Good News for Defense Contractors Amid the Gloom

Don't let it get away!

Keep track of the stocks that matter to you.

Help yourself with the Fool's FREE and easy new watchlist service today.

I have some good news: The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have reached an agreement for defense spending for fiscal year 2013 -- that's, of course, assuming the nitwits on Capital Hill figure out how to avoid sequestration. While there are deep cuts, there's also some good news for defense contractors and their investors. 

Who benefits?
In a move that's good for Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) , the Armed Service Committee approved a multiyear procurement deal for the Boeing-made Army CH-47 helicopters . Additionally, the budget approved $338 million for the continued production of heavily armored vehicles for the Army.  That's great news for General Dynamics (NYSE: GD  ) , which builds the Army's M1 Abraham Tanks , and London-based BAE Systems (LSE: BA.L  ) , which builds the Bradley platform.

Additionally, the committee approved a $9.8 billion missile defense budget, which is great news for Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC  ) , the prime contractor on the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center (MDIOC) -- the premier missile defense center for the U.S. Department of Defense.  

The total budget request for defense spending in 2013 is $88.5 billion for overseas operations and $525.4 billion for the base budget -- a total of $613.9. That's quite a bit below 2012's enactment, which was $530.6 billion for the base and $115.1 billion overseas for a total of $645.7. So, while defense contractors are going to have to continue getting lean and mean, it's not a complete gouging to the sector. 

Now what?
Since fiscal year 2001, the defense budget has consistently grown, but with America's wars winding down and current budget crisis looming, any money the government allocates to defense contractors is a win for them. Of course, all of this could change if the idiots -- er, Congressmen -- don't get their acts together before Jan. 1, but at least some departments are acting responsibly. And that's great news for investors who are looking at the long term in defense investing.

Your 98.79% Chance at Beating the Market
If you're interested in the best odds in the universe ? including more than a 70% chance at DOUBLING the market's return over the long haul ? here's some very good news for you... Motley Fool Supernova is re-opening to new members for the first time ever on January 15!

Get this: We arrived at these odds from 10,000 random back-tested portfolios made up of Co-founder David Gardner's personal stock picks between December 2002 and December 2011...

So, what's INSIDE Motley Fool Supernova?!? Simply enter your email address. And David Gardner will take you on a personal tour. And reveal his up-to-the-minute top picks for 3-D Printing, Entertainment, Social Networking, Personal Wellness, Next-Gen Education, and more!

Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin Wordpress | Android Forums | Wordpress Tutorials

Source: http://feeds.fool.com/~r/usmf/foolwatch/~3/3ZUwHNMiebk/story01.htm

get debt help government debt consolidation loans grants to pay off debt green path debt solutions

Physicist Explains What Discovering The Higgs Boson Feels Like

fabiola gianotti scientist

Fabiola Gianotti was in mid-flow when her audience at Cern, the particle physics lab near Geneva, spotted the result they had so long hoped for amid the garish fonts of her presentation and rose to their feet to whistle, cheer and roar their approval.

She tried to calm them down, told them to wait, that there was more. But the result they had spied – a simple number five followed by the Greek letter sigma, in a little red box – was all the hundreds gathered needed to know.

It told them that the Higgs boson, or at least a particle that looked suspiciously like it, had been found at last. Nothing was going to delay their celebrations.

Scientific discoveries are rarely met with such a raucous response, but the announcement, soon after 10.30am local time on 4 July, was an exception.

This was the discovery of the year, and the culmination of more than two decades of work that drew on a cast of thousands. Many of those in the audience had spent their careers in the search.

Gianotti is head of the Atlas collaboration, a group of 3,000 or so scientists who work on a giant detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Her talk that morning came directly after another presentation, by Joe Incandela, head of the CMS detector group, which also saw the particle.

Everything rested on her talk: had the Atlas group seen nothing, the lab could hardly claim a discovery.

"It was an extraordinarily tense time, but it was also extremely exciting," she says. "We were so focused on producing these results. Throughout June, the evidence for the Higgs-like particle was growing stronger with time; it grew and grew, and every week we had a step forward.

It was a time of great team spirit, when we all worked towards this common goal. People at all levels were working day and night."

For an outsider, it is easy to think of scientists pursuing their arcane goals at a leisurely pace with little stress and plenty of time for intellectual reflection. That was not the case in the runup to the July announcement. It was a punishing and gruelling rush to turn vast piles of raw data into meaningful results that were fit to present to the world.

"You need a lot of motivation, a lot of energy, and a lot of curiosity," says Gianotti. "The search for knowledge is a long and difficult task."

