Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Online Forex Dealing

By Paul Bryant

Forex currency dealing is fast becoming one of the most popular methods of Forex trading around. Little surprise that it has attracted lots of attention in the media in recent months.

Around $3m is traded on currency pairs every single day according to the latest reports. This is thanks to the advancement of online brokers and platforms which are allowing traders to trade more freely and easily.

Of course, Forex currency trading is not without risk. As with any investment market it can go for you or against you. Therefore a certain level of risk management is needed to avoid any large loss of money. The old adage of never risking more than you can afford to lose comes in to play.

Moreover, taking part in online currency dealing will require you to know about your performance and what exactly you are performing.

Foreign Exchange trading (Forex for short) is similar to trading stocks and shares. However, in Forex you are not buying and selling shares, you are are busying and selling currencies. As the market is always moving and is open all day every weekday it is a very attractive opportunity for many new and experienced investors.

Before you start trading Forex you will need to register and fund a trading account with a Forex broker. There are many established platforms online that accept new traders with as little as a $50 first deposit.

Currency trading works by pairing up currencies. For example the GBP can be paired with USD or EUR or one of many different national currencies. The platforms make their money from the trade you place by charging a margin. This means they make money whether you win or lose.

With so many currency pairs available it is easy to get carried away and try and trade too much too soon. Tools are available to help you limit your risk and with most platforms you can set up a trade so that if it goes wrong you never lose more than a set amount so you can avoid ever getting in to ddebt with your broker.

By dealing currencies online you are engaging in a woldwide market. You will need to keep an eye on any events that may effect the currencies you are trading. You should keep in mind that these events may be outside of the countries whose currencues you are dealing with. You will need to be prepared to monitor the markets very closely.

There are companies available that, for a small charge, will provide all the latest currency news as it happens. They can also provide previews and analysis of what might happen and what has already happened. There are also free versions of this information available, however, not all free services are reliable.

If ventured with the proper directives one can surely move swiftly and can take great pleasure in this action pact currency dealing through online trading. - 23309

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Wise Forex Investment Through Forex Education

By Bart Icles

With all the investment services being offered in the Internet today, just thinking all about will really give a big headache, and how much more if you actually got involved in any one of them in particular. Investments like stocks, securities, real estate, bonds, shares, equities, mutual funds, and commodities investments are all good ones to consider, but one of the better investment opportunities that you should be looking into is online Forex currency investing.

If you initially start out in the right direction with having a proper education and the correct Forex training to strengthen your confidence and knowledge in currency trading matters, you can literally laugh yourself all the way to bank with playing your cards right.

The Forex market is the largest and most liquid of all existing markets of today, and is one that operates in all major countries in the world. It's one of the largest sources of income, savings, and investment opportunities open to anyone thanks to the Internet. For decades it has been restricted and primarily dominated by large companies and financial institutions.

But before actually diving in head first into this huge and diverse market, you might want to consider making a bee line for the most appropriate Forex training programs that are available in the Internet. Going ahead in any business without proper knowledge of its basic operating functions is a recipe for a disaster waiting to happen. You can get all the proper training you'll ever want and need in the form of online classes and tutorials that are all free of charge.

One of the best trainings you can avail online is a Forex demo account where you get to play with "fake money" to practice with prior to doing the real deal; it will let you get a feel how it's like doing currency trading, and you can gauge your performance with the trading system you're using without actually losing your money in the process. With being properly trained in Forex trading, you'll be able to adjust to the varying changes of the market - which will be in constant states of fluctuation most of the time.

The really great thing about online Forex currency trading is that it allows you to trade whenever you wish to do so, as it operates in a 24 hour basis, and in 5 days a week you'll never run out of trades to invest in. Just keep in mind to keep learning as you go along with your day to day trading, and to keep reading all the material you can get about Forex currency trading. With a positive attitude, and self-determination, you'll go a long way in this industry. - 23309

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FAPTurbo, a System That Lives up to Its Reputation

By Alex Miller

How many times have you heard that it was possible for you to set up a software program when your computer and basically have the print money for you. Although many of us are skeptical whenever we hear things like this, there are some possibilities as far as the Forex market is concerned. Some of these automated systems are actually quite good, provided you use the right ones.

There are literally dozens of these programs that are available on the Internet and that many of them are not worth their weight at all and are better left alone. There is one, however, that truly stands out as different from among the rest and this is FAP Turbo. Not only did it pass our own independent testing but there were a number of other reasons why we trust this program so highly.

Whenever we are doing our independent testing on these various systems, there are a number of different things that we look at to make sure that they are worth ranking well. In many cases, one of these programs will do well in some areas and not as well and others. In the case of FAP Turbo, however, it ranked well in every area where we tested. That is why it gets our highest marks on our main website.

The first thing that we typically look at is the website and sales letter for the program itself. The FAP Turbo website makes a number of different claims that we found very interesting. At the very core of these claims, however, was one that stated that all you needed to do was to set the program up on your computer one time and start it running. From that point forward, it will be able to make you money on autopilot.

There were also a number of different testimonials that were available in the webpage which said time and time again that the individual was able to make money on the Forex market using this program. Some of them claim to be raw beginners and were still making good money with FAP Turbo.

As they say, however, the proof is in the pudding and we were very interested in finding out what it was that this program was able to do. In our own independent testing and in the testing of a number of other individuals that we follow on the Internet, the results were consistently good. As a matter of fact, we could not find one review that was negative from somebody that tested this program on a Forex platform.

Even better than that, a number of individuals who were actually using the program in real life and did not have any vested interest in the program were able to do so successfully. It's an amazing thing whenever you are able to set up a program such as this and make money automatically. Although we would always suggest that you watch a program whenever it is running, it certainly is a tool that is worth owning. - 23309

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Why Prudent Investors Must Choose Gold?

By Peter Blake

When small companies create an investment portfolio, it is quite degrading to see that they dont invest in gold, and we have too many persuasive reasons for stressing on gold as an effective investment vehicle.

Small companies are now considering gold as the prudent resource to rely on. Almost every country including India and others are investing on gold through ornaments. This is definitely a wealthy investment.

However, it is better to invest in gold bars and coins than ornaments, albeit every form of gold investment is known to be the safe and prudent option. The power of gold as an investment has been backed up by various reason especially for the small companies and business plans. There are many inherent advantages of gold investment for small companies, such as:

- Gold poses to be Main Currency: Thats true! The different paper currencies of different nations ranging from dollars to pounds and euros are all backed up by gold. Gold actually determines how much paper currencies can be printed by different countries, as the value of these paper currencies like dollars and others lie in the real gold, which acts as security. So, gold acts as the primary currency of our world and has an unquestionable value unlike the paper currencies. It does have an intrinsic value for the holders of real or physical gold.

- Gold Has High Liquidity Value: Gold is a liquid asset; it has the highest liquidity. Small companies that trade gold can convert the gold assets conveniently into the currency of the nation at any given time. This basic property of gold makes it a precious asset for an investment.

- Gold Provides Hedge against Inflation: Gold is the best class of asset that provides edge against inflation. It is equally effective for small company investment and for personal investment policies. You can buy gold anytime also.

- Gold Investments are Widespread: Gold does provide widespread investment facilities. Gold is the only diversified and advantageous assets that must be includes in every investment portfolio. It acts as a protection against inflationary conditions and also prevents the loss of intrinsic value.

Gold investment is undoubtedly the most prudent one for small companies. At least 5-10% should be invested in gold for better returns. - 23309

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Details Of Stock Market Ticker

By Anne Durrell

A banner that runs a constant scrolling of current prices of stocks is known as stock market ticker. It gives you information and in real time about the stock market.

