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Published
Tuesday, April 19,
2016, in Vol. 17, No. 76
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San José,
Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 19,
2016, Vol. 17, No. 76
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New stamp
honors a former president
By the A.M. Costa
Rica staff
Correos de Costa Rica officially presented Monday a new commemorative stamp that honors former president José Joaquín Trejos Fernández on his
Correos also is honoring the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz on its 75th anniversary with a commemorative postmark. The postmark is on sale with an envelope commemorating Franklin Chang’s space walk that was issued in 2007.
Isthmus volcano a suspect in big chill By the A.M. Costa
Rica staff
European researchers are looking at Central American volcanoes as possible suspects in the mystery cloud that dimmed the light of the sun above the Mediterranean in the years 536 and 537. They also are looking at volcanoes in Indonesia and North America, they said. The report was a joint one from the University of Oslo and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany. Contemporary chroniclers wrote about the mystery cloud, according to the report. Tree rings testify to poor growing conditions over the whole Northern Hemisphere. The years from 536 onward seem to have been overshadowed by an unusual natural phenomenon. Social crises including the first European plague pandemic beginning in 541, are associated with this phenomenon, it said. Only recently have researchers found conclusive proof of a volcanic origin of the 536 solar dimming, based on traces of volcanic sulfur from two major eruptions newly dated to 536 and 540 in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, the report said. An international team led by Matthew Toohey at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre and Kirstin Krüger of the University of Oslo have investigated the time period using the new ice core data, historical evidence and climate models. As they write in the international journal Climatic Change, the impact of the volcanic double event of 536/540 on Northern Hemisphere climate was stronger than any other documented or reconstructed event of the past 1,200 years, according to the report. “One of the eruptions would have led to a significant cooling of the Earth’s surface. Two of them, so close in time, caused what is probably the coldest decade of the past 2000 years,” Toohey was quoted as saying.
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San José,
Costa Rica, Tuesday, April
19, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 76
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| Builders
capitalizing on home buyers who can live with less |
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By Rommel Téllez
Special to A.M. Costa Rica Real estate development firms are turning to lower middle class clients in an attempt to benefit from the lack of low-cost housing opportunities, according to José Miguel Porras, president of the Cámara Costarricense de Corredores de Bienes Raíces. These developments are located close to low income neighborhoods, such as Alajuelita and San Sebastián. In these places land is cheaper so it makes it possible for companies to offer houses with prices ranging from $65,000 to $80,000, said Porras. “In order to protect future residents from potential crime, houses are designed to be bubbles where groceries and basic services are offered to the people, so they don´t have to get out of the neighborhood.” he explained. This market niche is supposed to grow in the years to come, and more developers are figuring out a way to reach it. However, their main challenge is how to keep prices low. “Usually their low cost is achieved by building smaller units with simpler details.” said Porras. This trend has increased since 2013 and it offers an affordable way for people to buy their first property, specially younger people who are either single or married without kids, according to data from the real estate chamber. “Usually these people are granted two years to save their down payment, which is a great advantage for those who do not have a big cash flow. After that, bankers are waiting to finance the remainder of the cost.” added Porras. Dagoberto Hidalgo, president of the social housing committee from the Cámara Nacional de la Construcción, explained this |
trend
has become more visible in the last three years, partly
because selling higher priced properties is now more
difficult . “That places a lot of pressure in the market, so businesses are now exploring new opportunities.” he said. Hidalgo also points out that much of the social housing developments has increased thanks to government grants delivered by the Banco Hipotecario de la Vivivienda and Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo. According to Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos, as of 2013, 63 percent of houses in the country were already paid off, 18 percent were rented and 9 percent still have a mortgage. Luis Javier Chavarría is the business manager of Rock Construction, a company that developed Málaga City, one of these lower priced projects. He explained that new markets imply changes on how people afford a house. “Part of the reason we are into this kind of construction is our social commitment as a company. Our duty to find a way to serve people and keep the business profitable.” he said. “The idea is that mortgage payments be the same as rent prices. That´s what we tell the bankers. Look, if a person is not granted a loan, then they will go ahead and rent for the same amount of money if not higher. It´s a expense people will have to go through anyway.” In the case of Málaga, the project will have 1,600 houses. Chavarría explained that, in order to keep it profitable, it needs to be huge. That way, the financial gain will come from high volume sales. “We believe that little by little this type of housing will become more popular because gone are the days when people aspired to own big properties. Somehow we`ve learned to live with less,” Chavarría adds. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | ||
