Category Archives: Finance

Sound Advice To Help You Trade The Forex Markets

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The foreign exchange, or forex market, has become an increasingly popular destination for those hoping to make the most of their investments. However, like any market, it has its share of pitfalls which can ensnare novice investors. Avoid these dangers, and get the most from your money by using the techniques in this article.

Set up the optimal schedule for you to trade, taking work and school into consideration. The Forex market is open every hour of the day and every day during the week, so you are able to make a schedule that is unique to your demands. This capability will help to maximize your time.It is important to examine binary options or as we say in French options binaires.

Use proven trading methods. Don’t try and recreate the Forex wheel. It is in your best interest to use a proven method that has worked for many people for decades than to seek out some fly-by-night system that promises immediate riches. Go with the safer methods that have already proven to be reliable.

Keep track of which forex strategies have worked for you and especially those which didn’t. Recheck your statistics to see if the actions you’re taking now statistically should work, or should be changed to something that did work. Keep track of timelines and current events to see how those factored into the successes you’ve had, and then keep that in mind for future trading.

You can easily find free Forex charts online. Make sure you get reliable information that is up to date. Perhaps you should compare these charts with other free charts or something you paid for and know you can trust. Referring to several charts at all time might be a good idea.

Make sure you learn the currency symbols and the currencies of the major players of the world economy. Following the economic trends in the countries of which currency you chose to trade can help you predict trends and make solid trading decisions. Don’t forget to master the basic skills first. Keeping in touch with up to date stock exchange analysis or in French analyse bourse is critical to predict the latest trends.

To avoid becoming discouraged about Forex, remember that every trader will endure losses. Some losses are unavoidable, and what’s important is that you use these losses to make you a better trader. Be sure to start out with small investments so that the losses you do experience won’t be a big deal.

Learning the lessons behind your losses can be the key to future success in the FOREX markets. Investment losses will sometimes occur, but they have a lot to teach you for the next opportunity. Instead of burying your head in the sand, scrutinize the sequence of your decisions and understand whether another path would have led to a better outcome. It is your hard-won lessons of the past that will fuel your successes for the future!

Never add money to a losing trading in the foreign exchange markets. It might be tempting to add to a losing trade in hopes of a more lucrative payout, but the chances are good that the trade will just continue to lose. If a trade does start to show signs of succeeding, there will still be time to add to it.

Realize that placing stop orders is more of an art than a science. A forex trader must consider technical factors on his chart while also factoring in responsible money management. Active trading combined with stop orders set too tight can use up all of your capital if you keep getting stopped out of trades repeatedly.

Make your account bigger by using gains to fund your forex account. Try to avoid making more deposits for a while, because you want to be sure that you are making a profit off your investments. By not making deposits, you minimize your risk and ensure that you aren’t spending more than you can afford.

Make sure you calculate the risk vs reward radio on every trade you make, not just the big ones. If you fail to make a profit on 10 small trades you’ll have a hard time recouping your loss on a single large trade. You want to make double what you’re risking for a forex trade to be worthwhile.

Having the correct lighting in your home office will reduce eye strain and make analyzing Forex charts much easier on you. Squinting can lead to a hunched back and headaches, so make sure that there is adequate light in your room to be able to see everything you are doing.

Remember that there are no secrets to becoming a successful forex trader. Making money in forex trading is all about research, hard work, and a little bit of luck. There is no broker or e-book that will give you all of the secrets to beating the forex market overnight, so don’t buy in to those systems.

As with any investment, a proper understanding of how the forex market works is a vital first step before you invest your money. Once you know what you are doing, however, you can avoid the dangers and begin to see a real return on your investment. Just use the advice you’ve learned from this article but you may want to learn more about the trading platform so read about revueoptionfair.com.

Congress Approves .9999 Fine Gold Coins

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New .9999 fine (24 karat) 1-oz legal tender $50 gold coins will be added to the U.S. Mint’s line of gold bullion coins in 2006 when President Bush signs into law a bill that Congress passed in December.  The legislation calls for the Mint to have the coins ready to distribute by June 2006, but the coins may be ready before then.

