trillion http://www.artwoo.com Returned search results for trillion Copyright 2008 Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:42:20 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/rss/trillion Debt Counseling Tips http://www.artwoo.com/article/debt-counseling-tips http://www.artwoo.com/article/debt-counseling-tips#comments Wed, 01 Nov 2006 06:27:10 +0000 debt consolidation loandebt counselingfed rate hikesadjustable rate mortgagestrilliondebt negotiationdebt settlement program http://www.artwoo.com/article/debt-counseling-tips debt counseling is at a record high; 17 straight quarterly , slowing home values (harder to get a ), rising tuition costs, rising gas prices, bankruptcy reform... the list of consumer catalysts into debt counseling programs just seems to keep growing. But what are your options and which program is right for you? Read on.

First, some startling statistics: there is over $13 in consumer debt out there, and over $2 trillion of it is revolving. When interest rates rise, that revolving debt hits the consumer's pocket book. For example, it has been estimated that over $2 trillion of mortgage debt that is based on adjustable rates ("ARMs" or ) is going to re-adjust over the next 2 years... increasing American consumer interest fees by over $50 billion! What does it mean, it may mean that you cannot afford to pay your bills, and for many people, that means credit card debt payments are too high to afford which leads to Debt Counseling.

Debt counseling could mean a variety of things, from a traditional debt management plan that cuts interest rates and lowers monthly payments to a more aggressive negotiated that attacks principal as well as interest. Make sure that you sit down and do the budget analysis (http://www.bills.com/guide) and assess your monthly budget. The amount that you can contribute to paying down your debts should be the first step in evaluating your debt counseling options. If you can afford more than 2.5% of your total debt amount in a monthly payment, then credit counseling may be the best debt counseling option. If you can only afford 1.5% of your total debt monthly, then seek help from debt settlement or firms. If you cannot afford to make any payments, then you may want to evaluate bankruptcy in addition to your debt counseling options.

The next step in choosing a debt counseling program is to prioritize what is more important to you: your savings or your credit rating. If you just want to save the most amount of money while getting debt free as fast as possible, then debt settlement may be best. If you are looking to buy a home in the next year or two, and your credit rating is your number one concern, then you will not want to go delinquent on your bills and may want to explore a debt consolidation loan or credit counseling.

With any debt counseling program, it is important to remember that no one size fits all; make sure to shop around and find the best program and an honest and ethical company that has a solid Better Business Bureau rating before jumping in. Brad Stroh is currently co-CEO of Freedom Financial Network and http://www.Bills.com. If you would like more of Brad's http://www.Bills.com/sitemap/, please visit the Bills.com information on http://www.Bills.com/creditsolutions/ ]]> Understanding Asset Management http://www.artwoo.com/article/understanding-asset-management http://www.artwoo.com/article/understanding-asset-management#comments Sat, 21 Oct 2006 18:27:32 +0000 assets under managementglobal investment managementinvestment management firmsasset managementinvestment management industryinvestmentstrillion http://www.artwoo.com/article/understanding-asset-management Asset management is a form of investment management. The term asset management is sometimes used to refer to the management of all , including assets, or it may be used to refer to assets that don't fall under the more standard categories of investment management, fund management or portfolio management.

Asset management is one facet of the vast industry. Large financial institutions manage billions of dollars in assets for businesses and individuals all over the world.

Many insiders feel that independent firms are more successful and more dynamic in investment management than are large banks and insurance companies.

Asset management helps to protect and grow investments. The may be a large company's pension fund, or an individual's retirement savings. Institutions that manage assets have great weight in the financial markets because of the amount of funds under their control. The decisions these companies make as to how to invest and move around the money they control can affect the overall rise and fall of financial markets.

Pension funds accounted for more than $15 of funds that were under asset management in 2004. In comparison, more than $30 trillion of private wealth was in investments in 2004, about one third of which was being managed by . Asset managers in the United States account for almost half of all funds under management globally.

Understanding asset management is a complicated topic. If you have large investments, you want to make sure your assets are properly managed. Various financial advisors can provide information about the best fund managers, the institutions with the best track records, and in general the type of management that may be right for you or your business. Different types of financial management are indicated, depending upon the size of the investment capital, the form of the assets, and many other individual factors. http://www.assetmanagementwest.com ]]> China Is Really Number Two http://www.artwoo.com/article/china-is-really-number-two http://www.artwoo.com/article/china-is-really-number-two#comments Sat, 18 Aug 2007 19:25:00 +0000 purchase power paritygdp figureschinacia world factbookcurrenciesinternational monetary fundexchanges rates http://www.artwoo.com/article/china-is-really-number-two China's coming on strong while our leaders chase the terrorists across the globe.

Recently much international press fanfare was generated acknowledging that China had replaced Great Britain as the world's fourth largest economy.

Nobody argues nowadays that China has the highest growth rate of industrialized economics posting annual growth rates in excess of 8.5 percent according to The . The World Bank predicted recently that China's economy will grow 10.4 percent this year and 9.3 percent in 2007.

In contrast, the United States is in the 2 to 3 percent range.

What's not been said by our less than candid leaders is that China is already the second largest global economy and has held that spot for sometime and catching the U.S. very quickly. The Chinese economy is already 72 percent the size of the U.S. economy.

One only need reference the 2006 . There it is for the whole world to see.

A country's economic output is measured, and compared to other countries, by a standard known as GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, which is measured in two ways, one by international and by .

Exchange rates are the norm used by most private and public international agencies. But more recently experts have suggested that international exchanges rates distort the true picture.

Value distortions exist between the of the trading nations, in particular, when currencies are something less than free-floating in the open market.

The Chinese Yuan is mostly a fixed-rate currency pegged to the value of the U.S. Dollar. The exchange value is only changed by Chinese government, a little at a time generally to appease the U.S. Congress. Therefore between the two nations are distorted.

Countries with free trading currencies can safely use exchange rates as a measure of comparison between their respective GDP's. In the absence of free trading, purchase power parity is used as the standard of comparison.

Purchasing power parity equalizes the purchasing power of different currencies in their home countries for a given basket of goods. This is often used by global economists, and our CIA, to compare the economic output countries.

The difference in an exchange rate and purchase power parity analysis of the China GDP is nothing less than astonishing and should be downright frightening to American leaders.

For example, on an exchange rate basis, the CIA World Factbook estimates China's GDP to be $2.225 trillion. On a purchase power parity basis that figure is $8.859 trillion. In comparison the U.S. shows an economy of $12.49 trillion based on exchange rates and $12.36 trillion based on purchase power parity.

Based on exchange rates, China is the 4th largest economy in the world. But based on purchase power parity China is clearly number 2.

And the Factbook acknowledges, Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2005 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US....

Noted magazine, The Economist reported, By 2020, China will narrowly outstrip the United States in GDP.

China already exceeds the U.S. in production of many strategic minerals and metals. And its industrial base is now larger as well. According to the Factbook China's industrial output now stands at 4.19 trillion dollars as compared to 2.52 Trillion for the United States. Chinese annual industrial growth is 29.5 percent but only 3.5 percent here in the U.S.

Another significant trend worth noting is leadership in world trade. A recent Wall Street Journal article written by Andrew Batson and Shai Oster reports that Egypt's trade with the China will exceed that of the United States by the year 2012. And this trend is evolving with many countries, even in our own hemisphere.

America's eroding industrial base is compromising the nation's military capabilities. This was recently highlighted in the Pentagon's 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review when it concluded, Sourcing and production is now global, with considerable implications for the industrial base.

This same Defense Department study raised alarm bells about China when it concluded, the industrial and economic power wielded by China, and how this relates to the country's political and military aspirations, is seen as a cause for concern.

