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	<title>Stock Blog Hub &#187; AFLAC Inc.</title>
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		<title>(CNO) CNO Financial Group Reaches Settlement</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/26/cno-cno-financial-group-reaches-settlement/99488</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/26/cno-cno-financial-group-reaches-settlement/99488#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:07:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CNO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conseco Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TMK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Torchmark Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=99488</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Conseco Life Insurance Company (&#8220;Conseco Life&#8221;), a subsidiary of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO), reached a settlement to pursue with the Nicholas putative class action lawsuit. The litigation comes in the wake of certain changes made last year to certain non-guaranteed elements in some of the universal life policies sold by Conseco Life prior to its takeover. In the hearing a couple of days back, the judge considered Conseco Life’s request for a countrywide status that would act as an approval for the settlement of the claim. The court also complied with Conseco Life’s request for a stay order on any other legal action pertaining to the cost of insurance increase on the Valulife and Valuterm policies in November 2011, that are a part of Nicholas proceedings. Even though if ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/26/cno-cno-financial-group-reaches-settlement/99488/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Aflac Analyst Maintains Neutral on Shares</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/afl-aflac-analyst-maintains-neutral-on-shares/87736</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/afl-aflac-analyst-maintains-neutral-on-shares/87736#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:25:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Catalyst Health Solutions Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CHSI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unum Group]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87736</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently, we reiterated our recommendation on Aflac Inc. (AFL) at Neutral, based on the current sustainability factor. The company’s third quarter operating earnings per share of $1.66 came in comfortably higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.60 and $1.45 reported in the year-ago quarter. Operating earnings also escalated 13.7% year over year to $778 million. Growth in the third quarter was supported by higher premium income, modest investment yields, favorable dollar/yen exchange rate and improvement in the U.S. operations. However, higher claims and benefits and higher investment losses due to de-risking activities partially dampened the positives. Aflac has been achieving its earnings target for the past 22 years, which is reflected in its consistent dividend increment. The company’s strong brand name and solid business model enabled it to improve ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/afl-aflac-analyst-maintains-neutral-on-shares/87736/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(LNC) Lincoln National Corporation Increases Dividend by 60%</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/12/lnc-lincoln-national-corporation-increases-dividend-by-60/86925</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/12/lnc-lincoln-national-corporation-increases-dividend-by-60/86925#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Nov 2011 21:47:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amerisafe Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMSF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lincoln National Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LNC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86925</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Despite basking in a modest third quarter, yesterday, the board of Lincoln National Corp. (LNC) has announced a significant 60% increase in its quarterly dividend to 8 cents per share from the previous pay out of 5 cents. The hiked dividend will be paid on February 1, 2012 to shareholders of record as on January 10, 2012. This marks the second dividend hike since 2007. In November last year, Lincoln had raised its quarterly dividend from 1 cent to 5 cents per share. The company’s restructuring initiatives taken up last year have paid off well. The current hike also reflects Lincoln’s capital and liquidity strength. With a quarterly operating return on equity (ROE) of 13.4% at the end of third quarter 2011, up from 9.4% at the end of the ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Dividend Stocks: How to Beat the QE Blues</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/afl-dividend-stocks-how-to-beat-the-qe-blues/83151</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/afl-dividend-stocks-how-to-beat-the-qe-blues/83151#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:33:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>InvestmentU</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83151</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment U Senior Analyst Wednesday, September 14, 2011: Issue #1600 You hear that beeping sound? That’s the sound of my truck backing up to load it with dividend stocks. This may well be a historic time for some investors. One in which they’ll look back on fondly. While others were panicking, they created the building blocks of their fortunes. Rates are at historic lows. The 10-year bond is at 1.98 percent. The 30-year is barely above 3.25 percent. And rates, particularly short-term ones, could go even lower in the near future. Next week, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets to decide what to do about the sputtering economy. One of the options being discussed is QE3 – a third round of quantitative easing. Quantitative easing is ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) Market Outlook Murky &#8211; Valuations Compelling</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/bac-market-outlook-murky-valuations-compelling/83545</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/bac-market-outlook-murky-valuations-compelling/83545#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:53:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abbott Laboratories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Genuine Parts Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GPC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JNJ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Johnson & Johnson]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83545</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Earnings Picture Second quarter earnings season is over; the attention now shifts to the third quarter. With the exception of a handful of financials, most notably Bank of America (BAC), which had a $12 billion negative swing in net income from last year, this has been another great earnings season. The year-over-year growth rate for the S&#38;P 500 is 11.9%, way off the 17.1% pace posted in the first quarter. However, it you exclude the financial sector, growth is 19.3%, actually up