The Morning Journal-the US has a spending problem

Economics
This Week’s Data

Weekly jobless claims rose 2,000, in line with expectations.
http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2012/04/weekly-initial-unemployment-claims-at_26.html

The April Chicago Fed activity index came in at -.29 versus the March reading of +.30.

Other

Another plus for natural gas (medium):
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/04/another-reason-natural-gas-is-game.html

Monthly vehicle traffic improving (short):
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/04/traffic-volume-increases-in-feb-for.html

The US has a spending problem (2 minute video):
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/which-came-first-spending-or-debt


Politics

Domestic

Obama’s economic policy (long):
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/296709/president-s-incoherent-economic-philosophy-james-c-capretta

Obama’s real problem with millionaires and billionaires (medium):
http://www.nationalreview.com/author/56454/latest

And for the hat trick—Obama’s foreign policy (medium):
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/296826/obama-s-undiplomacy-victor-davis-hanson

A discouraging look at today’s centers of higher education (medium):
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-has-america-been-crippled-intellectual-idiots

News on Stocks in Our Portfolios

The Board of Directors of Coca Cola voted to split the stock 2 of 1.

ExxonMobil is raising its quarterly dividend per share from $.47 to $.57

More quarterly earnings per share reports:

Reported Expected

Colgate Palmolive $1.24 $1.24
Altria .49 .49

Steve Cook received his education in investments from Harvard, where he earned an MBA, New York University, where he did post graduate work in economics and financial analysis and the CFA Institute, where he earned the Chartered Financial Analysts designation in 1973. His 40 years of investment experience includes institutional portfolio management at Scudder, Stevens and Clark and Bear Stearns. Steve's goal at Strategic Stock Investments is to help other investors build wealth and benefit from the investing lessons he learned the hard way.