forex fire

The volume and use of computers in the world are so great, they have become difficult to ignore anymore. Computers appear to us in so many ways that many times, we fail to see them as they actually are. People associated with a computer when they purchased their morning coffee at the vending machine. As they drove themselves to work, the traffic lights that so often hampered us are controlled by computers in an attempt to speed the journey. Accept it or not, the computer has invaded our life.

The origins and roots of computers started out as many other inventions and technologies have in the past. They evolved from a relatively simple idea or plan designed to help perform functions easier and quicker. The first basic type of computers were designed to do just that; compute!. They performed basic math functions such as multiplication and division and displayed the results in a variety of methods. Some computers displayed results in a binary representation of electronic lamps. Binary denotes using only ones and zeros thus, lit lamps represented ones and unlit lamps represented zeros. The irony of this is that people needed to perform another mathematical function to translate binary to decimal to make it readable to the user.

One of the first computers was called ENIAC. It was a huge, monstrous size nearly that of a standard railroad car. It contained electronic tubes, heavy gauge wiring, angle-iron, and knife switches just to name a few of the components. It has become difficult to believe that computers have evolved into suitcase sized micro-computers of the 1990’s.

Computers eventually evolved into less archaic looking devices near the end of the 1960’s. Their size had been reduced to that of a small automobile and they were processing segments of information at faster rates than older models. Most computers at this time were termed “mainframes” due to the fact that many computers were linked together to perform a given function. The primary user of these types of computers were military agencies and large corporations such as Bell, AT&T, General Electric, and Boeing. Organizations such as these had the funds to afford such technologies. However, operation of these computers required extensive intelligence and manpower resources. The average person could not have fathomed trying to operate and use these million dollar processors.

The United States was attributed the title of pioneering the computer. It was not until the early 1970’s that nations such as Japan and the United Kingdom started utilizing technology of their own for the development of the computer. This resulted in newer components and smaller sized computers. The use and operation of computers had developed into a form that people of average intelligence could handle and manipulate without to much ado. When the economies of other nations started to compete with the United States, the computer industry expanded at a great rate. Prices dropped dramatically and computers became more affordable to the average household.

Like the invention of the wheel, the computer is here to stay.The operation and use of computers in our present era of the 1990’s has become so easy and simple that perhaps we may have taken too much for granted. Almost everything of use in society requires some form of training or education. Many people say that the predecessor to the computer was the typewriter. The typewriter definitely required training and experience in order to operate it at a usable and efficient level. Children are being taught basic computer skills in the classroom in order to prepare them for the future evolution of the computer age.

The history of computers started out about 2000 years ago, at the birth of the abacus, a wooden rack holding two horizontal wires with beads strung on them. When these beads are moved around, according to programming rules memorized by the user, all regular arithmetic problems can be done. Another important invention around the same time was the Astrolabe, used for navigation.

Blaise Pascal is usually credited for building the first digital computer in 1642. It added numbers entered with dials and was made to help his father, a tax collector. In 1671, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz invented a computer that was built in 1694. It could add, and, after changing some things around, multiply. Leibnitz invented a special stopped gear mechanism for introducing the addend digits, and this is still being used.

The prototypes made by Pascal and Leibnitz were not used in many places, and considered weird until a little more than a century later, when Thomas of Colmar (A.K.A. Charles Xavier Thomas) created the first successful mechanical calculator that could add, subtract, multiply, and divide. A lot of improved desktop calculators by many inventors followed, so that by about 1890, the range of improvements included: Accumulation of partial results, storage and automatic reentry of past results (A memory function), and printing of the results. Each of these required manual installation. These improvements were mainly made for commercial users, and not for the needs of science.

