Bill’s By The Number$

Posted by: Vanessa Guadiana | Posted on: December 1st, 2014 | 0 Comments

1. A SINGLE MONTH TO GO – The S&P 500 is up +14.0% YTD (total return) through 11/30/14.  That YTD result is less than half the “YTD November” performance for the S&P 500 from last year when the index gained +29.1% during the first 11 months of 2013.  The 2013 YTD result was the index’s best since 1997.  The S&P 500 consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry group representation.  It is a market value weighted index with each stock’s weight in the index proportionate to its market value (source: BTN Research).
2. MORE RISK, MORE RETURN – 111 of the 500 individual stocks in the S&P 500 have increased in value at least +25% YTD through the close of trading last Friday 11/28/14, while 22 of the 500 individual stocks have increased in value at least +50% (source: BTN Research).
3. NOT UP BUT DOWN – 121 of the 500 individual stocks in the S&P 500 have decreased in value YTD through the close of trading last Friday 11/28/14 (source: BTN Research).
4. NATURAL GAS – America tripled the amount of electricity generated from natural gas in 2013 when compared to 1990’s production, while the amount generated from coal over the 23-year period was unchanged.  Natural gas generated 373 million megawatt hours in 1990, rising to 1.114 billion megawatt hours in 2013 (source: EIA).
5. ALMOST 2 MONTHS – The nationwide average price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.792 last Friday (11/28/14), the 58th consecutive day that gas prices have fallen in the USA (source: AAA).
6. WHO NEEDS OPEC? – 88% of the crude oil imports of the United States in 1976 came from OPEC, our highest percentage of dependency ever on the world’s largest oil cartel.  In August 2014, that percentage dropped to just 40% (i.e., 2.9 million barrels a day), the lowest dependency America has required from OPEC since May 1985 or 29 years ago (source: Department of Energy).
7. PIPELINE VOTE IN 2015 – It takes 67 votes in the 100 member Senate and 290 votes in the 435 member House of Representatives (i.e., a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress) to override a veto by the president (source: Congress).
8. RESULTS – With 1 Senate race to be decided, Republicans control the Senate 53-46 beginning next year.  With 3 House races to be decided, Republicans control the House 244-188 beginning next year (source: CNN).
9. IMMIGRATION – Nevada’s population has a larger percentage of undocumented immigrants (7.6%) than any other US state.  California and Texas (6.3%) are tied for # 2 on that list (source: Pew Research Center).
10. PENALTY – Excluding individuals that have qualified for an exception, Americans not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, an employer’s plan or by a privately obtained plan must have obtained health insurance for 2014 through a state or federal exchange or pay a 2014 penalty of “the greater of” $95 per person or 1% of income.  The 2015 fine is “the greater of” $325 per person or 2% of income (source: Affordable Care Act).
11. TOP SHELF – Starting in 2018, the Affordable Care Act will impose a 40% excise tax on the portion of most employer-sponsored health coverage (excluding vision and dental coverage) that exceeds $10,200 a year in economic value ($27,500 for families).  The tax has been called a “Cadillac tax” because it targets only high-end health care plans that were not purchased on a state or federal exchange (source: ACA).
12. NOT BANKERS – 9 of the 12 regional Federal Reserve banks are headed by an individual that has a Ph.D. in Economics, e.g., John Williams, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University (source: Federal Reserve).
13. PROBLEM IN TWO YEARS – The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) trust fund is projected to be depleted by the 4th quarter 2016.  Payroll taxes collected on behalf of the SSDI beyond 2016 would be sufficient to pay disability benefits equal to 81% of scheduled benefits (source: Social Security 2014 Annual Report).
14. BACK IN TIME – Home prices across the United States (based upon new and existing home sales) at the end of September 2014 are at the same level that they first reached at the end September 2005 or 9 years ago (source: Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight).
15. ONE WEEK – Just 7 days after Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s 11/20/99 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) record for rushing yards in a game with 408 yards on 11/15/14 against Nebraska, Oklahoma true freshman Samaje Perine ran for 427 yards against Kansas on 11/22/14.  Gordon had 25 carries but did not play in the 4th quarter.  Perine had 34 carries but just 2 carries in the 4th quarter (source: ESPN).

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