The legislation authorizing the new .9999 fine gold coins was quite specific, mandating the design and even the method of packaging.  For the first year of issuance, the coins “shall bear the original designs by James Earle Fraser, ‘which appear on the 5-cent coin commonly referred to as the ‘Buffalo nickel’ or the ’1913 Type 1′.”  This wording, without specifically saying it, calls for the obverse (front) of the coins to carry the famed Indian Head design by Fraser.  The reverse will carry the equally-famed buffalo design.

Each Indian Head-Buffalo coin is to be encased in a protective capsule, possibly such as the capsules used by Australia’s Perth Mint to protect its .9999 fine gold bullion coins, including the popular limited edition Lunar Series Gold Bullion Coins.  The protective cases “shall be readily distinguishable” from the packaging for proof coins, which are also authorized by the bill.

For years, proof coins have been individually encapsulated in protective cases.  Individually encapsulating bullion coins will be new to the U.S. Mint.  The Mint’s 22-karat (.9167 fine) American Gold Eagles, which are the world’s best-selling gold bullion coins, are packaged twenty to a tube and are not individually encapsulated.

Production of the Indian Head-Buffalo coins will be unlimited, and they will be marketed toward gold investors who prefer .9999 fine (24-karat) gold coins.  The U.S. Mint already has the world’s best-selling gold bullion coins with its 22-karat (.9176 fine) Gold Eagles.  Still, there is a huge market for pure gold coins, and the new Indian Head-Buffalo coins will give the U.S. Mint a product for that market.  The Asian and Indian markets clearly prefer pure gold coins, while alloyed gold coins are more popular in the Western World.

Presently, the Royal Canadian Mint’s .9999 fine Gold Maple Leafs are the world’s best selling pure gold coins.  However, the Gold Maple Leafs have fallen into disfavor with investors because of the ease with which they are damaged.  To counter this, the Royal Canadian Mint recently introduced new packaging for the 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs.

The new packaging for the 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs will put the coins individually in capsules that are suspended in credit card sizes cards, twenty-five coins to a box.  It is too early to gauge market acceptance of the new packaging for the Gold Maple Leafs.

Considering the popularity of the of Indian Head-Buffalo design, the U.S. Mint’s new .9999 fine gold coins could provide stiff competition for the Gold Maple Leafs.  Fraser’s designs proved to be a winner in 2001 when the U.S. Mint produced a limited number of Indian Head-Buffalo $1 silver coins sets.  The sets sold out immediately and today carry prices several times their initial offering prices.  

The new Indian Head-Buffalo .9999 fine gold coins, however, will not be limited edition, at least not the first year.  The bill permits the Mint to “change the maximum number of coins issued” in subsequent years.  Further, the bill authorizes the Mint to change the designs on either the obverse or the reverse after the first year’s production.

Although the U.S. Mint produces its popular American Gold Eagles in four sizes, 1-oz, ½-oz, ¼-oz, and 1/10-oz, the new Indian Head-Buffalo pure gold coins will be minted in only one size: 1-ounce.  With the popular Indian Head and Buffalo designs, the Mint’s new .9999 fine gold coins could quickly become favorites with gold coin investors.

CONDOTELS (CONDO-HOTELS) – New Hotel Phenomenon Set to Sweep the Philippines

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Interest in the Philippines condominium hotels sector has increased significantly in the past two years following many years of intermittent development and association with other shared ownership vehicles, says Beth Collingz in her recent report: ‘Condominium Hotels-The Philippines Latest Hotel Phenomenon’

Beth Collingz, Overseas Marketing Director, Investment Sales for PLC International Marketing the lead marketing partners for Pacific Concord Properties Inc’s Lancaster Brand of Condotels in the Philippines explained: A condominium hotel is a hotel operating unit which is sold to individual equity investors, where each owner acquires a room, suite or studio whilst the whole enterprise is managed as a hotel operation under a single brand.