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San José,
Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 19,
2016, Vol. 17, No. 76
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| Survey
shows high use of prayers for health and laying on of
hands |
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By the Baylor University news
staff
Nearly nine of 10 Americans have relied upon healing prayer at some point in their lives, praying for others even more than for themselves, according to a study by a Baylor University epidemiologist. “The most surprising finding is that more than a quarter of all Americans have practiced laying on of hands and nearly one in five has done so on multiple occasions,” said Jeff Levin, at the Texas university. “Outside of belief in God, there may be no more ubiquitous religious expression in the U.S. than use of healing prayer,” Levin said. The findings also suggest that prayer may be among the most widely used forms of treatment for medical problems, rather than a fringe activity as many people might believe, he said. The study is published in the Journal of Religion and Health. Findings are based on analyses of data from the third round of the Baylor Religion Survey, a nationally representative population survey conducted in partnership with the Gallup Organization in 2010. More than three-fourths of Americans have prayed for their own healing, and nearly a third do so often, Levin said. Nearly 90 percent have prayed for the healing of others, and more than half report doing so often. More than half of Americans have asked for healing prayer and have taken part in prayer groups. “Interestingly, most people who use prayer for healing do so alongside regular medical care, rather than as a substitution, as has been presumed up to now,” Levin said. “Healing prayer is being used more as a complementary treatment rather than as an alternative one.” The practice of laying on of hands is found in the Bible and has long been used by Christians and Jews as a means to ordain clergy and to bless people, but also to transmit physical healing, Levin said. “For many of us, the image that might come to mind is the faith healer. But these findings show that the practice is much more widespread, as is healing prayer in general,” he said. Statistical analysis of the survey of 1,714 U.S. adults showed: * 78.8 percent of participants have prayed for healing for themselves at some point in their lives, and 32.4 percent do so often * 87.4 percent have prayed for healing for others, and 51.1 percent do so often * 54.1 percent have asked for prayers for their health * 26.1 percent have given a laying on of hands for healing * 53 percent have participated in a prayer group, prayer circle or prayer chain While certain factors, such as frequent religious attendance, reading Scripture or meditation, were predictive of at least one form of healing prayer, the one most consistent predictor was a |
 Baylor
University graphic
An example of laying on of hands.loving relationship with God, the study found. “People who feel a close connection to God, who love God and feel loved by God, are the very people most likely to pray for healing: for themselves or others, alone or in a group, and verbally or through laying on of hands,” Levin said. “These people are taking to heart the biblical call to ‘love your neighbor as yourself,’ something found in both the Old and New Testaments,” he said. Whether the prayers work is beyond the scope of his research, Levin said. “So much has been written in the medical literature in the past several years about the possibility that prayer heals,” he said. “There have even been a series of controversial and inconclusive clinical trials. “But with so much attention paid to the efficacy of prayer — something science may not ever be capable of proving one way or another to everyone’s satisfaction — almost no attention has been given to simply documenting the practice. How many people pray for healing? How often? Who are these folks? That’s why this study was done.” The next step will be to investigate whether there are differences in rates of healing prayer across religions and denominations, Levin said. But “preliminary analysis suggests that the practice is widespread, regardless of one’s religious background or beliefs,” he added. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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A.M. Costa Rica's
Fifth news page |
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San José,
Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 19,
2016, Vol. 17, No. 76
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in Social Security frauds Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Federal authorities in Los Angeles, California, have charged 22 defendants with defrauding the Social Security Administration by illegally receiving cash benefits and causing a cumulative loss of $2.6 million. Most of the defendants are charged with taking Social Security benefits for relatives after the family members had died and failing to alert the agency of the death. Federal grand juries in Los Angeles returned 21 indictments last week, cases that were announced today after one defendant, an employee of the Social Security Administration, was arrested for allegedly diverting benefits to herself, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Those charged last week include the federal government employee, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy and a San Fernando Valley man who is accused of illegally receiving more than $400,000. All of the defendants are charged with theft of government property, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Some of the defendants are charged with additional offenses, including aggravated identity theft and defrauding the Social Security Administration.  Voice of
