Phantom Creative Arts

This piece proved highly effective in the realm of “article marketing”. When it was fresh it turned up high in the rankings for search terms like “What is an MLP?”, or “MLPs vs REITs”, or “Real Estate MLPs”. The result was plenty of clicks and searches that lead back to me. The basics of MLP investing are explained in easy to understand language in an easy to read format. MLP Units as an Alternative to REITs by Glenn M Fydenkevez Income investors appear to be taking a fresh look at real estate stocks. Some Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), such as Federal Realty Trust (NYSE: FRT), Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP) and Brandywine Realty (NYSE: BDN), have displayed truly impressive performance during the recent stock market rally. With the financial crisis and credit squeeze abating, there is reason for cautious optimism. Many astute real estate investors have discovered a potentially promising opportunity in a somewhat obscure class of securities called Master Li...

BP’s Dudley Bested by The Russians (Again) By Glenn Fydenkevez Robert Dudley, the American CEO of BP PLC, has requested and received a one-month deadline extension to close an Arctic prospecting joint venture and share swap with Russia’s OAO Rosneft. The $16 billion-dollar deal and Dudley’s credibility hang in the balance. Unfortunately, he’ll need more than a month; he’ll need a miracle. There is a second Russian partnership involved, and they simply will not allow the deal to happen unless it happens on their terms. AA Renova, an investment entity which controls BP’s current Russian joint venture, TNK-BP, is using aggressive legal tactics to stop BP and Rosneft from joining forces. AA Renova is claiming that BP is contractually obligated to do the Rosneft Deal through TNK-BP. Are they? Who knows, but the whole thing is tied up in Russian courts and is unlikely to be resolved over the course of a one-month extension that’s already half over.  It’s clear to Dud...

From Expansion to Contraction in 36 Months; Southern Company Scrambles to Raise Cash               – by Glenn Fydenkevez With its landmark $8 billion-dollar acquisition of gas utility AGL Resources in 2015, Southern Company (NYSE: S0) became one of the two largest utilities in the US. The very next year the company purchased a 50% stake in oil infrastructure leader, Kinder Morgan, for $1.5 billion. Southern was also accumulating wind and solar assets at an impressive clip. Clearly, the company was engaged in an aggressive expansion program.  All that, however, is ancient history. Today Southern is selling assets as fast as they ever bought them.  The contraction started inauspiciously last year with the $1.4 billion sale of some its natural gas distribution concerns in New Jersey and Maryland. Since then the pace of the retrenchment has been quickening.  Southern recently announced that it intends to dispose of virtually al...

Worried About Retail; Try Wholesale - The Case for COSTCO by G. M. Fyden      Investor concern over the viability of brick & mortar retail is prevalent, persistent, and well founded. While reports of the death of retail are probably (at-least somewhat) premature, the challenges that continue to face traditional retailers are real. It’s hardly necessary to enumerate the difficulties inherent in competing against the internet. It’s enough to point out that the cost structure of a physical storefront operation is highly unfavorable, and the pricing pressure from online giants is monumental.       None-the-less, opportunities in the space still exist. Nimble, well managed companies that can adapt and capitalize on competitive advantages they still have (and they do still have a few) will reward investors who have the insight to recognize them.        Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST) warrants cons...

This piece, first published on various real estate and financial blogs in the summer of ’09, is obviously dated, but it demonstrates a fluid and highly readable writing style, a high degree of professionalism, and an authoritative tone. A reader might not believe that recovery was around the corner (which it was!) but would be sure to conclude that the writer knew his stuff. This is critical in the financial services industry where credibility is everything. Commercial Real Estate; Record Declines May Be Good News                                                          by Glenn Fydenkevez A key commercial real estate price index developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Real Estate (MIT/CRE) posted a staggering 18.1% drop in the second quarter of this year. The index, which collects commercial real estate pur...