These are stories Report on Business is following Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013.
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Keystone lobbying worth millions
The Keystone XL oil pipeline may show no signs of going anywhere at this point, but the lobbying effort behind it has become an industry of its own.
According to data compiled by Bloomberg, there are now lobbyists for more 54 interested groups. Almost $16-million (U.S.) was pumped into advertising in the 2012 election, and more than $1-million has been put into TV advertising so far this year.
Tom Steyer, the founder of the Farallon hedge fund, is committing $1-million on his own to a campaign launched the Sunday before last to oppose TransCanada Corp.'s controversial project, which would carry Alberta oil to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Those in favour of the pipeline, such as U.S. producers, are also spending big time.
This battle will mark its fifth anniversary on Thursday, based on when TransCanada first applied for U.S. approval.
Since then, Keystone has become a battleground for environmentalists and others. The administration has already TransCanada once, forcing the Canadian giant to reroute the proposed pipeline and ask again for approval.
President Barack Obama has yet to decide.
According to Bloomberg, the lobbyists are putting their efforts on a "small group" of officials at the U.S. State Department.
"It's the equivalent of old banking legislation that sent some lobbyists' kids to private school for 10 years, and then to college for four more," Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political science professor, told the news agency. "It was the 'Lobbyist Support Act.'"
- Jeffrey Jones and Kelly Cryderman: As Keystone battle drags on, oil patch takes aim at alternatives
- Bloomberg: Keystone's lobbying slugfest compared to big banking bill
- Who is Tom Steyer and why is he saying those terrible things about Keystone?
- Paul Koring and Kelly Cryderman: 'Fort McMurray is a wasteland': Neil Young slams oil patch, Keystone plans
- Helpless: What the Neil Young uproar says about our oil sands sensitivity
- Neil Young on oil sands: 'Fort McMurray looks like Hiroshima'
- Neil and the Damage Done (and other twisted lyrics for Albertans angry at Neil Young)
- Video: Neil Young says Fort McMurray looks like 'Hiroshima'
- Paul Koring: How Keystone XL is driving a 'much-needed' U.S. climate-change debate
Barrick shares on rise
Shares of Barrick Gold Corp. rose today amid reports that investors are ramping up the pressure for change.
These shareholders, based in Europe, plan to write the gold giant's board, seeking to speed up the transfer of power from co-chairman Peter Munk, according to The Wall Street Journal.
As The Globe and Mail's Jacqueline Nelson reports, investors have been unhappy with Barrick, leading to a dispute earlier this year over the large compensation to co-chairman John Thornton.
At the same time, a U.S. activist hedge fund has also contacted U.S. shareholders in a campaign to change the Barrick board.
- Jacqueline Nelson: Investors turn up the heat on Barrick for boardroom change
- Jacqueline Nelson in Streetwise (for subscribers): Hedge fund launches new broadside at Barrick
- Jacquie McNish: Barrick plans board changes after ‘huge wake-up call’ from investors
Microsoft hikes dividend
Microsoft Corp. today hiked its quarterly dividend by a nickel to 28 cents (U.S.) a share.
The software giant also announced a share buyback program of up to $40-billion, similar to the repurchase scheme that was set to expire at the end of this month.
Markets mixed
Asian and European stocks slipped today, settling down after yesterday's rally and in advance of the Federal Reserve's key policy announcement yesterday. North American stocks, though, were up in early trading.
Yesterday, global stocks rose after Larry Summers pulled out of the race to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairman of the U.S. central bank, leaving vice-chair Janet Yellen as the front-runner.
Today, however, it's the Fed decision that looms large, with expectations its policy makers will unveil plans to begin pulling back on their massive bond-buying program known as quantitative easing, or QE.
"Dealers are beginning to lock in profits from yesterday's rally, with speculation of a $10-billion tapering in the Fed's bond-buying scheme," said market analyst David Madden of IG in London, referring to the rumoured reduction in the $85-billion-a-month program.
"The only way dealers will be surprised is if the trim is more or less than $10-billion. Investors are reacting well to the rumour that Janet Yellen will take over from Ben Bernanke in the new year, as Ms. Yellen is more likely to keep the QE tap flowing."
Tokyo's Nikkei slipped 0.7 per cent today, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng 0.3 per cent.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.1 per cent and 0.4 per cent by midmorning.
North American exchanges rose.
"Investors are tweaking their positions in what is being called the 'autumn of QE' caution as markets are preparing for the Federal Reserve's decision on whether to begin tapering its asset-purchase program," said sales trader Ankit Kapur of CMC Markets in London, referring to the central bank's policy-setting group, the Federal Open Market Committee.
"After months of anticipation and speculation the Federal Open Market Committee must decide tomorrow whether to begin to wind down their quantitative easing. The anticipation is a $10-billion to $15-billion reduction in the $85-billion-a-month program. Some analysts are also predicting the Fed will seek to strengthen its forward guidance to stabilise the markets."
- Follow our Inside the Market blog (for subscribers)
- Kevin Carmichael: A fractious fall looms in Washington now Summers is out of running
Manufacturing up
Canada's factories rebounded in July as sales climbed 1.7 per cent.
And, as Statistics Canada noted today, the gains were fairly broad-based as 15 of the 21 industries measured posted better numbers.
Sales rose 2.1 per cent among durable goods manufacturers, and 1.2 per cent among those on the other side of the ledger, such as petroleum and coal.
The federal agency's "miscellaneous" category was also interesting as sales powered ahead almost 24 per cent, primarily because of jewellery and silverware.
Ontario turned in the best performance among the provinces, with manufacturing shipments climbing 3.2 per cent to mark the highest showing since June, 2012.
"The rebound in the volume of manufacturing sales in July is encouraging and suggests that, while not significantly related to flooding in Alberta, weakness in June was nonetheless temporary," said economist Nathan Janzen of Royal Bank of Canada.
"While challenges for the sector remain, we expect that stronger growth externally, particularly in the United States, will support stronger manufacturing activity over the second half of this year and into 2014."
Over all, inventories increased by 0.4 per cent, the inventory-to-sales ratio dipped to 1.4 from 1.41 in June, and unfilled orders rose by 0.4 per cent.
"Note that overall manufacturing sales remain slightly below year-ago levels (-0.1 per cent year-over-year), inventories have risen to record levels and the inventory-to-sales ratio is on the high side of normal," said senior economist Robert Kavcic of BMO Nesbitt Burns.
"Suffice it to say that the sector would certainly welcome a sustained pickup in growth south of the border."
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