When it comes to market information, especially when something urgent is happening in the market, usually the stock market ticker will provide that info.

Many stock price listed for any given company and change very fast and always comes around on the ticker since there is so much trading goes on in Today's market.

Most of the stocks have a certain amount of delay while some are truly running in real time. You will have to pay a fee if you want to get the actual up to date numbers.

Unless you need to buy and sell stock market quickly during the day, it is actually not necessary for you to have the actual up to date stock prices.

You can set up a customized stock market ticker thru online brokerage account from many sources online to show you just the prices of the stocks you are interested in. Perhaps you only want to keep an eye on the stocks you've invested in.

While you're considering a purchase, you may want to keep an eye on a single stock with all the breaking news and any other information as soon as you can buy it.

A third popular option is to set up a ticker with stocks from a specific area that you are interested in, like tech stocks for example, or oil companies. Or car companies, if you like watching numbers sinking fast!

In conclusion, the stock market ticker is a very useful investing tool that can inform you quickly when something has changed. By that you will be alerted and search more information from other sources and find out what has caused a stock go down or go up. - 23309

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Explaining Hedge Funds

By Sara Ferguson

Heres the first thing you should know about hedge funds: They have no clear identity or definition. In the investment world, I run a hedge fund has the same meaning as Im a consultant in the rest of the business world. The speaker may be managing money and making millions, or she may want a socially acceptable reason for not having a real job. The person who really manages money may go about her business in any number of ways, from highly conservative investing to wildly aggressive risk taking. She may be beating the market handily, or she may be barely squeaking by.

Im not trying to say that the term hedge fund means nothing. Heres the short answer: A hedge fund is a lightly regulated investment partnership that uses a range of investment techniques and invests in a wide array of assets to generate a higher return for a given level of risk than whats expected of normal investments. In many cases, but hardly all, hedge funds are managed to generate a consistent level of return, regardless of what the market does. Before I get to the longer, more complicated explanation of hedge funds, however, it helps to know exactly what hedging is.

Hedging means reducing risk, which is what many hedge funds are designed to do. Maybe youve hedged a risky bet with a friend before by making a conservative bet on the side. But a hedge fund manager doesnt reduce risk by investing in conservative assets. Although risk is usually a function of return (the higher the risk, the higher the return), a hedge fund manager has ways to reduce risk without cutting into investment income. She can look for ways to get rid of some risks while taking on others with an expected good return, often by using sophisticated techniques.

For example, a fund manager can take stock-market risk out of the funds portfolio by selling stock index futures. Or she can increase her return from a relatively low risk investment by borrowing money, known as leveraging. If youre interested in investing in hedge funds, you need to know how the fund managers are making money.

Return is a function of risk. The challenge for the hedge fund manager is to eliminate some risk while gaining return on investments " not a simple task, which is why hedge fund managers get paid handsomely if they succeed. - 23309

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Simple Ways to Jump Start Your Savings

By Dennis Snyder

It is very important in this day and age to start your savings plan right away. Do not let the news media and all the news about our lousy economy get you down. With the high cost of things today I know that it can be hard to save but it can be done. You can get control of your money.

We have all been told that we need to have at least 3 to 6 months of living expenses put away for a rainy day. I would tend to agree we all should have that set aside but most of us are lucky if we get to the end on the month with money left over. In fact, for the majority of people broke comes about three days after payday. There are however some simple steps or ways that can help you to jump start your savings.

The most important step to start your savings is to actually start! Don't think that too little is too little and not worth the effort. Even $10 each month is $120 a year. Hey, $120 is better than a sharp stick in the eye. And let's face the facts if you think that $120 is not very much then you can probably afford to save a whole lot more than that. Bottom line is that you need to start.

The next way to get going is to pay yourself first. I know, I know you have heard it before. Ever wonder why you hear it? Because it works. When you go to cash your paycheck put 10% of it into a savings account that you do not touch. If you bring home $400 each week that is only $40 each week but it adds up to $2080 each year. It may hurt for a couple of weeks or even months but if you keep doing it it will become a habit and you will learn to not miss the money. Better yet if your employer offers direct deposit have them put the 10% right into your money market or savings account and you will never miss it.

Still another simple way to jump start your savings is to stop eating out and spending extra money on fancy drinks like cappuccinos and energy drinks at $4 a pop. Then put what you save into your savings account every week. Add it up and you will see yourself socking quite a bit away.

I know nobody really likes clipping coupons but you can save an awful lot of money if you do. Again just make sure that you save the savings. You already have a food budget so when you clip the coupons and do not need to spend your entire food allowance put away the difference.

Men, empty the change from your pockets every night into a special container. Ladies, clean out your purse of the change laying around in it every couple of days and put it into that special container. Not only will that build up your savings but ladies your bag will not be so heavy and men no boatload of pennies and nickles jangling. This can add up to $10 to $20 every month or $120 to $240 every year. I know not much but combine that with the other tips above and it adds up to a sizable amount.

Every dollar you save will add up over time. Remember the old saying 'a penny saved is a penny earned' and regardless if you are only socking away a few dollars or hundreds of dollars each week you are socking it away. It won't be long and you will be glad you have got a good start on your savings. - 23309

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Two Great Reasons To Invest In Silver Eagle Monster Boxes

By Christina Goldman

Here's how buying Silver Eagle Monster Boxes can save you alot of money. Typically, when you purchase American Eagle Silver coins, your price will be based upon the current market spot price. The coin dealer will then add a premium per silver bullion coin purchased. However, the greater the quantity of silver coin that is purchased, the cheaper the price will be. As an added bonus, free shipping for large orders is offered by many bullion dealers.

Another valid reason for purchasing Silver Eagle Monster Boxes is the shortage situation in silver bullion. Because of the selloff in the stock market, the financial turmoil in the credit markets and increase in bank failures, investors are turning to hard assets for protection and diversification. Unprecedented demand for silver bullion because of extreme investor demand has forced the the U.S. Mint to stop production of 2008 edition of the Silver Eagle.

The US Mint has rationed American Silver Eagles since early spring and is supplying the silver bullion coins to dealers on an allocation basis only.

Most dealers are shipping American Silver Eagle orders as they receive them from the U.S. Mint. In many cases, orders are experiencing significant delays and wait times of up to several months! Investors wishing to invest in Silver Eagles should purchase as many coins as they can afford now. There is a real risk that anyone wishing to purchase these silver bullion coins in the future will have to pay a huge premium to do so.

The American Silver Eagle coin is the most popular silver bullion coin. The Silver Eagle is not only beautiful but its silver content is guaranteed by the U.S. government. Each beautiful silver eagle coin contains 1 troy ounce of silver and is 99.9% pure. The American Silver Eagle is considered legal tender and can be converted to cash at any given time. - 23309

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The Truth About Fap Turbo

By Katie Andre

With different programs claiming that to be a hundred percent effective, its normal for us to raise a brow every time a review gets published.

And most of us are just fed up with that that we instantaneously classify any sort of thing that falls into that category as a scam. So when I found out of a new product and I tested it just to make sure that I dont fall for those fake reviews.

FAP Turbo is one of those automated Forex programs that help us trade in the foreign exchange market. By nature, these programs must be able to have an efficient system, provide ease of use, give out consistent results and ultimately lead to profits for the user.

According to their sales page, the FAP Turbo will help you start earning huge amounts of money even if you do not have to always be behind the computer because the program works wonderful on autopilot. The only kind of effort you do is in installing the program. By the end of the year, you can make a million out of your meager $500.

I thought that these claims were all exaggerated and so I decided to really test them.

