Slowing Continues By Mel Miller, CFA® | Chief Economist The December Economic Commentary highlighted my concern that the economy might have slowed “too much.” As I share the first quarter results in this publication, I still can not answer the question. The fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 2.2%. The first quarter GDP slowed […]
Volatility reigns: It just feels better on the upside By Theresa Gusman Volatility reigned in the first quarter. The US stocks surged higher, posting their best quarter in nearly a decade and offsetting the fourth quarter downdraft. Equity markets rebounded worldwide led by China, as US-China trade tensions eased, and the Fed signaled that it […]
Government Shutdown Impacts 2019 Proxy Season By Holly TestaDownload the PDF The start of this year’s shareholder proposal season was shrouded in uncertainty, as the government shutdown late last year included the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that is responsible for oversight of the process. Companies have the option of filing no action requests with […]
PROXY MEMORANDUM Date: March 20, 2019 To: Nucor Corporation shareholders Subject: Shareholder resolution requesting a report on the company’s political spending policies and practices Lead Filer: First Affirmative Financial Network, on behalf of Waterglass, LLC Contact: Holly A. Testa, Director, Shareowner Engagement hollytesta@firstaffirmative.com/303-641-5190 We ask for your support of the following resolution that will be included in the Nucor Proxy Statement […]
First Affirmative Financial Network withdrew a shareholder proposal filed at SBA Communications, Inc. that asked the company to issue a report describing the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies, performance, and improvement targets. SBA Communications owns and operates wireless infrastructure in the US, Canada, and Central and South America and is a recent addition to the […]
Celebrating a Decade of Shareholder Advocacy First Affirmative reached an important milestone at the end of 2018, marking 10 years since we launched our advocacy program, completing our first full year of direct corporate engagement in 2009. We have since pursued an increasingly ambitious advocacy agenda to expand our engagement reach and impact. Our Ongoing […]
It’s (still) the Earnings… By Theresa Gusman Ushering in a period of asynchronous and decelerating global economic and profit growth and negative earnings surprises, equity markets fell amid volatile trading in the fourth quarter, erasing gains for the year in the US. US equities slid 13.5% in the fourth quarter, overwhelming increases through the first […]
Economy Moderates — Too Much? By Mel Miller, CFA® | Chief Economist The third-quarter economic growth moderated from the torrid second-quarter expansion of 4.2% annualized, reflecting a healthy 3.5% growth rate. Did the pace continue to slow in the fourth quarter or did the economy rebound to the second quarter level? What is my forecast for […]
It’s the Earnings… By Theresa Gusman U.S. equities surged 7.71% in the third quarter as earnings remained strong. The MSCI KLD 400 Social Index underperformed this quarter, but continued to track the broader market this year. U.S. interest rates and the dollar continued higher, along with the economy. Non-U.S. equities showed signs of life, as […]
One for the Record Books By Mel Miller, CFA® | Chief Economist In spite of growing trade war tensions, especially with China, one would not expect a robust economic showing during the third quarter. Yet the economy continues the expansion that began in 2009. In fact, I want to highlight a couple of records that […]
