Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment

Welcome to the Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment blog. At Crew Capital, investment education is key to how we work with our clients. We hope our conversation and analysis entice you to think further on your investment strategies and planning. For further discussion, please contact us at rjung@crewcapital.com

Thank you!
Robert F. Jung, CFA CPA*

*CPA inactve

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Headline Financial News

Foreclosures, inventories to delay housing recovery to 2010:
Falling prices, rising foreclosures and a huge inventory of unsold homes suggest a broad recovery in the housing market is unlikely until next spring, possibly later. The construction of homes and apartments dropped 12.8% in April to 458,000 units, the fewest in 50 years, the U.S. Commerce Department reported. InvestmentNews/The Associated Press (19 May.)

Royal Dutch Shell's stockholders reject executive-pay plan:
Nearly 60% of shareholders attending Royal Dutch Shell's annual meeting voted to reject the company's executive-pay plan and demanded that members of the committee that proposed it resign. The proposal called for awarding bonuses to executives despite the fact that the company's performance has repeatedly fallen short of targets set in 2005. The Times (London) (20 May.)

China subtly diminishes exposure to U.S. Treasuries:
China, long the biggest foreign buyer of U.S. Treasuries, is implementing a subtle shift in its investment in response to the large amount of debt the U.S. has put on the market since the economic crisis began. Anticipating that the U.S. will be forced to push up interest rates at some point to cope with inflation, China is shifting its Treasury buying from long-term debt to shorter maturities. Reuters (19 May.)

Obama administration considers all-new financial regulator:
The creation of a financial watchdog responsible for protecting consumers when they use a wide variety of financial products, ranging from mutual funds and credit cards to mortgages, savings accounts and college loans, is being seriously considered by the Obama administration. Officials think the action is necessary because existing federal regulators put a low priority on consumer protection, and some financial products are totally unregulated. The Washington Post (20 May.) , The Wall Street Journal (20 May.)

Regulatory Disclosure

Crew Capital Management, LLC (Crew Capital) is registered with the State of Ohio as a "Registered Investment Advisor" as defined in Ohio Revised Code 1707.01(X) and its agent is an "Investment Advisor Representative" as defined in Ohio Revised Code 1707.0(CC). The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to solicit clients or provide any investment advice or service. Crew Capital does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information whether linked to Crew Capital’s web site or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility therefore. The web site content offers general information only about Crew Capital and is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.

Crew Capital enters into a new client relationship only after it provides and obtains certain information. In addition, Crew Capital may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Every prospective Crew Capital client is provided with a copy of Crew Capital ’s Privacy Policy, Form ADV Part II and Form ADV Part II Schedule F. Also, the USA Patriot Act, passed in response to the events of September 11, 2001, requires certain financial service providers to request specific information from clients. Accordingly, Crew Capital acts to verify a potential client's identity and makes a risk assessment of their financial and business activities. Lastly, Crew Capital will not provide any investment advice or supervision without a fully executed Investment Advisory Agreement.

As a registered investment adviser, Crew Capital is required by rule to adopt and enforce a code of ethics that establishes the standards of conduct expected of all employees and reflects our fiduciary duties. A copy of Crew Capital’s Ethics Policy will be provided to any client or prospective client upon request.

Nothing on this web site shall be construed as advice to any particular investment need or investor. All references regarding investment or portfolio returns are based on historical data. One should not assume that this performance will continue in the future as past performance or results are not an indication of future performance or results.

Certain portions of Crew Capital’s web site (i.e. books, newsletters, articles, commentaries, etc.) may contain a discussion of, and/or provide access to, Crew Capital’s (and those of other investment and non-investment professionals) positions and/or recommendations as of a specific prior date. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions, such discussion may no longer be reflective of current position(s) and/or recommendation(s). Moreover, no client or prospective client should assume that any such discussion serves as the receipt of, or substitute for, personalized advice from Crew Capital or from any other investment professional. Crew Capital is neither an attorney nor accountant, and no portion of the web site content should be interpreted as legal, accounting or tax advice.

At certain places on this site, live "links" to other Internet addresses may be accessed. Such external Internet addresses contain information created, published, maintained, and otherwise posted by institutions or organizations independent of Crew Capital. Crew Capital does not endorse, approve, certify, or control these external Internet addresses and does not guarantee or assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, timeliness, or correct sequencing of information located at such addresses. Use of any information obtained from such addresses is voluntary, and reliance on it should only be undertaken after an independent review of its accuracy, completeness, efficacy, and timeliness. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Crew Capital.