The Tax Day for filing taxes by individuals in the US is April 15th of each year. If the date falls on a weekend or a holiday it is adjusted accordingly. The taxes for 2023 is due on the 15th of next month. With that said, I came across the below infographic from Peterson Foundation that gives a brief overview of the US tax system.
Oil prices are rising again. Brent prices for May delivery closed at $85.42 on Friday. Year-to-date prices have gone up by 12%. Higher oil prices has lead to higher gasoline prices at the pump. Earlier this month, OPEC announced the extension of production cuts through the end of this year. Geopolitical risks have not subsided and will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. Higher oil prices are generally beneficial to oil companies. Hence investors looking to gain exposure to the oil industry can consider adding oil stocks in a phased manner when equity markets turn volatile.
Ten large oil companies that investors can consider for further research are listed below with their current dividend yields:
1.Company: Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) Current Dividend Yield: 3.42% Country: USA
2.Company: Shell PLC (SHEL) Current Dividend Yield: 4.8% Country: UK
3.Company: Chevron Corp (CVX) Current Dividend Yield: 4.19% Country: USA
4.Company: BP PLC (BP) Current Dividend Yield: 4.55% Country: UK
5.Company: TotalEnergies SE (TTE) Current Dividend Yield: 4.7% Country: France
6.Company: Eni SpA (E) Current Dividend Yield: 6.28% Country: Italy
7.Company: Equinor ASA (EQNR) Current Dividend Yield: 13.71% Country: Norway
8.Company: Ecopetrol SA (EC) Current Dividend Yield: 14.0% Country: Colombia
9.Company: ConocoPhillips (COP) Current Dividend Yield: 3.48% Country: USA
10.Company: Phillips 66(PSX) Current Dividend Yield: 2.64% Country: USA
Notes:
a) Dividend yields noted above are as of Mar 15, 2014. Data is known to be accurate from sources used. Please use your own due diligence before making any investment decisions.
b)For foreign companies listed above, dividend withholding taxes will reduce the dividend yields quoted.
Mining is one of the important industries that is necessary of the functioning of the global economy. Though establishing a mine and running it takes years and years, Ontario Mining Association notes that mining is a temporary land use activity. Though land can be returned to its natural state after mining it is not that simple as it depends on the type of mining done and regulations and so forth. The following infographic shows some of the many stages in the life of a mine:
Gold and Bitcoin prices have been soaring so far this year. Investors tend to flock to these assets during times of market distress or if they fear a blank swan event. Gold prices have shot up over 5.70% year-to-date and closed at $2,190.50 today. Digital currency Bitcoin has rocketed by about 72% and crossed $72,160 today. In the past 1 year Bitcoin is up over 187%.
David P Goldman published an article recently in Asia Times discussing Gold and Bitcoin. According to him, the rise of these two assets show the risk of black swan event is rising. From the piece:
Gold continued to break price records on Friday, trading at US$2,183 an ounce at mid-afternoon, following a more dramatic rally in Bitcoin. Gold led Bitcoin in 2020 and 2021, during the Covid crisis. This time Bitcoin clearly led gold, suggesting that investors have more confidence in the high-tech alternative to the dollar.
Key to understanding how gold gauges geopolitical risk is the longstanding relationship between Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) and the precious metal. Both are hedges against unexpected inflation or debasement of the dollar.