But our leaders already know this stuff. They just need to level with the American people instead of spoon feeding them statistical manure.

Soon we will be Number Two.

And let's not forget the echo of Khrushchev's thundering UN speech 50 years ago declaring the East will overrun the West.

It's happening before are very eyes. James Silvester is a small biz author and consultant. He has written 4 best selling entrepreneurial books with a 5th on the way, and has appeared on many radio and TV shows including MSNBC. The books have forewords contributed by the Virginia Governor and a U.S. Senator. http://www.businessexperts.com ]]> A Cut Above The Rest http://www.artwoo.com/article/a-cut-above-the-rest http://www.artwoo.com/article/a-cut-above-the-rest#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:15:01 +0000 radiant cut diamondsloose diamondsdiamond shapeemerald shapediamond cutsloose diamondmarquise cut http://www.artwoo.com/article/a-cut-above-the-rest s you first want to determine the particular cut you'd prefer. When we talk about the cut of loose diamonds we are referring to its length, depth and width. While you won't hear as much talk about a diamond's cut as you do its carats and clarity, the cut of loose diamonds is really one of the most important characteristics in placing a value on the gemstone. It is, in fact, about one third of the determining factors for the price of loose diamonds.

There are ten different types of loose and shapes. Loose diamonds come in radiant cut, round cut, emerald cut, heart cut, asscher cut, , cushion cut, oval cut, pear cut, and radiant cut.

The most common is round. It has more brilliance and dispersion. Other fancier cuts aren't as brilliant due to their shape. The princess cut is the most popular of these fancier cuts. There are variations of shape such as trillion, quadrillion, and baguette shape loose diamonds.

The princess cut, emerald cut, quadrillion, baquette and are variations on squares and rectangles. What makes them different from one to the other are the variations of style and the number of facets each has. Baquette shaped loose diamonds as well as the emerald cuts

Baquette and loose diamonds are step cut, which means the designer polishes the facets along the diamond's surface in parallel rows. This make them look like a series of diamond steps.

The princess cut, radiant cut and quadrillion cut diamonds, in contrast, have many facts, with as much dispersion and brilliance as a brilliant cut round-shaped diamond.

Radiant cut loose diamonds have 70 facets with a rectangular or square cut and a pattern that is brilliant. These are actually a combination of emerald cut and round stone. It was first designed by Henry Grossbard in 1977. The loose diamonds designer allowed diamond connoisseurs to choose a radiant cut in either square or rectangular shape.



The Trillion diamond is triangular, brilliant and with 50 facets. A similar diamond, with a little lower quality, is the trilliant.

Sources: http://www.radiantcut.com/Content.aspx?Content=OriginalRadiantandSideConten= t=OriginalRadiant http://www.altobelli.com/html/diamond_cut.html Karen Baron http://www.diamondsonweb.com/ DoW carefully inspects and selects only the finest diamonds for our exclusive collection. ]]> Forex Systems-Which Ones Are The Best? http://www.artwoo.com/article/forex-systems-which-ones-are-the-best http://www.artwoo.com/article/forex-systems-which-ones-are-the-best#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:36:26 +0000 steep learning curvebrokerage systemforex currencynew tradersforex systemcurrency exchangedollar a day http://www.artwoo.com/article/forex-systems-which-ones-are-the-best dollar a day? No one can refuse this offer and take note, this is not a fantasy tale you would normally see from the fiction book that your mom would always give you when you are still young. Exchange is in truest sense a three trillion dollar trading industry in one day! With this huge amount of cash, it is a market that would normally intimidate newbie. However, aren't as complicated despite the fact that it indeed embrace a but not as steep as to be intractable. In fact you can even have the chance to look for the best system particularly if you follow all the guidelines listed in this article.

First of all, in order to find the best Forex system, you need to seek the help of a good broker and not any other broker since there is a huge difference between the two. A simple scan on the internet will give you plenty of opportunities to look for brokerage opportunities. You should remember that it is fairly simple to set up your own online thus poor quality brokerage system would flood the internet these days. In fact, it would even be safe to say that almost a half of them are scams and criminals. So how do you really avoid the peril? Take time to look among Forex system forums or blogs and gather as much information of what people are normally recommending. Go for those people who have high post count as to ensure that you are not being fooled to believe their recommendation only to find out later on that they are being used by the website for promotional purposes.

Focusing more on Forex system, the importance of having the best system is sadly lost among that would normally rely on aspects like 'hunches' and 'flair'. Of course, I am not telling here that you should completely disregard such factor at all times since they may also be a big help sometimes. However, be reminded that those fellows are making huge amount of cash are not merely relying on what luck can give them since they would choose the wise method of analyzing the market on having a critical eye to see the key indicator of the right time to get in or out the market. The more effective the Forex system that you are following then that would be a whole lot better given the fact that the biggest monster in this kind of industry are hope and greed. There are those who would hope that the market would go right even if it would take the impossible and there are some who are swallowed by their greed because of the aim of being a big winner. The best Forex system is something which will not allow you to rely on pure baseless intuition. You need to use your head and despite how much other would say that this is a game of chance, believe what the experts would say.Tired of using Forex Systems with slow returns? Forex Review Insider shows you the fastest ways to making consistent returns in the Forex market. Visit www.ForexReviewInsider.com today to learn which systems WORK and which ones are SCAMS.]]> 5 Tips For A Good Forex Trading System http://www.artwoo.com/article/5-tips-for-a-good-forex-trading-system http://www.artwoo.com/article/5-tips-for-a-good-forex-trading-system#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:15:00 +0000 foreign currency tradingyork stock exchangeaspiring entrepreneurnew york stock exchangenew york stockforex trading systemprofitable system http://www.artwoo.com/article/5-tips-for-a-good-forex-trading-system aspiring entrepreneur should remember is that to make huge profits, you should know how to do it by yourself=97and not rely on other's efforts. Being independent from other people will help you determine what things are best for your business.

Such rule applies on all types of investments, including , or mostly known as Forex trading. It cannot be denied that Forex is the largest existing market around the world, which is estimated to have an excess of 2 trillion U.S. dollars worth of foreign currencies are traded each day. It is larger than the magnitude of the New , which is approximately 50 billion U.S. dollars. Thus, Forex market exceeds all combined equity markets around the world.

With such huge wealth circulating around the Forex market, one of your financial goals is to grab a major slice of that $2 trillion average daily turnover in the market. How you will be able to get a substantial portion of that average turnover if you do not know how you will handle your Forex business? Although you cannot live in the market alone (you need business partners and/or financial advisers to help you along), only you can determine what the best Forex business there is for you.

To get huge profits out of your Forex trading career, you need to build your own =97a trading system that will bring your not just hundreds but thousands of dollars worth of Forex revenues. Such trading system is available on the market, but as previously mentioned, you need to be independent=97and you need to have your own that will help you achieve your financial goals.

For new traders, it is difficult for them to device their own trading system since they do not have too much knowledge about the Forex market. However, even a neophyte trader can device a trading system that will fit on his personal preference and needs=97in just five easy steps!

Before we discuss the five easy steps towards a profitable Forex trading system, you need to learn first the three main characteristics of a successful Forex trading system. These are as follows:

1. A successful Forex trading system is simple. There is no need for a complicated trading system with too many rules. It is a proven truth that simple systems work better than complicated ones, and they have higher chances of success despite of the "brutal" characteristic of Forex trading.

2. A successful Forex trading system cuts losses and runs profits. Keep in mind that you need a trading system that gets the huge possible profits and eliminates losses quickly, if not instantly.

