Major Forex Indicators

Major Forex Indicators
Certain financial indicators have a history of moving the
financial markets when the actual numbers don't match
consensus. This article explain what some of the better
financial indicators are and the ones traders should pay
close attention to when trading the forex market.

APICS Survey - The APICS survey provides detailed
information of the manufacturing sector. This survey is
less well known than the ISM, but can also suggest trends
in production. The diffusion index does not move in tandem
with the ISM index each month, but sometimes the two do
move in the same direction. Since manufacturing is a major
sector of economy, investors can get a feel for the general
economic backdrop for several investments. These surveys
also play an important role in learning forex trading.

Business Inventories - The degree of inventories in
relation to sales is an important signal of the near-term
direction of production activity. Investors need to monitor
the economy closely because it usually dictates how various
types of investments will perform. Growing inventories can
be an indication of business optimism that sales will be
growing in the coming months. By looking at the proportion
of inventories to sales, investors can see whether
production demands will expand or contract in the near
future. The business inventory data provide a valuable
forward-looking tool for traversing the economy and it is
greatly used while making forex trading strategies.

Chain Stores Sales - It is monthly sales volumes from
department, chain, discount and apparel stores. Sales are
reported by the individual retailers. Chain store sales are
an indicator of retail sales and consumer spending results.
Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of the economy,
so if you know what consumers are up to, you will have a
pretty good grip on where the economy is headed. Sales are
reported as a change from the same month a year ago. It is
significant to know how strong sales actually were a year
ago to make sense of this year's sales. In addition, sales
are normally reported for "comparable stores" in case of
company mergers.

Construction Spending - Data are available in nominal and
real (inflation-adjusted) dollars. Because of their forex
trading strategies, businesses only put money into
construction of new factories or offices when they are sure
that demand is strong enough to justify the expansion. The
same goes for individuals making the investment in a home.
That's why construction spending is a good indicator of the
economy's momentum.

Consumer Confidence - It is study of consumer attitudes
concerning both the present position as well as
expectations regarding economic conditions conducted by The
Conference Board. The level of consumer confidence is
directly related to the intensity of consumer spending.
Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of the economy,
so the markets are always dying to know what consumers are
up to and how they might act in the near future. The more
confident consumers are about the economy and their own
personal finances, the more likely they are to spend. With
this in mind, it's easy to see how this index of consumer
attitudes gives insight to the way of the economy. Changes
in consumer confidence and retail sales don't move in
tandem month by month.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) - It is measure of the average
price level of a fixed basket of goods and services
purchased by consumers. Monthly changes in the CPI
represent the inflation rate. The CPI is the most followed
indicator of inflation in the United States, some forex
training institutes also keeps record of it for training
purpose. Inflation is a general increase in the cost of
goods and services. The relationship between inflation and
interest rates is the key to understanding how data like
the CPI influence the markets. By tracking the trends in
inflation, whether high or low, ascending or descending,
investors can anticipate how different types of investments
will perform.

Current account - It is a measure of the country's
international trade balance in goods, services and
unilateral transfers. The level of the current account, as
well as the trends in exports and imports, are followed as
indicators of trends in foreign trade. U.S. trade with
foreign countries hold significant clues to economic trends
here and abroad. According to forex training experts this
data can directly affect all the financial markets, and
particularly the foreign exchange value of the dollar.

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Andrew Daigle is the owner, creator and author of many
successful websites including ForexBoost at
http://www.ForexBoost.com and
http://www.squidoo.com/forexboost , Free Forex Training
Resource for the Novice and Advanced Forex trader.

Researching Stocks: Better and Faster

Researching Stocks: Better and Faster
Ian Campbell felt he had been wasting a lot of time for
years. He liked managing his own portfolio; but was tired
of wading through the quagmire of data that confronts
anyone trying to work their way through the maze of blogs,
newsletters, sites, and various information regarding
stocks and equities.

It just wasn't working. This troubled Campbell, who for
thirty-five years has been viewed as a leading Canadian
expert in the rendering of independent business valuation
opinions in substantive Canadian public and private company
shareholder disputes and company valuations. He wrote the
definitive Canadian books that are broadly used by Canadian
professionals and others.

