Monday, April 01, 2019

April Fools' Day Round-Table Discussion: The Recent Surge of Migrants

mcsally.house.gov
Martha McSally.
U.S. Sen. Martha McSally has organized a roundtable discussion on the recent surge of migrants being apprehended and released into Arizona communities.
She's hosting Monday's event in downtown Phoenix.
Expected to attend are officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the mayors of Mesa and Yuma, and members from non-governmental organizations.
Arrests all along the southern border have skyrocketed in recent months.
Border agents were on track to make 100,000 arrests and denials of entry at the southern border in March, over half of which are families with children.
To manage the crush, Customs and Border Protection is reassigning 750 border inspectors from their usual duties at the ports of entry to help Border Patrol keep pace with arrivals in between ports of entry.
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Conservative Apache Junction Mormon Republican Rusty Bowers Out-On-A-Limb

What's with this long-time serving member and Speaker of the AZ State House got up his sleeves after the resignation of David Stringer. His vacant seat has temporarily left Republicans with a 30-29 majority in the House.
Bowers branches of power could be breaking down when you consider all the bills finding their ways into his committee.
 
The report, released with 426 pages of investigative files, offers details of the unspecified sex charges that prompted two ethics complaints against Arizona Republican Rep. David Stringer. He resigned on Wednesday after refusing to turn over documents demanded by the ethics committee. 
In a different report, Bowers is quoted as saying, “How this could happen is beyond my imagination, how a justice system could fail in this way, in my view.”
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Under state law, GOP precinct leaders from the county where Stringer was elected must nominate three people to fill his seat.
Republican precinct leaders met in a Prescott banquet hall Sunday afternoon to debate who should represent District 1, a deep-red stronghold that spans the city and rural areas.
The three Republican finalists named to replace Stringer for the District 1 seat:
  • Former Arizona Senate President Steve Pierce
  • GOP field organizer Steven Sensmeier 
  • Former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett.
The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors must now pick someone to fill the seat from the list of three nominees. They're scheduled to meet for a vote at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
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Big Run-Up: Shares of Verra Mobility Corp (NASDAQ:VRRM) Reach 52-Week High

According to to this report yesterday  in Baseball Digest posted by on March 31,2019, that happened during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $11.85 and last traded at $11.69, with a volume of 7673 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.45. 
What to make of this report from a source named "Baseball Digest"? What's baseball got to do with Verra Mobility other than both are located here in Mesa @ Riverview there's Sloan Park, Spring Training for 12 weeks for the Chicago Cubs, and American Traffic Solutions headquarters close by.
The share amounts featured in the report are interesting to note . . . [See continuation of report farther down]
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That was yesterday  . . . Today
Michael Baxter published this in https://postanalyst.com/
Verra Mobility Corporation (VRRM): Chase Insider & Institutional Changes, Not Stock Prices
Verra Mobility Corporation (NASDAQ:VRRM) enjoyed a 32.22% run-up in share price since hitting record low of $9. The stock managed 3.93% rise and now stands at $11.9 as of 3/29/2019. At a recent session, the prices were hovering between $11.41 and $11.91. This company shares are 17.65% off its target price of $14 and the current market capitalization stands at $1.9B. The recent change has given its price a 13.5% lead over SMA 50 and 1.1% lead over its 52-week high. The stock witnessed 12.26% gains, 18.06% gains and 14.09% gains for the 1-month, 3-month and 6-month period, respectively.
Verra Mobility Corporation (VRRM) Top Holders
Institutional investors currently hold around $652 million or 78.1% in VRRM stock.
Look at its top three institutional owners:
  • Vanguard Group Inc owns $91.8 million in Verra Mobility Corporation, which represents roughly 4.83% of the company’s market cap and approximately 14.08% of the institutional ownership. Similar statistics are true for the second largest owner,
  • Fmr Llc, which owns 7,411,151 shares of the stock are valued at $88.19 million.
  • The third largest holder is Fairview Capital Investment Management, Llc, which currently holds $73.42 million worth of this stock and that ownership represents nearly 3.86% of its market capitalization.
Verra Mobility Corporation 13F Filings

At the end of December reporting period,
  • 32 institutional holders increased their position in Verra Mobility Corporation (NASDAQ:VRRM) by some 34,966,017 shares,
  • 31 decreased positions by 15,837,711 and held positions by 3,963,232.
That puts total institutional holdings at 54,766,960 shares, according to SEC filings.
The stock grabbed 21 new institutional investments totaling 23,699,957 shares while 19 institutional investors sold out their entire positions totaling 9,419,360 shares.
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NOTE: The company is a large one — it counted about $350 million in adjusted revenue in 2017 — but its name might not ring a bell.
According to https://www.govtech.com/biz on 22 Oct 2018, that's because, up until June 2018, it was known as American Traffic Solutions.
Under that brand, it built big market positions in its respective areas of work and integrated its technology with all but a couple tolling authorities in the U.S.
Though the majority of its business is in the private sector, Verra’s government work includes red light cameras, speeding cameras and handheld radar guns for law enforcement. . .
It’s actually the second government-serving tech company to announce that it was going public since the beginning of September — it followed an announcement that six gov tech companies were merging into GTY Holdings.
And like in the GTY Holdings deal, Verra Mobility followed the “blank check company” approach to going public. That is, the company didn’t have its own initial public offering. Rather, a special purpose acquisition company called Gores Holdings II was created and filed for an IPO a while ago, and that company then bought Verra, making it a public company.

