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Strategies & Market Trends : Buy and Sell Signals, and Other Market Perspectives -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Keith Feral who wrote (40782)	11/26/2012 3:17:38 PM
From: GROUND ZERO™	Respond to of 218890

Interesting... and on second thought, why bother with the whole SP index when one could simply buy only those stocks... unless the richest cream has already been skimmed off the top of those stocks... GZ

To: Keith Feral who wrote (40782)	11/26/2012 4:09:30 PM
From: GROUND ZERO™	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 218890

FOR TUESDAY, A CLOSE ABOVE 1397.50 WOULD CONFIRM A SECOND MAIN MODEL BUY SIGNAL... GZ

To: Keith Feral who wrote (40782)	11/26/2012 4:56:57 PM
From: sandeep	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 218890

Dividends are paid after the the EPS is calculated, imho.

To: Keith Feral who wrote (40782)	11/26/2012 10:38:10 PM
From: Brian Sullivan	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 218890

Dividends Come Early to Avoid Fiscal Cliff By DANA MATTIOLI and ALEXANDRA BERZON More U.S. companies are racing to get ahead of the looming fiscal cliff. Faced with a possible tax increase on dividends next year, boards are approving bigger payouts and cutting checks faster to avoid 2013 rates. On Monday, retailer Dillard's Inc. and casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp said they would pay new, one-time dividends next month. Dillard's also broke with long practice to pay its regular fourth-quarter dividend in December after paying it in the new year for at least a decade. The moves would send hundreds of millions of dollars back to shareholders before tax hikes that could kick in next year either automatically or as a result of negotiations between the White House and Congress. Las Vegas Sands Chief Executive Sheldon Adelson, one of the wealthiest men in the world, stands to collect about $1.2 billion from the $2.75 a share special dividend on his 52% ownership interest in the company. Dillard's $5 special dividend will cost the company $235.7 million, much of which will go to its controlling family. The possibility of a higher tax on dividends was one factor among others that convinced Las Vegas Sands's board to approve the special dividend, a person close to Las Vegas Sands said. Both companies said the special payouts reflected their strong financial positions. Dillard's declined to comment. The moves by Dillard's and Las Vegas Sands followed similar steps elsewhere. Last week, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. moved up its fourth-quarter dividend payment. Walton family members who sit on the company's board recused themselves from the vote to move up the dividend payment, Wal-Mart said. The company plans on paying out its dividend Dec. 27 instead of Jan. 2.Smaller firms, including Drew Industries Inc. and Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., also Monday declared special dividends payable this year. They weren't available to comment. Companies are betting that tax rates on dividends are heading upward next year, even if the exact level isn't yet known. The Bush-era 15% top tax rate on dividends is scheduled to end in January. If Congress takes no action, dividends would be taxed at the same levels as wages and salaries. President Obama wants to limit that increase to higher-income households—individuals making more than $200,000 and married couples earning more than $250,000. The top rate for dividends would rise to 39.6% under Mr. Obama's plan. Mr. Obama's health-care law also is scheduled to add another 3.8% tax on investment income for upper-income households starting in January. Republicans generally oppose those increases, but it is unlikely they would be able to block all the increases from taking effect. Those tax hikes could make significant differences for many investors, but particularly so for founders that still hold large stakes in their companies. Wal-Mart, nearly 50% owned by the Walton family, said uncertainty over whether the White House and Congress will be able to negotiate a way around the automatic spending cuts prompted it to move up its dividend. While U.S. companies are becoming more generous to shareholders, they're keeping a closer eye on their capital spending. A review of securities filings and conference calls by The Wall Street Journal found U.S. corporations are scaling back investment plans at the fastest pace since the recession. Part of that is driven by slowing economic growth in many key regions of the globe. Concerns about the fiscal cliff are playing a role as well.