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Posts Tagged ‘money’

When I thought about some of the first things I learned before trading the Forex market, fundamental analysis came to mind. Fundamental analysis refers to factors that affect the price of a currency pair. It is important not only to perform technical analysis based on your charts and indicators, but to also be aware of the macroeconomic events that can affect a currency pair. What helped me in my forex education was learning each currency’s characteristics. Whichever pair or pairs you choose to trade, knowing each of their characteristics is extremely valuable because it aids in the accuracy of any trade you perform.

Europe- Euro. This currency is rather new. It began trading in 1999; however the EURO/USD pair is the most traded. Because of this, the EURO/USD is very liquid. The euro is greatly affected by interest rates. If you are trading the EURO/USD pair, you must pay attention to the Euribor (Europe’s three-month interest rate), to watch for any changes in investor reactions when trading the EURO/USD pair since the Usd and Euro rates affect each other. The EURO/USD is my personal favorite pair because of the many opportunities it gives for potential trades.

Japan- Japanese Yen. Japan is the largest economy in East Asia; therefore the yen is used as an alternate for the whole region’s economy. If there is trouble in the surrounding countries, the yen may drop in value. The Bank of Japan is known for intervening in the forex market to defend the yen’s value. Another factor affecting the yen is the overall strength of its banking sector.
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Can a bad credit rating save you from bigger problems? Hasn’t it done just that for many young people? I’ll explain how with a couple true stories.

Good Credit Rating Story

My friend started his adult years with good credit. Soon he was able to get credit cards at will, as well as finance cars, snowmobiles and more. He made the payments, and went deeper and deeper into debt while he was at it. When he was 30 years old, he had over $20,000 in credit card debt, plus loans on cars and business tools.

Eventually it was just too much to handle. After considering bankruptcy, he was convinced that the credit card companies would reduce his balance due if he just threatened to declare bankruptcy. However, he had to stop paying on the cards, or the credit card companies wouldn’t believe he was in financial trouble. He did this, and then drafted a nice letter to the companies, explaining his situation. Most cut at least 30% off what he owed, but he had to pay the remaining balances immediately, which he did with a home equity loan.

As a result, his bad credit rating wasn’t as bad as if he had actually declared bankruptcy, so he was able to rebuild his credit score. He also started to rebuild his credit balances. His good credit rating enabled him to begin again the process of overburdening himself with debt. He lives a stressful life, to say the least.

Bad Credit Rating Story

Another friend had her first credit score based on the phone bill in her first apartment, which she never paid on time. It was eventually disconnected. This, along with a few other minor credit infractions, destroyed her credit scores while she was young. What has this meant for her?

Well, because she can’t borrow, she hasn’t had the pleasure of being overwhelmed with debt and at the edge of bankruptcy. She has to buy things for cash when she has it, or wait until she saves enough. Has the inability to have a bunch of things around that are worth a fraction of what she owes on them made her less happy? I don’t think so. She seems happier than most people, perhaps partly because she just doesn’t have the debt-stress that is so typical today.
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Your lender uses your home as security for your mortgage payments. This means that if you do not make the payments, they can take your home. The process they use to take your home is called foreclosure.

If you are behind on your payments, it is important that you act quickly to prevent foreclosure.

What should I do if I am behind on my house payment?

Call your lender Most lenders do not want you to lose your home. Tell them why you are behind on your payments. Ask them to work with you to get your payments current.

Don’t ignore letters from your lender Let them know you’ve received their letters and that you want to work with them.

How your lender can help

Your lender might accept a payment plan for the back payments or give you extra time to pay the loan.

What if my lender won’t help?

You still have options:

Call another lender. Ask if they will give you a new loan to pay off your existing mortgage.

Sell your home. You might get enough money from the sale of your home to pay the loan off and even have money left over.

Talk to a lawyer. Ask if filing for bankruptcy can help you keep your home.

The foreclosure process

Foreclosure begins when you get a Notice of Default in the mail. The Notice of Default tells you that you have not made your payments. It also tells you the amount you owe in missed payments and foreclosure fees.