For some years now, with the assistance of three investment
advisors who each specialize in different industry groups,
he has researched macro-economic concepts and investment
ideas on the Internet. He consistently spent more time
doing this than he believed should be necessary. At the
same time he had to develop financial and market
comparators that he could not readily find in one organized
place.

Campbell then considered what he had learned in his years
of helping clients determine the value of their companies
and investments. He concluded that if the most pertinent
data was consistently summarized across a focused group of
companies, and focused due diligence techniques were
applied to those companies in much the way a company
acquirer might do, this should lead to considerable time
efficiencies and importantly, to a more in-depth knowledge
of the companies.

The result, after nearly one year of research and
site-building, is a unique site, recently launched in
December.

Campbell was particularly interested in the due diligence
aspect of getting to the heart of the financial matters of
these publicly-traded Canadian Junior Mining and Oil & Gas
Industries. He created a proprietary patent-pending 'due
diligence' questionnaire that includes more than 200
questions organized by three dozen topical headings.

The questionnaire searches company documents by keywords.
Search responses are linked to company documents enabling
site members to link directly to that response as it
appears in the company document. Later, a special
search-report is available for the member's review and
follow-up.

Members have an opportunity to quickly and systematically
learn a great deal about an individual company without
having first to read voluminous corporate documents

Now here is where I think it really gets interesting.
Members quickly learn what the company has not disclosed
that may be important to their own work. All questions that
do not yield a response to the special key words and
phrases search are reproduced in an abbreviated 'follow-up
questionnaire'. Often the questions that weren't answered
are as ' if not more ' important as those that were.

It is now nearly one year since he began his quest to see
if the market would respond favorably to a special member
web site that could solve those problems and provide the
speed, accuracy, efficiency and transparency the individual
investor is believed to crave. So far, it looks like
Campbell has hit the nail right...on the head.

©Copyright, Roy MacNaughton, 2007

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Learn more about this special site at:

http://www.stockresearchdd.com

Roy is a niche marketing
coach and business writer. He's a seasoned marketer, with
more than 30 years of international marketing and financial
experience, including 10 years online. His blog is:
http://www.UmarketingU.com

Bank Of England Cuts Interest Rates

Bank Of England Cuts Interest Rates
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) has
chosen to lower interest rates for the remainder of
December, it has emerged.

At its monthly meeting in London today (December 6th), the
MPC voted to reduce the base rate of interest attached to
personal loans, credit cards and other borrowing products
by a quarter percentage point to 5.5 per cent. This is the
first time that the committee has cut rates since July
2005. According to the body, the decision was taken due to
slowing economic growth, deterioration in the wider
financial markets and a tightening in the supply of loans
and other types of credit to both households and
businesses. However, as a result of the announcement, a
number of consumers could find that pressure on their
spending will lessen during the coming months as charges on
borrowing such as personal loans fall.

Meanwhile, the Bank reported that inflation on the consumer
price index stood at 2.1 per cent over the course of
October. It was suggested that increased food and energy
prices are set to keep inflationary levels above target in
the coming months, which in turn could impact upon people's
ability to service other areas of their finances such as
loans, mortgages and credit cards.

Commenting on the MPC decision, Simon Rubinsohn, chief
economist for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
(Rics), said: "Today's rate cut will provide some much
needed relief for the 1.4 million homeowners who are due to
refinance their mortgages over the next year or so. Higher
money market rates resulting from the credit crunch
threatened to lift the monthly out-goings for many of these
borrowers which in turn could further crimp consumer
spending during the course of 2008."

However, the Rics economist added that although it would be
wrong for homeowners to "ignore the inflation risk", many
people should be able to cope with "the sharp jump in food
and oil prices". Mr Rubinsohn added that the institution
expects the MPC to cut rates again in the early stages of
2008.