America/E. Cherneff
Protesters in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in
Washington D.C. Demonstrators rally in D.C. As court hears illegals case By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Monday outside the U.S. Supreme Court chanting "Yes We Can," while inside the court justices considered a key phrase that could decide a landmark case debating the legality of President Barack Obama's executive order on immigration. The court appeared to be divided over the meaning of the phrase "lawful presence" in Obama's 2014 executive order deferring deportations for some undocumented immigrants and whether it effectively created a new immigration law. The justices’ decision will have far-reaching implications on executive actions by future presidential administrations and comes at a time when the nation’s flawed immigration system is a constant focus of election-year debate. Obama's 2014 executive action expanded and created programs deferring deportation for the undocumented parents of legal U.S. citizens and residents and for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children. The programs open up the opportunity for legal work permits, but do not give applicants a path to permanent residency or citizenship. The U.S. v. Texas lawsuit before the court argues the president exceeded his constitutional authority by effectively making new immigration laws through the programs. A decision in the Texas lawsuit will affect pending lawsuits in 25 other states opposing the president’s immigration actions. U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., arguing the government's case, said the phrase "lawful presence" could be removed from the language ordering the programs without changing their impact. Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller, arguing for the lawsuit, called the president's order one of the largest immigration changes in American history. Keller said the programs not only defer deportations, they change immigration status because they allow undocumented immigrants to obtain work authorizations. Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared to agree when he said, "The president is setting policy, and Congress is executing it. It seems upside down." Opponents say the Obama administration has not made a convincing constitutional argument for its actions. Obama has said his 2014 executive order directing immigration enforcement priorities was a result of Congress' failure to act on immigration reform. A representative for Republicans in the House of Representatives argued Monday that only the U.S. Congress can create a pathway for immigrants in the U.S. to obtain lawful presence, and said the president's programs are far outside the federal government's enforcement discretion over immigration. Earlier in the year, Congressional Republicans filed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting the lawsuits, writing "neither any immigration law now on the books, nor the Constitution empowers the executive to authorize, let alone facilitate, the prospective violation of those laws on a massive class-wide scale." The absence of a ninth Supreme Court justice, after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February, could result in a split 4-4 decision on the Texas lawsuit. Only a majority decision of the Supreme Court can set a precedent, so the other 25 lawsuits would work their way through lower state courts for individual decisions. The Supreme Court will announce the decision in June. Obama said to be against bill that exposes Saudis to suits By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Despite calls from victims’ families, the White House says President Barack Obama likely would not sign legislation that could allow countries like Saudi Arabia to be sued for any role officials may have played in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. “The whole notion of sovereign immunity is at stake. And it is one that has more significant consequences for the United States than any other country,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday. The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act would allow 9/11 families to sue foreign states and financial partners of terrorism. The legislation is receiving increased scrutiny following a report in The New York Times that quoted Saudi officials who said the Arab kingdom would sell off billions of dollars in U.S. assets if Congress passes such a measure. When asked about the bill during Monday’s briefing, White House spokesman Earnest said given the list of concerns about the legislation, it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the president would sign it as it is currently drafted. “This question of sovereign immunity is something that protects the ability of the United States to work closely with countries all around the world,” the press secretary noted. “Walking back that principle would put the United States, our taxpayers and our service members and diplomats at risk.” The comments come just a day before Obama travels to Saudi Arabia for the Gulf Cooperation Council summit on Thursday, with