April 6, 2007

Trading the Global Markets: Dow Jones DAX and EURO STOXX 50

by Khurram Naik
You may have heard of the DJ DAX and EURO STOXX and you're wondering what these are. Contrary to what you might expect, they're not stores in SoHo or slim geeks dueling on the wheels of steel. These are both equity futures contracts traded at Eurex, which is the second largest derivatives exchange in the world ...

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March 21, 2007

The heat over ICE

by Khurram Naik
The battle for the CBOT between CME and ICE is illustrative of the future of futures. Futures exchanges are no longer simply markets, but for-profit businesses, and unlike most for-profit businesses or even most exchanges special considerations must be made. Futures contracts are not like stocks, which can be bought at one exchange and sold at another. Most futures contracts are not fungible ...

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March 9, 2007

Behavioral Economics: A Primer

by Khurram Naik
In most people's minds finance and economics are the domains of clear, quantitative thinking. Economists merely uncover financial truth one after another as they develop new mathematical tools for modeling capital and how wealth is created. Markets, likewise, are ethereal natural forces tapped into rather than created. In truth, the assumptions that underly the pricing models used for the past three decades are ...

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Futures Trading: A few examples

by Khurram Naik
To see how trading in the futures markets work, consider these examples. 1. Trading the S&P 500 futures The E-mini S&P 500 is a popular equity futures contract to trade. Let's say you thought the S&P 500 was going to increase in value. Instead of buying a number of shares to sell later at a profit, which can be capital intensive, you decide to buy ...

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March 1, 2007

The Future of Futures in India

by Khurram Naik
India banned futures trading in wheat and rice yesterday. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, India is the world's second largest producer of wheat. India just began importing wheat after 6 years and recently banned exports. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is facing unrest as inflation rises. India is also potentially faced with lowering import duties on commodities. Wheat futures surged ...

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Alternative Rock and Alternative Investment

by Khurram Naik
Given the recent fears from the overheated real estate market, a record trade deficit and the squeeze put on by historically high energy prices, it's easy to be concerned about inflation. Commodities have historically been used as a hedge against inflation, and that hasn't changed. What has changed is how accessible the ability to allocate assets into the commodities markets. It was ...

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February 23, 2007

Property statistics investors needs to watch

by Brian Turner
The housing market is booming - is continuing to boom - and with estate agents reporting invigorated increases for Jan 2007, there's no slowdown in sight. This should be an ideal time for property investment - while house prices continue to rise, there are profits to be made. And why shouldn't they keep rising? After all, it's commonly reported that there's ...

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Refund Loans - Don’t Go There

by Kathyrn Lang
As if the traditional loans, the credit cards, and the banks weren’t taking enough of the average man’s wages – now tax preparers are popping up to take the tax refund even before it makes it to the people’s hands. It’s not “interest rates” that are eating up the tax refunds. Instead, companies are calling it an advancement fee or extra fee. Basically, the company that does ...

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February 21, 2007

Investing Is Making Me Dizzy

by Kathyrn Lang
I recently read an article about investing in gold. It’s just beyond my ability to fathom. What do you do with a great big old gold bar any way? For me, investments are a bit of a mystery. I tried mutual funds. I sat down with the investment office expert. I asked questions, and I thought I understood what she was saying and what I was ...

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February 20, 2007

Business Plan ABC’s – Getting Started

by Kathyrn Lang
Writing a business plan can be as simple as ABC. A – Action Plan. You need to devise a step by step guide on what you are going to do and when. B – Budget. Know the cost of different aspects of the future business. Set up a system for dealing with those costs. C – Current Situation. List the factors that are in line at present, include market ...

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February 19, 2007

Savings - You Must Diversify

by Kathyrn Lang
The only investment most people are making these days is in their home. Having savings does not seem to be a priority for most. To truly be financially secure, people need to spread their savings around. More importantly, people need to be saving in the first place. I know this – but I have to admit that I fall into the first category. The only investment my family is ...

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February 17, 2007

Debt – How to Dig Your Way to Freedom

by Kathyrn Lang
For anyone out there who has ever forgotten a payment or found themselves with more debt than their income could pay, you know how aggressive some of these creditors can be. When we found ourselves in deep debt, the calls got rude and insulting. We were blessed to be able to dig our way out of the mess before it got completely out of control. I just ...

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February 16, 2007

Get a Mortgage Like Your Grandfather Got

by Kathyrn Lang
I was reading an article about the basic principles concerning mortgages when it dawned on me that maybe this information wasn’t basic enough. The article covered the different types of mortgages available, the interest rates, and even the pros and cons of each of these points. What the article didn’t cover is that the lender is out to make a profit off of the borrowers back. Up until recent history, borrowing ...

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February 15, 2007

Is Saving For Children The Right Route

by Kathyrn Lang
It’s important to save money for the children. I’ve heard this since my husband and I first started having kids, and I recently read an article that was discussing the best ways to go about saving money for children. The expert talked about the savings plans that are available, the tax options, and even the benefits to saving for children. As important as many people see this particular financial ...

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February 13, 2007

Lloyds TSB Home Insurance – A History

by Kathyrn Lang
If you are looking for home owner’s insurance then Lloyds TSB Home Insurance is the place to start. This is truly a company with history. The origins of Lloyds Bank stretches back to 1765 when John Taylor and Sampson Lloyd set up a private bank. Two of their sons followed the same pattern and established a bank ...

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Flexible Loans – The Wave of the Future

by Kathyrn Lang
The consumer is gaining more control over lending options with the introduction of flexible loans. These new loans are a result of flexible banking. This practice allows the interest that comes from a savings product be used to offset interest on borrowing products. As the popularity of flexible banking continues to increase, it is likely that ...

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First Time Buyer Mortgage – Taking the Plunge

by Kathyrn Lang
It’s time to grow up and become an adult. In today’s society, this often means buying a home. For most individuals starting out, a new home means getting a First Time Buyer mortgage. Is this the path that you should take? You have to ask yourself why you are buying in the first place. Many people ...

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Home Insurance Meets Technology

by Kathyrn Lang
Buying home insurance has gotten easier for home owners. With the expansion of the internet into the average home, companies like Direct Line Home Insurance have found it beneficial to the company and the consumer to use the technology. Just a few short years ago, consumers were forced to make several phone calls or visit with several agents in order to be able ...

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Internet Effects Car Insurance

by Kathyrn Lang
Many insurance companies, like Direct Line Car Insurance, have been looking for creative ways to increase their profit margins. One of the directions the situations that these companies are looking at is the cutting of the middleman. In the past, consumers were forced to work with an insurance agent. For many years, this was a door-to-door sales position. Later, the ...

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Consolidation Loan – When Is It Right

by Kathyrn Lang
Consolidation loans are all the rage. In a society that seems more proud of its ability to grow debt than its ability to pay it off, consumers are digging themselves into holes that are almost impossible to get out of. With credit card offers coming in the mail like leaves falling off the tree in the fall, it’s no wonder ...

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