The FAP Turbo started with the Forex Autopilot system that worked well. It would allow a user to earn $3,000 to $6,000 a month. But the newly improved FAP Turbo allows the user to earn $30,000 in a 90 day test trial.

The next thing that we observed with the FAP Turbo is that it took as little as 5 minutes to install the program.

Once you get it installed, you can begin running the program. If youre a new trader wanting to get a heads start or a senior trader hoping to get things done simpler, the FAP Turbo is perfect for you.

The final thing that seals the deal is their very responsive customer support. You can make a test query and youll be sure to get a response from them within the next 24 hours.

And if in the unfortunate case that you are unsatisfied with their service, theyll give your money back within 60 days. - 23309

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Forex Trading Tips: Economic Indicators and Trading

By Bart Icles

Forex investors have to deal with a lot of information while they conduct trading in the forex market. Not only do they need to be on the lookout for changes in currency quotes, ask prices, and bid prices, they also need to be aware of forex signals. Forex signals, as the word signal suggests, give investors an idea of what trends to expect in the volatile forex environment. Oftentimes, forex signals are based on economic indicators.

It is not unusual for forex investors to keep watch of economic indicators since these indicators determine the economic state of a certain country. Economic indicators report changes in the economic conditions that have direct effects on the price and volume of the currency of a given country. Although economic indicators are not the only ones that affect forex signals, they still provide valuable hints on the future valuation of currencies.

Some of the most popularly used economic indicators in forex trading include the GDP, CPI, retail sales, and industrial production. The GDP or gross domestic product represents the total market value of the goods and services produced in a country during a given period of time. The CPI or consumer price index measures the changes in the prices of consumer goods across categories. The retail sales report the total receipts in all retail businesses in a certain country. And the industrial production shows changes in the production of industrial facilities, including utilities, within a specific country.

In conducting an analysis of forex market trends using economic indicators, it is helpful to have an economic calendar handy. An economic calendar lists different economic indicators and dates when they are due to be released. It also helps to keep a close watch of how markets move. Oftentimes, markets move according to expectations on the indicators or reports that are bound to be released. Investors must also be able to determine the economic indicators that often grab the attention of the majority of the players. More often than not, these indicators are the catalysts of largest price and volume movements.

As much as expectations are valuable, investors must also be careful not to rely too much on them. Investors are better off taking notes of market expectations, the economic indicators and reports being released, and the actual market results. In this manner, they are able to make comparisons of the differences in the three factors so they can make assessments as to what might have possibly caused the variance.

Monitoring economic indicators is indeed important when trading in the forex market. Investors must always be observant on changes in economic indicators, market reports, and market prices so they can react more accurately to future reports and forex market movements. - 23309

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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Candlestick Charts For Currency Traders

By Tom OReilly

Among the many types of technical analysis available to currency traders, the most popular and the single most useful are undoubtedly candlestick charts. During the 18th. century, they were originally developed in Japan by a prominent trader of commodities who used them to chart the fluctuating price of rice. To this day they are often called Japanese candlestick charts, for this reason. In fact, many of the patterns that they form have Japanese names.

Traders were in need of something more than the simple line graphs plotting the price of a commodity at regular intervals in time, that had been used for centuries. They wanted something that could plot more variables within a two dimensional graph. Candlestick charts were even better than the bar chart showing the opening, high, low and closing prices of a commodity that were used to help traders predict future price movements and were reliable but not as good as the candlestick charts.

Charles Dow, founder of the Wall Street Journal and co-founder of the Dow Jones company, introduced them to the American Stock Market at the beginning of the 20th. century. From there they were adapted by the worldwide financial markets.

Candlestick Formation

The chart is made up of a series of 'candlesticks' which typically have a chunky body with vertical lines stretching up from the top (the upper shadow or wick) and bottom (the lower shadow or wick). The different points measure the differential in prices over a certain period of time, which might be 5 minutes, 15 minutes or longer.

The highest point reached during the time period is the top of the wick and the lowest point of the lower wick is the low. The opening and closing prices are the top and bottom of the body. The bottom of the body marks the opening price and its top marks the close. If price rose during the period the body will be white (or green or blue if colored). If the price fell during the period the prices are the other way around and to show this at a glance the body will be black (or red if colored).

How To Use Candlestick Charts In FX Trading

A chart showing 5 or 15 minute candles over a period of several hours can provide the forex trader with many patterns on which he can base a system for determining when a trend is developing. For example, when the candle body is black or red and lower than the preceding candles, it indicates that buyers are very bearish. When the candle body is white or green and higher than the preceding candles, it indicates that buyers are very bullish.

Being able to see these implications at a glance is vital in the fast moving forex markets where trading decisions often need to be made in a split second. So candlestick charts are one of the most useful visual aids for any forex trader. - 23309

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How Americans Are Getting Creative With Their Investments

By Chuck R Stewart

2008 and 2009 have proven to be some of the most trying years for the stock market. It has hit all time lows and has basically everyone that had invested in stocks losing money on their investments this past year. Because of that, a lot of people are now deciding to not invest in the stock market and just saving their money in traditional savings accounts which typically do not earn much interest. For several people, losing half of the retirement or college funds has scared them into not wanting to buy stocks again. This is understandable but you should not be afraid to once again trust in the market.

The stock market has plummeted several times before alwayscoming back so if you are simply patient, it will get better over time. Another good idea is to think out of the box with your money. A good option is to use a DO, or a direct offering. This is a method to invest in a smaller company that has not gone public yet but is about to, they just need to raise capitalto make that possible. By becoming one of the investors in that smaller company, you can choose to greatly understand quite a bit about the company first.

Where do you discover a direct offering? As someone who is deciding on whether or not to invest in a DO, you can find out about these smaller companies from a financial advisor or even by a search on the world wide web. Once you have found a small company that is available, be certain you research that it is a legitimate company and not something that is just trying to take your money and run. Once that is determined to be a good choice, you will be notified when the company's shares will go on resale to the public. You can invest a large amount or a more conservative amount, that all depends on how comfortable you are with the risk factor involved. As with several opportunities that could be lucrative, there is a risk involved and the chance that your money will be lost. Thisalthough, offers those that arenervous to buy stocks oflarger companies that have already lost them money in the market a new unique way to possibly make some money differently.

As we all have seen, all large companies that end up successful have started out small in the beginning and this is your opportunity to do just that. By choosing the direct offering concept, you also eliminate the middle man which could help with your end result as well.

With the difficult economy currently, people wanting to be wise|smart] with their money are looking for alternative ways on how to invest. This is just an example of how to do that and hopefully own shares of a company that once becoming a publicly traded company will continue to prosper and therefore make you money unlike larger companies that arefailing. - 23309

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Specialize In Trading USD (Part I)

By Ahmad Hassam

You are a currency trader. Which currency pairs are the best for trading? Focus on the four major currency pairs EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/CHF and USD/JPY. Consider becoming a specialist in USD. Yes, its true! You should become a specialist in trading the greenback.

Each currency pair actually is a combination of two currencies. So if you are short in GBP/USD then you are in fact selling the GBP and buying the USD. In each of the four major currency pairs, USD is part of each currency pair.

This means that you should study and understand the fundamentals that drive the US Dollar and the US economy. You should also understand the workings of the Federal Reserve System (FED). Then you have done your homework. Now you can trade any one of the four major currency pairs as all of them depend on USD.

These four major currency pairs are the most liquid pairs in the forex markets. They involve the vast majority of the currency trading. You should think like this. Majors are the most heavily traded pairs and US Dollar is half of each major pair. So if you can understand what drives the USD, it will have a huge impact on your trading plans.

