presidential Inaugural Committee had no immediate comment Friday.

  8. China expert: Tillerson's plan for the South China Sea would 'certainly end up in a shooting war with China'

    Alex Lockie,Business Insider

     

    Rex Tillerson hearing(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
    President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, made waves internationally on Thursday by suggesting that the US should "send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops, and second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed."

    Suggesting China stop its building of artificial islands and militarizing them doesn't sharply break with the policy of President Barack Obama's administration, but suggesting a blockade — or forcefully stopping China from sailing to its land features in the South China Sea — does.

    China's response, at first muted, has come back strong, with Chinese media saying that "unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish."

    "Tillerson had better bone up on nuclear power strategies if he wants to force a big nuclear power to withdraw from its own territories," the Global Times wrote in an editorial.

    Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also questioned Tillerson's depth of knowledge about the South China Sea.

    "Some of the things Tillerson said were contradictory," Glaser told Business Insider.

    map south china sea(Reuters)
    "He was not speaking with notes in front of him, and this is not an issue I think he is very well versed in. He may know oil in the South China Sea, but I'm hearing from some people on the transition team that he misspoke," said Glaser, alluding to Tillerson's time as CEO of the energy giant Exxon Mobil.

    Glaser pointed to the more measured statements on the South China Sea before the Senate Armed Services Committee from retired Gen. James Mattis, Trump's defense secretary nominee, as evidence that Tillerson went too far.

    "The bottom line is the international waters are international waters, and we have got to figure out how do we deal with holding on to the kind of rules that we have made over many years," Mattis said on Thursday.

    Tillerson seems to want to stop China from operating in international waters.

    And his testimony contained a major contradiction, Glaser said.

    "Tillerson did say that there would not be any change to the US position on recognizing China's sovereignty on land features in the South China Sea," Glaser told Business Insider. "If we don't object to China's land claims, do we have a legal right to deny China access to its sovereign territory?"

    Furthermore, if the US tried to blockade China from the islands in the South China Sea, "that position would result in conflict," Glaser said.

    If the US were to place "a cordon of ships around one or all of the islands, and the Chinese flew in aircraft to one of their new islands, what are we going to do? Shoot it down?" Glaser said. "We'd certainly end up in a shooting war with China."

    China air force j-11(Short of shooting the planes and killing the pilots, what would stop Chinese aircraft from landing on Beijing's claimed islands in the South China Sea?Xinhuanet)

     

    However, some legal experts side with Tillerson. In a piece published Thursday in Lawfare, James Kraska of the Naval War College wrote this:

    "China's interference with US warships and military aircraft in the South China Sea constitute a breach of its legal obligations under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and customary international law and are internationally wrongful acts within the law of state responsibility. In such law, injured states are entitled to take lawful countermeasures to induce compliance, such as withholding recognition of China's right to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea to block access to its islands."

    But both Glaser and outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry believe the US will take a more peaceful approach than outlined by Tillerson.

    Speaking at a university in Ho Chi Min, Vietnam, Reuters reported that Kerry said all countries should "refrain from acts that add to tensions, or might lead to greater militarization of the area. And as we oppose cohesion, or the threat of force by any state to assert it's claims over an other, we will, I am confident with the next administration, continue to adhere to the same good faith to the policy I just articulated."

    So while some legal basis may justify a huge US naval presence in the South China Sea blocking Beijing from its claimed islands, experts on the US and Chinese sides agree that such a measure could mean war between advanced world powers with nuclear capabilities.

    Business Insider reached out to the Trump transition team about Tillerson's comments on the South China Sea and will update this story with any response.

    • Upvote 1
  9. 3 Doors Down and country singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood will perform at President-elect Donald Trump's Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration.

     

    Related

    rs-bruce-springsteen-cover-band-6591b9e8
    Bruce Springsteen Cover Band Defends Donald Trump Inauguration Party

    "It's got nothing to do with politics whatsoever," says the B-Street Band's Will Forte. "It's really just a New Jersey party"

    The concert, taking place on the steps of Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial on January 19th, will also feature Broadway singer Jennifer Holliday (recently of The Color Purple), the Piano Guys and the Frontmen of Country, the Trump administration announced Friday. Actor Jon Voight will also participate in some capacity at the event, which is open to the public.

