Saturday, April 20, 2013

HERSHEY'S KITCHEN: COCOA CHOCOLATE SHAKE . . .

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups chocolate or vanilla ice cream
2 tablespoon HERSHEY'S cocoa
1/2 cup milk

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on low. ENJOY!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

DOW JONES: 18,000 BEFORE END OF 2015 ? ? ?

Why we’ll see Dow 18,000 before this bull run ends

Commentary: Market fundamentals to boost stocks through 2014

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (MarketWatch) — The U.S. stock market has proven to be adept at navigating some exceedingly challenging headlines over the past four years. Yet even now, under choppy conditions, the market’s direction is aligned with the bulls.

Based on the technical qualities of the market’s advance so far this year, the market’s risk/reward ratio remains attractive both short- and longer-term. I see the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +0.40% ending 2013 at between 14,750 and 15,100; by the time this cycle ends in 2015, the Dow will be at 18,000.

How to handle an audit

Since bottoming in March 2009, the market has done an admirable job of policing its excesses on an ongoing basis through individual stock consolidations and rotational sector backing and filling. This has kept speculation in check, valuations at appealing levels and market sectors in balance, with no group substantially outpacing another for very long. The earnings multiple on the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock indexSPX +0.32% remains attractive, attributable in part to good growth in earnings. Accordingly, the market is not becoming speculative or overvalued. Read more: Top forecasters tell where to put your money now.

Although concerns do remain regarding Europe, action in the “fear index” (the CBOE Volatility Index VIX -0.30% ) reflects a long-term pattern of descending peaks. This suggests that investors have largely discounted their biggest worries about the euro zone and other once-troubling topics.

After the Dow’s stunning first-quarter advance, there are legitimate and understandable reasons to expect a pullback. But, from my technical perspective, it does not appear that stocks are overvalued or overbought to the extent that the market is in danger of a 10% or greater retreat. Read more: Paul Farrell says David Stockman's market crash prediction is 'truth telling.'

While some market observers have expressed disappointment regarding the market’s volume trends, I have always maintained that turnover alone is not an appropriate measure of momentum. It is far more important to determine what the underlying accumulation/distribution characteristics are for individual stocks and the overall market. Those who have been awaiting a “breakout” in general market volume may well have risked missing the lion’s share of this advance since March 2009.

Predicting the timing or depth of a decline could prove difficult and may even be distracting, given the broad field of technically attractive stocks at this juncture. The market is being driven by many different and diverse sectors and does not appear vulnerable to any individual micro-thematic event.

Several attractive sectors

One top-performing area is health care. With considerable research and development progress in medical technology and devices and a good pipeline for pharmaceuticals, this sector remains strong, despite previous fears surrounding the Affordable Care Act.

Gene Peroni

Manufacturers have been and remain another of my favorite market categories in this cycle, with good depth on numerous attractive stocks in the respective subcategories and broad representation of large, medium and small-cap companies.

Energy stocks also look good, reflecting increased demand due to a global economic expansion. Financials, consumer staples, such as food and beverages, and media and leisure time stocks are appealing as well.

More money is coming in off the sidelines. This appears to be an acknowledgment on the part of investors that the market may be embarking on a more aggressive course to higher levels.

Non-institutional net money flows have indicated accumulation trends in stocks for several years and have recently been accompanied and bolstered by net buying activity among institutions.

Based on the positive technical qualities of the market’s advance this year, Dow 14,000 could become a meaningful and enduring support area. This would represent a retreat of 3% from recent highs, a mild retracement when taking into account the market’s longer-term achievements, along with its shorter-term feats.

And although Dow 15,100 represents my 2013 target area, this forecast could prove conservative. If the Fed remains committed to a transparent monetary policy and earnings continue to grow beyond Wall Street’s consensus expectations, the Dow may keep moving up.

Gene Peroni is senior vice president of equity research at investment firm Advisors Asset Management .

Saturday, April 6, 2013

JOB DATA: LOWER

Lower Close Over Disappointing Jobs Data

By: MarketMinute.com Market Updates

Posted on April 05, 2013 at 19:06 PM EDT

The markets recovered earlier losses
but still closed lower with the Dow falling
49 points to 14,565, as March jobs data
disappointed. Nasdaq, lost 21 points to
3203.

NEVA'S OPINION (THAT'S ME):

LETS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A LOWER MARKET AND, PUSH THE MONEY, SO, BUSINESSES CAN USE THE MONEY INVESTED, TO ACTUALLY INCREASE, THEIR PRODUCTIVITY, THAT WAY, MORE PEOPLE GET, HIRED . . .

AMERICAN ECONOMY: OBAMA'S POLICIES

Morici: Obama's Policies Are 'Not Going to Fix the American Economy'

Friday, 05 Apr 2013 02:55 PM

By David Nelson and Dan Weil

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Friday’s jobs data indicate the economy is slowing down, and President Barack Obama is a major part of the problem, says Peter Morici, professor of international business at the University of Maryland.
Non-farm payrolls rose only 88,000 in March. “It’s a very serious matter to have less than 100,000 jobs,” Morici told Newsmax TV in an exclusive interview.