3. A successful Forex trading system follows long-term trends. You will never cover your losses if you are just generating small profits. Keep in mind that the Forex market is worth $2 trillion U.S. dollars, thus there is no point in trading in exchange for just small profits if you have the opportunity to make trades for larger revenues. Focus on long-term trends and you will be able to see better results.

Now, here are the five easy steps in building a profitable Forex trading system:

1. As previously mentioned, your trading system must be as simple as possible. Integrate few yet essential rules and an extensive investment management system.

2. Always look for long-term trends (preferably on a weekly basis), then shift to daily charts and to time entry. This will help you analyze market trends efficiently.

3. The ideal way of trading foreign currencies is through breakout method.

4. Always watch for any break that you will note on your chart, which is commonly confirmed by stochastic crossed with bearish divergence. This will be your great timing tool whether you will enter a certain deal or not.

5.You must integrate effective time management within your system. Time is gold and is one of your precious resources. Design a trading system that is time efficient=97where you can maximize the potential of your time resources to generate huge profits.

Get away with complicated systems; it will just ruin your entire Forex trading career. Build a simpler one and see for yourself how profitable it is. Free Forex Software For You To Use: http://www.greatpublications.com/forexsoftware2.htm ]]> Building Wealth With A Self Directed Ira As Simple As 123 http://www.artwoo.com/article/building-wealth-with-a-self-directed-ira-as-simple-as-123 http://www.artwoo.com/article/building-wealth-with-a-self-directed-ira-as-simple-as-123#comments Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:27:05 +0000 brookings instituteself directed irasbaby boomerssquare feetarthur c nelsonqualified retirement planstrillion http://www.artwoo.com/article/building-wealth-with-a-self-directed-ira-as-simple-as-123 baby boomers" will be looking for places to invest about $46 from a combination of inheritance and their own , such as a 401k from a former employer.

Every major brokerage house and bank in America is well aware of the potential to earn enormous incomes from fees and commissions "helping" to place this money in secure investments. But, individuals who understand the power of utilizing are in the best position to take advantage of this incredible transference of wealth.

Many "boomers" are looking at starting their own business and need investment capital to make their dreams come true. Actually, they need look no further than their own retirement accounts. They can tap into these funds to buy a franchise, start a business or simply provide an existing business with working capital.

What about investing in the stock of a private company? Yes, there's no problem with doing that, even if it's outside the United States. And, other options, both mundane and exotic, abound.

Then, there's real estate. Most people think the boom is over, but they may be mistaken. According to a report from The and an article in Business 2.O Magazine (November 2005), more than $25 trillion will be spent in real estate development between now and the year 2030.

To accommodate another 70 million people being added to the population base in the next two decades, 127 billion of new or replacement structures will be added to the existing base of 300 billion square feet.

The executive summary of The Brookings report entitled "Toward A New Metropolis: The Opportunity To Rebuild America" written by Arthur C. Nelson, states the following:

-In 2030, about half the buildings in which Americans live, work, and shop will have been built after 2000.

-Most of the space built between 2000 and 2030 will be residential space. The largest component of this space will be homes. Over 100 billion square feet of new residential space will be needed by 2030.

-Overall, most new growth will occur in the South and West. In the West, 87 percent of the space existing in 2030 will have been built since 2000.

This report was primarily written for urban, city, regional and state planners so they would understand how to prepare for infrastructure needs to support the increased population base. The need for new water treatment facilities, roads, bridges, schools and general land use planning will be of great concern to everyone, but especially to these planners.

The Business 2.0 article entitled "The $25 Trillion Land Grab" took the mostly statistical information from the Brookings report and restated it so that it was more readable and understandable. Bottom Line: The development will represent "the biggest business opportunity since the end of World War II".

That's good news for investors. Anyone with a Self Directed IRA can tap directly into this opportunity, whether through equipment leasing, real estate lending or direct investment into a myriad of real estate projects. It all starts with education.

We recommend that clients pick one area of investment opportunity and become experts. Then when conferring with investment advisors and tax consultants, good decisions can be made that will result in building wealth that is potentially much greater than can be realized by only investing in the securities markets. As we like to say to our clients, it's as simple as 1-2-3: Learn, Setup and Invest. Robert Hubbard is the President and CEO of http://www.ira123.com. The website provides a resource for those interested in setting up a self directed IRA for investing. Hubbard is extremely knowledgeable on the subject and has held several conferences on the topic of investing with an IRA. ]]> The New York Stock Exchange http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-new-york-stock-exchange http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-new-york-stock-exchange#comments Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:27:08 +0000 york stock exchangenew york stocknew york stock exchangedow jones industrial averagenysedjinasdaq http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-new-york-stock-exchange York Stock Exchange is also known as the andquot;Big Boardandquot; or the andquot;Wall Streetandquot; because it is located at 11 Wall Street, New York. The Exchange is the largest stock exchange in the United States by dollar volume and total market capitalization of companies listed. The biggest stock exchange by share volume is the , a fully electronic stock exchange.

The is operated by the Group. The NYSE Group also operates a second stock exchange, the NYSE Arca, formerly known as the Archipelago Exchange. The NYSE acquired Archipelago just recently in December 2005 and went public and began trading under the NYSE Group in March 2006. The symbol is NYX.

There are more than 2600 companies with a market value of about $21 trillion listed on the NYSE. Non-US companies play a major role with a value of over $7 trillion. The listing requirements are high to maintain listing quality. Companies must maintain minimum standards in number of shareholders, trading volume, market capitalization, earnings, cash flow and other criteria.

The New York Stock Exchange trades in the so-called open outcry system. Each stock is traded by a so called specialist on a specific location on the trading floor. A specialist is an employee of a NYSE member firm who works as an auctioneer to meet buyers and sellers in a particular stock. This is what makes the NYSE different to the other exchanges like the NASDAQ where the orders are matched fully electronically.

The (symbol ) is the oldest, most important and best known index of the New York Stock Exchange. It was created by Charles Dow, founder of the Dow Jones andamp; Company. It was first calculated in October 1, 1928. The index is also known as the andquot;Dow Jonesandquot; or simply the andquot;Dowandquot;. The index calculates the average value of thirty of the most important stocks like Microsoft, Pfizer, ATandamp;T, IBM. Since the Down Jones is a price-weighted index of only 30 stocks, many recommend watching the Sandamp;P 500 index instead as a better indicator.

There have been several big Dow Jones index declines which became famous. In October 12, 1914 the Dow Jones had its biggest percentage drop in history with 24.39% in one single day. In October 19, 1987 the drop was 22.6% (Black Monday). The largest point drop was September 17, 2001 with 684.81 points or 7.1%. Today trading is halted at the New York Stock Exchange when the market declines 10, 20 or 30% to give investors time to rethink their decisions (circuit breaker rule). David A. Sorenger is a stock market expert and provides detailed information on stocks, options and online brokers at his web site http://www.StockTradingABC.com ]]> The Multi-Trillion Niche Market That Should Form A Part Of Every Niche Marketers Portfolio http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-multi-trillion-niche-market-that-should-form-a-part-of-every-niche-marketers-portfolio http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-multi-trillion-niche-market-that-should-form-a-part-of-every-niche-marketers-portfolio#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2007 03:35:02 +0000 holidaysniche contentniche marketholiday bookingsamerican expresstravel companiestravel industry http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-multi-trillion-niche-market-that-should-form-a-part-of-every-niche-marketers-portfolio Holidays and Travel ONLINE=85And That's BIG News For Content Publishers"

Travel is increasingly becoming a near-perfect if you happen to be a content publisher - billions of prospects, big name offering lucrative affiliate programs, huge variety of Adsense ads (and in this market people often research their holidays/travel online and via Adsense) and a perfect market to create the new age of interactive websites (wait till you see how I'll help you to do this).

