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Ouch: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Faces $1 Billion Tax Bill

Ouch: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Faces $1 Billion Tax Bill

 

Facebook’s Initial Public Offering made founder Mark Zuckerberg a multi-billionaire; however, it also left him with a pretty hefty tax bill. 
 
Facebook’s stock market debut left founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a fortune valued at roughly $13 billion and a 2012 tax bill of around $1.1 billion. 
 
Zuckerberg’s enormous tax burden stems from his move last May to increase his stack in Facebook. On the day of the company’s IPO, Zuckerberg exercised a stock option and purchased 60 million shares at a strike price of 6 cents per share. Even if these shares are never sold, the Internal Revenue Service treats them as regular income once they are exercised. The rational is that said options are a form of compensation similar to regular wages.
 
For Zuckerberg’s sake, these rules require the CEO to report income last year of roughly $2.3 billion for his stock options alone. To augment his obligation, add the top 2012 federal tax rate of 35 percent and the highest state income tax rate of California’s 13.3 percent and you get a total tax obligation of 48.3 percent. 
 
This massive amount owed comes before factoring in deductions and other income collected by the CEO of Facebook last year. Although the government and California’s tax agency know what is labeled in Zuckerberg’s return, but several California CPAs told various media outlets that the Facebook founder’s tax obligation will likely exceed $1 billion. 
 
Such a burden is highly unusual, even for billionaires. 
 
The Internal Revenue Service does not comment on the returns of individual taxpayers, but each year the agency releases aggregate data on the 400 American tax filers with the largest reported incomes. According to last year’s list, the average top earner possessed an income of roughly $245 million and a federal income tax bill of nearly $50 million. 
 
To cover the massive bill he knew was approaching, Zuckerberg dipped into his treasure chest of Facebook stock, selling over 30 million shares during the company’s IPO. At the time, Facebook announced in a regulatory filing that Zuckerberg planned to use the majority of the $1.135 billion in proceeds to cover the taxes on his stock-option purchase. 
 
In addition to his tax bill, Zuckerberg faces another sizeable hit in the upcoming years. 
Zuckerberg is sitting on over 60 million of unexercised options that expire during the winter of 2015. At Facebook’s current share price, Zuckerberg’s options would generate $1.6 billion worth of taxable income. If Zuckerberg were to redeem these shares today with the nation’s current tax rates, Zuckerberg would face a $826 million bill. 
 
The United States’ treasury will gladly accept such a large payment, as will California, which is expecting to receive a windfall from thousands of Facebook employees who are cashing in on stock grants and options. The state of California expects to collect approximately $1.5 billion in Facebook-related tax revenue, according to estimates from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office. 
 

S&P 500 Finally Hits New Record High

S&P 500 Finally Hits New Record High

 

 
After flirting with the milestone for the past few weeks, the S&P 500 finally topped its all-time closing high in morning trading today. The benchmark index climbed roughly 3 points to 1565.58, inching just beyond its record closing high of 1565.15 reached in October of 2007. 
 
Despite the new record, trading was relatively stagnant on Thursday as investors were busy watching the ongoing crisis in Cyprus and mulling over fresh economic data in the domestic markets. The NASDAQ, S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were all up between .1 and .2 percent during trading hours. 
 
That said, the first quarter of this year has been far from boring. The Dow, which has been enjoying record highs since early March, is up a staggering 11.5 percent and poised to secure its best first quarter since 1998; the S&P 500 is up almost 10 percent; and the NASDAQ is up roughly 8 percent. 
 
Despite the success, experts argue that valuations remain attractive for domestic stocks. The S&P is trading at just 16 times its 2012 earnings, compared to roughly 17 times profits for the period it reached its previous high in October of 2007. 
 
Volume is expected to remain low today, ahead of Good Friday, when markets will be closed throughout the United States and the majority of Europe. 
 
Banks in Cyprus reopened this morning after being shut down since March 16th. The island nation is planning to limit the amount of funds depositors can withdraw in an attempt to prevent a run on banks. In addition to shrinking its banking sector for a 10 billion European Union bailout, the nation agreed earlier this week to raise billions of euros from large depositors at the Popular Bank of Cyprus and at the Bank of Cyprus. 
Meanwhile in the United States, the Federal Government released weekly data on the initial jobless claims and the fourth quarter GDP tally. 
 