talks expected to focus on the fight against the Islamic State militant group, the Iran nuclear agreement and its destabilizing activities in the region. Earnest called Saudi Arabia an important U.S. counterterrorism partner. He acknowledged that while the two countries do not agree on everything, differences should be resolved through diplomacy. The White House spokesman also downplayed Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir's comments that the kingdom would be forced to sell off some $750 billion in U.S. assets before U.S. courts potentially freeze them. “The Saudi government recognizes that both our countries and our economies benefit from the smooth functioning of the global financial system. And it’s not in their interests to destabilize it,” Earnest told reporters. Senate Democrats want more money for zika fight By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
More than 40 U.S. Senate Democrats sent a letter Monday to Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, demanding immediate passage of $1.9 billion in emergency funds to fight the zika virus. The Democratic lawmakers accuse Republicans of failing to act even after 800 Americans, including 89 pregnant women, have been infected. "It would be shortsighted and dangerous for Congress not to act quickly to give the administration the resources it needs to fully fight the zika virus and protect Americans," according to the letter. The Obama administration said last week it will use $510 million in unspent funds for fighting ebola to tackle zika. But Democrats say public health officials should not have to choose between the two diseases, noting that 13 new ebola cases have cropped up in West Africa over the last month. Republican leaders say they want more information about the president's emergency request for zika, and that they plan to approve some funding. However, they have been vague on when and how much. U.S. health officials confirmed last week that zika is a cause of birth defects, including microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. Experts warn pregnant women or those planning to get pregnant to avoid travel to Latin American countries with large zika outbreaks. Pentagon is inviting hackers to probe sites for weakness By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Every year, the Pentagon spends hundreds of millions of dollars protecting its computer systems from hackers. But for the next few weeks, U.S. defense officials are changing their strategy. They're inviting hackers to attack the Pentagon. The Hack the Pentagon pilot program, which began Monday and lasts until May 12, allows hackers to attack certain Department of Defense public Web sites as a way to identify cyber security weaknesses. U.S. officials stress no sensitive computer systems will be involved in the program. They also say that all hackers must undergo a background check and meet other qualifications. But if they succeed in exposing security flaws, the hackers could receive cash rewards. Large companies have for years used such bug bounty programs as a way to boost cyber security. But this is the first time the U.S. federal government has ever used such a program. Many experts say the move was long overdue. "Hackers will look at your systems anyway," says Mikko Hypponen, the chief research officer at F-Secure, an online security and privacy company. "And once they find vulnerabilities, do you want them to tell you or do you want them to do something bad, or maybe sell them to someone else?" And it's true. U.S. Department of Defense Web sites are already subject to a dizzying number of cyber attacks. In 2012 alone, the department’s public Web sites had four billion visits, according to Christopher Lynch, who heads the Pentagon's new U.S. Digital Service. He says 25 percent of the visits were nefarious in some way. "Think about that, a billion attempts to undermine security. And that’s just a couple of Web sites," Lynch said in a recent article published on TechCrunch. "It’s a mind-numbing challenge that we have to step up to." Katie Moussouris, a consultant who helped the Pentagon launch the bug bounty, calls the program a significant shift in cyber security strategy from punishing hackers to attempting to work with them. "Before this pilot, there was really no legal way for a hacker to report to the U.S. government, because essentially all of the activities that are allowed in this pilot are technically illegal under U.S. Law," she said. Ms. Moussouris says the program could also help improve relations between the U.S. government and the tech industry, a relationship that has suffered after the fallout over the intelligence leaks by ex-security contractor Edward Snowden. In recent years, top U.S. officials have warned of the danger of a cyber attack that could disrupt the country's critical infrastructure. Most notably, ex-Defense secretary Leon Panetta warned in 2012 of the possibility of a cyber-Pearl Harbor, referring to the Japanese attack on a U.S. naval base in 1941. Those security risks were underscored more recently by a cyber attack on the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. federal government's human resources agency. The attack, discovered in 2015, resulted in the theft of personnel data on millions of U.S. federal employees and their families. Hypponen, the cyber security expert, also points to other recent examples of cyber attacks, including an attack last year that originated in Russia that resulted in widespread power outages in Ukraine. "Cyber warfare and cyber attacks are not just theory," he says, adding that the U.S. is particularly vulnerable. "The United States is arguably the most technologically dependent nation on the planet. It brings you great benefits