Buyers own their units the same as regular condos. There is no time limit to ownership. All Condos come with freehold title deeds. The Condotel model is similar to the serviced apartment or apart hotel sector and is suitable for an investor who wants to test the water in hotel investment.

We are seeing more and more sophisticated customers coming to the market and a change in demand patterns; the traditional timeshare products seem past their prime. This, plus an increase in investment appetite for the hospitality sector, suggests that the condominium market looks set to grow Collingz continued: Many international hotel brands have also declared that the Philippine hotel landscape is ready for condominium hotel developments, either in conjunction with self-contained hotel operations, as fully self-contained condominium plans or as a part of a mixed-use development plan such as the Lancaster Brand.

Condominium hotels are significantly less developed in the Philippines than in the US, in part owing to a low cost residential focused market as well as the lack of development in the hotel sector since the 1997 Asian Crisis. Alternative hotel ownership are featuring more and more in the hotels sector, with the rise of condominium hotels and a shift in investor strategy, thus creating a new investor profile. At the moment, the Philippine condominium market is being targeted and driven by private retail purchasers, typically reasonably net worth individuals attracted by a city centre or a resort investment foothold although we are now seeing more and more first time property buyers moving into the Condominium Hotel marketplace said Collingz.

Metro Manila and Cebu are particular favorites as an investment destination. There is room for a wider pool of institutional and real estate investors to invest in a portfolio of condominium units or the establishment of an investor-developer partnership.

Collingz continued that a lot of this interest is being driven by the relatively cheap market prices in the Philippines compared to Europe, specially UK Housing prices, and the easy payment options available for our Condo Hotel Developments, but there are other factors, too. Offshore Property Investors, Foreign baby boomers as well as overseas Filipinos, are looking for ways to maximize their return on investments as they approach retirement, and so are purchasing second homes, particularly Condo Hotel Investments where they can use the Condo for vacations and rent it out through our In-House Condotel Management when they are not using the unit thereby gaining rental incomes that on today’s purchase prices, give a projected ROI on their investments of some 12-16% depending upon the mode of payment for the unit.

Pacific Concord Properties Inc’s Lancaster – The Atrium, Shaw Boulevard, Metro Manila, Philippines is a “Full Service” Condominium Hotel offering Studio, One, Two and Three Bedroom Suites for sale. To be completed and ready for turnover from December 2010, the Lancaster Atrium will provide unit owners with premier residential condo units with option of enrolling their units in the Lancaster Condo Hotel Rental Pool and earn Rental Incomes as Owner Non-Residents when not using their units through Condotel Management. This makes the Lancaster Brand of Condotels, one of the Hottest Investment Opportunities in the Philippines.

Part of the success story for this sector will be the education of a whole new investor base previously accustomed to buy-to-let residential plans or conventional commercial real estate investments, together with the emergence of a secondary market in the Philippines to demonstrate transparency and liquidity said Collingz.

Beth Collingz
PLC International Marketing Networks

Condotel or Apart-Hotel Suites Make an Excellent Rental Property Investment

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Many people are aware of the strategy of developer extended loans to purchase rental real estate says Beth Collingz, Overseas Sales Director of PLC International, lead marketing partners for Pacific Concord Properties Inc’s Lancaster Brand of Condotels in the Philippines. You make a very small down payment with the majority of the purchase price payable over as long a period the developer extends at zero interest.

In Apart-Hotels or Condotels, the rental income goes a long way to cover the cost of servicing and managing the unit and in the long term after paying off the purchase price, can give a ROI through rentals of up to 16% per annum. Regardless of the possible bumps on the road to greater wealth, condotel investments are at least an easily-understood investment tool that most of us can handle added Collingz

Collingz expects rental income to rise 15 percent in the coming 12 months after gains of as much as 30 percent since January 2006, when Pacific Concord Properties Inc are set to launch Condo Hotel operations of their flagship Lancaster Suites located in the Ortigas business district in Metro Manila.