While Thomas of Colmar was developing the desktop calculator, a series of very interesting developments in computers was started in Cambridge, England, by Charles Babbage (of which the computer store “Babbages” is named), a mathematics professor. In 1812, Babbage realized that many long calculations, especially those needed to make mathematical tables, were really a series of predictable actions that were constantly repeated. From this he suspected that it should be possible to do these automatically. He began to design an automatic mechanical calculating machine, which he called a difference engine. By 1822, he had a working model to demonstrate. Financial help from the British Government was attained and Babbage started fabrication of a difference engine in 1823. It was intended to be steam powered and fully automatic, including the printing of the resulting tables, and commanded by a fixed instruction program.

The difference engine, although having limited adaptability and applicability, was really a great advance. Babbage continued to work on it for the next 10 years, but in 1833 he lost interest because he thought he had a better idea; the construction of what would now be called a general purpose, fully program-controlled, automatic mechanical digital computer. Babbage called this idea an Analytical Engine. The ideas of this design showed a lot of foresight, although this couldn’t be appreciated until a full century later.

The plans for this engine required an identical decimal computer operating on numbers of 50 decimal digits (or words) and having a storage capacity (memory) of 1,000 such digits. The built-in operations were supposed to include everything that a modern general - purpose computer would need, even the all important Conditional Control Transfer Capability that would allow commands to be executed in any order, not just the order in which they were programmed.

As people can see, it took quite a large amount of intelligence and fortitude to come to the 1990’s style and use of computers. People have assumed that computers are a natural development in society and take them for granted. Just as people have learned to drive an automobile, it also takes skill and learning to utilize a computer.

Computers in society have become difficult to understand. Exactly what they consisted of and what actions they performed were highly dependent upon the type of computer. To say a person had a typical computer doesn’t necessarily narrow down just what the capabilities of that computer was. Computer styles and types covered so many different functions and actions, that it was difficult to name them all. The original computers of the 1940’s were easy to define their purpose when they were first invented. They primarily performed mathematical functions many times faster than any person could have calculated. However, the evolution of the computer had created many styles and types that were greatly dependent on a well defined purpose.

The computers of the 1990’s roughly fell into three groups consisting of mainframes, networking units, and personal computers. Mainframe computers were extremely large sized modules and had the capabilities of processing and storing massive amounts of data in the form of numbers and words. Mainframes were the first types of computers developed in the 1940’s. Users of these types of computers ranged from banking firms, large corporations and government agencies. They usually were very expensive in cost but designed to last at least five to ten years. They also required well educated and experienced manpower to be operated and maintained. Larry Wulforst, in his book Breakthrough to the Computer Age, describes the old mainframes of the 1940’s compared to those of the 1990’s by speculating, “…the contrast to the sound of the sputtering motor powering the first flights of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk and the roar of the mighty engines on a Cape Canaveral launching pad”. End of part one.

Works Cited

Wulforst, Harry. Breakthrough to the Computer Age. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Palferman, Jon and Doron Swade. The Dream Machine. London: BBC Books, 1991.

Campbell-Kelly, Martin and William Aspray. Computer, A History of the Information Machine. New York: BasicBooks, 1996.

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Does a buy and hold strategy still work well for unit trust funds? There’s an argument that buy and hold is not a strategy, but is the same as not doing anything. To make it worse, your investment may ’sink’.

Given an example, let’s say, you bought into an equity fund in December 1998 and kept it until December 2004 and had a return on investment (ROI) of -2%. If you had actively managed your investments and switched to a bond fund (during bull bond market) and returned to equity later (during bull equity market), your ROI would have been 15%. Thus, some analysts suggest a buying, monitoring and rebalancing strategy.

The buy and hold strategy is based on an assumption that over the long run, markets will go up eventually. It’s a strategy that helps the investor save on transaction costs, taxes on capital gains and avoid the hassle of buying and selling.

There are a number of factors concerning this strategy. First, it’s assumed that the portfolio is diversified into different stocks and asset classes. If the investor only invested in one stock, he won’t even recover the cost today. He needs to invest across the asset classes (bonds, gold, cash etc.). In the long term, the portfolio will give good but not necessarily the best results.

