All about investment

By: Vikram Kuamr

There are different tools that you can use that will affect your decision in making stock trades. These tools are based on the stock information available. It is then important that you have as much relevant stock information as possible. The information may be from different sources. This will guide you in evaluating the factors that will affect your decision in the buying and selling of stocks.


In the modern times, the best resource to use is in the Internet. The Internet is full of resources and sites that can provide you the needed stock information. The stock information could be derived from the following sources:

• Stock Market News. The stock market news contains information about various events, trades, features, and general happenings in the stock market. It covers from a particular featured company to the trading details. The stock market news is stock information that may affect the value of the stocks. Being aware of the news will help investors decide if a particular industry or company is worth investing or not.
• Stock Profile. The stock profile is the profile of a particular company. It determines the potential of the company to provide earning when one buys shares of stock from it. The stock profile covers the background of the company. It also presents brief financial performance of the company that will aid investors to evaluate its potential. The stock profile may also carry with it stock information that will be relevant for fundamental, quantitative and technical analysis.
• Stock Update. The stock update is the latest trading performance of a particular company. This is relevant stock information, as this will determine the earning or loss of the stock purchased the day before. Updates mean real time stock performance of a particular company.

Stock profile and stock update are specifically targeting a particular company. With this stock information, you can evaluate if you will earn in investing with the company or not. Stock market news, on the other hand, is stock information about the market as a whole. There is no specific industry that is targeted. However the information is available because there are relevant events that happened in a company, in the trade or in an event.

When Can Stock Information Become Useful?

For a one-stop resource of stock information, you can utilize sites like Featured Profiles. The site has stock updates, stock profile, and stock market news, which you can utilize for stock analysis. However, it is important that you do not solely rely on this data as a guarantee for earning. They only provide the stock information, which you still need to analyze and evaluate. The biggest factor that will contribute to the successful trade is the personalize characteristics such as analytical thinking, risks taking, philosophy and other personal principles. The information is only an avenue to understand the market and the company. But it does not provide the tool for success.

In conclusion, the stock information is important to you as investors. You can get information through the Internet. It could either be stock profile, updates, and stock market news. The information will be the basis for your evaluation of the stock behavior and will guide you to see if you will earn or lose in your investment. However, it is only one tool. You need to incorporate personal principles and characteristics to make successful choices in your investment.

Featured Profiles is a company that is full of relevant stock information for your stock trade decision. It provides stock market news , trades, and updates.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

by Robert Thomas

Banking stock continues to look fragile even with virtually every major nation now standing either as an actual shareholder or at least as a lender of last resort. I am mindful of the fact that if something seems to be too much of a good thing then it probably is.

Irish banks which were virtually the first recipients of State support are now pretty much at their lowest levels. They are even under the prices that triggered the intervention in the first place. With no shorting of financial shares via spread betting, CFDs or otherwise, allowed in the stock this represents continued liquidation of holdings. Market Makers do not, yet, appear ready to be supporters at any level and the fear must be that the State will indeed need to make good on its promise to guarantee every deposit within the system.

The rating agencies have been quick (for once) to look at the actual impact this will have on the actual credit worthiness of the Republic. This might actually be quite a serious development as the ROI is in the European Union and is therefore technically unable to just borrow unlimited sums.

It is a worry that this same scenario might play out across the UK banking prices as well. The government is standing as guarantor of the various rights issues going through but this does not seem to be tempting buyers in any significant size. Too many have lost out in the original issues back in February through May.

As Simon Denham of Financial Spreads recently said, "When the chips are down, the nations with the cash reserves should, in the end, come out on top. This means that Germany, Japan and China are likely to be the long term winners out of all this chaos. However even they will probably suffer in the short term as demand in the 'consumer nations' slows somewhat".

With the various Government agencies now intent on clamping down on Financial services the UK may well be the really big loser in all of this. If State control and FSA over regulation drives business off our shores there are many places across the globe that will welcome it in with open arms. Restrictions on bonuses sound very good in newspaper column inches and give politicians populist appeal but in the end will only serve to drive markets further East. The City employs some 400,000 people but contributes around 9% of the GDP (depending on how you calculate the overall impact through the economy). The State cannot afford to lose this level of revenue otherwise taxes will have to rise to pay for all the things we now take for granted.