slightly from the 19.1% pace of the first quarter. At the beginning of earnings season, growth of 9.7% was expected, 12.2% ex-financials. The outlook for the third quarter now looks very similar to the outlook for the second quarter three months ago, with net income growth of ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/bac-market-outlook-murky-valuations-compelling/83545/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Aflac Prices $625 Million in Notes</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/30/afl-aflac-prices-625-million-in-notes/78038</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/30/afl-aflac-prices-625-million-in-notes/78038#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:12:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=78038</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Aflac Incorporated (AFL) has priced its yen-denominated (Samurai) bonds aggregating $625 million (¥50 billion) – $359 million (¥28.7 billion) of 1.47% three year notes, $197 million (¥15.8 billion) of 1.84% five year notes and $69million (¥5.5 billion) of three-month Japanese yen Libor plus 1.15% three year notes. The company intends to utilize the proceeds to pay down debt and for general corporate purposes. Alfac sated that the issuance will help to repay ¥35 billion of Uridashi notes, maturing September 2011. With the new issuance, the debt level of the company will increase and it will have to shell out more interest expenses. The company ended the first quarter with notes payables balance of $3.02 billion and incurred interest expense of $45 million. The new issue will also increase the debt ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/30/afl-aflac-prices-625-million-in-notes/78038/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Aflac Incurs Losses on Risky Investments</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/26/afl-aflac-incurs-losses-on-risky-investments/77462</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/26/afl-aflac-incurs-losses-on-risky-investments/77462#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:24:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=77462</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, Aflac Inc. (AFL) filed a statement disclosing impairment and investment losses of about $610 million to be incurred in the second quarter of 2011. These losses are associated with the company’s exposure to risky investments in the financial institutions of Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain (PIGS). The company expects to retreat from all of its risky investments in Europe by the end of this year. The PIGS nations have been undergoing severe financial crisis since 2008 and are yet to recover from it completely. Hence, Aflac, who holds over $6.3 billion in long-term debt in these nations, has been quite eager to offload all risky investments there. However, the company’s de-risking actions come at a time when the European governments are insisting the banks and insurance companies to actively ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(FSR) Torchmark Earns Stable Rating From A.M. Best</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/16/fsr-torchmark-earns-stable-rating-from-a-m-best/76184</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/16/fsr-torchmark-earns-stable-rating-from-a-m-best/76184#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:46:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assurant Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RBC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Regal-Beloit Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TMK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Torchmark Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unum Group]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=76184</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Friday, the rating agency A.M.Best affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) on Torchmark Corp. (TMK) and its subsidiaries. Torchmark&#8217;s subsidiaries have been conferred with FSR of &#8220;A+&#8221; and ICR of &#8220;aa-&#8221;, while Torchmark has been bestowed with an ICR of &#8220;a-&#8221;, along with its existing debt ratings. All the ratings hold a stable outlook. A.M.Best acknowledges Torchmark&#8217;s solid market presence as well as a broad product profile that offers annuities, whole and term life insurance, accidental death insurance, health insurance, Medicare supplements, and long-term healthcare policies. Torchmark makes these offerings through its subsidiaries Liberty National Life, American Income Life Insurance, United Investors Life Insurance, United American Insurance and Globe Life and Accident Insurance. The rating agency views that a low premium growth in ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Company News for May 31, 2011 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/31/afl-company-news-for-may-31-2011-corporate-summary/75182</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/31/afl-company-news-for-may-31-2011-corporate-summary/75182#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 16:59:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRCM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Broadcom Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVS Caremark Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deutsche Bank AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EBAY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eBay Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entergy Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ETR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FBCM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FBR Capital Markets Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GHM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GOOG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Graham Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marvell Technology Group Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MedcoHealth Solutions Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MHS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRVL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nasdaq OMX Group Inc]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[NYX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weyerhaeuser Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WY]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=75182</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[•    Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRVL) reported first quarter fiscal 2012 adjusted earnings per share of 24 cents, 2 cents shy of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 26 cents. Despite the miss, shares increased 8.86% in after-market trade on encouraging second quarter guidance •    Graham Corp. (AMEX:GHM) reported fourth quarter EPS of 27 cents, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 19 cents per share •    Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) was sued by eBay Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:EBAY) PayPal over allegations of stealing mobile payment technology trade secrets •    Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) downgraded AFLAC Inc. (NYSE:AFL) to equal weight •    It was reported that MedcoHealth Solutions Inc. (NYSE:MHS) will lose the Federal Employee Program contract to CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE:CVS), effective