Looking at the new US congressional map, it is hard to argue that America isn't a red nation with pockets of elites that influence through control of the media with messages of fear and anger.
That approach isn't working and that, to me, is the greatest message from last night. I'm looking for a return to a united America where the focus is on the same tide lifting all ships.
It’s time to get back to the basics where people think of the best outcomes.
The low hanging fruit of the election should see changes in these areas:
Energy:
- Keystone
- Export Crude
- Drilling on Federal Land
Taxes:
- Lower Corporate Taxes
- Repatriation Holiday
While last night America spoke loud and clear about the direction of the nation, particularly the economy in a rebuke of President Obama, they did cling to one of his platforms… higher minimum wage. In fact, five so-called red states (I toss in Illinois since they voted for a Republicans businessman to run their state) voted to hike the lowest hourly wage.
| Higher Minimum WageFederal $7.25 | ||
| Arkansas | $8.50 | 2017 |
| Nebraska | $9.00 | 2016 |
| South Dakota | $8.50 | 2015 |
| Alaska | $9.75 | 2016 |
| Illinois | $10.00 | 2015 |
The Economy
Once again, small businesses did the most to create jobs, according to ADP. ADP reported that October saw 230,000 net gains.
| Goods Producing (Preliminary Figures) | |||
| Employer Size | Small (less than 50) | Medium (50-499) | Large (500+) |
| Month Change (Jobs Added) | 15,650 | 17,954 | 14,396 |
| Service Producing (Preliminary Figures) | |||
| Employer Size | Small (less than 50) | Medium (50-499) | Large (500+) |
| Month Change (Jobs Added) | 79,312 | 63,396 | 38,292 |
Below are some of the companies that reported earnings yesterday afternoon and earlier this morning.
| Company | Ticker | EPS (Actual) | EPS (Est) | Rev (Actual $M) | Rev (Est $M) |
| 21st Century Fox | FOXA | 0.39 | 0.36 | $7,887.00 | $6,237.90 |
| EOG Resources* | EOG | 1.31 | 1.29 | $5,119.00 | $4,317.30 |
| ExamWorks | EXAM | 0.08 | 0.06 | $204.10 | $195.82 |
| FireEye* | FEYE | -0.51 | -0.55 | $114.21 | $116.20 |
| Jazz Pharma | JAZZ | 2.33 | 2.21 | $306.58 | $302.48 |
| Pharmacyclics | PCYC | 0.69 | 0.43 | $207.10 | $201.39 |
| Papa John's | PZZA | 0.39 | 0.37 | $390.40 | $378.45 |
| Pioneer National | PXD | 1.35 | 1.26 | $1,513.00 | $1,008.12 |
| Potbelly | PBPB | 0.09 | 0.07 | $84.70 | $84.22 |
| TripAdvisor | TRIP | 0.48 | 0.60 | $354.00 | $348.85 |
| zuilily* | ZU | 0.02 | -0.04 | $285.80 | $285.45 |
| Chesapeake Energy* | CHK | 0.38 | 0.32 | $5,703.00 | $4,561.10 |
| Clean Harbors | CLH | 0.45 | 0.63 | $851.50 | $901.00 |
| Cognizant Tech | CTSH | 0.66 | 0.63 | $2,581.00 | $2,569.33 |
| Covidien | COV | 1.15 | 1.02 | $2,734.00 | $2,685.98 |
| Duke Energy | DUK | 1.40 | 1.52 | $6,395.00 | $7,187.91 |
| Level 3 | LVLT | 0.35 | 0.31 | $1,629.00 | $1,632.56 |
| Mondelez Intl | MDLZ | 0.50 | 0.39 | $8,337.00 | $8,374.62 |
| Stratsys* | SSYS | 0.58 | 0.58 | $203.60 | $195.84 |
| Tim Hortons* | THI | 0.95 | 0.88 | $909.02 | $883.17 |
| Vonage | VG | 0.07 | 0.03 | $214.70 | $216.93 |
| Wix.com | WIX | -0.24 | -0.32 | $37.50 | $35.65 |
* = Open WSS Ideas
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