But first, there's a big trend change happening in the - as the whole world comes online, and people feel more comfortable purchasing products online, we're seeing a massive trend change in the way people are booking holidays, short breaks, hotels, flights etc - from offline to online.

" Business Travel today reported a staggering 310 percent increase in online travel booking and processing across its client base in Europe over the last twelve months" - American Express

And it's the same story across the board - Thomson Travel (one of UK's biggest travel companies) reported that online bookings are expected to exceed offline in 2007 for the first time ever. This is huge for the travel industry but it's even bigger for the smart niche and content marketer as we'll see shortly (hint - the number of pedigree sites in this market compared to the number of prospects is in a shocking state of imbalance).

Why are people flocking to book online? It's simple - a mix of greater access to internet technology (practically everyone has internet access now), lower cost of holidays online (versus the same deal offline) and convenience means that the majority of people are now using their laptops to arrange all their leisure and business travel. The bottom line is that over the next five years, a very large proportion of all travel will be booked online (one estimate I read was claiming 90% by 2010) and now is an ideal time to start building a portfolio of income optimised niche travel websites to take full advantage of this trend. Own a content and video website in the high income travel industry - sell travel packages and more to millions of interested travellers with a travel website that's already designed for you: http://www.digital-resale-rights.com/brusselsplr.htm ]]> Online Forex Trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/online-forex-trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/online-forex-trading#comments Thu, 22 Feb 2007 06:27:23 +0000 forex tradingforex markettrading forexforeign exchange ratesforeign currency tradingcurrency marketforeign exchange market http://www.artwoo.com/article/online-forex-trading Forex trading will possibly provide profits for all those contemplating investing in the . To put simply, an online forex trading strategy is a method for using of currency from various countries to buy one country's currency when it is under valued, and exchange it for another country's currency whether it is of a normal or a higher value, with the difference being the profit. The is also referred to as the online forex trading, . The online forex trading market is the largest online financial market in the world, with a daily average turnover of well over US $1 trillion.

Online forex trading provides an online platform for individuals that want to speculate on the exchange rate between two currencies. In doing the trades, the investors will buy and sell the different currencies with all their effort, in an attempt at making the highest possible profit for their money. In online forex trading, the latest news of the market will be available in events which will take place in different countries. The online forex market is the largest market in the world with a daily reported volume of over 1.8 trillion making it one of the most exciting markets for trading. The online forex trading members will be investing on the stocks and the forex.

The foreign exchange is when you purchase one currency and sell another at the same time. The main purpose of trading on any market is to buy low and sell high. The market forex is no exception. The goods traded on this market are rates of currency for different countries. People can invest in stocks and forex also. Online forex trading depends upon the online investment trading regarding the economics, interest rates, and the policies of the central bank, anticipations of market players and many other causes. If the money supply keeps surging, the bank may step up an open-market to tighten the credit investment.

The most popular markets are the ones among the forex market. The speculation is due to the large size and the tendency for the currencies to move in strong trends. The degree of leverage that is available in an attractive aspect is that of the online trading currencies. The forex trading markets are becoming very popular nowadays because there are so many additional methods that can be used to get into the markets which are not available through the New York Stock exchange.

We have to study where we are going to put our money, so that we can earn more money by making the right choices. It takes at least two months worth of trading on the US market to equal the trades that are going on in the Forex trading markets in one day. The high degree of leverage can lead to enormous swings between profit and loss without correct risk management.

By knowing this the seasonable traders are also sometimes getting losses, and if lost this will not significantly affect one's personal financial well being, with the speculation in the forex market being conducted with risk capital funds.

Online forex trading can harvest large amounts of profits in forex, but sometimes people will tell us that in trading elsewhere we will get better profits. They haven't studied the forex market obviously. The most online forex trading options are generally used by a large multinational corporation who can make steady profits on a regular ongoing basis. JB is the author of Forex Fundamentals 2007 and the site owner of http://www.forexfresh.com ]]> How To Learn Forex Trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-learn-forex-trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-learn-forex-trading#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:29:59 +0000 foreign exchange marketforex tradingforex markettechnical analysisfundamental analysiscurrencybanks http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-learn-forex-trading currency of a country is traded for another. The is one of the largest markets because foreign exchange transactions take place between large , central banks, governments, multinational corporations etc.

On an average, transactions of the volume of US $ 2 trillion take place globally every day. In addition to that the transaction volume in the derivatives market is 1.26 trillion, daily. That shows the size of the market and the potential it has for the players involved. Though retail traders who participate through brokers and banks form a small fraction of the total participants the holds a high potential return for the participants.

Should You Learn Trading?

Learning is not that difficult in that there are many systematic courses conducted by many institutes/universities all over the world. When an entrepreneur commits to learn trading, she will be mainly exposed to two types of analysis. One is and another is .

Technical Analysis

Technical analysis is the market-generated data used for forecasting price movements. Tools like price charts and graphs are being used to illustrate the concept. The forecasting is based on three postulates viz., the market data contains all the fundamentals, volatility of the market and market sentiments. The possible market trends are up, down and sideways. More often than not the market moves in predictable patterns. The ultimate aim of technical analysis is to unravel this pattern basing upon the past trends.

Fundamental Analysis

Fundamental analysis assumes a country to be like company with economic reports that reveal the financial health of that county's currency. The value of a country's currency depends upon the products and services it supplies to the international market. The more it supplies and is able to sell them the more of a demand is created for the currency because of its need by the purchasers of the product and services. Fundamental analysis takes into account the country's potential to generate international trade. Fundamental analysis is found to be more effective when the learner uses the same judiciously. Learning the trade in these broad categories help the traders perform well in the market.

Forex trade holds high prospects for profit as well as the potential for loss depending upon the trader's skill and understanding of the market. Learning Forex trade provides that knowledge which should be analytically used for achieving better performance. The trader who has a more thorough understanding of the market has a distinct advantage and greater likelihood of creating consistent profits. As with any business, education and training are the first step toward long term success. Sanjay Rane is a professional journalist and writer who writes on many topics in technology and business. Fore more information visit http://www.forextradingseminar.com ]]> Hawala In The Modern Forex World http://www.artwoo.com/article/hawala-in-the-modern-forex-world http://www.artwoo.com/article/hawala-in-the-modern-forex-world#comments Tue, 01 May 2007 21:20:01 +0000 hawala systemasiaasian countriesmiddle eastern countriescommissionscurrency exchangescrutinized http://www.artwoo.com/article/hawala-in-the-modern-forex-world currency exchange that has been in existence since the days of the Silk Road when traders and financiers have been using this system to barter and trade with other merchants from other countries. During that time the world's main economic trade was along this legendary route. This system evolved into what is known as Hawala, which means "transfer" or "wire" in Arabic banking jargon. This type of system is widely used in Middle East, Africa and . It was major mechanism that expanded trading between Europe and Asia. In time the system matured into legitimate banking system in some while in other areas they are still unregulated and until recently as an underground for funneling of funds for terrorist activities.