January 2012 •    The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) upgraded its rating ]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(UNM) Unum Group Analyst Reiterates Shares at Neutral</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/14/unm-unum-group-analyst-reiterates-shares-at-neutral/71573</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/14/unm-unum-group-analyst-reiterates-shares-at-neutral/71573#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:25:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CIGNA Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lincoln National Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LNC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unum Group]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=71573</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Owing to unemployment and sluggish economic recovery that are expected to delay new business accrual and exert pressure on premium growth coupled with low interest rates that are expected to impact investment income and reserving practices, we reiterate out Neutral recommendation on Unum Group (UNM). Unum’s fourth quarter earnings lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate due to soft performance at Unum UK and Colonial Life. Unum&#8217;s U.S. segment, which accounts for a major portion of the company’s premium income, recession unfavorably affected premium growth in 2009. During the most recent quarter premium income witnessed a decline though modest. Due to the slow economic recovery and continued pricing discipline, we expect only a slight increase in enrollments which will restrict the premium growth. Also, at Colonial Life, we expect a moderate premium ]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AAPL) Company News for March 15, 2011 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/16/aapl-company-news-for-march-15-2011-corporate-summary/68762</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/16/aapl-company-news-for-march-15-2011-corporate-summary/68762#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:07:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Computers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AAPL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[General Electric Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lubrizol Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LZ]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Sony Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valero Energy Corporation]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Walt Disney Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=68762</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[• Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKB) agreed to buy The Lubrizol Corporation (NYSE:LZ) for $135 per share. This all cash deal is estimated at $9 billion • Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) announced that its Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea theme parks are expected to be shut down for about 10 days following the earthquake in Japan • General Electric (NYSE:GE) shares fell more than 2% after news of a possible nuclear leak form Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan. The company designed six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant in Japan • Analysts’ estimate that the massive quake in Japan could cost insurance company Aflac (NYSE:AFL) nearly $35 billion • Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares closed 0.45% higher at $353.56 after analysts estimated that the company sold close to 1 million units of its iPad 2 • Valero Energy Corp. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/16/aapl-company-news-for-march-15-2011-corporate-summary/68762/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(AAPL) Stock Market News for March 15, 2011 &#8211; Market News</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/16/aapl-stock-market-news-for-march-15-2011-market-news/68756</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/16/aapl-stock-market-news-for-march-15-2011-market-news/68756#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:05:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Computers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AAPL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coach Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exxon Mobil Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Solar Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frontier Oil Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSLR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FTO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Electric Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JA Solar Holdings Company Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JASO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LDK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LDK Solar CompanyLimited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lubrizol Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tesoro Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Refining Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WNR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XOM]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=68756</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Monday a host of worrying events in Japan took the markets lower. After dropping to their lowest intraday levels in six weeks, the major U.S. stock indexes rebounded late in the afternoon and markets trimmed their losses. The market strength was as usual on the declining side, with all three benchmarks dipping lower to close in the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) finished at 11,993.16, shedding 51.24 points or 0.43%. Earlier in the day, the Dow fell 147 points recording its lowest intraday level in six weeks. GE (NYSE:GE) which has nuclear ventures with Hitachi in Japan fell more than 2% and was the most declining stock of the blue-chip index. The Standard &#38; Poor 500 (S&#38;P 500) fell 0.60% to close at 1,296.39. The Nasdaq closed ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(LNC) Lincoln National Fourth Quarter Earnings Lag Forecast on Higher Charges</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/02/07/lnc-lincoln-national-fourth-quarter-earnings-lag-forecast-on-higher-charges/66360</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/02/07/lnc-lincoln-national-fourth-quarter-earnings-lag-forecast-on-higher-charges/66360#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:11:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danaos Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Genworth Financial Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GNW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LNC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unilever plc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=66360</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Lincoln National Corporation’s (LNC) fourth quarter operating earnings per share of 82 cents came in way behind the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 88 cents and 90 cents recorded in the prior-year quarter. Results were primarily impacted by a charge of $41 million or 13 cents per share arising from litigation and settlement expenses. However, favorable investment income results and other items