Second, the investments must be fundamentally sound. In developing countries, a buy and hold strategy may not produce the best results many changes are still taking place. Thus, business cycle, the economic and investing environment and government policies will change, in line with the country’s development. When change happen, you can’t ignore the impact.

That being the case, investors are advised to review their investments regularly (at least once a year). But should unit trust investors try timing the market? As you know, a unit trust fund is a medium to long term investment vehicle. However, you can’t just invest and forget about it. Investors should monitor them closely and not easily give up control of their hard earned money.

Not all investors are literate enough to know when to enter and exit asset classes. Investors’ emotions come into play, making it hard for them to sell and take profit or cut losses, especially those who invest directly in the market. Thus, leave it to the professionals if you’re clueless and illiterate about financial markets, although even professionals can’t get it right all the time too as timing the market is never easy.

Another critical element of unit trust investing is to figure out if you’re comfortable with the fund manager’s style. If the investor were to rebalance his portfolio himself, in this case, the asset allocation decision is made by the investor himself. When markets move, he decides whether to buy, hold or sell.

For you those of you who prefer taking control of your investment, even if it’s a small sum, make sure you go into a fund that charges minimal entry and exit fees or allows free switches between funds in the same company and in the same year. Only move your investments when you believe market fundamentals have changed, otherwise don’t get caught up with investor sentiment.

Even if there were no changes in the investing environment, your own objectives may have changed, so it’s wise to review your portfolio at least once a year.

For investors who prefers to let the fund manager decide so long as they get a reasonable return on investments, there are funds that allow you to just sit back and watch your investments grow (if you’re lucky!). Go with funds and fund managers whose investment style suits your risk profile.

Finally, investors need to be educated. Get literate in your finances or make sure your investment consultant is literate.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Investing

Getting rich is also a science that has its own laws. Anyone who understands them and abides by them can become rich and take control of his life. All of us have heard of the Law of Attraction but how many of us actually practice it in daily lives? Wallace D. Wattles had written a book a century ago, which turned out to be a timeless classic. In his book, he had opined that getting rich is a predictable income if one understands and inculcates the principles that he has summarized in his book. This book has inspired many teachers and philosophers who also believe in doing things in a “certain way” to get money. Any person who knowingly or unknowingly does things in the said manner ends up getting rich. Bob Proctor, Rhonda Byrne, Michael Beckwith, and Jack Canfield came together to create a new type of training seminar called “The SGR seminar” modeled on Wattles’ wealth creation philosophies.

The SGR seminar is a comprehensive training system that aims to explain principles of Wattles and encourages everyone to incorporate them in their daily lives. The seminar also includes audio, written, and live seminar formats to help individuals learn, employ and master these incredibly simple but important principles of wealth creation. What makes this seminar more striking is its in-built vehicle that enables participants to make money through an affiliate program. The seminar therefore not only empowers individuals with the knowledge to become rich but also provides means to extend their income. The seminar therefore is a unique amalgamation of original concepts by Wattles and expertise of masterminds like Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield and Michael Beckwith, and Rhonda Byrne.

The seminar has shaped the lives of many individuals so far and continues to inspire people from all walks of life.

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The trade of FOREX is all about trading the foreign currency, stocks, and the similar type of products. The currency of a country is weighed against the currency of another country to determine the value. The value of this foreign currency is taken into account while trading of stocks on the markets of FOREX. The majority of the countries have the control of the value of that value of country, implying the currency, or the money. Those which are often implied on the markets of FOREX include banks, large companies, governments, and financial institutions.

What returns the market of FOREX different from the stock market?

A trade of the market of forex is one which implies at least two countries, and it can take place in the whole world. The two countries are one, with the investor, and two, the country the money is invested inside. The majority of all the transactions taking place on the market of FOREX will take place by a broker, such as a bank.

What composes really the markets of FOREX?