Note that spread betting carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all classes of investor. Only trade with money that you can afford to lose. Make sure you fully understand the risks involved. If necessary, seek independent financial advice.

About the Author

A well respected financial spread betting journalist. A seasoned writer he offers insight into strategic and tactical trading of stocks and shares, indices, forex and commodities.

By: Bob Munroe

If you happen to have watched the news during the past year, chances are you may have seen a mention or two of something called the “Credit Crunch”. You will have seen stories of banks going bust, stock markets in a panic, and grave announcements from Important People to “not panic”. Of course, that’s exactly the kind of thing that makes people want to start digging a hole in the back garden to keep their new gold coins in, but now is not the time to stop buying shares.

Not so long ago, back before the Dot-Com bubble, wise men with many letters after their name would calmly argue, all the while keeping a straight face, for something called the “Efficient Market Theory”. The market, they said, knew EVERYTHING there was to know about a particular stock or bond, and therefore, the current price the market was paying was clearly the RIGHT price given all available information. In the future things might be different, events might make a stock seem worth more or less, and the price would go up or down accordingly, but trying to out-guess the market, with today’s available information, was nothing more than a 50-50 bet, and stock pickers would do as well to use a dartboard as a broker’s recommendation.

How times change. While many people will still take a dim view of the recommendations of brokers, the idea that the market is rational should have died the day the Nasdaq went above 5,000. The events of the past 12 months are just another nail in the coffin of idea that large groups of people, risking large amounts of money, behave in ways that are in any sense “rational” or “efficient”. The plain and simple truth is that we cannot say that today’s stock prices are any more “right” than the prices of 1 year ago, but we can quite definitely say they are cheaper.

This matters because, as most successful investors through the years would agree, the time when you really make your profit on a stock is when you buy, not when you sell. For investors who plan to take a truly long-term view of the stock market, today’s prices present a wonderful opportunity to make much more profit in the long run, by buying shares cheaply today. It’s true that a number of companies have been caught out by global events, particularly banks exposed to bad housing loans, but anyone investing into a properly diversified fund or tracker product need not be worried by individual company failures.

True, prices may go lower still, which is why investors are often advised to drip-feed their money into an investment over a period of months or years, but the important thing is that by most long-term valuation methods, the market at today’s prices is cheap, and history has shown that investors who can summon the courage to take advantage of periods of cheap prices, are always rewarded, so if you have a pension or regular investment, keep on making those payments, and don’t let the gloom and doom of today prevent you reaping the rewards of tomorrow.

About the Author
For advice on saving, and investing visit our website.

by: George E Lockett

While the energies in the world undergo rapid change and the turbulence in financial markets prompts us to review our scale of values, where do we look for stability and joy?


The answer is within our heart. If we look at the bigger picture and ourselves, we only have control over what we are creating in the Now moment. The love that is flowing from our source energy within our heart, outwards to the world, and which expresses itself through our every thought, word and deed, is under our control.

Through maintaining a positive vision in our imagination, we can create positive outcomes, even if the world appears to be in turmoil.

Through relaxing, releasing and seeing everything as a part of your Self, you can allow these changes to take place without strain or attachment. Just view the world with unconditional love and know that everything is made of energy, which can be neither created nor destroyed; know that there will always be enough and that the process we are going though is releasing the power held by the few and empowering us all to take personal responsibility for ourselves.

Through self-love and appreciation we can build up good feelings in our heart. By being aware of our breathing and conscious of our breath, we can allow the mind to settle down and become the observer of these changes, rather than being caught up in them.

This process of self-love and of witnessing the change, gives the body a chance to release tension and stress and come back into balance. This allows us the space and time to take the attention within and imagine a world we would love to live in.

Through positive visualization we are programming our body's magnetism to draw to us that which we have created and which we desire to show up in our life. As we take time to do this, we feel good inside; we connect to our soul energy and start to live our life purpose by bringing forward the images from deep within our heart.

