Balance Sheet

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. reported yesterday that its broadcast cash flow and total revenue -- two significant benchmarks of financial strength in the broadcasting industry -- were down in the company's fourth quarter. However, Sinclair did reverse the quarterly and yearly losses that troubled 1998's balance sheet. "This is quite simply the best balance sheet Sinclair has had in a long time," said Patrick J. Talamantes, the company's chief financial officer. In the fourth quarter, the company enjoyed a net gain of $179.

An Internet search is inconclusive as to where the phrase "no skin in the game" originated. Some ascribe it to the late columnist William Safire, others to investor Warren Buffett. Politicians often use the phrase to justify policies to their liking. It can also be applied to the latest in a long list of their outrageous behaviors, as well as to those of President Barack Obama. Like an increasing number of politicians, the president has never served in the military, nor has he ever run a business.

Baltimore Bancorp's third-quarter earnings, reported yesterday, were a bit shy on profits, compared with recent history. But analysts said the company's decision to focus instead on improving its balance sheet would have benefits that extend far beyond one quarterly report.Baltimore Bancorp's $1.6 million earnings in the third quarter, worth 10 cents a share, was the seventh consecutive quarterly profit. It was a 52 percent decrease from the $3.3 million, or 26 cents a share, earned a year earlier.

KEYW Corp., a Hanover-based defense contractor that offers cybersecurity and counterterrorism solutions to government agencies, said Monday that it will sell 6.5 million shares of stock in a new public offering to raise money to pay down debt and complete a recently announced company acquisition. The publicly traded company said last week that it intended to acquire Poole & Associates Inc., of Annapolis Junction, for $126 million in cash and stock. The company last week also announced the acquisition of Sensage Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., for nearly $35 million in cash and stock.

In financial crises, the old ways are the best. Managers who know a company's balance sheet, understand management and have good contacts at their companies can be confident enough to step in and buy oversold companies. Those focused on whether a company will meet next quarter's expectations, though, may be at a loss. Quantitative funds can also run into trouble. The reason is that markets and investors are processing the latest news faster than a computer. Some quantitative funds look for companies that analysts are predicting will grow their earnings at a faster rate than the previous quarter.

Citigroup Inc. Shares fell 31 cents, or 0.99 percent, to $30.70 as the financial giant agreed to place troubled "structured" investments with a face value of more than $60 billion on its balance sheet.

NORWALK, Conn. -- U.S. accounting rule makers adopted a standard yesterday that will force companies to disclose the future costs of retirement benefits on their balance sheets, wiping out billions of dollars in net worth. The Financial Accounting Standards Board's rule will increase balance-sheet liabilities of the largest U.S. companies by $466 billion, reducing their net worth by 7 percent, according to estimates by Howard Silverblatt, an analyst at Standard & Poor's in New York. "This standard will substantially improve the clarity, completeness, timeliness and usefulness of financial reporting for investors and all others who rely on this information in financial statements to make financial decisions," said Rebecca McEnally, director of capital markets at the CFA Centre for Financial Market Integrity, an advocacy group affiliated with the CFA Institute in Charlottesville, Va. CFA is the designation for certified financial analyst.

As congressional committees and federal investigators examine whether Enron abused off-shore tax shelters to avoid taxes and keep debt off its balance sheet, some experts argue the company was doing just the opposite. The Houston-based energy company, they say, was using financial sleight of hand to make debt look like income, helping push the company to No. 7 on the Fortune 500 and keeping share values high. What shareholders didn't know was that the company was telling a different story to the Internal Revenue Service.

Abbott Labs"Abbott Labs (ABT, NYSE, around $50) derives 60 percent of operating profits from pharmaceutical and nutritional products, with the remainder coming from hospital and laboratory supplies.Both divisions have double-digit sales and earnings momentum," says Dow Theory Forecasts of Hammond, Ind., "but the March-quarter performance in pharmaceuticals was outstanding."Drug sales jumped about 40 percent . . . Earnings growth should accelerate over the next three years."Jan Bell Marketing"Jan Bell Marketing (JMB, AMEX, around $12)

It's become rather in vogue these days to throw 20th century economist John Maynard Keynes under the bus for "cluelessly" suggesting that fiscal stimulus is a good countermeasure to recessions and depressions. Problem is, we're blaming Keynes for stimulus not working on our current balance sheet recession - where previously high levels of borrowing to buy "malinvestments" that will never pay for themselves has left us somewhat broke - when all Keynes ever claimed was that stimulus was appropriate during a business cycle recession.