mitigated this decline by $9.0 million or 3 cents per share. Consequently, operating income decreased 10.4% year over year to $265.5 million. Conversely, net income available to common shareholders was $195.6 million or 60 cents per share compared with $84.1 million or 27 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. GAAP net income for the reported quarter also came in at $195.6 million, though up from $102.3 million in ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/02/07/lnc-lincoln-national-fourth-quarter-earnings-lag-forecast-on-higher-charges/66360/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) Insurance Industry Update &#8211; December 2010 &#8211; Industry Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/10/aig-insurance-industry-update-december-2010-industry-outlook/61851</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/10/aig-insurance-industry-update-december-2010-industry-outlook/61851#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:14:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Safety Insurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ASI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China Life Insurance Company Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CNA Surety Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employers Holdings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IPCC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OneBeacon Insurance Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protective Life Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Safety Insurance Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SAFT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SUR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unitrin Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UTR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=61851</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After enduring stress with respect to pricing pressure and reduced insured exposure through mid-2009, the overall health of the U.S. insurance industry has started improving. Though the market turmoil forced many companies to take immense write-downs, the worst of the crisis appears to be now behind us. The soft market conditions, along with legislative changes, remain the chief causes for concern for the overall industry at this point. The industry continues to be challenged by the regulatory uncertainties and massive health care restructuring. Though there are signs of economic recovery, its sluggish pace is expected to continue at least through the first half of 2011. Also, structural economies of scale have pushed the industry toward consolidation. Moving forward, maintaining profitability after complying with the regulatory requirements is not expected to ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/10/aig-insurance-industry-update-december-2010-industry-outlook/61851/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Aflac Analyst Raises Shares to Outperform</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/25/afl-aflac-analyst-raises-shares-to-outperform/59986</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/25/afl-aflac-analyst-raises-shares-to-outperform/59986#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Nov 2010 04:42:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Catalyst Health Solutions Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CHSI]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=59986</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Thursday, we upgraded our recommendation on the shares of Aflac Inc. (AFL) to Outperform from Neutral based on its recent dividend hike coupled with the resumption of its stock buyback program, reflecting a fair liquidity and retaining investors’ confidence. Besides, Aflac’s third quarter per share of $1.45 came in modestly ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.39 and also compared favorably with earnings of $1.25 in the year-ago quarter. Earnings for the reported quarter benefited from a top-line growth of 19% year over year and a stronger yen/dollar exchange rate that helped increase operating earnings per share by 7 cents. Aflac has been achieving its earnings target for the last 20 years, which is reflected in its consistent dividend increment. Maintaining this trend, in August 2010, Aflac hiked ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/25/afl-aflac-analyst-raises-shares-to-outperform/59986/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(LNC) Lincoln National Investors Get Early Christmas</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/14/lnc-lincoln-national-investors-get-early-christmas/59206</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/14/lnc-lincoln-national-investors-get-early-christmas/59206#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Nov 2010 21:54:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amerisafe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMSF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LNC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MCO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moody's Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PartnerRe Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=59206</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After successfully reconstructing its debt, Lincoln National Corp. (LNC) made yesterday eventful by outlining a number of ways to return wealth to shareholders, which includes a dividend hike, resumption of share repurchase program and redemption of preferred securities. The board of Lincoln has announced a significantly increased its quarterly dividend of 5 cents per share from the previous pay-out of one cent per share. The hiked dividend will be paid on February 1, 2011 to shareholders of record as on January 10, 2011. This marks the first dividend hike since 2007. Lincoln has announced its objective of buying back common equity shares worth approximately $125 million over the following 15 months. Besides, the company also aims to redeem all of its outstanding 6.75% Series F Trust preferred securities worth $150 ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/14/lnc-lincoln-national-investors-get-early-christmas/59206/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) Insurance Industry Stock Update &#8211; August 2010 &#8211; Industry Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/03/aig-insurance-industry-stock-update-august-2010-industry-outlook/46303</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/03/aig-insurance-industry-stock-update-august-2010-industry-outlook/46303#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:40:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ameriprise Financial Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employers Holdings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LNC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PFG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SFG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[StanCorp Financial Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UAM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unitrin Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Universal American Corp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UTR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=46303</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After enduring stress with respect to pricing