Today, Twilio announced that it would set the price of its' first offering to the public at fifteen dollars per share. This values the firm at about $1.23 billion, which is over its' prior one billion dollar valuation from the previous financing round.

The firm expects to make about 150 million dollars, with an additional 1.5 million shares available for sale. Also, this is a bigger price than the twelve to fourteen dollars per share amount that the firm targeted in the past.

The Twilio IPO is important, because tech IPOs have dried up considerably in 2016. Concern has spread among many small businesses that have run into problems, due to the dearth of tech IPOs this year (Twilio is just the third of 2016). Most startups hope that Twilio will revitalize the tech IPO industry, with a good showing once trading starts tomorrow.

The debate over the $15 dollar minimum wage has two sides, one that believes that the higher wages will mean less jobs and the side that wants to see better incomes for employees in low skill jobs in America. Currently 2 states and 4 cities have passed laws to increase the minimum wage to this level over the next couple of years. This higher wage will have negative impacts on businesses and the workers that currently are employed there, while limiting the number of available jobs for young workers.

Franchise locations of the popular fast food chain McDonalds are everywhere and employee millions of American workers. But the franchises only keep 6 cents of every dollar of revenue that they generate, the rest goes to staff, food, rent, etc. A typical franchise has income of $2.6 million a year or $156,000. With this new minimum wage, 15 employees will cost the franchise 75% of its profit for the year. The company will attempt to increase revenue through price increases but customers are sensitive to these increases and lower wage earnings will be most affected by the increase in their purchases.

Rents  Down in 2016 Forecast

Zillow Rent Forecast sees rents to slow, shifting to low gear in all the 12 months of 2016 that will include even well-performing markets in the previous years.

For renters though, Zillow predicts a flat line this year as well, a market movement that is expected from a meager 1.1 % rent increase.

Back in 2015, rents shoot up over the charts well enough to go beyond the average income of most tenants and renters which then made rent affordability one of the most volatile issues then. This is dominantly obvious in rising metropolitan areas such as San Francisco where rent appreciation rose more than two digits or exactly 12.5 %. This will most likely not be an issue in 2016 where rent increases are performing only half as quickly compared to 2015.

H and R Block shares have come down 21% in the last month after a disappointing third quarter caused a mass exodus by investors from the stock. However, we believe that fourth quarter earnings could turn H and R Block stock around and potentially offer up a significant opportunity for the savvy investor.

Though the third quarter is traditionally low performing for H and R Block, this year's loss was greater than expected. Revenue declined to $475 million, far lower than the expected $502 million. The third quarter loss amounted to $79 million, a significant increase from the $37 million third quarter loss experienced in 2015. In its third quarter results, the company also noted that they have experienced their fourth consecutive year of declining volume.

Remember like eight years ago when Solar Stocks were hot? The industry is hot once again and for some good reasons.

Solar Array Technology is Better

The technology that makes up the vast number of solar arrays in the world is getting better all the time. A little improvement in the technology is multiplied when implemented on farms of solar panels.

The Costs Are Improving

Could solar really be as cheap as coal and/or nuclear energy? Some believe so. Up to this point there has been a strong demand for government subsidies in the industry to keep the costs low. One way to keep the costs low is install the solar arrays on the rooftops of buildings and to the energy created within the building. This eliminates to costs factors, land and transmission.

In the world of trading, put option and call option have turned out to be very familiar terms. It is important that you have a better understanding on these two terms before you put your investment into place. If you like to enjoy great returns from the investments that you make, then you might need to shift your focus on trading call options. That way, you can trade in a more favorable trading conditions. When you plan to put your company shares on sale with an agreed price and set the expiration date on your own, call options should be your path. This option allows you to enjoy a more updated price on your offering. When the price of your underlying assets rises, your call options should increase in value as well. Unlike a call option, a put option allows you to put your shares in the market with similar requirements. If you like to see which option is the best one for you, then it is important that you finish reading this short passage.

If you ever wonder about the fastest way to make yourself very rich, then buying and selling options seem like the most reasonable choice. However they are also a quick way to lose a large amount of money as well. For the first reason, many people are interested in making profits this way. On the other hand, many people are also too scared to try. In spite of the hair-raising stories you might have heard about this issue, there is no reason for you to be fearful. Swing trading options is a simple strategy that will lead you to a more reliable, protected and steady income gain. Thanks to the short time frame, where the execution of swing trades is 2 to 10 days, swings are essential for having successful option trades.

Every option trader is able to find online a number of different trading strategies. Thus, it is very important that we have a better understanding about option trading before making a choice. More interestingly, option trading can be a clear path to huge profit potential. Compared to other instruments of investment you might choose from, option swing trading stands out as a more profitable choice. Call option swing trading comes in a number of different types. Most of the time, swing trading strategies based on options includes buying puts at reversal points when the uptrend has occurred and buying calls at reversal points when downtrends take place. The basic strategy of swing trading has four variations you can use.

In Washington, people are having trouble coming to terms with the nation's numerous social and economic troubles. It is a bad idea for our government to leave our limited public resources to the hands of wealthy and politically well-connected corporations like the Export and Import Bank.

Those who are in favor of the current status argue that the bank benefits taxpayers because it protects jobs and promotes US exports. However, these are unsubstantiated arguments that will not stand up to further inquiry. As a matter of fact, less than 2 percent of US exports are supported by the bank yearly, and the usual beneficiaries are huge businesses like Caterpillar and Boeing.
Moreover, the bank's claim of supporting 205,000 jobs in 2013 was disputed by the Government Accounting Office, stating that the bank did not consider the number of jobs that would have been available if the bank had not been present among other arguments. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office reported that over the next decade, the bank is estimated to yield losses to taxpayers.

Job Losses and Casino Bankruptcies Do Not Concern Donald Trump

On August 31, the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City closed its doors as did the Revel Hotel some days prior. This resulted in the loss of approximately 5,000 jobs which included dealers, waitresses, bartenders, security guards and other personnel in the casino. The Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City is also poised for closure in late September, which will bring the number of laid off workers to 6,000.

Donald Trump has a lengthy history in Atlantic City and this includes him leaving his business deals in the area before the collapse of the local economy.

It was during the early 1980s when Trump first bought properties on the Atlantic City boardwalk after having received approval from the state's gaming and control board. This resulted in his forming a partnership with Holiday Inn and building Trump Plaza. The deal that Trump negotiated allowed him to collect 50% of all profits without assuming any liability for casino losses throughout the casino's first five years.

A positive earnings report for the 3rd quarter and some positive guidance boosted Boeing (BA) stock today by near 2%. Commercial place deliveries provided for a revenue surprise of $25.85 billion. A 7% increase from the prior year period. The new earnings guidance came in above the range of $7.7-7.9 a share at $7.95-8.15.

Profit popped 25% and the company reduced costs on its 787 Dreamliner that many analyst have been pushing for. The company has a backlog of 5700 jets which is a good number of orders that should keep revenue solid going forward. Other worries include the closing of the import-export bank and slowing demand from emerging markets. The company did not feel these issues would be enough to offset current positive trends.