Jobless claims in the United States totaled 357,000 in the week that ended on the 23rd of March, which is an increase of 16,000 from the prior week. The forecast called for a total of 335,000 based on a consensus of economists and industry professionals. 
The government report for the fourth-quarter GDP revealed an annual increase of 0.4 percent, which was slightly better than the expected increase of 0.3 percent. 
 
 
Source: Associated Press

Cyprus Banks Reopen with Harsh Cash Limits

Cyprus Banks Reopen with Harsh Cash Limits

 

Banks in Cyprus reopened today for the first time in nearly two weeks. The reopening was met with strict limits on cash withdrawals as authorities are attempting to prevent a run on the island nation’s bank following a bailout by the European Union. 
Cyprus became the first Eurozone nation since the currency was launched on the 1st of January 1999, to place restrictions on how much money companies and individuals can take across its borders. 
 
Cyprus banks had been closed since the 16th of March when it became clear that deposits would be raided as a condition of the bailout. The island nation was brought to the cusp of collapse and a possible exit from the Eurozone after its two largest banks—Popular Bank and the bank of Cyprus—took massive losses on Greek government debt, wiping out over a third of their combined capital. 
 
Following months of negotiations, the banks signed up for a bailout from its Eurozone partners worth roughly 60% of the island nation’s gross domestic product. 
 
In return for the bailout, Cyprus is committed to raising billions from leading depositors to recapitalize the Bank of Cyprus and the winding down of Popular Bank. The European Union wants the island nation to shrink its banking industry by 50 percent by 2018. 
 
Deposits above 100,000 euros were frozen at both big banks since the 16th of March. These deposits may be wiped out entirely at Popular while 40 percent may be converted into equity at the Bank of Cyprus. 
 
Deposits of less than 100,000 euros are guaranteed at all Cyprus banks. Moreover, the bailout will not impact smaller banks in Cyprus, which account for roughly 60 percent of the nation’s total deposits of 68 billion euros. 
 
Many of these deposits belong to foreign investors, specifically Russians, and authorities in Cyprus fear an uncontrolled flight of funds that would cause the economy to collapse. 
 
The use of austerity controls breaks new ground for the European Union, which was established on the principle of free movement of payments and capital. Many economists and those close to the situation argue that a partial collapse of the Eurozone is underway because a Euro held in Cyprus is no longer worth the same amount as a Euro held in Germany. 
 
In addition to the limits placed on withdrawals, debit and credit use abroad has been capped at 5,000 euros per month, and individuals leaving the island nation may only take 3,000 euros in cash each trip. 
 

All Fun and Games Till Somebody gets Caught

All Fun and Games Till Somebody gets Caught

 

Federal investigators, on Friday, charged Michael Steinberg of SAC Capital with securities fraud to which he pleaded not guilty. 
 
The high-ranking trader at SAC Capital—the powerful hedge fund run by multi-billionaire Steve Cohen is at the center of an insider trading investigation—was formally charged with securities on Friday, according to the Federal Government of the United States. 
 
Mr. Steinberg, a prominent portfolio manager with the hedge fund is facing five counts—including securities fraud—for allegedly short-selling tech stocks Nvidia and Dell based on inside information, according to documents for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
 
Steinberg pleaded not guilty in federal court and posted bail of $3 million. The trader’s next court date is set for May 3rd. 
 
“As alleged, Mr. Steinberg was another Wall Street insider who fed off a corrupt trail of confidential information cultivated by other professionals who created their own rules to make obscene amounts of money,” said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. 
 
Steinberg was arrested at 6 in the morning at his Manhattan residence; FBI officials claim that Steinberg was at the center of an elite criminal circle, where corruption and cheating were rewarded with million-dollar payouts. 
 
Steinberg’s lawyer, Barry Berke insists that the Wall Street trader is innocent. “Mr. Steinberg did nothing wrong; his trading decisions were based on detailed analysis and information that he understood had been legitimately obtained through the channels that institutional investors rely upon.” 
 
The charges of securities fraud come on the heels of a settlement reached on March 15th of this year between the Securities and Exchange Commission and SEC. 
On March 15th, two sectors of SAC Capital agreed to pay $614 million to the SEC to settle insider trading charges. The settlement, which was the largest in SEC history, required hedge fund advisory firm CR Intrinsic Investors to pay roughly $600 million in fines for making $275 million in illegal profits or to avoid losses and Sigma Capital to pay $14 million for trading based on nonpublic information.
 