UK Private equity units of banks and investment clubs, driven in part by the current strength of the Pound Sterling in international trading, are being attracted by returns in the Philippines as much as double those in the United States and Europe, are purchasing significant blocks of real estate for investment trusts for Asian commercial property. There are large amounts of capital now chasing increasingly limited investment-grade real-estate opportunities in Asia, said Collingz. We are currently in the closing stages of packaging the investment of some $20M in private-equity real estate funds for new Lancaster Brand Apart-Hotel or Condotel developments in Metro Manila and Cebu, on the strength of expected rental returns which will continue to grow at a rapid pace. With funds raised for commercial property deals in Asia having doubled in each of the past five years, Collingz see the market value of Condotel investments in the Philippines reaching new heights in 2007/8 as more developments come on line.

Rising demand for homes, hotels, short and medium term rental accommodation, offices and shopping malls in the Philippines, home to a population of almost 80 million and with a significant number of the more than 10 million returning overseas Filipino ‘Baby Boomers’, is fueling rents. Residential rents in Metro Manila rose 26 percent in the three months to March 2007, their highest quarter-on-quarter increase in more than a decade, as more and more IT companies set up shop in the Philippines. Companies like Texas Instruments are investing $1B in expanded operations in the Philippines. High-end rents rose some 13 percent from a year earlier, said Collingz.

Collingz projects that Rents in the region are set to effectively jump up by at least 8.7 percent per annum over the next five years, compared with 3.3 percent in the United States and 3.7 percent in Europe. Yields from 8 percent to as high as 14-16 percent ROI on rental income property contrast with the 4 percent to 5 percent that private equity firms get in the United States and Europe.

People are in general looking to shift fund flows relatively towards Asia,” Collingz said. It already has had a profound impact in markets where there’s a lot of this money chasing the same assets. In Singapore, the region’s second- biggest  market after Japan, investments by private real estate funds accounted for seven of the 19 office blocks, worth 6.7 billion dollars, sold since September 2005. REITs bought six. A Goldman Sachs fund paid 690 million dollars for two buildings last November that house the headquarters of DBS Group Holdings. In Hong Kong, property funds of Morgan Stanley and Macquarie Bank paid a total of 7.9 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $1.02 billion, for four office blocks from March to May, according a recent article published by CB Richard Ellis.

As the Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong markets become saturated, the Philippines will be the next real estate market to attract substantial overseas investments. Lower prices and retirees’ spending money are also directing foreign attention to  residential condominium hotels in the Philippines, which in turn is driving up more construction. A lot of this interest is being driven by the relatively cheap market prices here compared to Europe – especially UK housing prices – and the easy payment options available for condominium hotel developments Collingz said. The buyers gain rental incomes that on today’s purchase prices give a projected ROI of some 8 percent to 14-16 percent depending on the mode of payment for the unit she said.

Beth Collingz
PLC International Marketing Networks

Condotel Investments in the Philippines Attract Foreign Investors

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UK Property Investors, London Stockbrokers, Property & Estate Agents and Overseas Filipinos based in London are taking advantage of the Cheap Philippine Real Estate market and easy terms of payment, to snap up Condotel investment properties in Metro Manila and Cebu

Pacific Concord Properties, Inc., Flagship Lancaster Atrium Suites Condotel [Manila] development located along Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, is one of the hottest Condotel Investments in the Philippines where property investors, apart from real estate appreciation initially reckoned to be 100% for early investors, will get projected Rental Incomes on their units of some 14-16% per annum once fully operational from 2010

To be called Lancaster Atrium [which is the second Tower adjacent to the existing “Sold Out” Tower I] Condotel Studios, One, Two & Three Bedroom Suites are currently available to Property Investors adopting International Standard Escrow Trust Account “Buyer Safe” Easy Secure Payment Plans… with 6 year interest free payment terms or up to 12 year no prequalification “In-House” financing [available to all overseas buyers], full condo ownership, no management costs for Condotel Suites, no enrollment charges for joining the Condotel Rental Pool, and minimum monthly maintenance fees, as buyers or sellers of Real Estate you really should take a moment to look at this Philippine Condotel Investment Opportunity