“[There’s] this mythology in the White House that somehow you can raise taxes and not reduce jobs growth, although the Republicans believe that you can cut spending without reducing jobs growth,” he said. “It’s not surprising that we have a lousy jobs report.”Obama is operating in a political manner, Morici said.

“Until the president decides he’s not running for president anymore and stops politicking the issue and starts seriously addressing the problems that are holding up the economy, he may be able to elevate somewhat his popularity ratings, but he’s not going to fix the American economy.”

The 24,000 decline in retail jobs during March was ominous, Morici said. “That would indicate that the folks that run the department stores and the malls are expecting or even experiencing slower traffic in March and that will spill over into April.”

The payroll tax increase may have caught up to spending for the middle class, and the income tax increase may have done so for the wealthy, Morici said. Both were implemented Jan. 1

“Higher payroll taxes on working Americans, punitive taxes on job creators, nowhere have I learned either from my liberal or conservative professors that raising taxes in a weak recovery would create more jobs,” Morici said.

He compares Obama’s handling of the economy to President George W. Bush. “They were both equally poor,” producing economic growth of about 2.1 percent, Morici said.

“The real problem in America, to be bipartisan, is we had one president who was too lazy to give a damn [Bush] and one president who really doesn’t give a damn at all [Obama],” he said. “The reality is that there are things in America that need to be fixed, structural things in the economy, and pursuing social issues doesn’t fix that. You can’t run the economy like a Chicago ward."

Morici also sees similarities between Obama and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan. He equates Ryan’s proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher program with Obama’s proposal to limit Social Security cost-of-living increases.

“Mr. Obama wants to worm away at their Social Security benefits, and Mr. Ryan wants to worm away at their Medicare benefits, both to balance the budget,” Morici said.

“Neither wants to really reform healthcare in the manner, say, that the Germans have. They have a private provider system, and they spend 12 percent of GDP on healthcare. We spend 18 percent.”

OPINION BY NEVA SPELL -

Hi there, lets talk about this paragraph in the article above:
QUOTED: ' “Neither wants to really reform healthcare in the manner, say, that the Germans have. They have a private provider system, and they spend 12 percent of GDP on healthcare. We spend 18 percent.” '

GERMAN HEALTH CARE ?

PRIVATE PROVIDER SYSTEM VS LAW-ENFORCED

WIKI SAYS: Germany has a universal^[1] multi-payer health care system with two main types of health insurance: "Law-enforced health insurance" (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) known as sickness funds and "Private" (Private Krankenversicherung).^[2]^[3]^[4]

Compulsory insurance applies to those below a set income level and is provided through private non-profit "sickness funds" at common rates for all members, and is paid for with joint employer-employee contributions. Provider compensation rates are negotiated in complex corporatist social bargaining among specified autonomously organized interest groups (e.g. physicians' associations) at the level of federal states (Länder). The sickness funds are mandated to provide a wide range of coverages and cannot refuse membership or otherwise discriminate on an actuarial basis. Small numbers of persons are covered by tax-funded government employee insurance or social welfare insurance. Persons with incomes above the prescribed compulsory insurance level may opt into the sickness fund system, which a majority do, or purchase private insurance. Private supplementary insurance to the sickness funds of various sorts is available

12% OF GDP ON HEALTHCARE?

WIKI SAYS: The segment health economics of Germany was about US$368.78 billion (€287.3 billion) in 2010, equivalent to 11.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year and about US$4,505 (€3,510) per capita.^[5] According to the World Health Organization, Germany's health care system was 77% government-funded and 23% privately funded as of 2004.^[6] In 2004 Germany ranked thirtieth in the world in life expectancy (78 years for men). It had a very low infant mortality rate (4.7 per 1,000 live births), and it was tied for eighth place in the number of practicing physicians, at per 1,000 people (3.3). In 2001 total spending on health amounted to 10.8 percent of gross domestic product.^[7]

AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ?

AMERICA SPENDS 18%

WIKI SAYS: Health care in the United States is provided by many distinct organizations. Health care facilities are largely owned and operated by private sector businesses. Health insurance for public sector employees is primarily provided by the government. 60-65% of healthcare provision and spending comes from programs such as Medicare, Medicaid,TRICARE, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Veterans Health Administration. Most of the population under 65 is insured by their or a family member's employer, some buy health insurance on their own, and the remainder are uninsured.

SORRY, TO, REPORT THIS BUTT, OUR POPULATION IS SCARED,(SO MUCH SO, THAT, THEY WON'T SPEND THEIR $$$), OF, THE INSURANCE PLAN THAT, IS, COMING, DOWN THE PIKE, AT, US, AND, SHOULD THIS, BE, RE-THINKED, MAYBE, WHAT SAY YOU ? ? ?