What do you think; USD will weaken or strengthen in the near and medium term. The only thing you need to determine is your bias for USD before each trade. Off course develop a system that guides you in forming an educated bias. Then apply that bias to the major currency pairs.

Just a small reminder, when you buy a currency pair, you are buying the first currency and selling the second currency in the pair. Suppose, your bias is that USD is going to strengthen. You can go long on USD/CHF and USD/JPY. You can go short on GBP/USD and EUR/USD.

One bias, four trades! But each currency pair will react differently to USD. For example, if Euro is also strengthening. The currency pair EUR/USD will move less with USD also strengthening as compared to USD/JPY if JPY is weakening.

Lets say you can only afford to place one mini lot trade. You have a bearish bias for USD. What pair you should trade? You can consider going long on either GBP/USD or EUR/USD. But which one!

Take a look at GBP and the Euro both at the same time. Find out which of the two currencies is stronger right now. You should trade the stronger currency. You can find that by taking a look at the cross EUR/GBP. If the EUR/GBP cross is down, it means EUR is weakening and GBP is getting stronger. You should trade GBP/USD!

You should always evaluate the currency correlations for the major currency pairs in every trading plan that you create. Correlation is determined by what is known as the correlation coefficient. Correlation coefficient always ranges between +1 and -1. The correlations between the currency pairs are dynamic and can change any time. So you need to calculate the correlations at least on weekly basis to give you a fair idea of how the correlations are changing. - 23309

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Getting Started with Foreclosure Investing

By Andre J. Keaton

If you're thinking about how to get a good deal in the housing market, or if you've been longing to buy the home of your dreams and only have a tiny budget, then a foreclosed home might be the right solution for you.

Unfortunately, some people have financial difficulties which are devastating and cause them to lose their home. You could benefit from their misfortune by purchase a foreclosure home and earn money on your investment.

These foreclosed homes can be found in various foreclosure listings from banks, government agencies, and other financial institutions. You will not run out of options in properties to invest in as these lists are often updated, sometimes daily with new listings.

There are many online sites with listings of foreclosed homes. These listings can be found in printed copy and often are posted in prominent places, and are also published and handed out to the public.

You can send letters of intention to buy or participate in foreclosure auctions to be able to purchase any one of the homes listed as foreclosed.

States each have various processes by which you can purchase foreclosed homes. There are other differences, such as how to buy property which has been seized by the government. You can save yourself some time by learning what the different processes are before you decide to purchase a foreclosed home.

There are a lot of foreclosed properties nowadays and the selling prices on these properties are lower than ever. It is a very good time to get into foreclosure investing today.

If you take care to handle each step properly, investing in foreclosures is the perfect way to maximize the returns on your extra cash. Instead of watching your money disappear with inflation, you will make a good return on your investment when you purchase a foreclosed property. - 23309

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Learn How Choosing the Perfect Forex Trading Platform Can Make Your Everyday Trading Easier

By Alex Miller

If there is one thing that many of us have learned from trading over the years it is that it helps to be diversified in the proper direction. Because of the corrections that have taken place within the market over the past year or so, some of us are reeling and wondering how we are going to build back our portfolio again. One thing that many people are turning to now is the Forex market, simply because it is able to build back money whenever the commodities market fails.

Of course, it is impossible for you to trade one forex without using a qualified broker. Far too many individuals are unaware of the fact that a broker is the only person that is going to be able to place the trades for you. You can either call one of these brokers on the telephone, although that is quite antiquated and many times you can use the Internet and an online platform which gives you access to the broker directly more efficiently.

There are a number of different things that you need to consider whenever you are choosing from among these Forex trading platforms and making the proper choice is going to make a difference in how well you are going to trade. We have tested dozens of platforms and there are a few things that we always look for whatever we are doing our testing. Here are a few of our most important criteria, something that may help you in making your own decision.

One of the first things that you always need to look for whenever it comes to the platform that you are choosing is whether it caters to beginners or experienced individuals. Most of the platforms do a fairly good job of balancing this out but some of them come out heavy in one direction or the other. As a beginner, you would want those tutorials and advanced tools so that the platform can grow with you as you gain knowledge. Advanced users will want to make sure that it has everything that is necessary for them to trade successfully.

Customer service is also something that is held in high esteem whenever we are doing our independent testing. Many of us may not ever need to contact customer service because of a problem that occurs but if it is necessary, we certainly want to have somebody pick up the phone on the other end. Make sure that they offer use several different ways of contacting them which could include e-mail, online chat and toll-free numbers. The easier it is to contact them, the better of a platform it is going to be.

Another thing that you may be interested in is whether the Forex platform allows you to trade in certain commodities, such as precious metals or oil. Being able to diversify in this way is an excellent choice, especially if you are able to do so using the same platform and broker.

I'm not saying that it is going to be an easy thing for you to make your decision but by breaking it down into simplistic terms like this, you will be able to make a wise one. Choose a platform that is not only a good fit now but will be a good fit into the future for you. The Forex market is an excellent way for you to build your portfolio. Choosing the right platform can help you in amazing ways as well. - 23309

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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Saving Hours and Dollars Via the Video Business Production

By Chuck R Stewart

The IPO presentation is necessary for a thriving business. Companies need it to raise capital when private placement capital may not be enough. It can be either live, face to face or live, over the Internet. While there are many good reasons for giving a live demo, there are also many disadvantages. These disadvantages can be overcome through the business video production.

Lets discuss the types of presentations given today, starting with the live demo. The most obvious good reason is personal interaction and goodwill. This is a big advantage, but the drawbacks are just as important. The most obvious is the cost and hassle of travel. And the cost of plane tickets, hotels, and rental cars is only going up. In addition, the modern father or mother is less willing to be away from the family for days at a time. For these reasons, staying in town is growing in popularity.

Which brings up the webinar. A webinar is a presentation over the Internet. In a webinar, the audience can see the computer of the presenter, and they can speak to each other over the phone or VOIP (voice over Internet protocol). A video camera improves the process by making the presenter visible to the audience and, with a second camera, can even make the viewer visible to the presenter. With this optimal setup, the presenter has all of the advantages of an in-person visit (the interpersonal interaction) without the pain (cost and time away from home).

Which leads us to the webinar. A webinar is a presentation via the Internet. In a webinar, the viewer can see the computer of the presenter, and they can speak to each other over the phone or VOIP (voice over Internet protocol). A web cam improves the process by making the presenter visible to the audience and, with a second camera, can even make the audience visible to the presenter. With this optimal setup, the presenter has all of the advantages of the personal visit (the interpersonal interaction) without the disadvantages (cost and time away from home).

The second disadvantage of the live presentation is the foibles and missteps of all humans that come out as stumbles and fumbles. regardless of how much we practice, we are doomed to imperfection, and the level of our professional mien is determined by the number of our "ers" and "ums" and slips of the tongue.

Once again, its developing technology to the rescue in the form of the high-definition video presentation. While this variety of presentation has the disadvantage of the lack of direct human interaction, it overcomes the disadvantages of the live presentation and the webinar. Most obviously, it eliminates the need for the presenter to travel to the viewers site. Second, it saves the precious time of the presenter. Once the kinks are worked out of the video presentation, it can be viewed an uncountable number of times by an uncountable number of people. Third, the problem of coordinating two or more schedules is gone. The video presentation can be viewed by each individual at whatever time is convenient, and the viewing can even be split into shorter segments that fit into the busy schedule. Finally, the perfected video has none of the slips of the tongue seen in any live presentation. - 23309

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Online Commodity Trading - What Is It?

By Anne Durrell

Online commodity trading is an exciting and different opportunity for trading on the internet. Interest in the market is increasing and that means larger trading volumes and larger potential for profits if you know what you are doing.