Today, the true Hawala transactions come from migrant workers from Asia (Indian and other Asian countries) who work in the oil-rich such as United Emirates, Saudi Arabia among others and send their money home to their families. Since this system has been unregulated, it has been a fixture for centuries so traditions of its use continue among the people in this region. Why would anyone use this "insecure" system? Trust, timeliness and cost-effectiveness. Going to a bank to make a wire transfer can be time consuming and are excessively high (opening an account and wires take 7-14 business days and commissions can be $30-50 per transaction whereas the can be done next business day with an average of 5% commission of the amount transferred). But the biggest obstacles for banks and government-regulated institutions are mistrust among individuals. The Hawala system has a network of contacts/connections that these individuals rely on to do business. Friends and family who have used this network before would recommend their friends to the same individuals in the Hawala network. This is a very common attitude in Asia and underdeveloped countries. Another reason why the Hawala system is popular is because many developing governments forbid moving of funds in or out of the country. The Hawala system goes around this system without really violating the law. There are equivalents that exists outside of India with similar systems. They go by the names such as Fei-Ch'ien, Huikuan, Chop, Chit oder Flying Money in China, Padala (Philippines), Hundi (India), Hui Kuan (Hong Kong), and Phei Kwan (Thailand). Find out more on http://www.forexplane.com

Before this accusation come under fire, the majority of the funds being transferred were done by migrants sending their money to their home countries to support families left behind, similar to wire transfers through anonymity in cash serviced by Western Union. Hawala is not part of the forex system we all know today. Therefore the rates do not match that of the legal quotes of forex, so the true volume of forex is underestimated and not accounted for. There are no official organizations that track and monitor these activities. This decentralized system makes it impossible to make an accurate estimate of the size of the transactions day to day whereas in an exchange, stocks, bonds and futures are centralized and monitored by an entity making stocks more transparent.

There have been concerns that these black markets comprise a big portion of the forex market in general. Even though it's difficult to speculate, the most liquid currencies are not in these minor countries but in the currencies of the economic powers such as the US Dollar, the British Pound Sterling, the Euro, Japanese Yen and the Canadian Dollar. These major currencies make up the G-8 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, and US, Russia is an honorary and not because of its economic power). Click for a graph here: http://news.forexplane.com/Articles/Hawala/tabid/111/Default.aspx

These forex transactions results from economic trades are estimated to $1.9 trillion per day while retail traders make up a very small part of this market. As explained, the forex market is not merely migrants sending their money homes or tourists exchange currencies to carry out their vacations abroad. According to David Krutz from the Financial Times website (Published: October 9 2006 20:48) "The foreign exchange market will have doubled in size in just three years next year, thanks to increased participation by fund managers and pension funds. FX volumes, which rose from $1.770 trillion in 2004 to $2.0 trillion last year, were set to rise to $2.6 trillion this year and $3.6 trillion next year, as foreign exchange became accepted as an asset class in its own right according to TowerGroup.

Although Hawala and others remain part of the landscape, it cannot replace the forex for what it is today. In addition, as more countries modernize and societies with technology advancing at a rapid rate, these systems will provide less and less service to the migrants. But the biggest threat will be the anti-terrorist doctrine being implemented by the West, pressuring governments controlling these territories where these systems thrive to regulate their activities.

Any opinions, news, research, analyses, prices, or other information contained on these articles are provided as general market information and does not constitute investment advice. Forexplane.com will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information. Brian Tran is an editor at http://ForexPlane.com, which is an online community for forex currency traders. Visit http://Forexplane.com - connecting currency traders live ]]> How Mutual Funds Work http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-mutual-funds-work http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-mutual-funds-work#comments Fri, 01 Dec 2006 06:27:05 +0000 new york stock exchangemutual fund sharesmutual fundsmutual fund companyinvestors mutualmarket investorstrillion http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-mutual-funds-work Mutual funds are good options for American investors to meet their financial goals. These funds offer professional management and diversification of the funds invested. Mutual funds assets in 1990-2000 rose from 1.065 to a whooping 6.965 trillion dollars. 10% Americans owned funds in 1980 and by 2000, the percentage increased to 49%.

What are Mutual funds?

A company dealing in mutual funds invests the money of several investors in bonds, stocks, securities, assets and several other short-term money-market instruments. The combined 'holdings' owned by the mutual fund are known as its portfolio. When you invest in a mutual fund you become a shareholder of the company. Each share in a is the representation of he investor's proportionate ownership of the fund holdings and the income generated. You earn dividends when the mutual fund company earns a profit, however, your shares will decrease in value if it faces a loss. A professional investment manager does the buying and selling of securities for the growth of the fund.

Types of mutual funds:

Equity funds: These funds involve only common stock investments. They can earn a lot of profit, but are also very risky.

Fixed income funds: They include corporate and government securities. These funds offer fixed returns at a low risk.

Balanced funds: This is the combination of bonds and stocks with a low risk. However, the investment does not earn a lot through these funds.

How it works?

can be purchased from the company itself or a broker. There are secondary also, like the . Per share net asset value of the funds or NAV is the price that you pay for buying a mutual fund share. It also includes the shareholder fee that is imposed by the fund, at time of purchase. The best feature of mutual funds is that these shares are 'redeemable'. You, as an investor, can sell your shares back to the broker. In order to accommodate new investors, mutual fund companies generally create new shares and sell them. They keep selling their shares continuously till they become large. Investment advisers act as separate entities and are responsible for managing the investment portfolio of the mutual funds. Investing in mutual funds tends to lower the risk factor because they are the result of diverse investments. Since someone else manages your investments, you need not worry about keeping constant tabs on the investment, though a periodical check enhances your personal book of accounts. Managing funds is the full time job of the fund manager and he is responsible for the performance and health of the investment.

The rate of returns in mutual funds is based on the increase or decrease of the value, during a specific period. Returns of a fund indicate the track record. It is important to remember that the past performance cannot guarantee future results.

As in the case of any investment or business, mutual funds also have risks associated with the returns. It is essential to set your financial goals and requirements, before investing in a mutual fund. Joe Kenny writes for the UK personal finance sites http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk and also http://www.cardguide.co.uk ]]> 29 Very Interesting Stock Market Facts and Statistics! http://www.artwoo.com/article/29-very-interesting-stock-market-facts-and-statistics http://www.artwoo.com/article/29-very-interesting-stock-market-facts-and-statistics#comments Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:50:34 +0000 lion country safariamsterdam stock exchangelondon stock exchangeincome tax allowancedow jones indexstock market statisticsworld stock market http://www.artwoo.com/article/29-very-interesting-stock-market-facts-and-statistics stock market statistics for you!

$36.6 trillion - the estimated size of the at the beginning of October 2008.

22.6% - the biggest fall of the Dow Jones in 1 day! (1987)

15.34% - the biggest gain of the Dow Jones in 1 day! (1933)

30% drop in the market - Would mean the NYSE would close trading there and then for the day.

80% - the amount of capitalisation represented by the FTSE 100 on the whole .

400-1 - The leverage given to you by some FOREX companies!

$2000 - the initial deposit you must legally have in the US to open a margin account.

£0 - the amount of tax you have to pay on a spread betting account in the UK as its classed as gambling.

86.3% - the amount of FOREX traders that trade the USD

500% - The amount the stock market grew between 1982 and 1993 in terms of capitalisation.

1602 - the year the first shares were issued on the

$11 million - the amount a company must have earned over the last 3 years to gain a listing on the NASDAQ stock exchange

83% - The percentage of wealth given away by famous investor Warren Buffet to the Bill % Melinda Gates charitable foundation

$26 trillion - The current value of mutual funds

1790 - The date of the oldest stock exchange in the US opened (Philadelphia)

143,646,198 - The volume of the most traded ETF on the US markets, SPY.

0.5% - The agreed worldwide interest rate drop in October 2008 to counteract the huge drops in shares.

GRRR - The symbol of (ok not technically a stat but worth knowing!)

24.39% - The amount lost on the due the effects of World War I.

£9,600 - The amount you can earn (UK) before paying capital gains tax of 18% on stocks, better than the £5,600 !

0 - The amount of capital gains tax paid in Mexico, Malaysia and Barbados to name a few.

50% - A rough estimate of the rise in the share price of Apple in the aftermath of the iPhone.