You have 3 months from the date the Notice of Default is recorded to pay the back payments and fees. You can find the date the notice was recorded on the first page next to the words “recorded on.” If you pay the amount on the Notice of Default, the lender cannot sell your home.
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In trading yesterday, only the tech-laden NASDAQ avoided the selling, edging up 3.04 points to hold at above 2300 and its five-year high. As I have said, breadth in the NASDAQ has improved.

The DOW was the big loser on the day giving up 65 points or 0.58% to fall to 11,150.70, which is just below its key short-term 20-day moving average, a warning. The S&P 500 lost 2.64 points. The near-tech technical signals for these two indices are the weakest of the four indices.

Small-cap stocks continue to hold after breaking to a new historical high on Wednesday. The Russell 2000 fell 1.58 points or 0.21%, which is positive given the extreme overbought condition. The barometer of small-cap performance is up a healthy 13.28% this year. While impressive, I question whether the index can maintain this rate of appreciation.

In commodities news, the May light crude futures on the NYMEX broke above $67 a barrel on Thursday. The near-term signals look relatively bullish and the minor trend is positive. The breakout materialized after a Rectangle formation at between $61 and $65.50. Oil could move towards the $70 level, last encountered in February, if it can hold at $65.50-$66. But watch for some selling pressure as the contract is overbought. High oil prices will pressure stocks.

Trading in the NASDAQ has come in at over 2 billion shares in the last three straight sessions. Trading volume on the NASDAQ came in at about 2.22 billion shares yesterday, above its 5-day and 10-day moving averages of 2.11 billion and 2.18 billion shares, respectively. The strong volume in yesterday’s marginal up day is encouraging following a strong volume breakout on Wednesday.

On the NYSE, daily trading picked up yesterday. Trading on Thursday was 1.61 billion shares, above the 5-day and 10-day moving averages of 1.55 billion and 1.55 billion shares, respectively.

The near-term technical picture for the NASDAQ is bullish but is showing some potential weakening. The Relative Strength remains relatively strong, suggesting more gains if it can hold. The index is holding at above its previous pivot point of 2332.95 and its five-year high of 2333, a bullish sign. The index is trading at above its 20-day and 50-day moving averages of 2297 and 22854, respectively.

The MACD continues to flash a moderate buy signal. The MACD trend is negative but has reversed course. The upside break was bullish after largely trading in an intermediate term sideways channel. Now we will see if the NASDAQ can hold and edge higher towards 2366 and 2387. The index is now marginally overbought so watch for some potential selling pressure.

On the blue chip side, the near-term signs for the DOW weakened further and are now moderately bearish. The intermediate trend is bullish but yesterday’s break below its 20-day moving average of 11,156 is a warning and could signal further deterioration if it cannot hold. The Relative Strength also fell to below neutral, showing a potential lost of momentum. The MACD turned bearish yesterday and is flashing a moderate sell.
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Most of the people I have met have not planned for their retirement as they say ‘future is unpredictable and we need to live in present’ but my dear friend’s future is the outcome of present, our present will decide our future. When we think of retirement we generally think of old age, a period when you have to give up the job and sit at home doing nothing. Contrary to the fact, most of the retiree lives a very active life. We need to seriously consider out planning towards retirement because once we retiree our income stops coming but our expenses remain as it is and in some cases it rises with the rising inflation.
In this regard mutual fund has turned out to be the right answer for making retirement planning easier and safer. Mutual fund being managed by professionals is a key to effective retirement planning.

Some people like it. Some people don’t but the fact is that retirement is a reality for every working person. Most young people today think cannot think of retirement as reality as they believe in ‘living at present’. However, it is important to plan for your post-retirement life if you wish to retain your financial independence and maintain a comfortable standard of living even when you are no longer earning. This is extremely important, because, unlike developed nations, India does not have a social security net. In India people still depend upon bank savings and fixed deposits for retirement purpose, which is unfortunately inadequate.
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