Stephen Leonard, director of mortgages for Alliance &
Leicester, added that today's decision "is excellent news"
for all homeowners, especially those who are due to find
their short-term fixed-rate deals are set to expire. As a
result of the move, consumers may find that their ability
to make payments on mortgages, loans and other commitments
is not under as much pressure following the Bank's previous
moves to increase the base rate five times since August
2006.

The director added that such moves could also help
prospective first-time buyers to get on to the property
ladder as mortgages will become more affordable. He said:
"Having enjoyed historically low fixed rates, this move to
reduce the cost of borrowing will be a welcome one."

As a result of today's decrease, now could be an ideal time
for those consumers who are currently struggling to handle
their finances to apply for a loan. In taking out a
personal loan, many people may find that it helps them to
manage their money. According to Lloyds TSB's recent
consumer barometer, a record 73 per cent of Britons believe
that, in general, costs have increased over the last 12
months. Rises in mortgage payments, food prices and utility
bills were reported to have taken place over the course of
this year, with a cheap loan being one possible way to meet
such expenses in the coming months.

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Critical Illness Insurance Explained

Critical Illness Insurance Explained
When you are young fit and healthy, it is hard to plan for
the day when that might not be the case but critical
illness insurance is something that we all need to make
provision for. Providing financial peace of mind for your
family by taking out critical illness insurance, for a mere
few dollars each week should something happen to you, does
not to seem as important to most of us as having that
extra, luxury cup of coffee every day during lunch.

Studies have shown there is a strong possibility that at
some stage in your life you will suffer from a critical
illness so most of the critical illness insurance providers
now cater for these conditions. Speaking of statistics,
recently they have revealed that at least twenty percent of
men will suffer from a critical illness before they retire.
For women, this figure is slightly lower with only one in
six being affected by a critical illness before retirement.

Lack of knowledge or belief in the chances of contracting a
critical illness might be the main reason why so few adults
take out critical illness insurance protection, according
to insurance companies. Although critical illness insurance
is taken out for many reasons, the majority of people use
it to protect their mortgage repayments. Nowadays, critical
illness cover and life insurance can be linked directly
with mortgage repayments.

Increasingly, the internet is being used to buy insurances
online and this is now extending to critical illness
insurance. Unfortunately, being a relatively new facility,
there are new problems that occur as more companies start
offering services over the Internet for the first time.
This is because many companies who provide critical illness
insurance wish to have the applicant take a medical
examination by an independent physician to ensure there is
nothing untoward right from the start. If you're in the
unfortunate position of having to make a claim on your
critical illness insurance policy, the last thing you want
is insensitive hassle or apparent non co-operation from
your insurer.

Smokers, unfortunately, are treated as higher risk critical
illness insurance applicants, including anyone who has
smoked within the previous year and as a consequence are
placed in a high risk category. Smoking is a potential
threat to your life therefore, premiums will increase.
Having said this, the insurance company will also consider
your age, type of work you do, general health, and pastimes
before it issues the critical illness insurance. Critical
illness insurance will protect you if your condition is
terminal or critical, you need certain surgery or if you
become unemployed owing to the condition. If you have
family responsibilities then there can be no debate about
the benefits of having a critical illness insurance plan
set up and in place should the worst happen.

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Keith Mallinson BscHons Provides Information on Critical
Illness Insurance, what it is, how to find life and
critical illness insurance for a mortgage and where to find
the best critical illness insurance life quote.
http://www.critical-illness.insurance-llc.com

3 Things You Need To Consider Before Taking That 0 Balance Transfer Credit Card Offer

3 Things You Need To Consider Before Taking That 0 Balance Transfer Credit Card Offer
A 0 balance transfer credit card may seem like the solution
to your credit card woes. However, before you jump in with
both feet there are some things you need to watch out for.
Remember that saying "if it looks too good to be true..."?
There's a reason so many people say it. Make sure you don't
fall for these 3 common pitfalls when looking for a 0
balance transfer credit card.

1. You Want Me To Pay What?

A 0 balance transfer credit card can seem like a wonderful
opportunity -- until you read the fine print, that is. Some
balance transfer credit cards want you to pay a free to
transfer your balances over to them. Sometimes this fee can
be as much as 3 or 4 percent.