pressure and reduced insured exposure through mid-2009, the overall health of the U.S. insurance industry has improved to a great extent in 2010. Though the market turmoil forced many companies to take immense write-downs, the worst of the crisis appears to be now behind us. The soft market conditions, along with legislative changes, remain the chief causes for concern for the overall industry at this point. The industry continues to be challenged by the regulatory uncertainties and massive health care restructuring. Though there are signs of economic recovery, its sluggish pace is expected to continue at least through the remainder of 2010. Also, structural economies of scale have pushed the industry toward consolidation. While enormous financial support from the government helped rescue American ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/03/aig-insurance-industry-stock-update-august-2010-industry-outlook/46303/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Aflac First Quarter Earnings Beat</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/29/afl-aflac-first-quarter-earnings-beat/35431</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/29/afl-aflac-first-quarter-earnings-beat/35431#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:18:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=35431</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Aflac Inc.’s (AFL) first quarter earnings per share of $1.41 were ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32. This compared favorably with earnings of $1.22 in the year-ago quarter. Earnings in the reported quarter excluded after-tax realized investment losses of $30 million or 6 cents per share, compared to losses of $10 million or $0.02 per share that were totally offset by a gain of $10 million or $0.02 per share from the extinguishment of debt in the prior-year quarter. Earnings for the reported quarter benefited from top-line growth and a stronger yen/dollar exchange rate that helped increase earnings per share by 5 cents. Including one-time investment losses, GAAP net income for the reported quarter came in at $636 million or $1.35 per share, compared to $569 million or ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AMSF) Analysts Ask How Safe is Amerisafe?</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/10/amsf-analysts-ask-how-safe-is-amerisafe/30235</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/10/amsf-analysts-ask-how-safe-is-amerisafe/30235#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:57:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amerisafe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMSF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Catalyst Health Solutions Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CHSI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unum Group]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=30235</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Amerisafe Inc. (AMSF), a specialty provider of high-hazard workers’ compensation insurance, is becoming less attractive to analysts following its fourth quarter 2009 earnings release last week. With a soft market cycle, characterized by increased competition that results in lower premium rates, expanded policy coverage terms and higher commissions paid to agencies, Amerisafe reported lower-than-expected quarterly results. The weak earnings ultimately translated to estimate revisions in the downward direction over the last 7 days. Downward Estimate Revisions Trend Over the last 7 days, 3 of the 7 analysts covering the stock have lowered their estimates for the first quarter of 2010, while no upward revisions were given. Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the first quarter is operating earnings of 45 cents per share, which would be down by 16.7% from ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AFL) Aflac Incorporated Surpasses Expectations &#8211; Raises Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/04/afl-aflac-incorporated-surpasses-expectations-raises-outlook/26887</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/04/afl-aflac-incorporated-surpasses-expectations-raises-outlook/26887#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:42:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accident & Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=26887</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Aflac Incorporated’s (AFL) fourth quarter earnings of $1.18 cents per share were ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16. This compared favorably with earnings of 98 cents in the year-ago quarter. Earnings in the reported quarter excluded after-tax realized investment losses of $307 million or 65 cents per share, compared to losses of $262 million or 56 cents in the prior-year quarter. Earnings for the reported quarter benefited from a decline in its operating tax rate following the completion of an examination by the Internal Revenue Service, which benefited operating earnings by $24 million or 5 cents per share. Also, the stronger yen/dollar exchange rate helped increase earnings per share by 3 cents. Including one-time investment losses, net income for the reported quarter came in at $251 million or 53 ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>($AIG) Insurance Industry &#8211; Industry Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/12/07/aig-insurance-industry-industry-outlook/22137</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/12/07/aig-insurance-industry-industry-outlook/22137#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:40:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ameriprise Financial Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amerisafe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMSF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INDM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LNC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NYM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nymagic Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PartnerRe Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PFG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PMI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PMI Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United America Indemnity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=22137</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The turmoil in the financial markets has created a highly challenging environment for the U.S. insurance industry, forcing many companies to take immense write-downs. This trend is expected to continue at least through the first half of 2010, though there are some early signs of an economic recovery. Also, structural economies of scale have pushed the industry toward consolidation. While enormous financial support from the government rescued AIG (AIG) from collapsing, many other firms remain under tremendous pressure or have not been able to survive. Competition within the segments of the industry has reduced as a result of rising mergers and acquisitions. This has increased the market shares of the largest firms. We expect growth to be stuck with persistent soft market conditions and an ongoing market crisis, resulting in ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/12/07/aig-insurance-industry-industry-outlook/22137/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(WMT) China&#8217;s Economy Booming