Top stories

Separately, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Verra Mobility in a research note on Wednesday.
They set a “buy” rating and a $15.00 target price  for the company.
The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.85.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business:
  • United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Verra Mobility in the 4th quarter worth about $112,000.
  • Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in Verra Mobility in the 4th quarter worth about $440,000. 
  • Highbridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Verra Mobility in the 4th quarter worth about $488,000.
  • Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Verra Mobility in the 4th quarter worth about $575,000. 
  • Brown Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Verra Mobility in the 4th quarter worth about $1,127,000.
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About Verra Mobility (NASDAQ:VRRM)
Company website: https://www.verramobility.com/ 
This is Verra Mobility on YouTube Published on Jun 7, 2018
"Welcome to Verra Mobility, a new smart mobility company focused on safe cities, smart roadways and the connected systems that tie them seamlessly together.
Over the past 15 years, we have been on an exciting journey– one that has seen us grow in size, scale, and impact. With our recent acquisitions of Highway Toll Administration and Euro Parking Collection, we are excited to further cement our position as a global leader in safe and smart mobility solutions.
While we continue to honor the heritage of these legacy brands, Verra Mobility will lead with a passion for growth and a purpose of impact. We believe our actions have the ability to move the world, and we exist to create smart mobility solutions that enable the world to move safely and easily.
We seek this purpose by never taking our eye off what’s most important, our customers. Whether it’s local governments, commercial or rental fleet owners, tolling authorities or law enforcement, we understand that no one is the same. We sit at the nexus of this mobility ecosystem in service of solving our customers’ most complex challenges and meeting the demands of a fast-growing mobility sector.
Today marks an important milestone in our company, but it’s just the beginning of our journey as we transition our legacy brands to Verra Mobility. We look forward to continuing the conversation of our new brand with you in the weeks to come."

American Traffic Solutions changing name - Phoenix Business Journal
David Roberts is the CEO of Verra Mobility, formerly American Traffic Solutions
 
Management Team | Verra Mobility
ir.verramobility.com
The Investor Relations website contains information about Verra Mobility's business for stockholders, potential investors, and financial analysts

Safety Camera Enforcement

Safety and Data Analysis

 
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China's Economic Data Offers Markets Signs of Stability

Strong economic data coming out where China is the major force in Global Growth
Published on Apr 1, 2019
Views: 156 [at time of upload to this blog]
Apr.01 -- Mike Swell, head of global fixed income portfolio management at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Ben Laidler, global equity strategist and head of Americas research at HSBC, and Matt Hornbach, head of global interest rate strategy at Morgan Stanley, discuss Chinese economic data.
They speak with Bloomberg's Jonathan Ferro on "Bloomberg Markets: The Open."
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City of Mesa Q1 2019 Economic Newsletter Release

Just some highlights and extracts


The QUICK JAB
By Bill Jabjiniak
City of Mesa “Opportunity Zones” provides tax benefits for investors
Mesa’s designated Opportunity Zones are anchored by four business districts: the Mesa Gateway Area; the Falcon District; the Main Street Corridor (Downtown Mesa); and the Fiesta District. Mesa has many projects and developments that are perfect fits for opportunity zone investment within these areas.
To learn more about Mesa’s Opportunity Zones and how you can qualify, please visit www.MesaAzOpportunityZones.com
There's the usual "Mesa In The News"  Sidebar
Mesa Arts Center announces The Collective 2019
Mesa Arts Center has announced the inaugural cohort for The Collective, a 12-week certificate program that builds leadership skills through creative thinking and practices. The twenty-three participants represent a variety of different industries and professions and were selected through a competitive application and interview process.
Objectives of the arts-based program include; providing participants with leadership opportunities experienced through a creative lens; offering personal growth opportunities; creating a network of peers to include collaborators and leaders from diverse sectors; and equipping participants with an enhanced skill set and tools to design, implement and sustain effective community development.
All-new Mesa Life 2019 Visitor's Guide now available
The brand-new 2019 Official Mesa Life Visitors Guide, published by Visit Mesa, is available now for anyone wanting to know more about the Arizona’s third largest city and its popular attractions and offerings for visitors. The 64-page guide features editorial on Mesa’s in-demand experiences that set the destination apart here in the Southwest.
ATSU opens state-of-the-art digital dentistry center in Mesa
A.T. Still University - Arizona’s School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 6, 2018, for the Dillenberg Center-PDS Innovation Clinic at ATSU's Mesa campus, 5855 E. Still Circle.
The PDS Innovation Clinic is a state-of-the-art digital dentistry center where ATSU-ASDOH students and faculty provide cutting-edge patient care. The clinic creates unique educational opportunities for students, while improving access to low-cost, high-quality dental care for community members.
The PDS Innovation Clinic, named for Pacific Dental Services, consists of 11 operatories and a space dedicated to interprofessional collaboration between the dental school and ATSU’s other health professions programs. The facility is the University’s first 100 percent donor-funded initiative.  
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Our Futures on The Line / Downsides In Opportunity Zones

