About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2018)
E3 BUSINESS Jeff Gill | Business reporter 770-718-3408 | jgill@gainesvilletimes.com The Times, Gainesville, Georgia Friday, December 21,2018 Cannabis goes mainstream Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (3) Count Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free) (3) Count 100% Industrial Organic Hemp 60 MG OF CBD lonjl facts: Serving sue 1. per tufvtjm** B JJO calorie* from tat: 120, Tout tat 1 Jg tat: ffc c*»ole«efo< 205mg. sodium 90mg. -jrt) 24 OeurY IK** lg.h«ar 1 It P'Wm |( Mow' AH sugar, cocoa pow*r «us, butter, bakuig po*der. utL 100% Industrial Organic Hemp 60 MG OF CBD Nutritional facts: Serving so* 1, Servngs per conUin*r ; j Calories: 140, calories from fat: 80, Total fat: 9g Saturated fat: 7g cholesterol: <$mg. sodium ASrrg total cart: 18*. Dietary ftber.2t. Sugar. 16*. protem 2j CHRIS SWEDA I Associated Press Detail photo of Mishka Oil CBD infused cookies at their industrial kitchen on Tuesday, Dec. 18, in Chicago. Owner Stella Chalik started her wholesale baking company two years ago. According to Chalik, half of her products contain CBD oils and those products are distributed to different stores and vendors throughout 15 States. Caramels, bath bombs, oils, CBD products are filling store shelves BY ALLY MAROTTI Chicago Tribune CHICAGO _ People used to wander into the CBD Kratom store in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood thinking it was a pot shop. It’s not, of course. Recreational weed is still illegal in Illinois. The store sells CBD products — caramels, oils, bath bombs, dog treats — that customers use to alleviate conditions like anxiety or chronic pain. CBD, short for cannabi- diol, is a cannabis compound that does not get users high. It isn’t quite main stream yet, but it’s getting there. “More people are coming in here with a basic knowledge of CBD,” senior store clerk Fred Keen said. The U.S. market for CBD products — most often derived from hemp, another plant in the cannabis family — grew by more than 80 percent in 2018, to about $591 million, according to Chicago-based Brightfield Group, which does market research in can nabis-related industries. The products gained momentum with anxiety-rid den millennials in search of a solution more natural than the Xanax of previ ous generations. But now the products are becoming popular with older age groups as users look to address the ill nesses, aches and pains associated with aging without pharmaceuticals. As a result, CBD products are appear ing on shelves at natural food stores, boutiques and clothing shops through out the Chicago area. New CBD shops are opening in the suburbs, and CBD stores in the city are expanding or work ing to accommodate more customers. Of course, not everyone is sold. With scant research on effectiveness or side effects, some doctors remain skeptical, and there are users who say they don’t feel a thing when using CBD products. The products also aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Despite the lack of medical research, business is booming at CBD Kratom, said Kris Jackson, general manager of the company’s local stores. The St. Louis-based company, which has three stores in Chicago and is eyeing the sub urbs, has hired 10 new sales people in the city since October. About an hour after the store opened on a recent Friday morning, a steady stream of customers trickled in. The clerks worked their way around the store with each one, showing them the new products, like bergamot orange- flavored saltwater taffy, or the best sellers, like tinctures that are dropped under the tongue. There were CBD-infused