If you have a $5,000 balance and you're being charged a
3-percent balance transfer fee, that 0 balance transfer
credit card is going to cost you $150. Since some balance
transfer credit cards don't charge a fee at all, that fee
may be hard to swallow.

2. Let Us Abuse You Yearly

If you have good credit, you should never pay an annual fee
for a credit card. Even if it is a 0 balance transfer
credit card.

There are plenty of credit cards out there that don't
charge any annual fee at all. Why should you pay $30 or $40
a year for a card when you can get the same thing for free
somewhere else.

If you're not careful, a 0 balance transfer credit card can
nickel and dime you right out of your savings. Don't end up
paying more for that 0 percent than you would with a
fixed-rate low-interest card.

3. Look How High I Can Jump

A 0 balance transfer credit card is not a fixed rate card.
Your interest is going to go up at some point in time. Just
how high it goes is the question.

Some balance transfer credit cards entice you with a
0-percent introductory offer, jumping up to more than 20
percent when the "real" real rate kicks in. If you have
good credit, that's no deal at all.

Before you apply for any 0 balance transfer credit card,
make sure you know exactly how long that 0 rate lasts for
and how much it's going to go up to when the introductory
period is over.

Balance transfer credit cards can indeed be a credit card
user's best friend. They can also be your worst nightmare.
Make sure you avoid the above mistakes and find a 0 balance
transfer credit card that's truly right for you.

----------------------------------------------------
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money and avoiding getting taken, check out
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providing credit card tips, advice and resources.
http://www.creditcardtipsetc.com/balance_transfer_credit_car
ds/

Personal debts can ruin relationships

Personal debts can ruin relationships
Here are some really depressing statistics compiled by
Credit Action:

Britain's personal debt is growing by £1 million every
4 minutes, and 300 people today will be declared insolvent
or bankrupt. House repossessions are expected to increase
from 17,000 in 2006 to 42,7000 in 2009.

The effects of debt on your personal life can be
catastrophic. Whether the debt is personal or business
related, the stress and fear engendered can precipitate
family break ups, mental illness and even suicide.

The Samaritans say that the biggest cause of stress is
money (51%), and the Legal Services Research Centre have
found that 89% of debt clients reported worrying about
their debts most or all of the time. 48% said the impact on
their health was `great' and 43% that their health was
effected `to some extent'.

What is most worrying, is that 60% of debt clients had
received medication, treatment or counseling, and 45% said
that being in debt had had a negative effect on their
relationships with their partners.

The problem may be particularly acute for start up
businesses, who may also have the pressure of young
families, rising mortgage costs, and not enough time to dig
themselves out of the mire.

We all know someone who is suffering in this way - what can
be done?

The first thing is to get free, confidential and impartial
advice on the best options available. There are often more
choices open to someone who is struggling with their debts
than they may be aware of. Sometimes IVA (Individual
Voluntary Arrangement) or bankruptcy is the best solution,
but alternatives can be explored.

Even following a bankruptcy, getting professional help with
liaising with creditors can bring about reduced interest on
debts - in one case, a business recovery firm saved a
client £43,000 by agreeing a different basis under
case law with creditors.

Dealing with debt is not just a practical issue, as the
statistics above show, but an emotional one too. This is
why seeking out an empathetic as well as skilled team of
advisers is important. The people who can provide advice
and help are not there to judge - their job is to help find
solutions. You may prefer, for example, to use a firm who
have all female staff? Whoever you use, they should
provide at the initial meeting, independent, free,
confidential and impartial advice, without obligation to
use their services.

----------------------------------------------------
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support for you and your business.

Best Credit Report- Tips and Faqs

Best Credit Report- Tips and Faqs
Best Credit Report-Want to know the best credit report for
you, and why you should have one for your record? Have you
ever applied for credit and been turned down and wondered
why? This is one good reason why you should have a current
copy. Have you applied for 0% interest on a car loan, only
to be told your rate is higher? Have you applied for Job
and been passed up, maybe because of your Credit History?
Have you tried to open a checking account and been told no?
Most of these mentioned are reasons why you should make
sure you have the best credit report possible.

