Supreme Court sustains health care act

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act. The decision was five to four, with Chief Justice John Roberts voting with four of the court’s more liberal justices. Their ruling found that the law’s controversial “individual mandate” clause, which requires individuals to buy health insurance or pay a fee, is constitutional. The administration called the fee a “penalty,” but the court said today that the fee is not a penalty, which would be unconstitutional, but rather a “tax,” which is constitutional. Wall Street estimated the decision would help hospital companies and insurance companies that focus on Medicaid.

 

 

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Supreme Court sustains health care act

Affordable Care Act: A crisis wasted?

In 2008, when President Obama was then president-elect, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, famously said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” People on the right excoriated him for taking such a Machiavellian view of politics, but he had a good point. In fact, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the pain of the Great Depression to transform the U.S. economy, and Ronald Reagan used extremely high unemployment in the 1980s to drive through tax reform in 1981. A crisis can often be a catalyst for significant change.

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Affordable Care Act: A crisis wasted?

ESG Notes, Vol. 13

 

Environmental Forum readers, here is the latest version of our ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Notes compiled each week by Adam Berkowitz. If you have any questions or comments about Nelson Capital’s ESG notes, please leave them for Adam below or visit our website

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ESG Notes, Vol. 13

Crime doesn’t pay (much)

A report showing an improvement in the housing market gave stocks a boost, but concerns about Europe and a disappointing consumer confidence report kept gains modest.

The Dow advanced 32 points, well off of its highs, with 16 of its 30 components gaining ground; the S&P 500 rose 6; and the Nasdaq was higher by 17. Advancers led decliners by seven to four on the NYSE and four to three on the Nasdaq. The prices of Treasuries weakened. Gold futures fell $13.50 to close at $1,574.90 an ounce, and the price of crude oil staged a last-minute recovery, rising 15 cents to settle at $79.36 a barrel.

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Crime doesn’t pay (much)

John Manley’s six month outlook (video)

John Manley appeared on Nightly Business Report and talked about the market’s reaction to Greece’s elections as well as his longer term views on stocks and the economy.

Watch the video.

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John Manley’s six month outlook (video)