This inner work is the most important thing we can do at this time. Consciously remove yourself from any negative influences which may come into your space; exercise your power to neutralize them simply by living each moment as it comes. Turn the awareness onto the Self, breathe consciously to release the mind and feel the silence within the heart.

Bathe in this elixir of life as your streams of awareness and consciousness mingle together in your heart. This union with the Self is very healing and balancing. Allow 20-30 minutes a day to do this; it can make all the difference to how you feel within the day and how the world reacts to you.

You are empowering your Self to connect with the bigger picture which your soul energy knows. When you emerge from this type of energy work, your vibration is in tune with your heart energy, which connects you to the whole Universe.

You start to notice synchronicities showing up in your life. You gain much more support from all the laws of nature when you connect to your own inner nature. We are all a part of the universal life force. By releasing and relaxing tension and stress, we come back to the Self; we feel whole and complete.

We experience the Joy of our life purpose and of riding on the crests of the new waves of consciousness and awareness which are welling up on the New Earth. Align yourself in the Now and enjoy the ride by going with the flow.

Healing comes naturally from within the energies of a lightworker, and harmony and personal growth are blossoming as each person honours his own nature, and lives his dreams and life purpose in natural harmony with all around him. George E. Lockett SSHA, IIHHT (C) Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved. Read more of HealerGeorge's ideas in his book; A Journey into the Self -- the Multi-dimensional Nature of Being Human or visit : http://www.healergeorge.com If you would like me to send healing to you or someone else, please click the link below to Request Distant Healing: http://www.healergeorge.com/absent_healing.htm

by: Walter Rhett

The global credit crunch and capital market collapse drained over 2 trillion dollars of value from this year from American markets has also hit home for retired workers. Many retirees fear the loss of pension benefits as many public systems and private companies have seen significant declines in pension funds, in some cases, by billions of dollars.

If these declines continue, benefit checks to retirees could be frozen or cut. For public systems, states may have to fund shortfalls, making higher contribution to public pension funds from tax revenues. States and local systems may as a last resort issue bonds to cover legal shortfalls, but the current state of the credit markets make such bond offerings a difficult sale and an expensive fix.

Are pensions in immediate danger? No. But the decisions and strategies used by states and municipalities should be watched closely. Monitoring the investment changes in pension portfolios is a prudent course for citizens with a vested stake or an eye toward public fiscal responsibility.

Tight credit and falling values have created a new environment for pension fund directors to operate in, and it is important to know how your state and local managers are adapting their allocations and investments to the new market realities. Public pension funds have information or public affairs telephone numbers to answer inquiries.

Here are several examples of loses recently suffered as the markets plunged.

The federal agency that guarantees pensions (similar to the way Fannie Mae guaranteed mortgages), US Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp lost more than 3 billion dollars.

The Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System was down a billion dollars last June.

Allegheny County, Pa's 738 million pension fund down was recently down 5 percent.

Iowa's Public Employee Retirement system faces a short fall of 2 billion (the present market value of it fund is 22.4 billion).

In Wisconsin, the state pension dipped 3 billion. (current value, 80 billion).

In Georgia, the state employees pension fund for public employee and teachers lost more than 11 billion dollars in under four months.

A Texas fund dropped one billion dollars.

Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System has lost more than 10 percent of its value-more than 2.1 billion dollars-recently (17.6 billion, current value).

A 300 point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index represents a loss of 450 million for the

Alabama Retirement Systems, an average of 1.5 million dollars per point.

Florida's public pension fund has been hit hard. It lost six percent in three months.

Some state see the current troubles as an investment opportunity. South Carolina, from February, can invest up to 45 percent of its 29 billion pension fund in hedge funds, real estate, and set aside 100 million dollars for purchases of sub prime mortgages! The state had no investments of this type a year and a half ago. One percent of the pension fund has also been set aside for invests in commercial real estate, to be resold as the market recovers. The state's treasurer has said these investment represent acceptable risks, and should benefit the state.

Check your state's fiscal health, especially its public pensions. Participation in a democracy requires each of us to be vigilant as citizens!

