Juggling Dynamite

Another day and more carnage for income-seeking investors.  Yesterday Westshore Terminals Investment Corp announced that it was further slashing its dividend.  From a high in May 2015 the stock had already fallen 49% before yesterday news.  It’s down a further 25% since last night’s close.  A widely recommended brokerage ‘top pick’, the damage here has no doubt hit would-be conservative investors hard.  In truth, most never should have been holding this type of security–money they couldn’t afford to lose.  Reaching for ‘yield’ with over-priced assets is a well-worn path to hell.

After all the talk in Paris, a global agreement on taxing carbon is not yet inked even though pretty much all stakeholders agree it is essential. See: Here’s the climate deal everyone wants.  Here is a direct video link

Still progress is being made on a more granular level as individual states, provinces and municipalities recognize their vested interests and move to implement their own carbon tax programs. Alberta led with an initiative last month. See: Alberta to introduce economy-wide carbon tax.  A long overdue step in the right direction.

Further leadership is being shown by municipal leaders, with 100 Canadian cities to date signing declarations of the right to a healthy environment for their citizens. See the list here.  All of which heightens attention on the need to add a right to healthy environment to the Canadian Chart of Rights and Freedoms. See: An environmental bill of rights for Canada. After all without a healthy, sustaining natural environment, all other human rights declarations are hollow.

Lest we forget, sexual inequality is still wide spread in most of the world.  Both sexes have to fight for evolution in order to make progress.

Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to vote and run for office in historic municipal elections on Saturday. WSJ’s Niki Blasina explains what’s behind the right to vote, and the unique challenges female candidates face. Here is a direct video link.