1984 - The year the FTSE 100 index was introduced with a staring value of 1000.00 (6950.60, the highest value reached to date, 1999)

1 - The position of Royal Dutch Shell as the most capitalised share in the UK (Oil company, 31 Dec 2007)

1993 - The year the first ETF was introduced tracking the SandP 500

89% - The amount wiped off stocks between 1929-1932, during the great depression.

2 - The position of the Tokyo stock exchange in terms of most capitalised stock exchanges.

2008 - The year oil reached $100 a barrel

14.68% - The drop in the Dow Jones in the first half of 2008.

I hope these stock market statistics have quenched your stock market interest for now, good luck with the trading guys! Don't forget to check out my website for more information on the stock market!Matthew Merriman, has experienced winning and losing in the stock market and now makes a good living out of it. His website http://www.sharesexplained.com covers all the basics (and more) of the stock market and encourages new investors to trade successfully and safely.]]> Cohen Research Report Bullish On Pacific Asia China Energy http://www.artwoo.com/article/cohen-research-report-bullish-on-pacific-asia-china-energy http://www.artwoo.com/article/cohen-research-report-bullish-on-pacific-asia-china-energy#comments Thu, 06 Jul 2006 22:27:06 +0000 price targetspceasia chinachina energycubic meterscoalbed methaneshares http://www.artwoo.com/article/cohen-research-report-bullish-on-pacific-asia-china-energy Asia China Energy (TSX: : Other OTC: PCEEF) a Buy. The 68-page research report set three wide-ranging valuation levels as for PCE for the company's concessions in China. Considerations such as the wide range of the Guizhou's abundant gas reserves, expected prices of natural gas during the research firm's forecast period, and discounting factors, such as the stock price's high volatility, were included in their price targets.

PCE shares, which closed at C$1.16/share on nearly 131,000 shares trading hands on June 19th, were given long-term fair market pricing of C$1.96/share by Cohen Research. This pricing was under the most pessimistic scenario. The low-case scenario included a natural gas price as low as $275 per 1000 , and included a discount rate of 25 percent on the stock price. Cohen also reported, in the report, that at the current market price, PCE is "grossly undervalued."

Cohen Research wrote, "As per our Base Case scenario estimates, the NAV of PACE's resources falls in the range of C$5.31 -- 7.83 per share (with a discounting factor of 20 percent)." Under the most optimistic pricing, assuming natural gas at $375 per 1000 cubic meters, Cohen targeted PCE shares at C$11.56/share. Cohen Research used the Net Asset Value (NAV) based method, which is one of the most accepted methods to value mining companies.

PACE, the acronym for Pacific Asia and not the stock's ticker symbol (which is PCE, trading on the Toronto Venture Exchange, or TSX), is fortunate that one of its concessions is in the Guizhou province of China. Estimates describe this Chinese province as hosting more than 20 percent of China's coalbed methane (CBM) reserves. The country's total CBM reserves have been independently estimated to exceed 31 trillion cubic feet.

PACE was the first Canadian publicly traded company to participate in China's granting of CBM concessions. PACE is participating in the Baotian-Qingshan CBM project through its wholly owned subsidiary Asia Canada Energy (ACE). China's state-owned CBM company, China United Coalbed Methane (CUCBM), granted the 970-square kilometer CBM concession in September 2005 to ACE. The Baotian-Qingshan concession is located in the CBM-rich Guizhou province.

The Cohen Research NAV levels confirm what we anticipated. Earlier this year, we had reported on the assessment by Sproule International on the Baotian-Qingshan property. On March 1st, PACE had released three scenarios presented in the technical report filed by Sproule. The worst-case scenario on the property showed 504 billion cubic feet for three coal seams. The high case volume scenario for seven coal seams reached as high as 11.2 trillion cubic feet. Sproule's assessment, called the "Most Likely Case volume" estimated 5.2 trillion cubic feet. Some analysts have valued each trillion cubic feet of gas at C$1 billion market capitalization.

This valuation does not include PACE's other CBM concession in China, the Huangshi project, where the company began drilling test wells in mid May. Nor does this include the company's joint venture partnership with Mitchell Drilling Services of Australia for the exclusive use of the drilling company's Dymaxion® system in China. We interviewed Nathan Mitchell, president of the drilling company, who was both optimistic and excited about his company's joint venture with PACE, and looked forward to expanding his drilling operations into China.

Mitchell told us, during that interview, his drilling company's technology made it possible to extract gas for around US$1.25 per mcf. This would help make potentially "uneconomic" gas more economic under a very pessimistic scenario. Revenues from others using the Dymaxion system in China would flow into the coffers of both PACE and Mitchell. Obviously this joint venture is moving forward. On June 8th, PACE announced it had appointed a country manager for the joint venture, writing, "Mr. Pacey will oversee all aspects of the joint venture activities in China as the Joint Venture Company prepares to deploy Mitchell Drilling Contractors Pty Ltd's proprietary Dymaxion Surface to In-seam Drilling System later this year."

Cohen Research did warn of negatives in making a hypothetical Bear Case for PACE's projects. The research team wrote, "Commercial viability has not yet been proven." The report also pointed out that technical studies were insufficient to "accurately assess the quality of CBM" to be extracted. Current drilling is underway on both CBM concessions. On June 12th, PACE reported, "Early stage desorption data from 12 samples show a range of gas contents between 105 and 407 scf/t (3.3 to 12.7 m3/t) after 4 to 19 days of testing. These values will be exceeded as desorption will not be completed for several weeks."

The company appears on the right track and has been issuing regular progress reports, which are encouraging. As PACE progresses to its final drilling in Guizhou province, and as the price of natural gas recovers, we suspect Cohen Research will be pleased with their price targets, as might shareholders in Pacific Asia China Energy. James Finch contributes to http://StockInterview.com and other publication. Sign up for our free update service. Just visit http://www.stockinterview.com for details. For more information about the Cohen Independent Research Group's report on Pacific Asia China Energy, visit: http://www.cohenresearch.com ]]> Using A Health Savings Account To Buffer The Coming Medicare Insolvency http://www.artwoo.com/article/using-a-health-savings-account-to-buffer-the-coming-medicare-insolvency http://www.artwoo.com/article/using-a-health-savings-account-to-buffer-the-coming-medicare-insolvency#comments Wed, 02 May 2007 14:30:01 +0000 medicare trust fundsocial security and medicaremedicare recipientshealth savings accountbrookings institutiontrillionmedical retirement http://www.artwoo.com/article/using-a-health-savings-account-to-buffer-the-coming-medicare-insolvency Medicare Trust Fund will soon be out of money, and there will be no practical way for the government to continue to provide the level of benefits that current receive. The result will be serious rations, waiting periods, and a reduction in benefits. If you wish to maintain your medical freedom, and have access to a high level of medical service, you must be prepared to pay for it yourself. The best strategy is to take good care of your health, and to build up your fund as large as possible by using a .

The Coming Medicare Insolvency

The total federal debt is now over $10 . But if you also include the current unfunded liabilities of social security, Medicare, and other programs, the total federal debt is at least $54 trillion. This number has been confirmed in three separate studies - by the American Enterprise Institute, the National Center for Policy Analysis, and the .

It is difficult to get a grasp of a number that big. That's $180,000 per person currently living in the United States. It is four times the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, the measure of the final value of all goods and services produced in this country in the course of a year.

As the program is currently structured it is unsustainable, and the fund is expected to be depleted by 2018. That is a mere 11 years from now. The shortfall in revenues will continue to increase as the years go by - it will exceed $2 trillion by 2030. At that point, half of all tax dollars will have to go to Social Security and Medicare.