Missed this 3-day gathering last week at ASU, but here's a group image taken from social media. Any more information and details would certainly be appreciated when the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank is one of the participants. At the center second row is Terry Benelli, President/CEO of  
LISC Phoenix, a national non-profit financial intermediary that helps put capital into communities that are ready and are the things the community actually wants to do.
Front row, 2nd from left is Kimber Lanning, founder of Local First Arizona.
There are 11 Opportunity Zones here in Mesa . . . What's happening here. Who's doing it? ...and
what are "the downsides' here in The Old-Donut Hole when the public isn't involved?
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See for yourself >
Opportunity Zones
www.selectmesa.com
 
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Sep 25, 2018 ... The City of Mesa makes no claims concerning the accuracy of the data provided nor assumes any liability resulting from the use of the.
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You can also use the search box on this blog to look more into any number of posts on that subject that are also focused on what's fair, equitable, inclusive and affordable. Most investments that have caught the attention of mainstream media are for wealth-creation in real estate speculation, notably former AZ State Senator Bob Worsley Worsley scooping up ten commercial properties on Main Street [and two other investor wealth-creation groups] in holding companies and a 9.6-acre mixed-up development in The Temple Area by a for-profit affiliate of The Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter-Day Saints with a smaller-scale replica of the 23-acre City Creek in Salt Lake City, Utah that was planned with city officials for years where no financial details were disclosed to the public.
Says Robert Steuteville, editor of Public Square: A CNU Journal and senior communications adviser for the Congress for the New Urbanism:
The biggest support will come where the public sector has established the ground rules and infrastructure for compact urbanism. 
Opportunity Zones will help those who help themselves
Source: Congress for The New Urbanism 25 Feb 2019 

How many of the zones have plans, infrastructure, and coding in place for significant mixed-use development?
Preparation is key.
“What's the difference between an Opportunity Zone project idea, and an opportunity zone project?
One word: Readiness,” notes Ian Ross, founder of the website Oppsites.
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LISC Phoenix added,
terry benelli @terrybmesa  
The downsides are why it’s important that the people already living and working within lead the way in their communities -
 
Let's set a vision; guide investment!
 
 
Terry Benelli: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg
Ms. Terry Benelli has been Executive Director of Phoenix Program at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) since January 01, 2015. According to a release
Smart Incentives talked with city leaders about specific steps to connect their incentive programs to equitable economic development goals during a webinar offered with the National League of Cities for the Equitable Economic Development (EED) Fellowship program. The EED encourages cities to leverage their local economic development strategies to create more equitable access to opportunities within all of their communities. 
Incentive programs can be deployed in multiple ways to support more equitable or inclusive economic development by following these principles . . . Published on Sep 21, 2018
The Federal Reserve System works every day to support a growing and stable U.S. economy. Across the United States, the Federal Reserve, through its Federal Reserve Education program, also helps people understand how the economy works. So consumers have the tools to make sound financial decisions.

Through this education program, teachers have access to classroom ready online resources for students from kindergarten to college. Videos, classroom lessons, online education, publications, and more. These resources are all free for educators to use in their lesson plans or as they see fit. Many of the Federal Reserve System's regional Reserve Banks, located in 12 districts across the nation, also offer in person and online professional development that allows educators to deepen their knowledge and hone their craft when it comes to economics, personal finance, and more.
Students too can take advantage of in person opportunities by taking tours of exhibits in many of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks around the country. Whether a student visits with theirfamily or a school group, they get an in-depth look at how the Federal Reserve works to promote a healthy, sustainable U.S. economy. At the Board and Reserve Banks, students also get hands on opportunities like internships and participation on student boards, which introduce them to key economics concepts and potential careers in economics and finance.
Consumers are empowered to make sound financial decisions through the availability of easy to understand resources that explain personal finance concepts, the broader economy, and the Federal Reserve's role in it. Federal Reserve Education is committed to equipping educators, educating students, and empowering consumers when it comes to understanding and participating in our evolving economy.
For more information, visit
federalreserveeducation.org to find links to resources and Reserve Bank programs offered near you and follow Federal Reserve Education on Twitter at @FedEconEd.
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Expect markets to grow volatile, says Allianz's Mohamed El-Erian

A Tug-of-War + The Fed faces a nominee with political influence. Q1 over > market can over-shoot in both directions.
Be ready to be agile and don't trust the trends >> take some money off-the-table . . .
Look for a change in Pro-Growth policies in Europe
Published on Apr 1, 2019
Views: 190 [at time of upload to this blog]
Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor at Allianz, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss the markets, Stephen Moore's nomination to the Fed, and what he recommends investors do heading into the second quarter of 2019.
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