The existence of the Higgs boson verifies a theory drawn up by the British physicist Peter Higgs with a pencil and paper in his office at Edinburgh University nearly half a century ago. The theory says that elementary particles, like the quarks and electrons inside atoms, get their masses from an invisible field that stretches through all of space. Without something to give particles mass, there would be no stars, planets or life as we know it.

Higgs, now 83, was in the audience on 4 July. At the end of Gianotti's talk, when the crowd stood for a second standing ovation, he drew a tissue from his pocket and wiped tears from his eyes, overwhelmed by their reaction to the news. Gianotti went to greet him, and to offer congratulations. She respects Higgs enormously, she says, not only for his genius and insight, but for his deep-seated modesty.

As soon as the particle was found at Cern, there were those who argued it deserved the 2012 Nobel prize for physics. That was unlikely given the conservative nature of the Nobel committee, and in the event, did not happen.

But Gianotti, along with Incandela and five other Cern physicists, did win the most lucrative prize ever established in science, the special fundamental physics prize. Gianotti and her colleague Peter Jenni immediately announced their $1m would support a fund to help struggling physicists within the Atlas collaboration.

There is no doubt that 4 July was a historic day for particle physics, but the questions that remain over the new particle have kept Gianotti and others at Cern occupied, and will for a while yet.

Since the announcement, they have pressed on to try to clarify whether the particle is the simplest form of Higgs boson, or something more exotic that could break radical new ground for physicists.

"The 4 July was an end in that we had been looking for this for many years, but at the same time it was a beginning," says Gianotti. "Since that time, we have made good progress towards understanding one of the big questions the LHC was designed to answer. In the coming months and years we need to look at this in detail. It will take a lot of work to draw up a complete identikit of this particle, and we have just started that work."

In the new year, the LHC closes for two years so engineers can make repairs needed for the machine to switch back on at full energy in 2015. For now, work centres on gathering more and more data from Higgs bosons inside the LHC.

The particle is fabulously unstable, and disintegrates as soon as it is created in the machine. But it leaves behind streaks of more familiar particles, which must be measured with exquisite precision to see if their numbers match the predictions.

"We know there must be new physics. For example, we cannot explain what dark matter is," says Gianotti. "In some sense there may not be new physics through the Higgs boson, but there must be new physics to address these other questions."

The Higgs boson is the missing piece of a jigsaw that physicists have pieced together since the 1970s to explain how the known particles in nature behave. But many physicists hope desperately that the new particle will turn out to be more peculiar than the simplest kind of particle Higgs predicted.

Would that be good news for Gianotti? "It's not about good or bad news, it's about what nature has chosen," she says. "It's always good news when you're closer to the truth."

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

SEE ALSO: The Biggest Science Breakthroughs Of The Year

Please follow Science on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/uXF6kZxa5KY/discovering-the-higgs-boson-particle-2012-12

debt settlement agency debt settlement leads debt settlement software debt settlement solution

RIM Earnings: Cash Flow In Focus As BB10 Launch Nears

With BB10 to be launched only in Q1 2013 and competitors such as Apple and Samsung expected to continue to munch on RIM?s market share until then, RIM?s results this quarter are likely to remain weak.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/12/20/rim-earnings-cash-flow-in-focus-as-bb10-launch-nears/

moorcroft debt recovery negotiating credit card debt non profit debt help non profit debt management

Options Players Wager Big On Herbalife With Ackman On The Attack

Options on Herbalife continue to change hands at a clip on Thursday, one day after Pershing Square Capital Management founder, Bill Ackman, announced a short position in the stock that sent shares in the marketer of weight management products down as much as 15% during trading on Wednesday.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/12/20/options-players-wager-big-on-herbalife-with-ackman-on-the-attack/

debt fix debt free america debt freedom canada debt harassment

The Mixing Mate Will Make Pouring, Mixing, and Painting Easier

This is the Mixing Mate by Rockler.

Why We Love It: Anyone who has ever had to paint a room knows how messy the paint container can be. That's why the Mixing Mate is so awesome — it clamps down on the paint can and has a pistol grip handle that makes it easy to pour the paint. The spring-loaded spout seals up after each pour, too, so you can set it on the shelf when you're done.

It even comes with a cranking paddle so you can mix your paint more thoroughly than with a stir stick. The Mixing Mate fits any standard one-quart can of paint, stain, or varnish.

Mixing Mate

 

Mixing Mate

Where To Buy: Available through Rockler.

Cost: $14.99.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

DON'T MISS: Make Your Own Flavored Popcorn Like A Pro

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/bXW-yD6dLdc/the-mixing-mate-2012-12

debt consolidation agency debt consolidation blog debt consolidation canada debt consolidation florida

Richmond Fed Manufacturing Misses Expectations And Falls To 5

university of richmond basketball

The December Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index is out and it's a miss.