There are schools that start the course even only last for few days, they help people to learn about online commodity trading and teach the basics of the market.

Whether you decide to attend the class for the course or not, it is very important for you to know about commodity trading before you jump into this market. Learn how to control your orders and how to place orders in the commodity market.

This involves learning how to use the latest software. Studying how professionals make money through buying and selling will provide you with good examples of how you need to conduct yourself even though the trades you will be doing will likely be on a much smaller scale.

Learn which online commodity trading transactions that have the most risk, that way you can always control your exposure to great losses.

A bit of education will help you to reliably determine which investments are likely to be profitable and which should be avoided due to risk factors. It is possible to utilize different types of contracts at the same time to increase your leverage.

If you want to do well in the online trading market, you must have discipline and move carefully with a solid plan and established knowledge about the market and software you are using. Everything makes the trading looks complex, but if you do it correctly, it can actually give you profits and with less risky.

If you put the time in to learning the market and make carefully scripted decisions, you may find that online commodity trading is very lucrative. For some it becomes a full time career.

The internet makes it flexible so you can start slow and increase your trading volume as you get more comfortable. Soon you may be able to quit your day job! - 23309

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Foreign Exchange Trading, Easy As Pie.

By John Eather

Defining Forex- The definition of foreign exchange trading is very straight forward as the trading of one currency in exchange for another. This market is the largest, richest and most liquid on the face of the earth. Trades are conducted twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week, non-stop trading in other words. An estimated US$1.5 trillion dollars is traded per day. Market participants include banks, corporations, individuals and speculators. Government and commercial currency conversions make up five percent of daily volumes, the volume difference consists out of speculations and trading.

Market features- Foreign exchange trading opens the door to wonderful investment opportunities for both small and large investors. Advantages to trading on the forex market includes great investment liquidity, 24/7 trading across the world markets with trade session overlapping, traders are able to respond imminently to economical, market and political news, trade costs are low and margin trade opportunities are readily available.

Risk- The risk involved with forex trading is just as high as the possible reward. However it's very important to understand that you stand the chance of losing not only any profits made but also your total initial investment. If you are gambling on the market with money you don't actually have or you are not willing to loose, rather avoid it. Should you feel uncertain about this trade type, follow your gut feeling and rather steer clear from trading. Invest in trade courses or books on the subject to assist you with understanding the mechanics of the market before serious trading is attempted

Different forex rates- Foreign exchange is usually traded on the spot rate. This means that trades are completed on the spot rate and settled within 2 working days. However in rare instances the positions can remain open, rolls over and expires on the closest settlement day. The rate at which trade occurs is known as next rate.

Asking or offer price- The price quotes for the two currencies are known as offer or asking price. The asking price will be reflect on your right and offer left. - 23309

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Learn How To Day Trade Forex

By Ahmad Hassam

Learn to day trade forex. But I want to make a few facts very clear before you embark on your journey of forex trading. These facts should be the foundation of any forex system that you develop.

The first most important thing that you should understand and make very clear is that forex is not a get rich quick scheme. Skilled currency traders can and in fact do make good money in forex trading. However like any other business or career, success just doesnt happen overnight or in a few weeks. You should use this great formula for success: Patience+Practice+Persistence=Profits.

As they say there is no substitute for hard work and diligence. Practice trading on a demo account and pretend that virtual money is your own real money. Do not open a live trading account until you become profitable on your demo account. Stick to the plan and you can be successful.

When you start trading forex, just choose two major currency pairs that you will trade in the start. It will become very difficult to keep tab on the all major currency pairs in the beginning. You should start with a major currency pair. The spread on the major pairs is the best and they are the most liquid. EURUSD pair is the most commonly traded pair in the currency markets and usually has the best spread because of its liquidity.

USDCHF is the most volatile pair among the major currency pairs. It is highly volatile and moves the most during the trading week. However, USDJPY moves a lot only on the news out of Japan. GBPUSD is the most stable and least volatile among the major currency pairs.

You should follow and understand the daily forex news and analysis of the professional currency analyst. It is important for you to get a birds eye view of the currency markets and the news that affects the prices of the major pair that you want to trade. You should also know and understand what the key technical support and resistance levels are in the currency pair that you want to trade.

Support is the predicted level to buy. It is where the currency pair moves up on the charts. Resistance is the predicted level to sell. It is where the currency pair should move down on the charts.

Fortunately for you, all the best forex news and analysis is available freely online. Most of the brokers provide this information on daily basis. You can also go to forexnews.com and get 24 hrs news and analysis on the spot forex market. When you read the technical news and analysis, write down on a piece of paper the direction the analyst are saying about the currency pair you are trading and the key support and resistance level for that pair.

Learn how to use technical indicators and always trade with stop losses. It is worth your time to be patient and learn how to use technical indicators on the charts that you will be reading shortly.

Learn to be disciplined when you are trading. Avoid emotions in trading! Stick to a good system and a plan. Depending on your risk appetite and strategy, set your stop losses accordingly when you trade. Try not to trade your gut feeling. - 23309

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Forex Tutorial: Currency Pairs and Forex Quotes

By Bart Icles

If you are new to the forex market, you might find forex quotes confusing. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed with forex quotes. In fact, reading forex quotes can be quite easy.

In reading forex quotes or currency pairs, there are two important things that you must keep in mind. First is that the currency being quoted first is what we refer to as the base currency. Second is that the value of base currency always equals to 1.

The centerpiece or focus of the forex market is the US Dollar. It is also often quoted as the base currency for a lot of pairs. A currency pair that has the US Dollar as the base currency is what we call "major". Examples of major currency pairs are USD/JPY, USD/CAD, and USD/CHF. In major currency pairs, quoted currencies are expressed as the US Dollar, specifically, one (1) US Dollar for every, or a fraction of the, unit of the second currency quoted in the pair.

As an example, let us take the US Dollar and the Swiss Franc. In the currency pair USD/CHF, the base currency is the US Dollar. In the quote USD/CHF = 1.0806, one unit of the US Dollar is equivalent to 1.0806 units of Swiss Francs.

If a currency goes up, you must take note of the base currency. In the aforementioned pair, the US Dollar is the base currency. If the quote goes up, it simply means the value of the US Dollar has increased compared with the value of the Swiss Franc. If the quote goes down, then one can easily conclude that the value of the US Dollar has depreciated to a certain degree.

There are cases when the US Dollar is not the base currency. We often see the US Dollar as the quoted currency when it is paired with the Australian Dollar (AUD), British Pound (GBP), and Euro (EUR). Let us take the AUD/USD currency pair quoted at 0.8044. This shows that one unit of Australian Dollar is equivalent to 0.8044 or less than one unit of US Dollar. One can conclude that the Australian Dollar is weaker than the US Dollar. If the quote goes up, then it means that the US Dollar has weakened against the Australian Dollar.

Currency pairs do not always involve the US Dollar. These currency pairs are referred to as cross currencies. Examples of which are EUR/AUD, EUR/JPY, CHF/JPY, and EUR/SGD. Let us take the currency EUR/SGD pair quoted at 2.0373. This shows that one unit of Euro is equivalent to more than two units of Singapore Dollar or 2.0373 Singapore dollars. - 23309

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Friday, June 26, 2009

High-end Investments

By Samatha East

In some ways, higher-end investments arent much different than traditional investments: You invest your money in stocks or bonds or mutual funds or ETFs and make all the same decisions that an average investor does. The difference is the amount of capital in play (typically a lot) or the risk exposure (typically high).