(also by the author, Walter Rhett, . . "Wading in the Water": Who Will Present the Better Plan for...). Thanks for reading!

Walter Rhett Walter Rhett attended Ohio State and writes from Charleston, SC. He is a Johns Hopkins University Fellow and a scholarship winner to the Johns Hopkins Summer Writing Institute. He has consulted for Japanese Educational Television and founded a civil war re-enactment unit, the 33rd USCT SC V. Walter contributes to 15 national blogs (LA Times, Seattle Times, Denver Post, Dallas Herald, Kansas City Star, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, ,Atlanta Journal-Constituion, Charlotte Observer, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor and USA Today).

By Bryan Moffitt

Many traders in the futures markets use either technical analysis (charts and indicators) or fundamental analysis (supply/demand figures, news, etc), or a combination of both.

In order to trade successfully, it is important to put the odds in your favour as much as possible, given that for the most part trading is a game of probabilities. Seasonal analysis can be the tool that does just that. Regardless of your current trading method, including seasonal research in your program will increase your odds of success.

Many of the futures markets, especially the hard commodities such as the agriculturals, metals, and energies, exhibit a regularly recurring seasonal pattern in price each year. This is because the supply and demand for these commodities generally peaks and falls at similar times each year, due to either the production or demand cycle.

An example is the wheat market. Winter wheat is planted each fall, goes dormant over the winter, matures in the spring, and is generally harvested between May and July. That means that supply is greatest in May-July, and declines throughout the year. Price generally tends to fall into the harvest as new supply comes online, and then works its way higher over the rest of the year as the current crop year supply is consumed. While this is a broad analysis, a more detailed analysis will highlight different periods within the trading year where price moves are most reliable, based on historical performance. An example would be analysis showing that the March Wheat contract has fallen in price in 24 of the previous 30 years between November 30 and February 25.

Most other commodities exhibit similar seasonal patterns based on their own production and demand cycles.

A complete seasonal and historical analysis can allow you to determine:

- periods of reliable trending in any given futures market

- the past success rate for any proposed trade

- the average and worst loss for a proposed trade

- the average and greatest profit for a proposed trade

- how closely this year's market is following its normal seasonal pattern

In order to ensure that a pattern is a true seasonal and not just a random chance pattern, it is best to use as many years as possible in your analysis. A good seasonal analysis will use at least 15 years of history, although some believe that 30 years are required to confirm a seasonal pattern.

Some traders will trade on seasonals alone, but most incorporate them into their own trading program. A good seasonal analysis will tell you the historical probability of any trade being successful. Adding that to your own trading system can be a powerful tool, keeping you out of potentially losing trades, and allowing you to feel more confident when you enter what are hopefully successful trades.

Seasonal and historical studies can also allow you to more accurately determine risk, as well as profit targets, all based on past performance. As they say, past performance does not guarantee future success, but it can certainly act as a good guide.

Bottom line is that seasonal analysis is a valuable tool that every serious trader should add to their trading tool arsenal. Having as much information as possible before entering a trade is the way to increase your odds of success in the markets.

Bryan Moffitt is the owner of Futures Research Corp. - a company that provides traders with valuable analysis and research to improve their trading success in the futures markets.

http://www.FuturesResearchCorp.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_Moffitt

By: Bharat Book

This profile is the essential source for top-level energy industry data and information. The report provides an overview of each of the key sub-segments of the energy industry in Thailand. It details the market structure, regulatory environment, infrastructure and provides historical and forecasted statistics relating to the supply/demand balance for each of the key sub-segments. It also provides information relating to the oil and gas assets (oil and gas fields, exploration blocks, refineries, pipelines, LNG terminals and storage terminals) in Thailand. The report also analyses the fiscal regime relevant to the oil and gas assets in Thailand and compares the investment environment in Thailand with other countries in the region. The profiles of the major companies operating in the oil and gas sector in Thailand together with the latest news and deals are also included in the report.

Scope

Historic and forecast data relating to production, consumption, imports, exports and reserves are provided for each industry sub-segment for the period 1995-2020.