rubs, pain creams and lip salves. There were car amels, chocolates and lollipops. There were candles with CBD-infused wax that, once melted, could be used for massaging and CBD-infused tea bags, honey and olive oil. Melody Kratz, 48, was new to the store that morning, but not to CBD. She said she started taking it to treat anxiety, but after a few weeks noticed it was helping with her frequent migraines more than prescription med icine. She started selling CBD products at the vintage boutique she owns. “I’m a big believer in it,” she said, smelling different jars of CBD bud, a dried hemp flower that users can smoke. “I’m ready to dive all in.” The CBD industry’s growth has largely been a grassroots movement, with people most likely to learn about the compound through friends or fam ily, according to Brightfield Group’s data. “It sort of grew out of nowhere,” said Bethany Gomez, director of research at Brightfield Group. The early adopters were people familiar with cannabis, she said, but that has broadened, as has the age of users. More than one-third of CBD users are older than 40. If President Donald Trump, as expected, signs a bill sitting on his desk that would legalize industrial hemp farming, the industry could reach $22 billion by 2022, Brightfield estimates. Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill earlier this year allowing industrial hemp cul tivation in Illinois, though farmers are not yet growing the crop. Georgia sets new jobs record in November Georgia’s workforce con tinues to set records with the state adding nearly 100,000 jobs over the past year while the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since January 2001. The November jobless rate of 3.5 percent is down 1 per cent from October. By comparison, the national rate remained unchanged at 3.7 percent. One year ago, the state’s rate was 4.5 percent. “As we approach the end of 2018, it’s great to see so much progress,” Labor Commis sioner Mark Butler said in a pressrelease. “We have much to celebrate this holiday sea son. We continue to not only improve but set records.” Georgia added 4,500 jobs in November for a total of 4.6 million workers employed. For the year, Georgia added more than 8,000 jobs per month. Georgia’s labor force (all age-eligible and able workers) totaled 5.1 million at the end of November. Monthly job growth came primarily in the trade, trans portation and utilities sectors (4,800); professional and busi ness services (2,600); and gov ernment (1,000). One caveat to these robust numbers: Claims for unem ployment insurance increased in November by almost 9 per cent from October, and were up 21 percent year-over-year. And there were 73,067 state wide job postings during the month of November, down 5 percent from October. “There are a number of factors, some seasonal, that make the numbers fluctu ate month to month,” Butler said. “It’s more important to watch the trends for the long term to understand what’s really going on. And, the long term trends look positive for Georgia.” Joshua Silavent Tobacco giant muscles into vape market Altria buys $13B Juul stake BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN The Associated Press Altria, one of the world’s biggest tobacco companies, is spending nearly $13 billion to buy a huge stake in the vape company Juul as ciga rette use continues to decline. The Marlboro maker said Thursday that it will take a 35 percent share of Juul, putting the value of the company at $38 billion, larger than Ford Motor Co., Delta Air Lines or the retail giant Target. “We are taking signifi cant action to prepare for a future where adult smokers overwhelm ingly choose