but it does open you up for new kinds of risks." Given the risks, he says it is an obvious step to employ bug bounty programs. "You want the hackers to be on your side. You don't want to fight them. You want to work with them," he said. Cyborg heart patch treats ills and regenerates tissue By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Have you ever had a broken heart? Now there’s a way to fix that, but perhaps not in the way you think. Scientists in Israel have created a life-saving heart patch that can monitor and treat cardiac problems. Researchers at Tel Aviv University developed a revolutionary 3D printed patch, consisting of nano-electronics and live heart tissue grown in a lab. The device, which is applied to a damaged heart, can actually regenerate the cardiac muscle by building up cells in the part with a defect. Co-inventor Tal Dvir, a professor in the Department of Biotechnogy, explained that “the role of the electronics is to sense the function of the tissue and then to activate the tissue when needed." The device can also release medication for heart problems relating to inflammation or a lack of oxygen. And because the patch can expand like the heart but is also a self-regulating machine, a doctor can treat his patient from afar. “The patient is sitting in his house and not feeling well, and the physician immediately sees the condition of the heart on his computer, and can remotely activate the heart, provide electrical stimulation, and release drugs,” said Dvir. For a heart permanently damaged by disease or a heart attack, the patch could become an alternative to a heart transplant. And it may lead to even more promising discoveries. “We are trying to 3D print the whole heart, with the electronics within,” Dvir said. "And I believe that in the future, in 10 to 20 years, there would be such bionic organs in the market or in hospitals to be transplanted." This cyborg heart patch still needs to be tested and it could be years before it’s available. But in the future, it may provide an alternative for people with heart disease. Ecuadorian toll in quake expected to rise some more By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Rescuers in Ecuador Monday pulled three people out alive after being trapped for more than 32 hours in the rubble of a shopping center that was flattened by Saturday's powerful earthquake. Televised images of the dramatic rescue in the port city of Manta gave Ecuadorians hope that scores of people still unaccounted for may yet be found, even as the death toll from Saturday's 7.8 magnitude quake, which struck the country's northwest coast, climbed above 410. The quake, Ecuador's worst natural disaster in more than half a century, injured more than 2,500 people and left thousands homeless. The cities of Manta, Portoviejo and the tourist city of Pedernales were among the worst affected, although damage was widespread throughout the country. "Many people remain buried under the rubble," Ecuadorian Red Cross spokesman Diego Castellanos said Monday from the capital, Quito. In Washington Monday, a State Department spokesman said one American is among those killed in the Ecuador quake. He did not provide further details. Spokesman John Kirby said Washington has offered assistance and stands ready to work with the Ecuadorian government in the relief. Thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed, and have begun providing temporary shelters, although many have spent two nights camped outside their flattened homes. Hundreds of aftershocks have followed, and authorities warn many could be severe. Most of the aftershocks Monday were ranging from 3.1- to 5.7-magnitude, according to the Twitter page of Ecuador's Geophysics Institute. President Rafael Correa, who cut short a visit to Italy to oversee relief efforts, visited the disaster area Sunday. He said the death toll will certainly rise and probably in a considerable way, as rescuers continue to search through the rubble. U.S. Supreme Court declines to overturn Google ruling By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a challenge to Google's online book library from a group of authors who maintain the library hinders their ability to sell their books. The justices let stand lower court rulings and dismissed a claim by The Authors Guild and individual authors that Google's digitizing of more than 20 million books amounts to copyright infringement on an epic scale. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York agreed in October with a lower court that Google was not violating copyright laws as digitized and published online portions of books that amounted to no more than 16 percent of a book. The appeals court said Google Books "does not threaten the rights of holders with any significant harm to the value of their copyrights or diminish their harvest of copyright revenue." AP wins Pulitzer for slavery stories about seafood industry By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
An exposé of slave labor in the Asian seafood industry and breaking news coverage of the San Bernardino terrorist shootings are among the winners of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. This is the 100th year the prizes for journalism, books, drama and music have been awarded. The Associated Press was given the public service award for its investigation of how shrimp and fish processors in Indonesia used slave labor from Myanmar to produce food eaten across the United States and Europe. The series resulted in freedom for about 2,000 men. The Los Angeles Times won for breaking news coverage of last year's massacre of 14 people by husband and wife terrorists in San Bernardino, California. Other prizes went to The New York Times for reports on the lives of misery suffered by Afghan women and the Thomson Reuters news agency for its photographs of refugees. Author Joby Warrick won the non-fiction prize for his book “Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS,” and the prize for fiction went to Vietnamese-born Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of “The Sympathizer,” an acclaimed novel set after the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. The Pulitzer Prizes were founded by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer in 1917 and are awarded every year by Columbia University in New York. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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contents