The SEC stated that Steinberg worked at Sigma, where he allegedly received illegal tips from an analyst who is being charged by the U.S. Attorney’s office as being a co-conspirator. The SEC claims that Steinberg’s “illegal conduct” netted north of $6 million in profits and avoided significant losses. 
 
The investigation focused on conversations from 2008 between the analyst and Steinberg. The indictment accuses the analyst of telling Steinberg that an employee at Dell warned him the company was going to miss its earnings projections, prompting Steinberg to sell short 30,000 shares before the stock dropped 13 percent. 
The analyst allegedly emailed Steinberg saying, “please keep this information to yourself,” to which Steinberg replied, “Yes, we would never divulge information like this, so please be discreet.”
 
Steve Cohen, the founder of SAC Capital, has not charged, though investigators have been circling him for months, looking for signs of insider trading. 
 
 
Source: Associated Press

The Rich get Poorer?

The Rich get Poorer?

 

 
French President Francois Hollande is reviving calls for a 75 percent top income tax rate for the wealthy. 
 
President Hollande altered his failed proposal for a 75 percent top tax rate this week to shift the burden of payment from individuals to companies that pay salaries over 1 million euros. 
 
President Hollande, during last year’s presidential campaign, proposed the 75 percent tax rate on individuals earning at least 1 million euros per year; however, the proposal was ultimately rejected by the nation’s judiciary body. 
 
Following rejection, Hollande created a new payroll tax proposal on large salaries during a late night television appearance. Hollande claimed the measure is mandatory to ensure transparency at large businesses, which seemingly are the only companies that can afford to pay employees such a hefty salary
 
President Hollande’s initial proposal, which never was enforced, inspired French actor Gerard Depardieu to leave the country and renounce his citizenship. Depardieu, who now holds a Russian citizenship and lives in Belgium, is a cultural icon in France, and his departure triggered a firestorm of public comment for and against him. 
 
In the United States, the Democratic Party has also raised the argument that the wealthy should pay higher taxes as a matter of equality and fairness. As part of the fiscal cliff deal during the beginning of this year, the top marginal tax rate on income was allowed to revert to the pre-2001 level of 39.6 percent. 
 
President Hollande’s popularity has taken a drastic hit during the recent months, and the embattled leader used the television broadcast earlier this week to urge for more reforms. 
 
The proposal comes at an awkward time as the French economy, which is second in size only to Germany in the euro-zone, has stagnated. Several economists stated earlier this month that France’s performance in the first quarter of this year was shaping up to be the worst since 2009. 
 
“The widespread weakness across manufacturing leaves little room for hope, with a range of indicators from backlogs, new orders, output prices and employment all residing at depressed levels,” said economist Jack Kennedy. 
 
The nation of Germany, by contrast, saw increased improvement in business activity last month for a third consecutive month. Kennedy claims the gap in performance between the Eurozone’s healthiest economies was at its widest margin since surveys began in the early stages of 1998. Kennedy believes that France is begging to look like it belongs on the periphery of the Eurozone’s strong economies, rather than at the core. 
 
Source: CNN
 

Creeping Back to Normal: Madoff Victims get back another $500 Million

Creeping Back to Normal: Madoff Victims get back another $500 Million

 

 
An additional half a billion dollars has been returned to the victims of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. 
 
Roughly $506 million was returned to victims of the Ponzi scheme according to a Monday press release by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation and the office of trustee Irving Picard.
 
This now means that a total of $5.44 billion has been returned to victims since Madoff’s monumental scam was uncovered. 
 
However, more than four year after Madoff’s conviction over two-thirds of the stolen funds are either unaccounted for, or are yet to be returned to duped investors. 
 
Federal investigators claim that $17.5 billion was lost to Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, which crumbled with his arrest in December of 2008. Since then, investigators have recovered assets, including a yacht, jewelry and property and have reached settlements totaling nearly $9.2 billion. 
 
That said, many of the victims are still awaiting a settlement, and have yet to receive compensation for Madoff’s illegal activity. The trustee associated with the case claim that 1,106 accounts have been fully reimbursed out of a total 2,178 victims. 
 