Historical and forecast data and information for all the major exploration blocks, oil and gas fields, refineries, pipelines, LNG terminals and storage terminals in Thailand for the period 1995-2020.

Operator and equity details for major oil and gas assets in Thailand

Key information relating to market regulations, key energy assets and the key companies operating in the Thailand’s energy industry.

Detailed information on key fiscal terms (such as rents, bonuses, royalty, cost recovery, profit oil, petroleum and corporate taxes) pertaining the geography is also provided. A sample calculation detailing how fiscal terms apply to a typical asset in the regime is included.

Information on the top companies in the Thailand including business description, strategic analysis, and financial information.

Product and brand updates, strategy changes, R&D projects, corporate expansions and contractions and regulatory changes.

Key mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, private equity and venture capital investments, and IPOs.

Reasons to buy

Gain a strong understanding of the country’s energy market.

Facilitate market analysis and forecasting of future industry trends.

Evaluate the attractiveness of the geography for oil and gas investment in the light of government policies and the fiscal environment.

Facilitate decision making on the basis of strong historic and forecast production, reserves and capacity data.

Understand the geography’s policies and fiscal terms, and their impact on contractor’s profits from upstream oil and gas assets.

Assess your competitor’s major oil and gas assets and their performance.

Analyze the latest news and financial deals in the oil and gas sector of each country.

Develop strategies based on the latest operational, financial, and regulatory events.

Do deals with an understanding of how competitors are financed, and the mergers and partnerships that have shaped the market.

Identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the leading companies in each the country.

About Bharatbook.com: Bharat Book Bureau facilitates companies to take the lead of their industry with best practice business strategies and intelligence, through a unique combination of published reports, databases, country reports, company profiles and customized research services. For more information, kindly visit: http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=81609

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

by: Sue Merriam

Tired of all the doom and gloom you've heard lately? Trust me, you're not alone. Dow Jones dropping points, GM going bankrupt, threats of terrorism. Yikes!

In these scary, unstable times, we do need to prepare for the worst, but there are a lot of benefits you wouldn't expect. Of course, there's the obvious having things on hand when we need them but here are also eight fantastic, unexpected benefits of preparing for the worst:

Life Stays Fun

You've heard rumors on the job that there might be layoffs. Prices are skyrocketing. You come home and your children beg you to take them to the park. Tempted to bite their heads off? You don't have to if you know you have sufficient supplies laid up for a crisis. Yes, you really can have fun as long as you take the time to prepare. Life will stay consistently normal. You'll be able to take the kids to the park and have fun, secure in knowing you have done everything you can to be ready.

You Actually Save Money

Here's how. You bought all that food and supplies for an emergency, right? But you also don't want those things to become old and outdated. So wait for the next sale and stock up. Then rotate. Place the new items in your emergency pantry and use the older things, while waiting for the next sale, something that almost always happens. Keep enough on hand to carry you over from one sale to the next, and you will always be purchasing at a discount.

You Get Healthier

Some of the best foods to store are also the ones with the most nutrition. Items such as whole wheat berries, beans, whole grains and dehydrated vegetables have far more nutrients than their frozen and processed counterparts.

Start buying those foods in bulk now, but also start using them. Rotate what you have and replace the older items in your emergency pantry. By preparing and eating these fabulous foods, you will be amazed at the increased energy you have.

You Get Back in Touch With the Basics

There is truly nothing more satisfying than learning to prepare your own bread from wheat you just ground yourself, or knowing you can make your own soap when needed. By keeping your own chickens you know what goes into the eggs you eat as well as the meat - should you choose to butcher some of your chickens.

A Great Teaching Example For the Kids

Like it or not, you are the number one role model for your children. If they see you getting prepared for unexpected, they are much more likely to follow in your footsteps. You are setting an example of preparation that could bless countless generations to come. Now doesn't that make you feel better about all those cans of tomatoes you just bought?

Your Children Feel More Secure

And while we're on this topic, your children will be more secure as well especially if you get them involved. Have them help you stock the pantry. Teach them to dial 911 and make sure they know their full address and your full name. Have practice drills so they know what to do in an emergency. By having a task to do, your children will feel more in control and less fearful of the scary news they may be overhearing on television.