It's become rather in vogue these days to throw 20th century economist John Maynard Keynes under the bus for "cluelessly" suggesting that fiscal stimulus is a good countermeasure to recessions and depressions. Problem is, we're blaming Keynes for stimulus not working on our current balance sheet recession - where previously high levels of borrowing to buy "malinvestments" that will never pay for themselves has left us somewhat broke - when all Keynes ever claimed was that stimulus was appropriate during a business cycle recession.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the United States does not have to default on its debt, and the Social Security and Medicare checks can continue to go out, even if Republicans and President Barack Obama cannot strike a deal to raise the debt ceiling by Aug. 2. Though the government cannot borrow additional money, it still has tax revenues equal to about 55 percent of expenses - $2.2 trillion against expenses equal to about $3.8 trillion, for...

Within the next few days, President Barack Obama will face a decision likely to be among the most important he will face as president - how to rescue the banks and financial institutions vital to the functioning of the nation's economy. Last fall, Congress appropriated $700 billion to do just that. But with half that money spent to little effect, the health of the banking industry continues to deteriorate. Now, the president and Treasury officials must quickly decide how to fix the troubled banks without rewarding the current managers or shareholders.

Citigroup Inc. Shares fell 31 cents, or 0.99 percent, to $30.70 as the financial giant agreed to place troubled "structured" investments with a face value of more than $60 billion on its balance sheet.

Just what you need - a few more New Year's resolutions. If you've already given up on the promise you made to get into shape, perhaps you can try to make your finances a little healthier. And if you are still at it on your workouts or weight-loss program, keep in mind that getting the basics right on your finances can be a lot like losing weight - the hardest part is getting started. When you put the financial fundamentals in place and feel more secure about taking care of yourself and your family, you should give yourself the positive reinforcement you need to keep on going.

I love Google Inc., but I wonder how long its stock can keep climbing? - S.L., via the Internet It all depends on how successful it is at branching out from its outrageously profitable business of selling online advertising tied to its flagship search engine. Even though "Googled" has become a household word, some are skeptical about whether such dominance can be transferred to newer products. It also has a lot of wealthy employees who benefited greatly from its initial public offering and may not hang around much longer.

NORWALK, Conn. --The board that writes the professional accounting rules for American businesses voted unanimously yesterday to start a far-reaching revision of the rules for reporting pensions and other retirement plans, a project that is sure to be contentious, especially among companies with big retirement plans. To keep the project from bogging down right from the start, the Financial Accounting Standards Board agreed to focus first on how to express the true economic value of a company's retirement plans on its balance sheet.

Provident Bankshares Corp.'s profit fell 13.9 percent in the second quarter after the company took an $8 million charge in a restructuring of its securities portfolio. Maryland's second-largest independently owned banking company reported yesterday that it made $10.5 million in the three months that ended June 30, compared with $12.2 million in the second quarter of 2003. Earnings at the Baltimore-based company were 34 cents per diluted share, down 30.6 percent from 49 cents a year earlier.

NORWALK, Conn. -- U.S. accounting rule makers adopted a standard yesterday that will force companies to disclose the future costs of retirement benefits on their balance sheets, wiping out billions of dollars in net worth. The Financial Accounting Standards Board's rule will increase balance-sheet liabilities of the largest U.S. companies by $466 billion, reducing their net worth by 7 percent, according to estimates by Howard Silverblatt, an analyst at Standard & Poor's in New York. "This standard will substantially improve the clarity, completeness, timeliness and usefulness of financial reporting for investors and all others who rely on this information in financial statements to make financial decisions," said Rebecca McEnally, director of capital markets at the CFA Centre for Financial Market Integrity, an advocacy group affiliated with the CFA Institute in Charlottesville, Va. CFA is the designation for certified financial analyst.

NORWALK, Conn. --The board that writes the professional accounting rules for American businesses voted unanimously yesterday to start a far-reaching revision of the rules for reporting pensions and other retirement plans, a project that is sure to be contentious, especially among companies with big retirement plans. To keep the project from bogging down right from the start, the Financial Accounting Standards Board agreed to focus first on how to express the true economic value of a company's retirement plans on its balance sheet.