Bernard Madoff, the mastermind behind the record-setting scheme is languishing in a federal prison in Butner, North Carolina. Mr. Madoff pleaded guilty in March of 2009 to running the massive Ponzi scheme, and as a result, was sentenced to 150 years without the opportunity for parole. 
 
Madoff’s brother Peter recently began 10-year prison sentence for aiding in the concealment of the scheme. 
 
Source: Associated Press

A Certified Money Maker: Tesla Expects to secure its First-ever Profit

A Certified Money Maker: Tesla Expects to secure its First-ever Profit

 

 
Tesla Motors is on the verge of reporting its first-ever quarterly profit following strong sales of its all-electric Model S. 
 
The announcement was a strong sign for the green motor company, pushing shares nearly 16 percent higher during Monday’s trading hours. 
 
“There have been a number of automotive startups over the past several decades; however, profitability is what makes a company legitimate,” said co-founder and CEO Elon Musk in a statement released late Sunday night. “The Telsa motor company is here to stay, and we will keep fighting for the electric car revolution.” 
 
The electric motor company expected to sell 4,500 units of the Model S during the first quarter, but sales surpassed the 4,750 unit mark this weekend. In response to the strong numbers, the company amended its first-quarter guidance. 
 
That said, Tesla might expect even bigger news later this week as Musk in a late night tweet, alluded to an announcement that will be “more important.”
 
The profitable quarter follows a disappointing final quarter of 2012, when Tesla reported a $75 million loss. 
 
The Tesla Model S is a full-size, four-door luxury sports vehicle that was unveiled in 2009, but did not become publicly available until the latter portion of 2012. Thus far, the company has sold roughly 10,000 electric cars to customers in 30 countries. 
 
The weekend’s positive news also came with an announcement that Tesla has decided to terminate production of its entry-level sedan, which sold for approximately $60,000. This scrapped vehicle was equipped with the smallest battery on the electric line; the 40-kilowatt hour model would deliver a range of only about 160 miles.
 
Tesla, with the scrapping of the entry-level model, is sticking with their larger 60 kilowatt hour battery option. The larger vehicle allows a range of closer to 235 miles and sells for roughly $62,400 following a $7,500 federal tax credit. 
 
In the announcement, Musk also thanked customers for continued support; those individuals that purchased the Model S in recent months did so even after the vehicle received scathing reviews from the New York Times and other media outlets. 
Although the Model S has been subject to negative reviews, the vehicle has received acclaim from other venues, including from both Automobile Magazine and Motor Trend. 
 
Source: Associated Press

On the Road to Recovery: Automakers Report Strong March Car Sales

On the Road to Recovery: Automakers Report Strong March Car Sales

 

Major automakers recorded another solid month of car and truck sales, kicking off the crucial spring selling season on a positive note. 
 
Ford motor, General Motors, and Chrysler Group posed domestic sales gains of 5 percent or better while Toyota Motor sales edged up 1 percent from a year ago. The Chrysler Group posted its strongest sales figures since December of 2007.
 
Sales throughout the auto industry are poised to beat expectations and rise above the 15 million yearly sales rates for the fifth straight month. This positive news comes after the industry went nearly five years without reaching this benchmark goal. 
 
“American consumers are quite confident in the economy, with bad weather and sequesters not deterring them the slightest bit,” said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with Edmunds. “The picture is the same as it always has been: a pent-up demand from older vehicles is unleashing credit is available at marginal rates, and new products are resonating with the consumer base.”
 
The four largest automakers were roughly in line with sales expectations for the month of March. Ford and GM both reported much stronger sales for SUVs, pickups and crossover vehicles than they did for compact or traditional cars while Chrysler’s Ram truck unit also posted strong sales numbers. These metrics could be a sign that lower March gas prices boosted truck sales for the month of March.
 
GM claims the rebound in the housing market also helped propel truck sales. Purchases by small businesses, including building contractors, increased by roughly 15,000 vehicles at GM, accounting for a 32 percent boost compared to 2012 sales figures. The jump in home sales and corresponding home prices are allowing contractors to start building new homes at a greater pace than at any time in the previous five years. 
 