The market of foreign currencies is composed of a series of transactions and counties. Those implied on the market of FOREX trade in great volumes, great numbers of money. Those which are implied on the market of FOREX are generally implied in operations the cash, or the trade of the credit very available which you can be sold and buy quickly. The market is large, very large. You could regard as being the market of FOREX much larger than the stockmarket in any country in general. Those implied on the market of FOREX trade the newspaper during twenty-four hours per day and sometimes the trade is accomplished the weekend, but not all weekends.

You could be astonished people who are implied in the trade of FOREX. In years 2004, almost two trillion of dollars were a volume of daily exchange of average. It is a big number for the number of daily transactions to take place. Think how much trillion dollars really costs and then times which by two and it is the money which changes hands day labourers!

The market of FOREX is not something new, but was employed during more than thirty years. With the introduction of the computers, and then the Internet, the trade on the market of continuous FOREX to develop like more and more people and the companies realize of the same of the availability of this commercial market. The FOREX explains only approximately ten percent of the total trading from one country to another, but while popularity on this market continues to develop thus this number could.

Justin Boyce is a widely known online marketer one of his passions is Forex trading. Financial investments is an easy way to make money grow and the returns are quick if you use a proven forex trading system. Visit Justin Boyce’s site to learn more and start growing your money now.

I wanted to take the time to share with you a little about methods of profitable forex trading. This is a huge market with a lot of money moving around in a day. There is a big potential for an ordinary Joe to get some of that money, but before you can do that, you need to learn foundation of quality trading. I hope to share that information with you.

The first thing you need to get under control is what I like to call the “inner gambler”. You’ve seen gambling destroy people’s lives. This type of person lives inside of all of us. They’re fixed on the emotional high of winning and feel they can win back losses. You need to make sure that this person never sees the light of day. You do this by controlling your emotions and making decisions based on logic. If you seem to be getting gut feelings or stressed out, you’re allowing that gambler to surface. Stick to cold calculated moves and you’ll be on your way to profiting.

The next thing I’m going to share is the need to understanding a good buy. We are obsessed in our culture of finding the best for the cheapest price. The thing is we are consumers, so we’re not intending to trade. The key to profiting in forex is finding the exit or sell price. That is what determines profits. When you find currencies that you could trade that you expect to go up 15%, it doesn’t matter how much it costs. All that matters is the exit price.

The ultimate way to generate profits in the forex market is by using the Forex Tracer. It is a tool that can find the most profitable trades and make them on your behalf. It is a hands free way of profiting. Check out the Forex Tracer Review.

Ever since the introduction of automated forex trading systems, there has been a surge in interest in this type of trading. Small and mid level investors are now getting into the foray of what was once only dominated by banks and other large financial institutions. This market deals with trading the currency of one country for that of another country. Because trillions of dollars are traded 24/7, it makes this one of the largest and most active financial markets.

The advent of internet and advance communication technologies coupled with automated forex trading systems, today anyone can join in the trading provided he has a computer with an internet connection, a forex brokerage account and good knowledge of how trading works. Close and constant monitoring is required if you want to keep your position as the global market never sleeps. Automated systems allow you to pick up a currency and record the asking and selling price. With the help of a broker and your seed amount, your purchase and sell orders would be carried out immediately.

The automatic forex trading systems can help you reap the profits of the market despite the fact that you are not a professional trader. When you trade through managed accounts, the automated system carries out the work for you. You save a great deal of time with these auto systems since you do not have to carryout the trading yourself. Unlike manual trading, the auto systems allow you to manage multiple accounts simultaneously with the help of a trading platform. The biggest advantage of these programs is that you are allowed trading many systems in many markets.

You can use automatic forex trading systems any time you like and it does not require your presence. There is no chance of missing any profitable opportunity even if you are not present in front of your computer. You are then free to use the various forex strategies and multiple systems. Different trade factors impact different systems; you can therefore direct your investments and control risks.

To eradicate human emotions which often come in the way of making logical trading decisions, these automated forex trading systems are indispensable. You can now have the capacity to manage several currencies and monitor and trade them too.