In other ways, high-end investments are almost a completely different beast. Its not so much of the buy and hold investing as it is trading or speculating assuming a business risk with the chance of profiting from the market fluctuations.

Successful speculating requires analyzing situations, predicting outcomes, and putting your money on one side of a trade based on those predictions. Speculating also involves an appreciation of the fact that you can be wrong 80 percent of the time and still be successful if you apply the correct techniques for analyzing trades, managing your money, and protecting your account. Basically, high-end investing means you have to chuck all your preconceptions about buy-and-hold investing and asset allocation, and essentially all the strategies that stock brokerages put out for public consumption. The following sections outline the high-end investment vehicles you can find out about in this book.

Futures and options

Futures and options, by their very nature, are complex financial instruments. Its not like investing in a mutual fund, where you mail your check and wait for quarterly statements and dividends. If you invest in futures and options contracts, you need to monitor your positions on a daily basis, often even on an hourly basis. You have to keep track many details: the expiration date, the premium paid, the strike price, margin requirements, and a number of other shifting variables.

That said, understanding futures and options can be very beneficial because they are powerful tools. They provide you with leverage and risk management opportunities that your average financial instruments dont offer. If you can harness the power of these instruments, you can dramatically increase your leverage and performance in the markets. Book III explains investing in futures and options.

Commodities

Commodities are the raw goods humans use to create a livable working world: the agricultural products, mineral ore, and energy that are the essential building blocks of the global economy. The commodities markets are broad and deep, presenting both challenges and opportunities. Such as, how do you decide whether to trade crude oil or gold, sugar or pork bellies, natural gas or frozen concentrated orange juice, soybeans or aluminum? What about corn, feed cattle, or silver should you trade these commodities? And if you decide to do that, what is the best way to invest? Should you go through the futures markets, through the equity markets, or buy the physical stuff (silver coins or gold bullion)? And do all commodities move in tandem, or do they perform independently of each other? These are all things you will want to know.

A lot of folks equate (incorrectly) commodities exclusively with the futures markets. There is no doubt that the two are inextricably linked: The futures markets offer a way for commercial users to hedge against commodity price risks and a means for investors and traders to profit from this price risk. But equity markets are also deeply involved in commodities, as are a number of investment vehicles, such as master limited partnerships (MLPs), exchange traded funds (ETFs), and commodity mutual funds.

Foreign currency trading

When you get involved in foreign currency trading (also called forex trading), youre essentially speculating on the value of one currency versus another. You buy a currency just as youd buy an individual stock, or any other financial security, hoping that it will make a profitable return. But the value of your security is particularly volatile because of the many factors that can affect a currencies value and the amazingly quick timeframe in which these values can change. If youre an very active trader and looking for alternatives to trading stocks or futures, the forex market is hard to beat. Online trading innovations have made it accessible both technologically and financially.

Trading foreign currencies is a challenging and potentially profitable opportunity for educated and experienced investors. Before deciding to participate in the forex market, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. Most important, dont invest money you cant afford to lose. The leveraged nature of forex trading means that any market movement will have an equally proportional effect on your deposited funds; this may work against you as well as for you.

Hedge funds

In a nutshell, hedge funds are lightly regulated private partnerships that pursue high returns through multiple strategies. A hedge fund manager may invest in almost any opportunity in the market where he or she foresees favorable risk to reward. Through hedge funds, you can get some high returns for your portfolio if you dont mind the risk and have a lot of money to invest.

Because of the risk and the investment criteria, hedge funds arent open to most investors. In fact, to participate, you have to meet strict limits put in place by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding your worth (a net worth of at least $1 million and/or an annual income exceeding $200,000 in each of the two most recent years).

A hedge fund differs from the so-called real money " traditional investment accounts like mutual funds, pensions, and endowments " because it has more freedom (read: little to no regulatory oversight) to pursue aggressive investment strategies, which can lead to huge gains or huge losses. - 23309

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An Honest Look At Fap Turbo

By Sam Arie

With the economy going haywire, people in the hundreds are getting laid off from their workplaces. Because of that, there is a race to find new ways to start bringing money back in again.

The foreign exchange market used to be the turf of senior traders who spent their entire life on buying and selling different currencies. But now, it has become the home of people who are new to the entire foreign exchange market. The culprit? The foreign exchange market seems to be one of the very few places where one is unlikely to get retrenched or laid off.

There are a number of questions that are posed when one first enters the foreign exchange market.

The foreign exchange markets volatility means that you could lose your hard earned cash if you trade recklessly. But with a very limited background and insufficient experience, you will need serious help to trade sensibly.

If that is so, then what could minimize the risks of trading for those new traders? Although theres no substitute for human knowledge, a number of foreign trading software are increasingly becoming available in the market.

There are tons of foreign trading software that you can find just by googling online. But the one that Id like to focus on is the FAP Turbo. Im sure that the others are worth trying too, but I have had the privilege of testing the FAP Turbo.

The FAP Turbo is the brainchild of three computer geeks namely Mike, Ulrich and Steve. These three decided to create the FAP Turbo after they were challenged by Marcus Leary, of Forex AutoPilot, to improve his software.

One thing that I scrutinized before going with the FAP Turbo is the back tests that were performed with it.

Theres no way that you can tell for sure which software is better and which is just a scam. That is why we have to rely on tests. The FAP Turbo has nine years of back tests that all showed favorable results. The implication of that is the FAP Turbo can perform generally well during live trading.

Finally, the FAP Turbo is very easy to install into your computer. You can have it running in no time and you can also create unlimited trading accounts with it.

But in the case that you purchase the FAP Turbo and you decide that its not the software for you, youre given 60 days to avail of the money back guarantee. - 23309

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Foreclosure Workouts to Get Your House Back

By Doc Schmyz

The last thing anyone wants to loose is your house. Unfortunately even though we know this fact, sometimes we tend to take our mortgage payments for granted and end up loosing our homes. When a borrower fails to pay his or her mortgage for a number of payments (usually 5 or 6) the lender will issue a foreclosure by selling the house or repossessing it.

More often than not banks often lead the homeowners to believe that they don't have other options available. However there are other alternatives that homeowners can use to keep their house.

These are some of the options that homeowners can use.

Short stop

You can get a short refinance for the foreclosure of your property. If you don't want a new loan to cover an existing one, you can ask the help of a friend. A borrower's friend or relative can buy or pay off the mortgage.

Negotiate a payment plan

You (the homeowner) agree to pay a portion of the amount and agree to pay the rest in the following months. The homeowner also shows proof of their income and pays a down payment. This is a much easier way and most lenders agree to this plan.

Change the plans

A foreclosure negotiator handles the job of getting these plans approved. In some cases a temporary change in the terms of the loan can be given when properly negotiated. These changes include but are not limited to, amortization extension and reduction of interest rate.

Third party sale

The property on foreclosure is sold to a third party. The proceeds will go to the mortgage lender as a settlement for the debt.

Friendly third party sale

The third party who buys the property sells it on foreclosure to clean the deed of other holders. Then the property is sold back to the borrower.

The above mentioned are just a few ideas of what you can do to keep your home if faced with foreclosure. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Be forward and upfront with your lender if you have fallen on hard times. If you have to take a second job to earn extra money then do it. It is far easier to work to stay out of foreclosure then to try and fix it once you have gotten a notice. Do not let your personal ego and pride cost you your home. - 23309

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Best Performing Mutual Funds - Highly Effective Tips To Finding Top Mutual Funds

By Warren Parker

Mutual funds are an excellent investment vehicle and should seriously be considered as part of your portfolio if you want to be a successful investor. The benefits of finding the best performing mutual funds will allow you to diversify your investments while significantly reducing your risk.

