Morning Journal-Interview with Alan Simpson

Economics
This Week’s Data

July producer prices were reported up 0.3% versus expectations of up 0.2%; ex food and energy, they were up0.4% versus estimates of up 0.2%.

July retail sales powered forward at +0.8% versus forecasts of +0.3%; ex autos, they were up 0.9% versus an anticipated rise of 0.3%
http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2012/08/retail-sales-increased-08-in-july.html


Other

Interview with Alan Simpson (Simpson Bowles) (9 minute video and today’s absolute must see):
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/alan-simpson-confirms-reality-all-things-you-love-will-not-come-pass

America’s energy bonanza (medium):
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/08/more-on-americas-energy-bonanza.html

C&I loans continue to grow (short):
http://scottgrannis.blogspot.com/2012/08/no-shortage-of-money-cont.html

Save the banks but jail the banksters (medium):
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/08/criminal-sanctions-how-to-save-banks-without-rewarding-bankers.html

Update on small business sentiment (short):
http://advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/NFIB-Small-Business-Optimism-Index.php

Update on gasoline prices (short):
http://advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/Gasoline-Update.php

Politics

Domestic

At last, a bankster appears to be heading for jail (short):
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/peregrine-financial-ceo-indicted-31-charges

News on Stocks in Our Portfolios

More quarterly earnings per share reports:

Reported Expected

Sysco $.62 $.56
Home Depot 1.01 .98

Holly Frontier declared a special dividend of $.50 per share.

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.