non-com bustible products over cigarettes,” Altria Chair man and CEO Howard Willard said in a pre pared statement. E-cigarettes and other vaping devices have been sold in the U.S. since 2007 and have grown into a $6.6 bil lion business, and it is already intersecting with another seismic shift in the U.S. — the legaliza tion of marijuana across the U.S. The investment comes about two weeks after Altria stepped into the cannabis market with an investment of around $2 billion in Cronos Group, the Canadian medical and recreational mari juana provider. North American con sumer spending on legal cannabis is expected to grow from $9.2 bil lion in 2017, to $47.3 billion by 2027, accord ing to Arcview Market Research, a cannabis- focused investment firm. Altria Group Inc. isn’t the only major corpora tion attempting to incor porate marijuana sales. This week Anheuser- Busch InBev, the maker of Budweiser, partnered with medical cannabis company Tilray in a $100 million deal to research cannabis-infused drinks for the Canadian mar ket. In August, Constella tion Brands announced a $4 billion investment in another Canadian pot producer, Canopy Growth Corp., the larg est to date by a major U.S. corporation in the cannabis market. With nicotine-based vaping, devices heat a flavored nicotine solu tion into an inhalable vapor. They have been pitched to adult smok ers as a less-harmful alternative to cigarettes, though there’s been little research on the long term health effects or on whether they help people quit. The growing popular ity of e-cigarettes has alarmed a number of health officials. This week, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said parents, teachers, health professionals and government officials must take “aggressive steps” to keep children from using e-cigarettes. Federal law bars the sale of e-cigarettes to those under 18. There is a scramble in the U.S. to reverse a recent explosion in teen vaping that public health officials fear could undermine decades of declines in tobacco use. An estimated 3.6 mil lion U.S. teens are now using e-cigarettes, repre senting 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 mid dle schoolers, accord ing to the latest federal figures. Juul said Thursday that it recently began to take actions intended to prevent underage vap ing. The company shut down its Facebook and Instagram accounts last month and halted in store sales of flavored pods, which were viewed by many critics as a direct play for younger users. Juul also said that it’s also enhancing age- verification for its online sales. Juul Labs Inc., based in San Francisco, said it had initially hesitated to accept the investment from Altria. “But over the course of the last several months we were con vinced by actions, not words, that in fact this partnership could help accelerate our success switching adult smok ers,” Juul said. Juul will remain an independent company, but it gains access to Altria’s massive infra structure and reach. Namely, Altria will help Juul secure space on store shelves beside traditional cigarettes. It will also help Juul reach smokers via ciga rette pack inserts and mailings. Under the agreement, Altria’s only entry into the e-cigarette market will be through Juul for at least six years. Stock Exchange Highlights V NYSE 11,222.79 -149.05 B Nasdaq W 6,528.41 -108.42 Gainers ($2 or more) Name Last Chg %Chg Cemig 3.91 Drdgold 2.16 FortunaSlv 3.62 lAMGId g 3.73 Kinross g 3.14 GoldFLtd 3.42 Coeur 4.62 CharahSol n 6.66 FMajSilv g 5.58 Cemig pf 3.51 +.55 +16.4 +.24 +12.5 +.36 +11.0 +.35 +10.4 +.27 +9.4 +.29 +.37 +.47 +.38 +.23 +9.3 +8.7 +7.6 +7.3 +7.0 Losers (S2 or more) Name Last Chg %Chg