December was a continuation of the Trump effect with significant reassessment underway in many portfolios. The DOW continued its march to 20,000 before failing and pulling back at month end. While consumer optimism is at multiyear highs, this has not resulted in holiday sales records probably due to the inability of a President-Elect’s posturing to translate into tangible policy change. This month The S&P gained 1.82%. My portfolio recorded a gain of 3.92% largely reflecting my overweight position in the Financial sector which has been a beneficiary of election sentiment. This increases my lead over the S&P for the year to 19.83% achieving one of my 2016 goals of besting the S&P index.
Headlines impacting my portfolio:
- 12/7 – CIBC/PVTB merger vote postponed
- 12/13 – WFC fails ‘Living Will’, BAC passes
- 12/14 – Fed raises .25%
- 12/20 – BAC sells UK MBNA assets to Lloyd’s
- 12/20 – AMC receives last approval for CKEC merger
- 12/21 – KO buys BUD African, El Salvador and Honduras bottlers
- 12/21 – MET financing for spin secured (BHF)
Blog Updates:
Basically chose to be a slug through the holidays
Portfolio Updates:
- Added to HAS
- Added to HWBK
- New position – CNDT (XRX spin)
- Added to CVLY (stock dividend)
- Added to LARK (stock dividend)
- Added to CBSH (stock dividend)
Dividends:
- December delivered an increase of 24.0% over December 2015. This was due about evenly between dividend increases (Y/Y) and October purchases from merger proceeds.
- December had a 5.4% increase over the prior quarter.
- Dividend increases averaged 12.3% with 74.5% of my portfolio delivering at least one raise.
- Dividends received exceeded total 2015 dividends by 29.3%.
Spinoffs:
The MET spin (Brighthouse Financial – BHF) secured financing.
Mergers:
LSBG/BHB expected to close in January 2017.
Seeking Returns 