500
RadioShack is planning to close around 500 locations in the coming months, according to people familiar with the matter.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
To budget accordingly, you must know which ones have far-reaching ramifications.
The expiration of the Federal tax provisions will almost certainly have an adverse impact on a wide swath of taxpayers; increasing the effective tax rate of both large and small businesses, with additional collateral damage to individuals and charitable organizations. Notable expired provisions include higher Section 179 limits, bonus depreciation, energy tax incentives, the R&D credit, and many others.
At the time of this writing, the prospect for retroactive extension of these provisions is unclear at best. Sen. Harry Reid introduced an extender bill (S. 1859) in December that failed to pass by unanimous consent. The Senate Finance Committee is working on another extender bill, but members of both parties have expressed their preference for comprehensive tax reform in favor of tax extender legislation. Whether or not such legislation will be enacted prior to the upcoming mid-term election is anyone’s guess, but by historical standards prospects for near-term, comprehensive tax reform are dim.
Access this comprehensive list now to find out which Expiring Federal Tax Provisions (2013-2023) impact you »
1.9 million
Online insurance company Esurance was the most-tweeted brand of Super Bowl night, with a total of 1.9 million posts on Twitter, according to Nielsen Co., despite the fact that it didn’t buy an ad during the game broadcast.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
$25.59 Billion
That is Amazon’s sales figure for the fourth quarter, a 20% increase from a year earlier. However, it wasn’t enough to match Wall Street projections.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
1,200
That is how many pounds our ice sculpture of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell weighs. Preparing for the first outdoor cold-weather Super Bowl this weekend, our sports department is employing a creative method to help fans gauge how much they will need to bundle up. The more layers Mr. Goodell’s icy replica sheds, the more layers eventgoers can shed. You can follow the sculpture on Twitter @frozenroger.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
Capitalization rates, used by real-estate investors to measure the annual return of income-producing properties, declined for many property types in 2013, according to data from Real Capital Analytics in New York. Meanwhile, the spread between cap rates and yields on 10-year Treasury notes narrowed. The average cap rate for all property types was 6.74% last year, down from 6.76% in 2012. Cap rates fell fastest for office buildings, which had an average cap rate of 6.93% in 2013 compared with 7.15% in 2012.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
Equity valuations are still reasonable, especially when considering the inflation environment. Historically, inflation between 0%-2% (CPI is currently running at 1.2% year over year) has been a sweet spot for valuations. Even inflation readings up to 4% have been supportive for valuations. Concerns for multiples would arise if we see either deflation or inflation greater than 4%.
(Sources: Strategas Research Partners, LLC & Brinker Capital, Inc.)
1,487
U.S. banks cut a net 1,487 branch locations last year, according to SNL Financial, the most since the research firm began collecting the data in 2002.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
234
Stockholders filed 234 federal securities class-action suits against U.S. companies last year, the most since 2008, according to a report by NERA Economic Consulting.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
2.33 million
In the U.S., Netflix added 2.33 million streaming subscribers in the fourth quarter, sending its shares soaring.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)