Again</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/11/04/wmt-chinas-economy-booming-again/19686</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/11/04/wmt-chinas-economy-booming-again/19686#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:06:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Claymore-AlphaShares China Small Cap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HAO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Target Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TGT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Coca-Cola Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=19686</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The World Bank now estimates that China will grow 8.4% in 2009, up from its June forecast of 7.2% growth. Like the U.S., China embarked on a large fiscal stimulus program, one that relative to the size of its economy is more than three times as large as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was. Well, surprise, surprise &#8212; a bigger package has been more effective than a smaller one at lifting economic growth. China, of course, is in a better fiscal position to invest in its economy than the U.S. That is a legacy of the years of fiscal mismanagement in the U.S. going into the crisis, and the fact that China perpetually runs large trade surpluses while the U.S. runs chronic trade deficits. For 2010, as some of ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/11/04/wmt-chinas-economy-booming-again/19686/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(BA) Deficit Not As Bad As Feared</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/09/14/ba-deficit-not-as-bad-as-feared/15100</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/09/14/ba-deficit-not-as-bad-as-feared/15100#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:34:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aerospace/Defense - Major Diversified]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Industrial Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boeing Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coca-Cola Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=15100</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Late Friday, the Treasury Department released the budget deficit for August. It came in at $111.4 billion, which was far better than the $140 billion monthly shortfall that had been expected. It was also slightly less than the budget shortfall in August 2008. And it was a huge improvement over the $180.7 billion deficit in July. However, don’t get too excited about the month-to-month decline as the monthly budget deficit numbers are extremely seasonal. Although that seasonality is reason to be very optimistic. Not long ago, the projections for the fiscal 2009 budget deficit were running at about $1.8 Trillion. With 11 months now under our belt (the Government&#8217;s fiscal year ends in September), the cumulative deficit is now $1.38 Trillion.  Thus if September were to come in at the same level as ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/09/14/ba-deficit-not-as-bad-as-feared/15100/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(AIG) American International Group &#8211; Politicians Monitor Health Insurers</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/08/21/aig-american-international-group-politicians-monitor-health-insurers/13066</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/08/21/aig-american-international-group-politicians-monitor-health-insurers/13066#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:55:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aetna Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group,]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CIGNA Corp.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Gr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HUM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humana Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Co]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=13066</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Democrats in Congress have asked the nation’s biggest health insurers to provide data on executive compensation and bonus, profit margins, corporate retreats and spending and premium charges as part of its investigation of the private health insurance industry. The inquiry is in an effort to change the debate to focus on health insurers rather than focusing on the solutions to health care concerns. There was also dispute over the creation of a government-run health system along private insurers. The Democrats are trying to examine whether business practices of the industry oppose Obama’s proposal for a public health insurance plan. The US House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman sent letters to 52 insurance companies on Monday, asking them to provide details on CEO pay, profit and other data by ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(O) Jeff Saut: Making a Case for the Bulls</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/02/05/o-jeff-saut-making-a-case-for-the-bulls/2592</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/02/05/o-jeff-saut-making-a-case-for-the-bulls/2592#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:20:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>prieur</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[REIT - Retail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AFLAC Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corp.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ESS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Essex Property Trust Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inergy LP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JNJ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Johnson & Johnson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NRGY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[O]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PII]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Polaris Industries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Realty Income Corp.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Republic Services Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RSG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Home Depot]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/02/05/o-jeff-saut-making-a-case-for-the-bulls/2592</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is a guest contribution by Jeffrey Saut, Chief Investment Strategist and Managing Director of Equity Research at Raymond James &#38; Associates. I believe “income” will be a profitable investment theme for the foreseeable future. Indeed, the baby boomers are retiring; and, the yields afforded them via Treasury securities, money-market funds, and certificates of deposit (CDs) won’t supplement their retirement account incomes enough to support them in the style to which they have become accustomed. Enter stocks, which since 1926 have averaged a total annualized return of 10.4%. Interestingly, roughly 5% of that return has come from earnings growth, 0.9% has come from price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple expansions &#8211; but 4.5% of said return was derived from dividends. More than 40% of long-term investment returns have been driven by dividends. ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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