That clearly can't happen. Instead, the system will face massive cuts in benefits, probably in addition to large tax increases.

Who Will Pay Your Medical Expenses During Retirement?

So will Medicare be there for you? It depends on how old you are. Unless you are retiring in the next couple years, I certainly wouldn't count on it, particularly if you want to insure that you have access to high quality medical care during your retirement years.

Last year Fidelity Investments reported that the average couple retiring in 2006 would need $200,000 just to cover medical expenses during retirement. That estimate did not include the cost of over-the-counter medications, most dental services and, long-term care, if needed. And it did not include the charges that are currently paid by Medicare.

If we cannot depend on Medicare to be there for us, the only smart solution is to save as much money as possible. This will ensure that you can obtain the quality care you need. If you are not currently putting as much money as possible aside to pay for these expenses yourself, you are making a serious mistake.

What Is Your Solution?

As most readers already know, the very best tool for accumulating funds for future medical expenses is a Health Savings Account. An HSA is the only investment that provides a tax deduction when you deposit the money, yet never taxes the money if it is used to pay for qualified medical expenses.

Therefore, you should put as much money as possible into your HSA, and withdraw as little as possible. The contribution limit for 2007 is $2,850 for an individual, and $5,650 for families. Those over 55 can also contribute an $800 catch-up contribution. Making the maximum contribution each year will help you build a medical retirement fund that can be used to pay future medical expenses, tax-free.

Rather than withdrawing money from your account to pay for medical expenses as they occur, you should pay for medical expenses that are not covered by your health insurance, out of your own pocket. Save your receipts (for doctor visits, eye glasses, aspirin, etc), and leave your money in the account to grow tax-deferred. There is no time limit before you have to reimburse yourself, so you can make the most of this tax-free investment.

As soon as possible, you may also want to transfer some of the money into mutual funds. While some HSA administrators are paying interest rates as high as 5%, the only way you are going to really grow the account is to get a much higher return on your money. Many HSA administrators offer a discount brokerage option, so you can place your funds in virtually any stock or mutual fund.

For a family that contributes the maximum contribution each year, it is quite reasonable to assume an HSA account value well over $1 million after 25 or 30 years. Medicare may be broke, but at least you won't be.

"Medicare HSAs?"

The solution to the pending Medicare meltdown is very complicated, but it is clear that government-run medical programs don't work. The dismal results can be seen everywhere, from the former Soviet-bloc countries, to the broken down national healthcare systems of Canada and Europe. Medicare must be transformed into a program where seniors have an ownership interest in the money they are spending.

Replacing the government's obligation to provide benefits with a voucher that seniors could use to purchase health insurance from competing private insurers, and/or deposit into a "Medicare Health Savings Account," would bring market efficiencies and competition into the picture. This idea is endorsed by both the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association.

Retirement HSAs may or may not ever come to fruition. But fortunately, HSA plans are available to those under age 65. If you do not yet have an HSA, get signed up for one now. You will lower your health insurance premiums, and can begin putting money aside for medical expenses you will almost inevitably incur during your older years. By Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (http://www.health--savings--accounts.com) - The nation's leading independent health insurance firm specializing in individual and family coverage that works with a Health Savings Account. ]]> Paulson's Plan - Is it Right For America? http://www.artwoo.com/article/paulsons-plan-is-it-right-for-america http://www.artwoo.com/article/paulsons-plan-is-it-right-for-america#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:08:23 +0000 sub prime mortgagesmortgage backed securitiestax payers moneypaulsonsproductive assetsbad debtsquality securities http://www.artwoo.com/article/paulsons-plan-is-it-right-for-america mortgage backed securities. Opinions are divided, some totally oppose it while others vehemently espouse it.

Here is my take on how we got to this situation and why America should adopt Paulson's Plan.

The present mortgage market crisis was created when interest rates fell in 2002 and made mortgages affordable and available for lots of families who would not ordinarily have qualified for them based on their incomes. Further, many of the originators of these , banks and other lenders, had no intention of keeping these mortgages till maturity. They had found a business model of earning profits without carrying the risks associated with lending. What they did was package their sub-prime mortgages in to mortgage backed securities and sold them on to other banks. The executives of the purchasing banks did their calculations and found them quite profitable. This was great for their bottom line as well as their end of the year bonuses and purchasing these poor was, at that time, probably a no brainer. As rates eventually rose, more and more home owners could not afford the mortgage installments and had their properties foreclosed. This resulted in an over supply of properties on the market with consequent house price crash. The banks that had purchased these securities now had on their books as they had become non .

Paulson's plan envisages purchasing these securities at near maturity rates, therefore, letting the banks off the hook. It also envisages freezing of rates for some home owners to prevent further foreclosures. Those opposed to the plan want the Fed to purchase the securities at the present market rate, which is not much of a help to any body. It would probably mean more bankruptcies in the financial sector as the weakest lenders would not have the liquidity to survive.

Over the past 6 months, 3 of the biggest names in finance, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers have disappeared forever. These were household names with long histories. Can America afford to lose even more such institutions? Granted that the executives running these venerable institutions had made bad decisions, but does that mean that 150 year old organisations with solid brand equity be reduced to nothing? The better route would be to prevent more bankruptcies and force banks and other financial sector companies to be more transparent about their businesses, which is what the Paulson plan is about.

Consider also another perspective on Paulson's plan.

America has spent 3 trillion dollars on the war in Iraq and some estimate that the final bill, including the health care of mentally and physically injured war veterans, will probably come to 5 trillion. Further, America spends close to 350 billion dollars net every year (after subtracting for exports to these countries) to finance imports from China and Japan. If America can spend so recklessly on countries that are never going to pay back any of that money, is there any reason why it should not spend on its own welfare?

My final argument on why America should support its financial sector is that this is one of the industries in which it is still competitive. Over the past century, America has lost its pre-eminence in many of its labour intensive industries - steel, automobiles, consumer electronics and textiles to name just a few, and eventually losing finance would add to that long list. I do not think that America should lose an industry which is not dependant on labour costs for its competitiveness. What needs to be done is to rescue it now and bring in tougher regulation to make the industry more transparent and accountable.

I would appreciate any comments you have on this article.Vijay Patel is a mortgage broker and financial adviser. His blog, MoneyInfoBlog, can be found here in which he writes under the pen name of Zeke. He is interested in personal finance, history, nature and wild life, internet marketing and languages.]]> On Line Forex Trading Tips http://www.artwoo.com/article/on-line-forex-trading-tips http://www.artwoo.com/article/on-line-forex-trading-tips#comments Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:29:57 +0000 york stock exchangenew york stock exchangenew york stocklive forex tradingforeign currenciestrading accounttime transactions http://www.artwoo.com/article/on-line-forex-trading-tips York Stock Exchange, one of the most active exchanges in the world, you should be very thankful. Its total daily transactions are averaging approximately at U.S. $50 billion, making it the largest stock exchange in the United States in terms of dollar volume. There are many individuals who want to get their feet wet on the ground of this New York City-based stock exchange.

Yet, you are luckier if you are actively involved in trading , or commonly known as Forex trading, which is considered to be the largest market on the world. Its average daily trading turnover is approximately U.S. $2 trillion, exceeding the combined magnitude of all other equity markets, including the Exchange. Thus, you are luckier since you have the opportunity of getting more profits out of that $2 trillion traded everyday.

If you are not yet involved in Forex trading, then you are currently missing the benefits of trading foreign currencies=9724 hour trading time, transactions conducted in real time, extreme liquidity, and others. Thus, you should decide to get a Forex and start trading right away.

