Seeking Alpha Author Hector Andres Pacheco joins Cheddar to discuss how the new tax bill will impact special dividends given out by giant companies. In particular, he's looking at Apple and Microsoft to bring back billions of dollars from overseas.
The new tax bill will allow American companies to bring back money from overseas at a reduced tax price. Pacheco explains why Apple is a prime contender for a special dividend. It's on track to spend $300 billion returning capital to shareholders by 2019. If Apple repatriates all of its overseas cash its tax bill will only be $39 billion...only!
Plus, Microsoft is no stranger to shareholder-friendly action. In 2004 the company brought back about $30 billion in cash from abroad and issued a $3-a-share special dividend. Pacheco believes it plans to do the same thing in 2018.
Pacheco also talks about how a higher minimum wage for lower-income Americans plays a more stimulative role for the economy than giving higher wages to those with a large net worth.
Cloud contact center software company Five9's shareholders voted against the $14.7 billion all-stock acquisition deal from Zoom. A return to offices and in-person meetings have been cited for at least some of the reasons the deal ultimately fell through.
Autonomous car companies Waymo and Cruise are one step closer to offering driverless ridesharing in California after receiving approval from the state's DMV to begin charging fees for their services. Both companies still need approval from the California Public Utilities Commission before offering rides to the public.
Honda is looking to get more futuristic. The automaker announced a $45 billion, six-year investment into developing rockets, robots, and flying cars, noting that these areas of R&D are extensions of their core business.
The FAA has completed its investigation of Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 test flight on July 12 after the aircraft flew out of protected airspace on its descent back to Earth. Virgin Galactic has been given the green light to resume flights but must request a larger share of protected airspace for future missions.