Using an auto forex trading system does not spare you from learning the basics of trading, fundamental and technical analysis, study of market indicators, etc. Several factors and conditions control the market, so no automated system can assure you of profits all the time. You can customize the automated forex trading system according to your specific requirements.

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When a trader begins to trade, what normally happens is that the first few trades are usually successful ones. The new traders then becomes so confident of their supreme abilities in trading that their carefully crafted trading plan and money management rules are cast aside.

Suddenly their trades are not going so well anymore, they begin to lose more and more regularly. It almost seems that the market is ganging up on them to rip the carpet from under their feet! New traders being inexperienced tend to take it very personally and then sub consciously decide to punish the market. The position sizes become larger and larger, money management is totally forgotten, and their trading plan is in tatters now. Any piece of rumor or hearsay is taken to be the gospel truth and acted upon. When all these fail and they still lose money, they turn to “sources” that tout the holy frail of trading. That one plan that could make a trader a million in less than a year! (Come on by now wouldn’t you have woken up already?)

At that desperate situation, many traders choose to believe these sources and make some hefty purchases. They re fund their accounts and take their new trading plan to the market. History repeats itself, their first few trades makes them money then they being to lose again and again. Soon their account is wiped clean and it is about 6 months from when they first started on their path to forex trading.

Does the above story sound faintly familiar to you? It should because close to 95% of new traders that trade goes through this cycle.

Usually at this point in time I get a lot of applicants applying to join my classes and they clamor and complain that it’s the broker’s fault or that the trading plan was a rip off or that they were unlucky.

If you found the above example silly or even simplistic, then you are correct. But isn’t it surprising that 95% of the people who start off as traders give up after 6 months? Simplistic or silly as it may seem, this happens so often that it isn’t even funny anymore. In fact most new traders focus so much on easy and fast profits that they forget the real money making methods.

How then do you stop losing money in Forex and start making some profits? Forex is a business that works best with a defensive stance. If you keep running after the dollars you will only end up losing your whole account! To protect your account must be the first and most important action you as a trader take each time you trade.

There is nothing wrong with the trading plan you started out with or the plan that you bought online or off the shelves. There is noting wrong with the brokers or with the market for that matter. There is a lot of wrong in the way traders think! Discipline both mental and emotional, well planned profit objectives, total money management control. These are the elements that are sadly lacking in the education of many new traders. Prevent yourself from losing anymore money in Forex, plan your trades, trade your plan. Keep a tight rein on your money management, and never take an aggressive stance. This way you will stop the outflow of your money and increase the inflow of pips!

Dr. Joshua Geralds is a successful Investment Specialist with over twenty years experience increasing the income of people world wide. Visit http://www.pipsalot.com to learn how to make steady profits through safe trading and down load your FREE e-book “Money Management” for a limited time only!

The method is selling option premium on currencies. Option buyers have a 10% success rate, so the option seller who grants the option has a 90% success rate. Many forex traders never consider selling options and this article is all about selling option premium…

So if you can have a 90% chance of success selling forex options, why don’t more traders do it?

The answer is - most traders prefer the idea of buying an option with unlimited gains and limited risk, and a low chance of success, to being on the other side of the option which offers a capped small gain and unlimited risk, with high odds of success.

If you want to be an option seller you have great odds - but you must be mindful of the risk and the way to control it is as follows.

- Sell option premium on high volatility up or down against the prevailing trend

- Spread your risk across several positions

- Use time decay to your advantage and sell near expiry when time is decay is killing value

Selling option premium is not for traders who are not confident, have a small account or don’t like risk - it’s a game for people who know what their doing. An option may have 90% odds of expiring worthless - but that’s at expiry and prices can of course move “in the money” for the buyer in that period, or move against you.

If however, you don’t mind trading tops and bottoms and can calculate over bought and oversold scenarios, you are confident in, it’s one of the best ways to make money long term. Sure, you have a capped small gain but these mount up over time and can build serious wealth long term.