However, just like other types of investment, you must be aware of what kind of ground you are stepping into. In other words, before getting a account, you must be properly educated first about the background of Forex trading. You must learn how you will maximize your earning potentials as well as decrease the risk that you are into through practicing with free demo accounts. Moreover, you must have a trading system to follow and the necessary tools that will help you analyze varying conditions of the Forex market to position yourself on the profiting aspect of a certain trade.

Once you know what you are getting into, you are now ready to get your live Forex trading account, web-based trading system and platform, and other tools that you will need in your Forex trading career. Most neophyte Forex traders obtain their trading accounts and platforms through a Forex brokerage company or agents. There are many brokerage firms out there and you need to be selective, or else you will suffer the adverse consequences.

If you are still uncertain which Forex trading company you will trust in the early start of your Forex trading career, why don't you try ACM Forex? They probably got what you need and at the same time the key towards the success of your Forex trading career.

ACM Forex stands for Advanced Currency Markets Forex, a Swiss-based online Forex trading company that is founded in the city of Geneva, Switzerland in 2002. Since it was founded on that year, ACM is now one of the major Forex institutions, particularly in online day trading, with an average monthly trade volume of U.S. $70 billion. They offer their clients quick access to the speculative Forex market through online dealing platforms that allows forward and stop trading of 27 pairs of foreign currencies as well as of several precious metals.

If you will open a live Forex trading account with ACM Forex, you will receive several benefits such as the following:

=95 WYCIWYG or "what you click is what you get" advantage. It means that the price you clicked on at the start of the deal will be the price you are executed at, thus no single movement on the foreign currency price.

=95 NRFQ or "no request for quote". You can click on any live streaming price list and there are no requisites even on fast markets. Expect that there will be no dealer intervention and timers.

=95 There will be no commission collected for every transaction that will be completed using the ACM Forex trading platform. All profits will go to your pockets and not to somebody else.

=95 You are allowed to have multiple online trading platforms for maximized trading flexibility.

=95 With ACM Forex, your risk is only limited to deposits or funds. Thus, you will never owe more than what you have invested in your Forex trading account. This means that there are no negative balances, whatsoever.

=95 You can open a live Forex trading account for as low as U.S. $5,000.

=95 There are 27 pairs of foreign currencies that you can trade within several clicks.

=95 You have access to 24-hour foreign currency trading and technical support services even on weekends.

=95 There are no confirmation delays=97only instant and real time trade executions.

=95 Secured online trading platform.

=95 Technical analysis and real time charting tools for your market evaluation tasks.

With ACM Forex, the start of your Forex trading career is as good as a veteran trader. A good jump start and continuous success awaits you in ACM Forex. Free Forex Software http://www.freelandproperty.com/forex.htm ]]> The Excitement Of Online Foreign Currency Trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-excitement-of-online-foreign-currency-trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-excitement-of-online-foreign-currency-trading#comments Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:27:07 +0000 foreign currency tradingcurrency tradercurrency valuescurrency markettrilliontwenty four hourstwenty four hours a day http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-excitement-of-online-foreign-currency-trading currency trader.

This is not changing dollars of local currency when you are on vacation. This is a business that trades about 1.3 dollars a day currently and continues to grow. In fact, is one of the biggest financial markets today.

It's the internet and the speed which information can be at a trader's fingertips that causes the to fluctuate and that gives online trader the thrill of relying on instinct to make choices.

Because the market is on the internet, information is disseminated equally at the same speed. No one trader gets information faster than another. This gives you time to make good decisions.

Another bonus of online foreign currency trading is that it operates a day. This allows you to be more flexible. You can get updates no matter where you are. So people who are put off trading because of their jobs can participate online on the foreign .

There are many foreign currency trading sites all over the Web. For the most part all you need to do is to register and you will be able to start immediately after. For those who are worried about the difficulties of understanding how to go about trading on the market, there is training available on these sites. They will help you set up and learn how to start making decisions on when to trade.

To be a successful foreign currency trader you must be confident, have good instincts, understand the risks you take with your money and enjoy the thrill of relying on your guts. Michael Redmond is a staff writer at http://www.trading-enthusiast.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.finance-journal.com. ]]> Advantages Of Forex Trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/advantages-of-forex-trading http://www.artwoo.com/article/advantages-of-forex-trading#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2007 21:30:01 +0000 electronic communication networksbank for international settlementscurrency fluctuationsequity tradersretail investorsmarket participantsliquid market http://www.artwoo.com/article/advantages-of-forex-trading equity traders are now thinking to trade the Forex market. Their main question and concerned was why trade the Forex market? What are the advantages of the Forex market as compared to the stock market? In this article, I will go through some of the advantages of Forex Trading.

24 Hour Global Market - The Forex market is truly a 24 Hour Global Market opens from Monday to Friday. The Forex market starts each trading day from Sydney, Tokyo, London, and finally to New York. Regardless of whether it is in the day or night, there are always actively trading the Forex market. Forex traders can respond very quickly to any or breaking news immediately unlike the stock and future market. The ECN's () in stock and future market are relatively new products derived as an after hours extension to the regular trading hours. Many of these ECN's have ill liquidity and there is no guarantee that a trade will be executed, or at a fair price. Usually, stock or future market traders would have to wait until the real market opens the next morning in order to execute a trade at fair value.

Liquidity =96 The Forex market is the largest and most in the world. According to a survey conducted by the (BIS) in April 2007, average daily trading volume for the Forex market reached an all-time record high of US$3.2 Trillion. A 71% increase from US$1.9 Trillion that was traded in April 2004. This increase is due mainly to the participation of utilizing broker's electronic trading platform. This tremendous turnover is more than all the world's stock markets combined on any given day. With a daily trading volume larger than all stock market combined, this will ensure price stability. With such liquidity, Forex Trader can open or close a position without much difficulty and most importantly, will receive a fair market price.

Opportunity to Make Money in Both Direction =96 There is no such thing as "bull" or "bear" market in Forex. In Forex, it is of no concern whether the economy is booming or in a recession. For stock trading, profits are usually made when the economy is booming. But we all know that the economic cycle is cyclical =96 all things that go up must come down. This is not the case in Forex market. Regardless of how major economies are performing, currency exchange rates are always fluctuating, and this in turn will provide trading opportunity for traders to gain profit.

Simplicity =96 There are not many major currency pairs traded on the Forex market. Therefore, traders may have a better feel of price movement patterns and behavior. Where as in the stock market, there is literally thousands of stock to monitor and it is not easy to follow so many of them.

Small Trading Capital with High Profit Potential =96 Nowadays, the minimum amount needed to open a trading account is less than $300. Due to competition, some brokers may even accept much lesser amount. In Forex market, this small trading amount could potentially earn hundreds of dollars per week. In stock market, this may not be possible. Of course both market have potential to lose as well, but in the Forex market, traders can make good money with much lesser trading capital.

High Leverage of 100:1 - 100:1 leverage is commonly available from online Forex brokers. This is substantially exceeds the common 2:1 margin offered by equity brokers, and 15:1 in the futures market. Some brokers even offer higher leverage of 100:1. However, it is important to remember that while this type of leverage allows investors to maximize their profit potential, the potential for loss is equally great. Leverage is a double-edged sword and necessitates the use of proper money management. Without proper risk management, this high degree of leverage cans also lead to big losses as well as gains.

Demo Account =96 Forex Trading has a unique feature called "Demo Account" or simulate account. This "Demo Account" allows the trader to trade using real-time price on the broker's trading platform with the exact interface and function as a real account. With this simulated account, Forex trader could gain real market experience in trading without risking any capital.

With Forex Trading unique advantages, its of little wonder that more and more retail investors are participating in the Forex market utilizing broker's electronic trading platform that are widely and easily available. http://www.forexdiscover.com ]]>