Source: AP

Leveraged Finance Booming as Big-Ticket M&A Deals Soar

Leveraged Finance Booming as Big-Ticket M&A Deals Soar

 

Leveraged finance activity, specifically leveraged high-yield bonds and loans, is on pace to have one of its busiest months in the past decade. The loan market is surging as issuers continue to take advantage of meager borrowing costs. Another contributing factor is the sheer volume of big ticket M&A deals, which generate huge fees for arranging institutions.

The Heinz buyout by Warrant Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian-based private equity firm 3G will spark roughly $12 billion in new U.S. leveraged loans to market. The sheer volume of this deal makes it the largest transaction in this market since 2007. In addition to the $12 billion in new U.S. leveraged loans, the deal will add $2.1 billion of bridge loans that may be procured by second-lien loans or high-yield bonds.

Another prime example of large deals impacting the market is the Silver Lake purchase of Dell. This transaction will contribute an additional $7.5 billion in leverage loan volume to the market. Included in this deal is $5.5 billion of covenant institutional tranches as other large transactions have been filed on the docket, including Virgin Media.

These deals reveal the pathway to the long awaited revival in the public to private leveraged buyout deals. Moreover, these deals may indicate that, with regard to merger and acquisition leveraged finance, the market is revving into a higher gear.

That said many believe that the leveraged buyout comeback won’t necessary live-up to investor’s expectations. Since Dell went private, investors are pondering whether the days of massive deals involving multiple private equity ships are coming back. Leveraged buyouts occur when a private equity firm finances the takeover of a corporation using relatively small amounts of equity in comparison to debt.

The effects of the financial crisis—particularly the cheapening of stocks—made it nearly impossible for private equity firms to raise the necessary debt to purchase companies. Seemingly everything has changed in this market as cash is flying around with low interest rates. The problem; however is that many banks believe our current market of cheap stocks and low yields will lead to massive leveraged buyouts.

There is one factor that provides another reason why pessimists argue that leveraged buyouts aren’t making the comeback we’d expect: the fact that stock prices are soaring.

Since the crisis, something abnormal has started occurring—stocks are out gaining corporate bonds and returning the same rates as high yield junk bonds. The question therefore is: how long will this abnormal activity continue?

Guns and Ammo Sales Propel Jobs Boom

Guns and Ammo Sales Propel Jobs Boom

 

The booming enthusiasm for firearms is propelling a vibrant job market for the manufacturing of ammunition and firearms. 
 
Guns and ammo are selling at a fast clip these days, and that means ammunition makers are hiring. In fact, some manufacturers are scrambling to find enough workers to meet their increased demand. 
 
Mike Weddle, Senior Vice President at Dynamic Research Technologies, a small ammunition manufacturer in Missouri says he is adding ten new workers to his staff of 35. Dynamic Research Technology’s machine operators make roughly $15 an hour, which amounts to a decent paycheck in a region where it is difficult to find a job and the cost of living is relatively meager. 
 
Dynamic Research Technologies cranks out roughly 80,000 bullets per shift and operates two shifts per day; however, that is not enough to meet its surging demand. In response to the boom in demand, Weddle is adding a third manufacturing shift and building an additional facility. 
 
“Demand quadrupled last year; it just went crazy,” he said. 
 
Dynamic Research Technologies is just a fraction of an industry that employs roughly 240,000 workers throughout the United States. And similar to the Dynamic Research, the bulk of the giants in the business are also hiring. 
 
Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger have both added manufacturing posts in the past year. In addition to surging demand, these companies are benefiting from the fact that they are based in regions of upstate New York and New England where manufacturing has disappeared. 
 
That said, these companies require highly-skilled workers, which propels competition among gun manufacturers for top-notch hires. The most sought-out workers are engineers who have the ability to create unique gun-designs that inspire gun enthusiasts to make a new purchase for their gun collection. 
 
New features include triggers with innovative safeties, ergonomic frames or side-mounted laser sights to give new guns a competitive edge. Engineers with the necessary design skills to create these new guns can easily earn over $100,000 a year. 
 
Many industry professionals agree that finding skilled workers is the biggest hurdle for the business, which has a massive 18-month backlog of orders. “Finding skilled machinists and highly-skilled labor is one of the most significant problems that we face in getting products out of the door,” said Jacob Herman, chief operating officer for Red Jacket Firearms. 
 
 
Source: Associated Press

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