The headline number fell to 5 from 9 in November.  Economists were looking for a reading of 8.

"Looking at the broad indicators of activity, new orders were virtually unchanged, shipments grew more slowly, and employment declined," wrote the Richmond Fed.  "Other indicators were mixed. Capacity utilization turned positive, while backlogs fell further. Moreover, the gauge for delivery times inched higher, while finished goods inventories grew at a slightly slower pace and growth in raw materials inventories edged higher."

The survey tracks manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region of the U.S.

Here's some more color from the report:

Current Activity
In December, the seasonally adjusted composite index of manufacturing activity—our broadest measure of manufacturing—lost four points, settling at 5 from November’s reading of 9. Among the index’s components, shipments fell five points to 6, the gauge for new orders was almost unchanged at 10, and the jobs index turned negative, losing six points to -3.

Other indicators varied. The index for capacity utilization moved higher, adding six points to 3, while the backlogs of orders slipped two points to end at -11. The delivery times index picked up three points to 3, while our gauges for inventories were mixed in December. The raw materials inventory index gained three points to finish at 24, while the finished goods lost seven points to12.

Employment
Labor market conditions edged lower at District plants in December. The manufacturing employment index turned negative, losing six points to settle at -3, and the average workweek indicator lost four points to end at -2. However, the wage index held steady at 10.

Expectations
In the current survey, contacts were generally less optimistic about their future business prospects than they reported a month ago. The index of expected shipments lost eight points, ending at a reading of 20, and the new orders index dropped thirteen points to finish at 12. Backlogs moved down nineteen points to 0 and capacity utilization fell eight points to 4. Vendor lead-time declined thirteen points to -3, while readings for planned capital expenditures added five points to end at 9.

District manufacturers’ hiring plans were mixed in December. The index for expected manufacturing employment gained two points to finish at 2, while the average workweek indicator fell eleven points to -5. Furthermore, the index of expected wages shed seven points to end at 21.

Prices
District manufacturers reported that raw materials prices increased at an average annual rate of 2.01 percent, in line with November’s reading of 1.99 percent. Finished goods prices rose at a 1.57 percent pace, slightly below November’s reading of 1.72 percent.

Looking forward, respondents on average expected that the prices they pay will advance at a 2.54 percent pace, somewhat above November’s outlook of 1.95 percent. Contacts looked for finished goods prices to increase at a 0.87 percent annual rate, slightly below last month’s expectation for a 1.29 percent pace.

richmond fed

Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/pBCtiSsuIRk/december-richmond-fed-manufacturing-index-2012-12

debt freedom canada debt harassment debt help services debt help uk

Most People Agree With Obama On Tax Cuts

Boehner Obama

There has been a vast and important change of mind among the electorate, regarding the issue of taxes.

On 13 July 2012, McClatchy Newspapers headlined “Poll: Majority Want Tax Cuts for All, Even the Wealthy,” and reported that, “A majority of Americans [who are registered to vote] want the Bush tax cuts extended for everyone, despite a strong push by President Barack Obama to eliminate them on [only] higher incomes, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.

"The poll found 52 percent of registered voters saying they want all of the tax cuts extended, including the tax cuts for incomes above $250,000, while 43 percent want the cuts extended just for incomes below that threshhold.”

Contrast that with now: On 11 December 2012, the same people who took that poll, the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, headlined “Slim Majority Thinks Debt Deal Will Be Reached,” and reported that whereas 57% of registered voters favor expiration of the Bush tax cuts on incomes above $250,000 like Obama proposes, only 24% favor expiration of the Bush tax cuts for everyone, and 74% are opposed to that.

So, now, registered voters do want the Bush tax cuts to expire only for incomes above $250,000. Unlike back in July, the electorate now strongly favor Obama’s position, whereas they formerly favored the Republican position, by a moderate margin.

Registered voters constitute a far more conservative group than all adult Americans, and so there has always been strong support by non-voters for extending the Bush tax cuts on only incomes below $250,000.

Thus, for example, on 2 December 2010, CBS News headlined “CBS News Poll: Most Oppose GOP Tax Plan,” and reported that in a sample of “adults nationwide” instead of just registered voters, 53% wanted the Bush tax cuts to “continue for households < $250K” and 26% wanted them to “continue for all” and this meant that overwhelmingly the Republican position was unpopular amongst all adults.

CBS repeated this polling question for years, and the results have always been similar. So, until recently, there has been, on this matter, a huge difference between what all voting-age citizens want and what all registered voters want – registered voters tend to be vastly more conservative than the U.S. population as-a-whole.

Of course, for any politician seeking election or re-election, all that matters are the smaller group of registered voters. In fact, an even smaller group is all that actually matters to politicians: likely voters. And this sub-group are even more conservative than are the broader sub-group of registered voters.