According to Beth Collingz, of PLC International Marketing Networks, a Lead Marketing Partner with Pacific Concord Properties Inc., whom have Condotel developments in Metro Manila and Cebu, and specializes in working with international clients: “My phone has been very busy with buyers from the UK, Scotland and Australia interested in purchasing investment properties and holiday homes here. A lot of this interest is being driven by the relatively cheap market prices in the Philippines compared to Europe, specially UK Housing prices, and the easy payment options available for our Condotel Developments, but there are other factors, too. Offshore Property Investors, Foreign baby boomers as well as overseas Filipinos, are looking for ways to maximize their return on investments as they approach retirement, and so are purchasing second homes, particularly Condotel Investments where they can use the Condo for vacations and rent it out through our In-House Condotel Management when they are not using the unit thereby gaining rental incomes that on today’s purchase prices, give a projected ROI on their investments of some 12-16% depending upon the mode of payment for the unit”

Beth Collingz, who runs PLC Global Pinoy, an internet based marketing network specializing in Condotel Investments in the Philippines, indicated that more than 85% of all Condotel sales in Metro Manila were to international clients. While such a level of foreign-purchasing activity is not as high in the Philippines provinces, Cebu in particular, has seen a sharp increase in real estate purchases by international buyers in the past several years.

“These international buyers know it’s a buyer’s market in the Philippines right now—there are a lot of properties available and fewer local buyers,” Collingz said. “I’m working with clients who are purchasing their second property with me. We also have referrals from many of our prior customers and new clients who have found us through our Condotel Investment Web sites, http://www.lancastersuites.com and http://www.plcglobalpinoy.com which include a special section for international buyers”

For more information on Philippine Condotel Investments please do not hesitate to contact us:

Beth Collingz
PLC International Marketing Networks

Condo Hotels and Retirement – A Winning Combination

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Considering retirement in a Tropical Climate? For many British, Australians and Americans, retirement time is just around the corner. At home, with low interest rates and high cost of living, the prospect of trying to live on a pension, in old age, is a daunting one unless you are preapred to substantially downscale your lifestyle. For some, moving to retire in another country is an option which has been successful in the past with Spain, Portugal, Mexico and Puerto Rico being among some of the more popular destinations. But why not consider retiring in the Philippines?

Over the past decade, the Philippines has become a retirement haven for thousands of foreigners, particularly the Japanese, Korean, and Northern Europeans. Along with Thailand and Malaysia, the Philippines developed communications, infrastructure, and service delivery systems specifically geared to meet the needs of foreign retirees. Better yet, unlike most European Countries and South America, nearly everyone speaks ENGLISH in the Philippines.

The Philippines offers a significantly lower cost of living. The Philippine Peso (PhP) exchange rate is approximately PhP 45 to $ 1.00 or PhP 92 to 1 Pound [Sterling (GBP)]. Housing, food, and labor costs are quite reasonable. A One bedroom condominium can be purchased for around $ 72,000 or GBP 37,000 or a Studio for only $ 45,000 or GBP 22,800 and one can dine out on average at a three star restaurant for less than PhP 500. If you hire domestic help, a private driver’s salary is approximately PhP 10,000/month, while trained housekeepers earn approximately -PhP 5,000/month. These salaries are lower if you live in the provinces.

Cable Television, Hi-Speed Internet and Satellite Communications are cheap. One can hire an air-conditioned taxicab for eight hours for less than $25.00. In a country where a provincial Governor’s salary is only PhP 28,000 per month, and a Presidential Cabinet Under-Secretary earns PhP 35,000, your pension can go a long way. So, if you have a retirement income of approximately $1,500 to $2,000 per month ( PhP 80,000 to 100,000) you can live quite well in the Philippines.