Many investors will tell you that the best mutual fund advice is to simply look at the past performance of a mutual fund but this is not a very effective method of determining how successful a fund will be. Taking a look at the trade volume of particular mutual fund is also ineffective.

So given this situation, how can you find the best performing mutual funds available?

The answer to this question depends on what types of investments you want to invest in. Whether it is a fund that specializes in stocks or bonds, and also how much risk youre willing to take.

Fortunately, there is a reliable source that you can use that assigns mutual funds rankings based on very particular criteria. Morningstar is an example of such a company that uses criteria such as past performance and trading value to determine a ranking based on a star rating system.

How effective is this ratings system for the best performing mutual funds?

These factors combined helped to draw up a better picture of how well a mutual fund has performed in the past and how likely it is to perform in the future|The indicators that such ratings use helped presents a better picture of how likely a particular mutual fund will perform in the future|These specific criteria that companies such as Morningstar use to rate particular mutual funds is extremely effective at determining how well they will perform in the future. Business periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal and Business Week also provide valuable insight into recommended mutual funds.

The bottom line to finding the best performing mutual funds is to thoroughly do your research behind a fund that you are interested in. Before deciding to invest in a particular mutual fund, be sure to do thorough research behind the board of advisory to ensure that they have adequate experience in their field. - 23309

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Want A Safe And Easy Investment For Guaranteed Success? Try Gold Trading.

By Klaus Bazel

Gold has been a symbol of money and wealth all through history. Maybe that is why your decision to buy gold can be one of the best decisions you ever make. A lot of times, gold sellers will be seen selling gold at a time when its value is at its height. This makes sure that the profits received are healthy, which is made possible by the fact that gold can be sold and traded 24/7.

Even small businesses are learning how to buy gold and sell gold. In the meantime, they are following the prices in a way that is similar to following the stock market. However, gold is not like the stock market because gold bullion does not depend on the successes of other institutions or individuals. You can learn how your small business can become more successful and wealthy by buying, trading, or selling gold.

So why does buying gold seem to make a lot of sense? Well, gold has been around for quite some time, which is most likely a reason why it is better than other investment vehicles. Here are some facts to consider:

So why does buying gold seem to make a lot of sense? Well, gold has been around for quite some time, which is most likely a reason why it is better than other investment vehicles. Here are some facts to consider:

- Rust or tarnish will never ruin your gold.

- Gold is not heavy and cumbersome like some valuable items (paintings, statues & other collectibles.

- Gold can be sold at any time and any place.

- Gold is lightweight compared to other valuable items, such as statues, paintings, and collectibles. Selling gold is quite easy.

You, like many others, may have the misconception that you cant afford gold. However, now is the best time to invest. Small gold bullion or small gold nuggets can be acquired at affordable prices. There are many companies that deal in gold and will sell it in small sizes to make it more affordable for the average person.

This makes sense because golds value has increased 130% since 2002. This is why you should have your small business buy gold and benefit from it. Because small business owners may have a difficult time keeping a business going, the decision to buy gold or trade gold can help make that business wealthier.

As for why this makes sense, the value of gold has increased 130% since 2002. This is all the more reason why the small business should buy gold and benefit from it. A small business can be difficult for a small business owner to keep going, so the decision to buy gold or trade gold can help the financial stability of that business.

Even analysts are recommending that businesses buy gold due to the safety of the investment and the safety net that it provides against inflation and the weakening dollar.

And although investing seems similar to gambling in todays economy, the business that buys gold is obtaining a hedge against economic downfalls in the future, such as a stock market decline.

Small business owners are realizing the ability to buy gold and sell gold within their business to make it wealthier. This is a great way to create a retirement fund or another fund that cant lose. - 23309

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Dividends

By Samatha Ferguson

Dividends are payments from shares, unit and investment trusts, which, investors hope, are not only regular (usually twice a year) but also rise over time to reflect the companys (or trusts) growing fortunes. Dividends are taxable as income.

The good news is tax on UK share dividends is deducted before you get it. If you are a basic rate taxpayer, you dont have to do anything else. Nontaxpayers and ten per cent taxpayers dont need to do anything either. But theres bad news here: You cant reclaim the deducted tax under any circumstances. Even though its called a tax credit by HMRC, we refer to it as a deduction to save confusion.

Top-rate taxpayers have to declare dividends on their self-assessment form and have the cash ready to pay the gap between the 40 per cent rate and the tax deducted.

Whether you get income from unit trusts, investment trusts, or individual shares, look at the date the dividend was declared and ignore the period for which the dividend applied. A 10p a share dividend for the year ending 31 December 2006 declared on 1 May 2007 and paid on 1 June 2007 counts as part of your 2007 " 08 return, not the 2006"07 calculation.

If you invest for long-term growth in shares that pay low or no dividends, youll pay less income tax. But dont forget these shares tend to be riskier. And you can get hit for capital gains tax on your profits.

Dont forget if you are near the top of the basic rate ladder " earning around $36,000 a year " your dividends can push you into the top tax bracket. For instance, if you earn $36,500 and have $3,500 of dividends youll be over the $39,825 (in 2007"08) basic rate tax limit for a person aged under 65.

Dividends from stocks traded in foreign markets can be tough to deal with. You may have to convert dividend payments into sterling as well as account for them separately.

You need to fill out the foreign income pages of the self assessment form. The UK has double taxation agreements with most foreign countries. The effect of these agreements is to cap the tax due on foreign-sourced income so you are no worse off as a result of possibly being taxed twice.

Many stock market companies have schemes by which shareholders can opt to receive new shares to the value of their dividends rather a dividend cheque. Even if you choose this option, you still have to declare the value of the new shares and any balance carried forward in cash because it is not large enough to buy a share. Youre liable for tax on re-invested dividends in just the same way as a cash dividend. - 23309

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Google Stock Price Explained

By Anne Durrell

Many analysts debated when Google stock price started out at an initial public offering for only $85 per share back in August 2004.

Google value was intellectual property instead of real property, and that time the market was not ready to the idea how online companies can be so on demand and valuable.

Well in hindsight there was certainly no reason for debate as five years later, the Google stock price is five times its initial value and the company as a whole has a market value of $175 billion dollars.

Can you imagine, google stock price rose to over $100 in the first day and even doubled within 3 months and that is absolutely impressive.

Now that analyst debate on different things on Google company, they debate on a matter of how much more it will grow and how quickly.

Though the early growth of the company was unsustainable and unrealistic, but over the past few years their stocks has settled into a traditional pattern growth, but with the exception of the recession which has been detrimental the entire marketplace and tech sector.

Many investors has a great confident on Google stocks even though no stocks comes with guarantee, but as a reliable company, Google is not likely to lose value significantly, at least not like any other marketplace as a whole.

Find Google stock price at anytime by going to any search engine, especially Google.com, by typing the company's exchange symbol, "Goog". There you will see the up to date Google stock price easily.

It is also important to note that there are two types of Google stock, Preferred and Common. Preferred stock prices are traditionally higher because these stock holders are paid dividends before dividends are distributed to all the common stock holders. Both types have voting rights. - 23309

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The Treasury Bond Market Illustrated

By Arman Bristed

The market for U.S. Treasury Bonds is receiving more attention recently. The value of the dollar tends to drop when long-term Treasury bonds decline in price. The March 2009 report of the Fed's Flow of Funds shows that there is $14.5 trillion outstanding in mortgage-backed securities, agency securities and Treasury securities.

Foreign countries are heavily invested in U.S. debt as an investment with China being the first holder of U.S. bonds. More than a few economists believe that if China stops buying them, the U.S. economy would face ever increasing interest rates to make U.S. debt more attractive.