There are not many opportunities to trade with 90% odds of success - but that’s what selling option premium gives you and for traders who are confident in their marketing timing, the rewards long term are huge.

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Forex trading online is a fast way to use your investment
capital to it’s fullest. The Forex markets offer distinct
advantages to the small and large traders alike, making
Forex currency trading in many ways preferable to other
markets such as stocks, options or traditional futures. Here
are seven reasons why you’ll want to look into Forex Trading
online.

1 - Forex is the largest market.

Forex trading volume of more than 1.9 billion, more than 3
times larger than the equities market and more than 5 times
bigger than futures, give Forex traders nearly unlimited
liquidity and flexibility.

2 - Forex never sleeps!

You can execute forex trading online 24/7, from 7AM New
Zealand time on Monday morning, to 5PM New York time on
Friday evening. No waiting for markets to open: they’re open
all night! This makes Forex trading online a very attractive
component that fits easily into your day (or night!)

3 - No Bulls or Bears!

Because Forex trading online involves the buying of one
currency while simultaneously selling another, you have an
equal opportunity for profit no matter which direction the
currency is headed. Another advantage is that there are only
around 14 pairs of currencies to trade, as opposed to many
thousands of stocks, options and futures.

4 - Forex Trading online offers great leverage!

You can make the most of your investment resources with
Forex trading online. Some brokers offer 200:1 margin ratios
in your trading accounts. Mini-FX accounts, which can
typically be opened with only $200-300, offer 0.5% margin,
meaning that $50 in trading capital can control a 10,000
unit currency position. This is why people are flocking to
Forex trading online as a way to highly leverage their
investments.

5 - Forex prices are predictable.

Currency prices, though volatile, tend to create and follow
trends, allowing the technically trained Forex trader to
spot and take advantage of many entry and exit points.

6 - Forex trading online is commission free!

That’s right! No commissions, no exchange fees or any other
hidden fees. This is a very transparent market, and you’ll
find it very easy to research the currencies and the
countries involved. Forex brokers make a small percentage of
the bid/ask spread, and that’s it. No longer any need to
compute commissions and fees when executing a trade.

7 - Forex trading online is instant!

The FX market is astoundingly fast! Your orders are
executed, filled and confirmed usually within 1-2 seconds.
Since this is all done electronically with no humans
involved, there is little to slow it down!

Forex trading online can get you where you want to go
quicker and more profitably than any other form of trading.
Check it out and see what Forex trading online can do for
you!

Keith Thompson is the webmaster of Forex Trading Today; a blog focusing on the latest Forex news and resources.

Lisa and I walked 5 miles around Boston to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The Swan boats, Italian food in the Northend, a new “doo” for Lisa on Newbury Street, and new summer sweaters for me(”About time you got some sweaters with bright colors!”, Lisa said).

At Fanueil Hall Marketplace we watched “Formerly known as ‘Jim the Juggler,’ now known simply as “Jim, from The Jim Show.” Jim does daffy juggling as children giggle and parents laughed (we laughed and giggled). Jim balanced on a large beach ball while juggling.
I cannot stand on a beach ball nor can I juggle. Yet every morning my brain attempts the economic juggle, a dance registered investment advisors do in their office (privately). No need to mention the balls required, but here is an outline of what each ball lofted represents.

Each subject has current relevance, especially when the market movers sell more stock than they buy. I will define and explain the relevance in my opinion.

• Interest Rates
• Bond Rates
• Inflation

Other influences driving the stock market have aggregate affect, but individually lack market-moving clout. So, let’s look at what each subject means to the market.