As for health care, most U.S. Health Management Organizations pay for medical expenses incurred in the Philippines. Check with your HMO. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs presently has a task force headed by former Secretary Roberto Romulo working to have the U.S. government accredit a number of first class Philippine hospitals for Medicare reimbursement. The Makati Medical Center, one of the nation’s best already has such accreditation. Unbeknown to many is that for years, citizens of nearby countries such as Thailand, Nauru, Tonga, Indonesia, and Malaysia have flocked to the Philippines for medical care, particularly sensitive surgical procedures. The quality of medical care at the better Manila hospitals such as the Asian, St. Luke’s, Medical city, Cardinal Santos, Philippine Heart Center for Asia, National Kidney Institute, and Makati Medical Center meets international standards.

A Japanese company is building a medical facility in Tagaytay city exclusively for Japanese nationals within the year. There are now close to 10,000 Japanese retirees in the country, and the number is growing annually. The British government recently acquired a large tract of land in Fort Bonifacio to build a new Embassy. The British ambassador explained the larger facility is meant to help serve the growing number of British nationals retiring there as well. Japanese and Korean investment groups are buying homes and condominiums in Manila, and tracts of provincial land for retirees. This has caused a mini- Real Estate boom in the country. A retirement village exclusively for Japanese nationals already exists in Tagaytay, and more are planned. These are strong indicators of what is on the horizon

English is the Philippines’ official business language. Most of the people you will meet, from hotel workers, taxi drivers, sales or service people, government employeesa all speak English, or have a working understanding of it. The middle class speak English, without exception. All major newspapers, and major broadcast companies use English. An English speaking visitor will never get lost in the Philippines. It is the universal use of that language that has been a strong incentive to foreigners. As well, communications links within the country and to other countries via the various commercial gateways is up to international standards. For example, the use of cell phones and text messaging is so common that housemaids, street vendors and food hawkers can be seen using their celphones incessantly.

One will never want for adventure and sights to experience in the Philippines. There is always a colorful Fiesta, pageants, street festivals, and open public events going on. Lush with bountiful natural resources, one can enjoy the numerous beaches, resorts, golf courses, and play just about any sport, except skiing. There is an ice skating rink in Manila, though. Scuba diving and fishing are among the sports which draw the most number of foreigners to the rich aquatic offerings.

Shopping is the Filipinos’ second most popular activity, the first is eating. Manila is Asia’s undiscovered shopping Mecca. You will love the golden purple sunsets, the fragrance of the flowers at dusk, and the wonderful array of fruit and food. I used to enjoy watching the Sun set from the bar at the Philippine Cultural Center. There, you can listen to the Symphony, check out a play, or enjoy Grand Opera. There is just so much to explore and discover, specially in terms of nature, culture, and history. If you’re a betting man, there’s horse racing, the Jai Alai, numerous first class casinos, and of course, cok-fighting. Manila is well known for its exciting night life.

The Philippines offers affordable real estate and good investment opportunities for those seeking a retirement haven.

For further info please do not hesitate to contact us:

Beth Collingz

PLC International Marketing Networks

Competition Between Online Brokers

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There’s much to learn about the online brokerage industry. Unfortunately, many investors learn this the hard way.

With so many options available, choosing the right broker is as crucial as making the right investment.

For years, investors were accustomed to paying $9.95 or higher per trade based on their account equity or trade activity. However, those days have come to an end.

When evaluating brokers, keep these factors in mind:

* How fast can the broker execute my trade?

* What type of technology does the broker use?

* What level of customer service does the broker provide?

* How much will the broker charge me per trade?

The competitive nature of the new online trading industry has led to lower commission rates for all investors. While well-known brokers such as Ameritrade or ETrade are still charging around $10 per trade, smaller firms can charge less than $3.

Investors willing to look beyond the industry leaders also may find that smaller brokers, such as RushTrade, have more to offer in other areas, including customer service, order routing and trading technology.

RushTrade has made a name for itself as a leader among online brokers when it comes to fast, reliable trading and customer service. With the increase in competition among online brokers, RushTrade has structured its commissions to attract every type of investor.