You Are Prepared For the Small Crises in Life

Let's say the economy stabilizes tomorrow, and the threat of terrorism disappears. So did you do all that hard work for nothing? Of course not! Imagine having the flu and not having to worry about driving to the grocery store when you're sick.

If you get laid off or if you decide to go back to school, all those supplies could help you get over some rough spots. Even if you never face a major catastrophe, there are plenty of minor ones in everyone's life. Far better to be prepared.

It Helps You Become More Organized

All those extra supplies have to go somewhere. Stocking up for an emergency forces you to start cleaning out those cluttered closets and cabinets now .

So the next time someone accuses you of being a Johnny Raincloud because you're stocking up, just smile. You're making for a sunny day now.

http://www.organic-gardening-and-homesteading.com

By: Leroy Rushing

Overtrading is dangerous. It increases the exposure of your account to downturns, leaves you open to trades you haven’t thought through, and greatly increases the cost of commissions. Controlling your overtrading can be difficult as many traders become overzealous as a result of a very poor investment. Rather than "getting it back next time," the "next time" becomes right now. Traders start to throw money at any trade for a variety of reasons just to get back what they just lost.

No trading plan in sight

The first reason for overtrading is the lack of a trading plan. Pure and simple, some traders just haven’t mapped out a strategy guide. Developing a trading plan is made simpler by the use of a trading plan planner. A trading plan planner will help work out the kinks in your trading plan blueprints while preparing a proper trading strategy. Much of your strategy will depend on your own trading style and a plethora of information from professional traders. With the strategy in place, a trader may be just one step away from consistent profits.

Early losses

Early losses should also be at the top of the list, just barely below a lack of a trading plan. Many traders, even professional traders, do not like to see investments in the red. Day trading and scalping ideologies both promote the idea of very limited drawdowns and complete profits. Thus, day traders are more prone to get caught up in early losses than the long term investor.

Many traders, especially those involved in scalp trading, like to double up on a position when the trade has moved against them. For example, a position at negative 10 pips would send the trader to buy another position with the same dollar amount. In this case, the price would only have to reverse 5 pips in order to break even. This strategy works in theory, though over the long term your account can easily be wiped out.

Trigger happy

Some traders are just trigger happy by nature. Trigger happy traders are those who yearn to take each and every possible trade they see – just because they think they can make it profitable. Scalping is partially responsible for this dangerous trading style. Many traders throw caution to the wayside and place trades that are gut reactions rather than well-thought-out investments.

The important thing to remember is that it’s impossible to make all trades winners, but it’s entirely possible to take only high-odds trades if you know how to identify them. Taking trades you don’t believe in at the expense of losing money simply isn’t worth it.

Learn how to master day trading by downloading two of Trading EveryDay’s FREE products: Tools of the Trade eBook and a Trading Plan Planner. Dedicated to helping people become profitable traders, Leroy Rushing, a professional day trader, trading coach, and author, is the CEO of Trading EveryDay

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Australian rare coins have great value for investors as well as collectors. It's long been known that collections of rare coins increase in value over time and Australian coins are no exception. In the current volatile economic conditions investing in coins can provide security as well great investment potential. Some Australian pre-decimal Commonwealth coins are among the most sought after and highly valued of all world coins. The performance of many Australian coins exceeds even most ancient coins.

Sovereign coins have been minted in Australia since the 1850's. The Australian Commonwealth coins were minted between the years 1910 and 1964. The currency used in Australia in that period was based on the British system using pennies (pence) and pounds. The coins for Australian use were minted in various locations including London, Birmingham, San Francisco, Calcutta as well as the mints in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The coin series consisted of the halfpenny, penny, threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin, crown and sovereign.