of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2016 and may not be reproduced anywhere
without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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| A.M. Costa Rica sixth news page |
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San José,
Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 19,
2016, Vol. 17, No. 76
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Most of Florida’s orange acreage
infected by greening, university survey shows By the University of Florida
news staff
Florida’s citrus growers say as much as 90 percent of their acreage and 80 percent of their trees are infected by the deadly greening disease, which is making a huge dent in the state’s $10.7 billion citrus industry, a new University of Florida survey shows. The survey, conducted in March 2015, shows the first grower-based estimates of both the level of citrus greening in Florida and the impact of greening on citrus operations in Florida. Costa Rican citrus growers also are fighting the disease. “Even though the industry acknowledges that greening has reached epidemic proportions across the state, estimates of the level of infection and its impact on citrus operations are scarce,” the researchers wrote in the paper. Faculty members Ariel Singerman and Pilar Useche surveyed about 200 growers to estimate their losses from the disease. They obtained about 76 completed surveys. Those growers operate approximately 30 percent of Florida’s citrus acreage. They also estimate greening has reduced their yield by 41 percent. Surveyed growers said, on average, 90 percent of citrus acreage and 80 percent of trees in their operations had been infected, on average, in any given operation in Florida. Greening was first detected in Florida in 2005 and threatens to destroy Florida’s citrus industry. Florida has lost about $7.8 billion in revenue, 162,200 citrus acres and 7,513 jobs to citrus greening since 2007, according to researchers. Orange production dropped from 242 million to 104 million boxes in 2014, university researchers say. The greening disease bacterium first enters a citrus tree via the tiny Asian Citrus Psyllid. When introduced into the plant by leaf feeding, the bacteria then move through the tree via the veins of the tree. The disease starves the tree of nutrients and damages its roots, and the tree produces fruits that are small and misshapen and have reduced quality, making it unsuitable for sale as fresh fruit or, for the most part, juice. Residents protest for new housing By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Residents of the Triángulo de la Solidaridad community protested Monday and said they plan to march on Casa Presidencial today. The complaint is the lack of speed with which the government is handling their housing needs. More than 250 families are being evicted for construction of the Circunvalación Norte. This is the highway loop from La Uruca to Ruta 32. The residents were on Ruta 32 with signs Monday shouting in Spanish that they want houses. Triángulo de la Solidaridad is what is known as a precario, that is basically a squatters’ village. |
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| From Page 7: U.S. stock markets post yearly records By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire services
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose back above 18,000 during Monday's trading for the first time this year, a level not seen since July 2015. Both the Dow and S&P 500 touched new 2016 highs in Monday trading, despite no agreement on a crude oil production freeze among the 16 major petroleum producers meeting in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend. The big winner was Hasbro as it reported an 83 percent increase in first quarter earnings due to the strength in its Star Wars, Disney Princess and Disney Frozen merchandise. Shares were trading almost 6 percent higher on the stellar results. Consumer Discretionary was the strongest of the 10 S&P 500 sectors followed by healthcare. The major U.S. indices have soared since the Feb. 11 low. There are a few factors contributing to the bullish argument for crude: Kuwait strike, U.S. production down 700,000 barrels per day, demand is improving and the June Organization of Oil Exporting Countries meeting. The key questions are when will global supply peak, and where does oil go from here? Jason Bennett, co-head of international global projects at Baker Botts, a global law firm specializing in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors, believes that the global oil supply has already peaked. “At this price, I think the oil supply has probably peaked. There is plenty of spare production capacity that could be brought on-line, but there is also a fair amount of current production that is likely not economic at today’s prices,” Bennett said. “Those two effects likely offset one another going forward. That being said, the real story is demand, oil supply has plenty of room to grow as demand increases and prices respond.” |