    Greenwood, who sang his 1984 single "God Bless the U.S.A." at the inaugurations of Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W. Bush, said in a statement, “I'm honored to be part of history again and sing for President-elect Donald Trump. This is a time to overcome challenges in our country and band together."

    "President-elect Trump has made it clear that this inaugural is of, by and for the American people. The 58th Inaugural will celebrate American history and heritage, while setting the course to a brighter and bolder future for all Americans," Tom Barrack, Trump's chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said in a statement. "Above all, it will serve as tribute to one of our greatest attributes: the peaceful transition of partisan power."

    The Make America Great Again! artists join performers like the Rockettes, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and America's Got Talent singer Jackie Evancho (but not Moby) as participants in Trump's inauguration plans.

    Members of both the Rockettes and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir have expressed concern and disappointment about performing at the inauguration. "Looking from the outside in, it will appear that Choir is endorsing tyranny and facism [sic] by singing for this man," Jan Chamberlin, a five-year veteran of the choir, wrote to choir president Ron Jarrett.

    Evancho's appearance - she'll perform the national anthem at the inauguration - comes even as the singer's family fights for transgender rights on behalf of Evancho's sister, who won't be in attendance for the Republican president's swearing-in.

     
  10. Marie Osmond backtracks on Trump inauguration remarks 

    Published January 13, 2017
     
     

    Marie Osmond says her comments about being open to performing at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration were taken out of context.

    "Many of you have seen various stories saying that I volunteered or that I am performing at the inauguration," Osmond said in a statement on Twitter. "So let me be clear: I have no intention of performing at this inauguration, no matter who won!"

    She added, "I try to stay out of politics. I'm an entertainer. My interview statement simply tried to be nice and promote a message of love, not hate."

    Nicole Kidman faces backlash over Trump comments

    The "Donny & Marie" star was responding to remarks she made in an interview with Yahoo Finance earlier this week during which she was asked if she had been invited to perform at Trump's inauguration.

    "I have not," she answered. "...When it comes to our country, I think we need to unite. And to not support our president, I think, is wrong. I think we should all support our president whether we’re happy or sad."

    The only confirmed entertainers are 2010 "America's Got Talent" runner-up Jackie Evancho, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Radio City Rockettes.

     

    http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/01/13/marie-osmond-backtracks-on-trump-inauguration-remarks.html

  11. 30 minutes ago, RV ME said:

    BA, since the link you provided is only for the chart, your words or plagiarized?

     

    You have posted many times previously that we are headed for a market meltdown, and I agree with you.  Since the market has been artificially inflated for years since the bailouts and QE I II & III, when the correction comes will it be Trumps fault?  I ask because I have seen others blame Trump for the market dropping the day after the election but not crediting Trump for the large post election bump.  I have seen Obummer thanked for raising the market 10000 points, but never any reference to what Obummer actually did to warrant such credit.

     

    I ask because we both believe we are headed for a correction and I would just like to know if you will remember what you said pre-Trump..

     

    My bad, I thought I did include a link...http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-trump-rally-may-turn-185600327.html

    Obama was handed a **** storm from his predecessor. Printing money was the policy brought to him from his central bank masters. We all know that created a fake positive economy. This is why, I think a big correction is coming. Let's not forget the market is cyclical. There have been incredible gains and big money doesn't get rich by going with "buy and hold". They book profits. The market gains have been astronomical. Big money moves first and retail traders, are left holding the bag. This is why I've mentioned that I have made moves with my personal finances. I've booked my profits and will wait for the next buying opportunity. Making 20 or 30% over the last couple of years is good with me. If I hold hoping for another 10% could be a big mistake. I have learned the hard way that the market goes down much faster than up.

    As for a coming correction being Trump's fault. At this point I have to say no. His fiscal policies won't come in to play for at least a year or two. I just hope he doesn't become a slave to the money masters as the presidents of our recent past have done. JMHO

     

    B/A

  12. On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 4:06 PM, Jim1cor13 said:

    Corruption is everywhere.

    I recently did a documentary voice over about the events leading up to

    and after the 2007 - 2008 financial fiasco that we have yet to learn

    a dam thing from. It is repeating itself again, and no one is paying attention to it

    because many think the criminals will just be bailed out again. What a strange world.

     

    Thanks BA

    As I like to say, we do live in The United States of Amnesia! People don't remember what happened last month, never mind last decade. JMHO

    B/A

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