Interest Rates: Lisa’s grandmother laments about the Bush administration while she longs for Jimmy Carter. “Those were the good ole days when the banks paid you for investing!” She remembers a call from a Florida stock broker offering her a 15% return on her $25,000 deposit. Of course, she and “Pa” never calculated their real rate of return (The inflation rate from June 1986 to June 1989 was 13.33% leaving 2.67% pre-tax real-rate of return)

Interest rates and inflation are the horse and cart of the economy. High Interest rates do not guarantee low inflation, nor that Lisa’s grandmother gets a “good-return” on her money. However, higher interest rates manage economies by affecting borrowing, corporate expansion, merger/acquisition activity (notice it slowed down on June 5, 2007), and currency values (U.S. dollar versus the Yen, as an example). Finally, the stock market dislikes high interest rates because there is less risk when buying bonds. You still with me?

News Flash! “Tracy Withers reports that “New Zealand’s central bank unexpectedly raised its benchmark interest rate to a record 8 percent, saying housing demand and consumer spending are fanning inflation. The currency rose to a 22-year high”

“Skellerup Holdings Ltd., which exports rubber goods used in medicine and irrigation, this week said full-year profit will fall by 34 percent because of the currency’s gain. The company is planning to stop some local production and fire workers because it is cheaper to make goods overseas, it said.”

Interest rate increases control inflation and can instigate sector recessions.

2. OK. On to Bond values. The bond market is all about the “cost of money”. Cheap money means mortgages, corporate buyouts, and stock market opportunity.

How come the bond market does not control interest rates? Perhaps because there is no immediate consensus, and bond traders might not consider inflation’s nasty economic slaps the way Federal Reserve Bankers do. Federal Reserve Bankers line their jackets and underwear with fabric imprints reading “Inflation”. Nothing matters more. At the Federal Reserve Bank water cooler, it’s all about inflation.

Bond traders are not numb to economic indicators. Sell-off’s in bonds push interest rates up and bond values/prices down. Bond traders don’t take risks with an greater courage than you or I. No one wants to lose money.

Joseph Keating, Chief Investment Officer for First American Asset Management thinks bond yields are now giving “competition” to stocks. Investors are observing bond yields, and consider bonds the “safer bet”. Stock buyers need a “premium” when buying stocks due to stock risk. This is known as “stock risk-premium”. When risk premiums are high, bonds fly.

Supply and demand drives pricing. So when bond buyers are attracted to higher yields, pricing gets tighter (bond prices go up and bond yields go down). This bond buying brings lower yields or lower interest rates in the bond market. Lower interest rates in the bond market decreases the risk premium making stocks attractive. When risk premiums are low, stocks grow. Fascinating, don’t you think?

Bond traders tend, in my opinion, to give weight to economic growth rather than to the value of the dollar. Dollar values may tell us more about inflation than any other indicator. Every commodity in America (and the dollar is no longer a commodity) is dollar-priced. If the dollar is down in value against other currencies, does it suggest that prices are inflated? Does this mean that someday, holders of the dollar will want more for what they can get with their lower-valued dollars? It seems so.

Inflation: No wonder the “Fed” worries about inflation. The insidious affect gets little attention from the public, but the result devastates buying power.

Tracking inflation started in 1914. Not much relevance tracking inflation from 1914 to now. However, we could try it from January 1997 to January 2007. From then to now, the inflation rate is 27.14%.
Now, let’s calculate what that means to your spending power. We can calculate the affect of inflation: $1+($1 x .2714)= $1.2714 or $1.27. This means your investment account per thousand must earn at least $270 more per thousand just to keep up with inflation.
The current Inflation Rate is 2.57%.

“Inflation causes reduced consumer spending, it squeezes profit margins,” said John Kornitzer, who manages $6 billion at Kornitzer Capital Management in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. (Bloomberg.com, U.S. Stocks Retreat on Inflation Concern…, Michael Patterson)

What do you prefer? High interest rates or low inflation? Juggle them if you can; for me, logic recommends asset allocation.

As a registered investment advisor, Ray Randall provides clients with tools to manage risk control as clients work toward investment goals. You may read more about him at Ethos Advisory.com Ray also manages the article bank and resource directory found at Echievements.com. Would you like to know how much risk your temperament permits? Fill out a request for a no-cost report on the Ethos Advisory Services contact page.