With the consequence of huge deficits and out of control government spending, the real value of U.S. Treasury securities are the focus of increased attention. China wants their assets safe and if any question of U.S. credibility would ensue, the pressure to liquidate a portion of their U.S. assets in self-survival mode may seem a likely option.

If China and other nations refuse to buy U.S. debt, the only alternative is for the U.S. Treasury to purchase Treasury securities which would dramatically increase the money supply. To attract investors, interest rates would need to rise. As is the case, when the Fed starts buying Treasury bills habitually, inflation ensues. The Fed in the mid-2009 scenario has used much of the money to buy over $500 billion in mortgage backed securities.

Normally, high interest rates is associated with the central bank as the government attempts to ward off inflationary pressures that come with an expanding money supply. Yet, there is less demand for Treasuries and the only other viable option is to have higher interest rates to entice buyer demand. Unfortunately, higher interest rates would only further decline the economy. As the result of higher interest rates, a greater burden is placed on the citizen which results in an escalation in mortgage defaults and more consumer debt.

The current administration's record-breaking plans to fund the deficit and the Fed printing out dollar bills to buy the debt is staggering. The U.S. Treasury is pushing the yield on bonds even higher and the floodgates are open. Some economists are wondering who is going to be purchasing these bonds.

Inflationary deficit spending can destroy a nation. The renowned late economist, Milton Friedman warned that "Inflation is a disease, a dangerous and sometimes fatal disease that, if not checked in time, can destroy a society."

China remains the number one holder of U.S. debt. Milton Friedman warned, "The Fate of a Country Is Inseparable From the Fate of Its Currency." Climbing interest rates and inflation scare an already fragile domestic and global economy. As such, the debt onslaught is boosting bond yields as the appetite for money to finance the government's budget deficit shows no sign of dieting. - 23309

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The Fundamentals of Forex Trading

By John Eather

More than two trillion dollars is traded daily in the Foreign Exchange market and without exception the largest trading in the world. The FX is open twenty four hours a day, but only five days a week, including public holidays. The world wide financial centers commence trading in Sydney, on to Tokyo, then London and New York.

There are buyers who are always participating and sellers at anytime, anywhere on the globe. This permits the Forex market to have the most liquidity the planet has ever recognised. Currencies in the FX market is always traded in pairs, e.g., EUR/USD, GBP/USD or UDS/JPY. All trades concur with the selling of one and the purchasing of another currency. The premise for the buy or sell is the base currency. Consider of the currency as an aim to be bought or sold with the the base currency being the 1st of the pair.

The principal currency of the Forex marketplace and in general the base for quotes is the U.S. dollar includeing the USD/JPY, USD/CHF and USD/CAD. There are exclusions and they are the EUR/USD and GBP/USD. These and a lot of other currencies quotes are expressed in units of one dollar ($1) USD per the other half of the currency pair. For instance, a quote of USD/CAD. 1.1302 merely entails that one US ($1) equals 1.130 Canadian dollars. You will frequently discover whilst trading Forex, a double-sided quote. It'll be a bid' and ask' price quote. Bid' is the price to sell the base currency whilst, simultaneously, buying the other currency. Ask' price is the purchase price of base currency and, simultaneously, selling the other currency from broker.

The differences between bid' and ask' prices is the spread and is paid to the Forex broker as commission. Commission-free trading is offered by majority of brokers, and they instead profit from trades' spread. On major currency pairs the spread is usually 3-5 pips. Rollovers, what are they? The process by which the completion of a deal is rolled to another value date. The cost is based on the differential rate of the pair of currencies. Almost all brokers will roll your open positions thus allowing the position to be held over indefinitely.

Trading on leverage or the margin and trading, in truth, lets Forex brokers take the advantage of not having to bear the whole payout on the total cost of the positions value. Forex trading brokers, in any case, just about all of them, allow for more leverage than stocks or futures. The absolute sum of leverage access in Forex trading may be up to 5 hundred times higher in value than your forex trading account. Leverage availableness in Forex trading is amidst the 1st interests of a lot of traders in the Forex marketplace.

Take advantage of the leverage for brokers allow for greater, a good deal greater profits and because this can occasionally be a double edge sword and they are also able to incur very big losses. Nevertheless, with a deliberate, affordable and well prepared plan and tenaciousness this might not be a matter at all. A decently assembled investment strategy will assist you in your successful trading. I'll give you an important word of caution.The same as gambling, you had better not ever invest more than you are able to easily afford to lose and when you do turn a profit, start utilising the profit for investment. Get on the internet and open a demo account, practice for fun and once you're ready to trade for real, then good luck. - 23309

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History of the One oz Gold Krugerrand

By Ben Harmon

On July 3rd, 1967 the first 1 oz Krugerrand rolled through the presses in the South African Mint. This was not the beginning of the Gold Krugerrand, however- nor were the careful planning meetings of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa (who interestingly enough can trace its roots back to 1889) which lead to its creation.

Witwatersrand, South Africa or the "ridge of white waters" in Afrikaans, is truly where Gold Krugerrand history starts. These mineral rich hills run east to west near Johannesburg for over sixty miles. They produce many minerals including uranium- and in 1884 the first gold discovery was made. The president of the Transvaal at that time was Paul Kruger, who knew that the gold discovery would forever change the face of South Africa. As he predicted, the rich gold find brought in many foreign miners looking to make their fortune. As more and more foreigners entered, they eventually began to outnumber the Boers, and their protests for their rights lead to increasing levels of conflict. Underlying this concern for their rights, was the British desire to control gold rights.

The second Boer war started in 1899 with ultimatums from the British demanding equal rights for the uitlanders (foreigners), and Kruger's response for the British to be out of Transvaal in 48 hours. After three bloody years, the war ended in 1902 and Transvaal was absorbed into the British empire- with some concessions to the Boers.

Now that the drums of war were silent, the next milestone in the timeline of Krugerrand history was the creation of the of a centralized refinery. The Transvaal Chamber of Mines created the Rand Refinery in 1920 with the express goal to refine all the gold mined in Witwatersrand. To this day, the blank every South African Gold Krugerrand is stamped on comes from the Rand refinery.

Now to assemble the essential elements of a One Ounce Krugerrand. First on the reverse side of the coin, we have a Springbok antelope, designed by Coert Steynberg. The antelope symbolizes South Africa. Next the Krugerrand honors the 5th President of the South African Republic, Paul Kruger with a picture on the obverse. Finally, the name itself is derived by adding Kruger's name to the national currency- the Rand. And where did the Rand come from? Witwatersrand of course.

With Executive Order 6102 and the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, United States citizens were effectively barred from owning gold bullion. In 1967 the Chamber of Mines of South Africa had a clever plan for their fledgling 1 oz Gold Krugerrand. By declaring the coin legal tender of South Africa, it was classified as "foreign coin", and US citizens could buy it. They also had another trick up their sleeve, instead of putting a value on it- they put the weight of the gold bullion on the coin. This allowed a quick and easy method to trade gold bullion without the need to melt and assay its gold content. This also tied the value of the Krugerrand directly to the underlying gold value. It's interesting to note that Krugerrands are not 24 carat gold- they are alloyed with copper which gives them their dark golden color and adds strength. Rest assured however, that they do contain one full ounce of gold bullion. Until apartheid was abolished in the middle of the 1990s, it was still illegal to import Krugers in western countries. In spite of this the Kruger was still a commercial success. Forty-six million ounces later, it is remains the world's most popular bullion investment coin. The 1 oz Gold Krugerrand history leads from the rolling hills to the highest political offices, and beyond. - 23309

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