RevGp n 6.95 MSDLEur 13.16 ChOnlEd n 5.51 Greif A 34.48 ConAgra 24.28 Oceaneerg 11.66 Invacare 3.47 MedleyMgt 3.42 Medley n 18.99 Eventbr n 28.52 -2.06 -22.9 -3.50 -21.0 -1.44 -20.7 -7.59 -18.0 -4.81 -16.5 -2.28 -16.4 -.60 -14.7 -.55 -13.9 -2.94 -13.4 -4.34 -13.2 Most Active ($1 on more) Name Vol (00) Last Chg GenElec 1820764 744 722 BkofAm 1124303 24.11 -.07 ChesEng 770366 1.84 -.18 AT&T Inc 765177 28.65 -1.17 FordM 580309 8.26 -.06 Twitter 519301 29.29 -3.64 WellsFargo 439487 46.04 +.37 Citigroup 395976 52.27 -.55 Kinross g 370178 3.14 +.27 Oracle 351587 46.24 -.21 Diary Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume 539 2,304 49 2,892 3 1,204 5,523,652,758 Gainers ($2 or more) Name Last Chg %Chg Inpixon rs SilvrSun n DigitalAlly Vaxart rs Agenus FenncPhr n Aimmune n 25.07 NF EngSv 9.55 AptormG n 15.30 Reliv In rs 4.59 4.10 2.90 2.92 2.79 2.48 6.43 +1.11 +37.1 +.65 +28.9 +.61 +26.4 +.54 +24.0 +.47 +23.4 +1.06 +19.7 +3.36 +15.5 +1.25 +15.1 +1.79 +13.2 +.45 +10.9 Losers ($2 or more) Name Last Chg %Chg DBV Tech 5.76 AdmaBio 2.29 G1 Thera n 16.51 SpectPh 6.39 Equillium n 6.32 AmSupr rs 9.72 Shiloh 5.67 Imunmd 14.17 Celyad n 16.11 Aptinyx n 16.87 -8.39 -59.3 -1.92 -45.6 12.24 -42.6 -4.05 -38.8 -3.57 -36.1 -2.60 -21.1 -1.49 -20.8 -3.47 -19.7 -3.81 -19.1 -3.86 -18.6 Most Active ($1 or more) Name Vol (00) Last Chg AMD 1190529 Microsoft 702214 Apple Inc 643971 MicronT 603193 CaesarsEnt585202 Facebook 402014 Cisco 388081 Intel 376654 ExpScripts 293002 SiriusXM 286135 17.94 -.22 101.51 -2.18 156.83 -4.06 31.28 -.13 6.38 -.17 133.40 +.16 42.49 -.65 45.54 -.03 92.33 -3.47 5.89 -.13 Diary Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows Volume 665 2,305 107 3,077 6 1,085 3,168,672,968 Stocks of Local Interest Name Ex YTD Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg AFLAC S 1.04 2.4 14 43.40 -.58 0.0 HomeDp 4.12 2.5 18 164.16 -3.40 -13.4 AT&T Inc 2.04 7.1 6 28.65 -1.17 -26.3 Intel 1.20 2.6 17 45.54 -.03 -1.3 AbbottLab 1.28 1.9 29 68.38 -.62 +19.8 IBM 6.28 5.6 8 113.02 -3.41 -26.3 AMD 17.94 -.22 +74.5 JPMorgCh 2.24 2.3 13 96.45 -.84 -9.8 Altria 3.44 6.8 16 50.44 -.96 -29.4 JohnJn 3.60 2.8 18 128.27 +.66 -8.2 Apple Inc 2.92 1.9 16 156.83 -4.06 -7.3 Kinross g 24 3.14 +.27 -27.3 ATMOS 1.94 2.0 18 95.10 +.17 +10.7 Lowes 1.92 2.2 20 89.16 -1.17 -4.1 AutoZone 17 826.22 -9.65 +16.1 McDnlds 4.64 2.7 26 173.68 -5.48 +.9 AveryD 2.26 2.6 25 86.69 -1.50 -24.5 Merck 2.20 3.0 27 73.49 -.28 +30.6 BB&T Cp 1.62 3.8 12 43.19 -.11 -13.1 MicronT 3 31.28 -.13 -23.9 BP PLC 2.38 6.4 11 37.26 -.39 -11.3 Microsoft 1.84 1.8 42 101.51 -2.18 +18.7 BkofAm .60 2.5 11 24.11 -.07 -18.3 MorgStan 1.20 3.1 9 38.91 -.39 -25.8 BarnesNob .60 9.6 6.22 -.05 -7.2 NorflkSo 3.20 2.2 22 145.94 -.99 +.7 BarrickG .28 2.1 74 13.38 +.50 -7.5 OfficeDpt .10 4.3 7 2.33 -.22 -34.2 Boeing 6.84 2.2 29 313.05 -6.50 +6.2 Oracle .76 1.6 50 46.24 -.21 -2.2 BrMySq 1.64 3.3 50 50.06 -.33 -18.3 Penney 1.12 -.07 -64.6 CSX .88 1.4 9 61.61 -.44 +12.0 PepsiCo 3.71 3.4 32 110.21 +.17 -8.1 CaesarsEnt ... 6.38 -.17 -49.6 Pfizer 1.44 3.4 17 41.95 -.02 +15.8 CampSp 1.40 3.7 14 37.67 -.98 -21.7 PhilipMor 4.56 6.6 17 69.08 -2.96 -34.6 Caterpillar 3.44 2.8 11 121.55 -.78 -22.9 Primerica 1.00 1.0 12 97.42 -1.46 -4.1 ChesEng 3 1.84 -.18 -53.5 ProctGam 2.87 3.2 22 90.98 -.78 -1.0 Chevron 4.48 4.3 22 104.98 -2.85 -16.1 RegionsFn .56 4.3 11 12.91 +.07 -25.3 Cisco 1.32 3.1 19 42.49 -.65 +10.9 RiteAid 1 .79 -.02 -60.0 Citigroup 1.80 3.4 9 52.27 -.55 -29.8 SiriusXM .05 .8 33 5.89 -.13 +9.9 CocaCola 1.56 3.3 90 47.54 -.36 +3.6 SouthnCo 2.40 5.3 21 45.09 -.19 -6.2 Comcast s .76 2.2 17 34.62 -.57 -13.2 SunTrst 2.00 4.1 8 48.74 -.66 -24.5 ConAgra .85 3.5 12 24.28 -4.81 -35.5 SynovusFn 