Example of bad to good credit scores:

- 780-850 - Low Risk
- 740-780 - Medium -Low Risk
- 690-740- Medium Risk
- 620-690- Medium High Risk
- 620 and Below - High Risk or "Sub-Prime

What is your credit score? Do you keep on top of it so you
don't get told no? We all need the peace of mind knowing
what our credit situation is. A score of 620 to 650 could
mean an opportunity lost, like a new job, or a lower
interest rate etc...... As a lender I see more people out
there that have bad credit than good. I think this is a
huge problem. Maybe it is because people are not being
taught how to manage here money properly. There is a good
chance that parents did not educate you in regards to how
important your credit is, and how it will affect your
personal life.

Your personal Identity is important now; this is a good
reason why you should have a current copy. Every 3 seconds
someone's Identity gets stolen. This is another reason to
have a recent copy and have monitoring set up. The
monitoring services that are offered give you e-mail alerts
when critical changes take place to your credit report.
This is a valuable service, when it comes to ones
creditworthiness.

Inaccuracies on your file need to be watched also.
Sometimes creditors will report late payments when you did
not pay late. A late payment on your credit report will
lower your score 50 points or more. I personally see this
all the time, where items are reported incorrectly. Another
problem is where a creditor will report the amount of
credit granted on a card less than what they gave, and you
have charged more than 30% of allowed credit, this will
drop you score. Maybe you are a junior, and your dad has
some derogatory credit being reported, and because your
names are the same it's showing up on your report. This is
a common problem, and needs to be fixed. There are so many
different variables that could affect your file.

In order to make sure you have the best credit report
possible, make sure you are on top of your credit.

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for credit reports,credit scores and credit report
monitoring.Learn what most don't know.

Knowing When To Opt For A Remortgage

Knowing When To Opt For A Remortgage
There are a number of situations that can indicate the
right time to opt for a remortgage loan. One can be when
you learn that you have been paying more interest on your
current mortgage than you need to and that a remortgage can
be a good way to take care of this and save you money.

You may come to this realization listening to some friends
tell you that they have already obtained remortgage loans.
Talking to them in detail can be revealing and can serve to
clear many doubts and apprehensions you may have about
remortgaging to save interest you are currently paying on
your existing mortgage.

A remortgage can also make it easier for you to handle your
monthly outgoings. When you remortgage your home after
having made repayments on your current loan for ten years
in order to stretch the repayment of the remaining amount
over the next thirty years, it reduces your monthly
repayment amounts considerably making it more affordable
for you. You can even use a remortgage to shorten the
repayment period of a long term loan to a much shorter
period saving considerably on interest at the same time.
However, you need to take into account the closing costs
and other expenditure involved in closing your mortgage
with your first lender to determine if a remortgage would
really be beneficial.

Another situation for a remortgage can be when you stand in
need of ready cash for some urgent need but cannot find a
source to provide you with the necessary funds. A
remortgage of your home can be the right answer. However,
this can be a suitable solution only when you have made
regular repayment over a long period on your existing
mortgage and have built up substantial equity. The
valuation of your house may also have gone up since it was
first valued for the initial mortgage loan. A reevaluation,
that is necessary before the remortgage, will enhance your
borrowing limit and leave you with a larger amount to use
for your needs after paying off your first mortgage.

You may need the cash to take a long awaited vacation or to
pay for a college education. You can use it to make
value-adding improvements to your home like an extra room
or kitchen. Then you may use it to free yourself from
crippling personal loans or credit card debts that carry
astronomical interest rates. Devoting a little time and
attention to details discussed above can help you in
ascertaining the right time to go in for a remortgage of
your home.

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Graham Bradlington is the marketing manager for Quickly
Finance Limited, a company which specialise in Fast track
Secured Loan & Remortgage applications for homeowners.
Quickly Finance is 100% independent & can search the whole
market for the best deals... quickly! For more info:
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