The most valuable coin of the series and arguably of all world coins is the 1930 Australian penny. This extremely rare coin can attract prices in excess of $200,000 dollars if in excellent condition but even poor examples can attract five figure values.Some of the many other highly valued coins include the 1855, 1856 and 1858 Sovereign, the 1933 shilling, 1922/1 overdated threepence, 1925 penny and 1923 halfpenny, all of which can return well over $5000. More examples of rare Australian coin values can be found here http://steven-cousley.com/coins

A collection of good quality Australian coins can certainly make a sound investment for the astute collector. It can be demonstrated that over the last 40 -50 years some coins have increased in value almost 200 fold, or better than a 13% annual increase. The coins can also make fantastic family heirlooms as well giving the opportunity to own a piece of Australian history. Their are also considerable tax advantages to investing in currency and in Australia coin investments are approved for superannuation funds.

For a secure investment with excellent prospects it's hard to go past investing in currency collections. Australian coins are among the most valuable in the world. As they become more sought after, there is huge potential for the investor in both short term and long term profit. An investment in Australia's currency history is also an investment for your future.

Article By Steven Cousley
http://steven-cousley.com

Steven is a writer and publisher of information products especially relating to online marketing and motivation.

Permission is given to copy and republish this article as long as this resource box is included.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Cousley

By: Kevin Demeritt

The perfect storm this. The perfect storm that.

The cliché is getting tossed around about as much as those old-time favorites, "uphill struggle," "right on the money," "you can run but you can't hide," "at the end of the day" and "there's a quarterback controversy on this team."

Even so, feel free to drag it out one more time, shine it up and reapply it to the economy. Everybody else is doing it. The title of Sebastian Junger's bestseller is how an awful lot of people are now describing what we face

HIT BY ONE PERFECT STORM (OR ANOTHER)

In his book, The Perfect Storm, Junger writes of a hurricane crashing into a Canadian low pressure center which then does a head-on with a cold front hanging off the New England coast. The result is a hundred year storm generating 120 mile-an-hour winds, 100-foot waves and several fatalities.

That said, there seems to be a bit of confusion over exactly what constitutes a perfect economic storm.

"The combination of soaring demand from 3 billion new players on the world stage, record-high oil prices and a plunging U.S. dollar has never happened before and is more than throwing kerosene on a fire: It's like setting off a nuclear bomb on top of another nuclear bomb," wrote analyst Larry Edelson.

That's one perfect storm. Martin Weiss of the Money and Markets newsletter sees another. In his scenario, "close encounters with a Wall Street meltdown" collide with a severe U.S. recession, which smashes into surging inflation.

LIKE A DISASTER MOVIE MARATHON

We're just warming up. This is the perfect storm-a literal storm like in Junger's book-that Larry Elliot of The Guardian envisions:

"In October 2008, George Bush finally loses patience with Tehran and, in the last big decision of his presidency, launches air strikes against Iran's nuclear capability. On the same day, just as the citizens of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas think they have seen the last of one of the stormiest summers on record, a category-five hurricane sweeps across the Gulf of Mexico and shuts down half of America's oil-refining capacity. The combination of military action in the Middle East and natural disaster sends the price of oil shooting up to $150 a barrel, pushing up inflation in all western economies. Central banks, fearful of another 1970s-style surge in the cost of living, raise interest rates, intensifying the effects of the economic downturn. Financial markets suffer a spasm of selling. Banks stop lending and, as businesses fail in droves, [there's] a meltdown in the housing market."

On and on it goes. Julie Chen of the CBS Early Show likes her perfect storm served up with higher gas prices, a crisis in the housing market and "the devastating floods in the Midwest." Glenn Beck, who's fond of saying that he has the number three talk radio show in the nation, may use the cliché more than any other living soul today. Then there's the Website, marketoracle.co.uk. It refers to the mess as a "perfect hyper-stagflationary storm." No, that's not nearly as slick a term.
Meanwhile, standing like a cheerleader in a bomb crater, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development advises us that, much to our relief, we've survived a "near-perfect storm" in the financial markets remarkably well and, come next year, we'll all be on the road to recovery and, presumably, live happily ever after.

Still haven't gotten enough perfect storm analogies? No worries. There are over 3 million more "perfect storm" search pages on Google.

