Weekend Assorted Links

August 23, 2024 - August 25, 2024

Industries

1. Are Automotive Part Retailers Recession-Proof?

Looking to likely post my views on one of the Auto parts players I’m finding to be an interesting play for the portfolio.

2. Alliant Insurance Services Hires Industry Veteran Mark Rusas to Co-Lead Mergers & Acquisitions Specialty Practice

   Interesting given a recent special situation I found with great annualized margin of safety spread.

Corporate Governance

1. Insider Trading by Other Means

2. San Francisco Democrats are embracing “law and order” politics

   Who is going to tell Donald Trump?

I believe it’s important to observe the strategies of citizenry governance for the sake of corporate governance.

General Topics

1. US employment falls by 818,000 in latest government revision

2. New coronavirus vaccines are now approved. Here’s what to know.

3. Weekly Economic Indicator - Aug. 22, 2024: Update

   The WEI is currently 2.32 percent, scaled to four-quarter GDP growth, for the week ended August 17 and 1.84 percent for August 10. The 13-week moving average is 2.01 percent. This is compared with 3.12 percent four-quarter GDP growth through the second quarter of 2024.

   

4. Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee July 30–31, 2024

   Staff Review of the Financial Situation

   “…Yield spreads on investment- and speculative-grade corporate bonds were little changed and remained at about the lowest decile of their respective historical distributions. The one-month option-implied volatility on the S&P 500 index rose moderately and was somewhat elevated by historical standards, suggesting that investors perceived some, but not outsized, risks to the economic outlook.”