So, although eligible voters have always been overwhelmingly supportive of the President’s position on this, the people who actually register to vote were not, until just recently – but they are now.

 ----------

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.

Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/pN_yYj2ORyg/registered-voters-agree-obama-taxes-2012-12

debt relief grants debt relief of america debt relief scams debt repayment calculator

Target Sends Out Poorly Worded Coupon, Raises False Hopes

Dani got what seemed like a great coupon in the mail with her Target credit card statement. “50% off Nook HD or Nook HD+ Accessory” it promised. Half off one of Barnes & Noble’s pricey e-readers? Clearly this must be too good to be true! And it was. The coupon was good for half off a variety of accessories for … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/12/21/target-sends-out-poorly-worded-coupon-raises-false-hopes/

best debt consolidation loan best debt management best way to pay off debt business debt collection

11 Famous Brands Most Americans Have Never Heard Of

China Mobile ad in China

In the U.S.-centric world most Americans live in, all the greatest and most valuable brands were created here. Several studies by brand valuation experts show that to be true.

But some of the world’s most valuable brands are not only owned by companies outside the United States, they are brands that many Americans know nothing about and may never have heard of. 24/7 Wall St. has taken a look at some of these brands and found that the U.S. is not the only brand capital.

See the biggest brands Americans know nothing about >

U.S. brands that dominate the top spots of most brand valuation lists include Apple, Google, Microsoft, Marlboro, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and IBM. These top brands fall into one of two categories. They are either technology or consumer products brands. They are also all global. Apple, Microsoft and IBM have tremendous overseas sales. McDonald’s has restaurants around the world.

The most valuable brands owned by companies outside the U.S. fall into two different categories. The first is financial services and banks. The most widely known and highly valued of these brands have also been around for some time. RBS, the largest bank in Canada, is more than a century old. So is Sberbank in Russia.

The second set of famous overseas brands are cellular phone companies. By their nature they are relatively new, because the wireless revolution is barely 20 years old. China Mobile was incorporated in 1997. Japan’s NTT DoCoMo was formed in 1992.

To pick the most valuable brands that Americans have not heard of, 24/7 Wall St. relied on the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2012. We ranked the brands that made the list based on gross domestic product of country of origin, and then picked the most valuable brands from the eleven largest countries based on that GDP measurement. In order to exclude well-known brands in America, those with very large market share in the U.S were excluded. That meant Toyota, BMW and Louis Vuitton did not make the cut.

These are the most famous brands Americans don’t know.

11. Movistar

Brand value: $17.1 billion
Country: Spain
National GDP: $1.5 trillion
Industry: Telecom

Movistar is the mobile phone operation of Spain’s primary telecom company Telefónica S.A. Its parent company currently has nearly 314 million customers. Like other European nations that once had colonies in Latin America, Movistar does business in Argentina and Mexico. Movistar has business units that market wireless broadband; Internet TV, which includes the new Google TV product; software, which includes Microsoft Windows powered portable devices; and hardware devices, including Apple’s iPad.

10. RBC

Brand value: $17.2 billion
Country: Canada
National GDP: $1.7 trillion
Industry: Financial services

RBC, originally called the Royal Bank of Canada, has been in business since 1864. Forbes lists it as the largest company in the Canada. Like most extremely big financial services firms in the largest countries by GDP, RBC provides services ranging from consumer savings to underwriting for public companies.

One of the major ways that RBC promotes its presence as a global firm is via a comparison with banks around the world as measured by market cap. Based on this measure, RBC statistics put it in 12th place globally, just behind Citigroup, and Bank of America. RBC, which has more than 80,000 employees, reports its financial results in Canadian dollars. In the quarter that ended July 31, RBC had record net income of $2.2 billion, up from $1.7 billion the year before.

9. ICICI Bank

Brand value: $12.7 billion
Country: India
National GDP: $1.8 trillion
Industry: Financial services

Other than the State Bank of India, ICICI is the largest financial services firm in the world’s second most populous country. It had consolidated total assets of more than $91 billion as of March 31. ICICI operates similar to the way J.P. Morgan or Citigroup do in the U.S. All have large consumer banking, business banking, investment bank, wealth management, and underwriting operations.  ICICI has driven part of its growth through joint ventures with companies based outside India. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance is a joint venture between ICICI Bank and U.K. insurance giant Prudential plc. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company is a joint venture with Canada-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Please follow Retail on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/6EB-3Ss0g40/famous-brands-americans-dont-know-2012-11

freedom debt relief scam get debt help government debt consolidation loans grants to pay off debt

Current & Former GameStop Employees Chime In On Pre-Order Upsells