THE GOLDEN CLICHE YOU CAN TURN TO

It's at least apparent that a large number of learned folks believe something of significance- something of negative significance unfortunately-is about to happen in our economic lives. Whatever form that actually takes, be it recession, depression or "hyper-stagflation," the common themes here seem to be soaring oil prices, runaway inflation, surging world demand for commodities, a sinking dollar, the credit crunch and a global recession.

And maybe another war or weather disaster thrown in.

Interestingly, it's also starting to be a cliché to say that gold is an antidote for much of the above.

But that's only because gold keeps demonstrating that it actually is an antidote for much of the above. Since the start of 2007, gold is up an impressive 46 percent in anticipation of this perfect storm business. Predictions of gold continuing to thrive in today's nasty environment and reaching $1,500, $2,000 and higher abound (the Google search, "$2,000 gold," fetches 2.7 million pages). Marketoracle.com believes gold will "start its run north to the $1,500 -- $2,000 range before the year is up."

Not surprisingly, commodities are king when both inflation and uncertainty are out of control. They were king in 1980 and are today as well. People understandably prefer commodities-investments they can actually hold in their hands-when their traditional paper assets lose value almost by the week...yet another reason why the gold forecast remains so shiny.

So the next time you wince at a perfect storm cliché, use it as motivation to acquire more gold. Not only will that help you safeguard your own finances during these extraordinary times, you'll actually be putting a cliché to good use.


You've seen him on Fox News Television and heard him on the Rush Limbaugh Show. He's a published author, writer and an expert guest on more than 1000 radio programs discussing today's economy and gold.

Kevin DeMeritt, President of Lear Capital, is a nationally renowned analyst whose insight into the future of domestic and global economies is unmatched. And, now more than ever, his insights are welcome by nervous investors. Visit LearCapital.com for all the help you need.

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While bonds traditionally earn lower than stocks, that does not mean there isn't a place in your portfolio for bonds. The most common reasons for investors to purchase bonds are below:

1) Diversification: Bonds tends to be less volatile than stocks and can therefore stabilize the value of your portfolio during times when the stock market struggles. Having a combination of both types of investments over the long term can often provide comparable returns with less risk than a portfolio devoted to only one type of investment.

2) Stability: If investors knows they will need access to large sums of money in the near future- for example, to pay for college, a home, etc- then it does not make sense to place that money in a highly volatile investments like stocks. Because the majority of the return on bonds comes from the interest payments (the Coupon payment), fluctuations in the price of a bond will h8ave little impact on the value of the investment.

3) Consistent Income: Unlike stock dividends, coupon payments are consistently distributed at regular intervals. Individuals seeking this consistent income mighty find bonds a better alternate than the dividend payments some stocks offer.

Bonds are often called " Fixed Income " investments, but don't let term fool you. Bonds are not risk less investments. While they are usually considered much safer than stocks, bonds can still lose value while you hold them. Here is a brief look at some of the risk associated with bonds:

I) Interest rate risk: Bond prices are inversely related to interest rates, so if interest rates increase, the price of the bond will decrease. The interest rate on a bond will decrease; the price of the bond will decrease. The interest rate on a bond is set at the time it is issued. Generally, the coupon will reflect interest rates at the time of issuance. However, if interest rates increase, people will be unwilling to purchase the bonds in the secondary market at the earlier rate. For example, if the coupon is set at 6% and the interest rates in the market are at 7%, the interest rate on the bond is well below what you could get from a different investment. Therefore, the price of the bond will decrease so that the capital appreciation will make up for the difference in interest rates. (For this reason, it can be risky to buy long-term bonds during periods of low interest rates)

II) Inflation risk : with few exceptions, the interest rate on your bond is set when it is issued, as is the principal that will be returned at maturity. If there is significant inflation over the time you held the bond, the real value (What you can purchase with the income) of your investment will suffer.

Further reading:

10 reasons why you should invest in stock market--http://retirementsketch.com/archives/11

Author

Parker T is an Investment Analyst and a conference speaker. He is the MD/CEO of Touch Star Investment Limited. he is the author of these blog: http://retirementsketch.com and http://capitalmarketnigeria.com.