1.00 3.2 11 31.27 +.54 -34.8 Cummins 4.56 3.5 36 130.11 -.78 -26.3 3M Co 5.44 2.9 26 187.38 -2.58 -20.4 Disney 1.76 1.6 14 107.00 -2.22 -.5 Torchmark .64 .9 6 73.82 -.62 -18.6 DowDuPnt 1.52 3.0 16 51.04 -1.12 -28.3 Transocn 6.64 -.32 -37.8 ENSCO .04 1.2 3.31 -.37 -44.0 Twitter 29.29 -3.64 +22.0 Equifax 1.56 1.7 16 91.28 -2.95 -22.6 Tyson 1.20 2.2 10 53.34 +.67 -34.2 ExpScripts 12 92.33 -3.47 +23.7 UtdCmBks .64 3.1 12 20.63 +.07 -26.7 ExxonMbl 3.28 4.8 13 68.63 -2.15 -17.9 UPS B 3.64 3.9 16 93.94 -.38 -21.2 Facebook 25 133.40 +.16 -24.4 VerizonCm 2.41 4.4 7 55.07 -.79 +4.0 FordM .60 7.3 4 8.26 -.06 -33.9 Vodafone 1.74 8.7 20.00 +.20 -37.3 GenElec .04 .5 7.44 -.22 -57.4 WalMart 2.08 2.4 50 87.28 -3.27 -11.6 GenuPrt 2.88 3.1 20 93.80 -.99 -1.3 Weathflntl .25 -.12 -94.0 HP Inc .64 3.2 6 20.07 -.48 -4.5 WeisMk 1.24 2.6 11 47.17 +.85 +14.0 Haverty .72 3.9 19 18.37 -.53 -18.9 WellsFargo 1.72 3.7 11 46.04 +.37 -24.1 Hershey 2.89 2.7 23 106.43 -.90 -6.2 YumBrnds 1.44 1.7 31 87.12 -3.00 +6.8 Name Ex YTD Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg Stock Footnotes: g = Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars, h = Does not meet continued-listing standards. If = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks, pf = Preferred, rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year, rt = Right to buy security at a specified price, s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year, un = Units, vj = In bankruptcy or receivership, wd = When distributed, wi = When issued, wt = Warrants. Fund Footnotes: m - Multiple fees are charged, usually a marketing fee and either a sales or redemption fee. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial. Stock Market Indexes Dow Jones industrials Close: 22,859.60 Change: -464.06 (-2.0%) 27,000 26,000 25,000 24,000 23,000 25,120 23,880 22,640 10 DAYS J J A S O N D 52-Week Net YTD 12-mo High Low Name Last Chg %Chg %Chg %Chg 26,951.81 23,162.64 Dow Industrials 22,859.60 -464.06 -1.99 -7.52 -7.76 11,623.58 9,108.42 Dow Transportation 9,029.94 -117.72 -1.29 -14.91 -15.05 762.26 647.81 Dow Utilities 729.42 +2.66 +.37 +.84 +1.42 13,637.02 11,313.03 NYSE Composite 11,222.79 -149.05 -1.31 -12.38 -12.32 8,133.30 6,586.50 Nasdaq Composite 6,528.41 -108.42 -1.63 -5.43 -6.27 1,309.73 1,104.72 S&P 100 1,096.36 -17.19 -1.54 -7.34 -7.90 2,940.91 2,488.96 S&P 500 2,467.42 -39.54 -1.58 -7.71 -8.09 2,053.00 1,657.81 S&P MidCap 1,644.33 -21.39 -1.28 -13.48 -13.69 30,560.54 25,584.96 Wilshire 5000 25,333.39 -419.21 -1.63 -8.85 -9.12 1,742.09 1,344.15 Russell 2000 1,326.00 -23.23 -1.72 -13.64 -14.29 Mutual Funds Name Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV Total Return/Rank 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Pet Load Mln Init Invt Vanguard 500ldxAdmrl LB 253,238 227.70 -6.4 -6.1/B +8.5/A NL 3,000 Vanguard TtlSMIdxAdmrl LB 203,888 61.41 -6.7 -6.8/B +7.9/B NL 3,000 Fidelity 500ldxlnsPrm LB 164,099 85.80 -6.4 -6.1/B +8.5/A NL 0 Vanguard TtlSMIdxInv LB 129,896 61.37 -6.7 -7.0/C +7.8/B NL 3,000 Vanguard TtlnSIdxInv FB 128,269 15.20 -3.2 13.9/B +1.2/A NL 0 Vanguard TtlSMIdxins LB 123,279 61.42 -6.7 -6.8/B +7.9/B NL 5 000,000 Vanguard Insldxlns LB 116,738 223.88 -6.4 -6.1/B +8.5/A NL 5 ,000,000 Vanguard InsIdxinsPlus LB 104,731 223.89 -6.4 -6.1/B +8.5/A NL100,000,000 Vanguard TtlnSIdxinsPlus FB 95,758 101.70 -3.2 -13.8/B +1.3/A NL100,000,000 Fidelity Contrafund LG 91,616 10.76 -4.2 -4.7/C +9.1/B NL 0 Vanguard TtBMIdxAdmrl Cl 86,606 10.41 +1.5 +0.1/B +2.3/C NL 3,000 Vanguard WlngtnAdmrl MA 86,207 63.41 -3.8 -4.0/A +6.3/A NL 50,000 Cl -Intermediate-Term Bond, FB -Foreign Large Blend, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.
