30. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Congress passed a stopgap 90 day bill that will provide funds for Federal highway projects.  The measure passed the House on Thursday with 266 votes supporting the bill.  The U.S. Senate passed the bill with a voice vote.  The President is expected to sign the stopgap bill on Saturday.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/29/jobs-construction-projects-on-line-as-congress-tries-to-break-impasse-by/

James Sutliff

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2. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Moody’s lowered the credit rating for Greece to C from Ca.  Moody’s indicated that the debt restructuring would provide investors with significantly less than their face value.  Earlier in the week, Standard & Poor’s indicated that the restructuring plan for Greek debt was a selective default.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-02/greece-ratings-cut-by-moody-s.html

Jim Sutliff

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22. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary and has the lead in delegates for the Republican Presidential nomination.  Gingrich finished with 40% of the vote and gained momentum heading into Florida.  Romney came in second with 27% and Santorum finished in third with 17% of the vote.  The Gingrich win should help with fundraising as well as building a campaign infrastructure.  The Florida primary will be held on January 31st and is a winner take all contest.  Also, Florida is a closed primary and only Republicans are allowed to vote in the contest.  In addition, there is expected to be over 200,000 votes cast through early voting and absentee ballots.  The next Republican Presidential debate will be held in Tampa on January 23rd.  There are 50 delegates at stake in the Florida Republican primary.  After Florida, the next contests are the Nevada and Maine Republican caucuses scheduled for February 4th.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/Gingrich-Rolls-to-Victory-in-South-Carolina-211662-1.html?pos=hftxt

To read a related MSNBC article, please click here:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/22/10210334-first-thoughts-the-race-is-on

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Infrastructure, Presidential, 2012, Primary, Debate, Tax, Republican, Election, Democrat, Fundraising, General, Politics, DC | No Comments »

7. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The Institute of Supply Management’s factory index rose to 53.9 for the month of December.  The increase marked the fastest that U.S. manufacturing has expanded in the last 6 months.  The jobs report also showed gains for the month of December.  Positive factory and jobs data helped send Treasuries lower in trading last week.  The Ten year note yield rose to 1.96%.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-07/treasuries-drop-as-reports-showing-economic-strength-damp-demand.html

Jim Sutliff

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14. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Euro fell below $1.30 in afternoon trading on Wednesday.  The Euro has not traded below $1.30 since mid-January of this year.  Traders are watching Standard & Poor’s for any indications of sovereign debt downgrades.  France is one of the nations that could lose triple-A status.

To read a related Wall Street Journal article, please click here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203893404577097810020345818.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

Jim Sutliff

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12. December 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Republican and Democratic officials have agreed on a spending bill through October 1st 2012.  Specific details of the agreement are expected to be released on Tuesday.  The measure still requires approval of the Senate and the House of Representatives.  The current spending bill is set to expire this Friday.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/us-usa-budget-idUSTRE7B72MK20111213

James Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Congress, Economy, 2012, Budget, Tax, Republican, Business, Democrat, General, Politics, Administrative | No Comments »

13. November 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The debt super committee has 10 days left before the November 23rd deadline.  The 12 member committee comprised of six Democrats and six Republicans must come to an agreement by the deadline or automatic spending cuts will take effect.  In addition, inaction could lead to a downgrade of U.S. debt from credit agencies.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/12/obama-warns-super-committee-not-to-cheat-on-deficit-mandate/

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Tax, Republican, Infrastructure, Economy, Budget, Politics, Healthcare, Administrative, Democrat, Estate Tax, General, Uncategorized | No Comments »

28. September 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The U.S. Senate voted 79-16 in support of legislation to finance the government.  The legislation also includes $2.65 billion in disaster assistance.  The measure will finance the government through November 18th.  The House is expected to vote on the legislation on October 4th. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-26/senate-will-move-budget-alternative-as-standoff-continues.html

James Sutliff

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25. September 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Senate voted 59-36 against a House spending bill.  The Republican bill in the House was designed to cut $1 billion in spending to pay for disaster relief.  Senate Democrats are expected to move for a vote on an alternative measure by Monday evening.  A spending bill has to be approved by the first of October to avoid a government shutdown.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/senate_votes_to_shelve_house_spending_bill-208979-1.html?pos=hln

James Sutliff

Posted in Republican, Tax, Infrastructure, Budget, Regulatory, General, DC, Democrat, Election, Administrative | No Comments »

9. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Standard and Poor’s downgraded over 11,000 municipal bonds that are closely tied to the federal government.  The downgrades in the muni market were expected after Standard and Poor’s downgraded U.S debt last Friday.  The munis will now have the AA+ credit rating. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-09/s-p-says-many-munis-can-keep-aaa-after-downgrade-of-11-500-linked-to-u-s-.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Budget, Infrastructure, General, Business, Administrative | No Comments »

2. August 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Senate voted 74-26 in support of the debt plan.  The plan was supported by 46 Democrats and 28 Republicans.  The plan is expected to cut spending by $2.4 trillion and raise the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion.  However, most of the spending cuts will take effect after the 2013 election. 

To read a recent Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/Senate-Clears-Debt-Deal-207950-1.html?pos=hatxt

James Sutliff

Posted in Tax, Infrastructure, Economy, Budget, Republican, Politics, Business, Democrat, Election, General, Administrative | No Comments »

27. July 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

The Republican controlled House passed a bill that would require the Obama administration to approve or deny a permit for an oil sands pipeline by November 1st.  The bill passed the House with a vote of 279-147.  The Canadian pipeline would provide 700,00 barrels of crude oil a day.   

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/26/us-house-keystone-deadline-idUSTRE76P7GX20110726?feedType=RSS&feedName=GCA-GreenBusiness&rpc=43

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Congress, Trade, Economy, International, Presidential, Republican, Regulatory, Democrat, Business, Energy, Environment, Politics, General, Administrative | No Comments »

19. July 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Moody’s has indicated that bond ratings of some states may be downgraded if the debt limit is not raised.  The states that depend heavily on federal revenue are likely to be hurt most by a default.  Five states with high bond ratings that may be affected are New Mexico, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, and Tennessee. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-19/5-states-debt-ratings-on-review-by-moody-s-for-u-s-dependence.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Infrastructure, Presidential, 2012, Budget, Congress, Republican, Business, Democrat, General, Politics, Administrative | No Comments »

9. May 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

Fannie Mae reported a first quarter net loss of $6.5 billion and will request an additional $6.2 billion from the government.  Fannie Mae reported net income of $73 million in the last quarter. 

To read a related Wall Street Journal article, please click here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704810504576307551540613850.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_realestate

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Treasury, Real Estate, General, Business, Administrative | No Comments »

3. May 2011 by Jim Sutliff.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has indicated that the state will not return the $271 million in commuter rail tunnel funding to the federal government.  Recently, the Federal Transit Administration has added a fee for holding the funds that could amount to $2.71 million per year.  New Jersey cancelled the commuter rail tunnel project due to expected cost overruns. 

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-03/christie-says-new-jersey-won-t-repay-u-s-271-million-in-tunnel-funds.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Republican, Governor, Infrastructure, Regulatory, Politics, Business, Democrat, General, Administrative | No Comments »