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Australia recently recorded its 104th consecutive quarter of growth without a recession, an achievement which breaks the record set by the Netherlands. It prompted Australia’s federal Treasurer Scott Morrison to claim that the economy was in “surprisingly good shape”. His statement is reminiscent of that old joke. How can you tell if a politician is lying? His lips are moving.
Australia’s economy is not in good shape. Its growth has been built on demand for commodities like coal and steel from China and investment in an over-inflated property market that has been fuelled by years of cheap credit. These dual dependencies are about to be brutally exposed.
The exact timing and full impact of Australia’s economic tailspin is unknown. However, a precise date and exact knowledge of its magnitude are unnecessary in order to take advantage of the collapse as a trader. The circumstances that make an economic crash inevitable are already in place and it is far better to be five months early rather than five minutes late for an opportunity like this.
The inevitability of Australia’s financial meltdown is in part due to an external factor which it has no control over: China.
Societe Generale’s China economist Wei Yao recently said: “Chinese banks are looking down the barrel of a staggering $1.7 trillion worth of losses”. Hyaman Capital’s Kyle Bass calls China a “$34 trillion experiment” which is “exploding”, where Chinese bank losses “could exceed 400% of the US banking losses incurred during the sub-prime crisis”.
Simply put, if China’s economy bends Australia’s will buckle.
Australia’s biggest export is iron ore and frequently the country’s main driver of a trade surplus and GDP growth with 81% of its iron ore exports going to China. However, demand for iron ore in China is falling because 50% of it comes from property development which in 2017 is under stress as prices level off and credit dries up. Critically, the price of iron ore has fallen 60% over the last 6 years.
For more detail : Australia’s economy is going down and under
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Trading can be an exciting way to earn an additional income. However, before you start trading you need to learn a few things. Knowing what to expect, what tools you need, and a few techniques will help prepare you so your entry into trading is as smooth as possible. The following things need to be considered before you start trading:
1. Getting to know the market
Traders can trade within many different markets which include the stock market, forex market, options market, and Contract for Difference (CFD) markets.
The stock market involves buying/selling shares of a company. The forex market is the largest market in the world and involves the exchange of one currency for another. The options market allows participants to undertake positions in the derivative of an asset, so the option is not ownership of an underlying asset. The contract for difference (CFD) market allows traders to speculate on the rising or falling prices of instruments such as currencies, shares, indices, and commodities.
When a market is moving downwards, it’s called a bear market. You can take advantage of this through ’short selling’ which involves selling assets or (derivative) you do not own in the hope of buying them back at a lower price in the future. The difference is your profit.
Short selling can be very risky as your losses are unlimited and you could lose more money than you actually have in your trading account. This is because the shares could rise so you would have to cover the difference. Therefore, short selling is not advisable for novice traders.
When a market is moving upwards, it’s called a bull market. You can benefit from this by ‘long selling’ assets as you are hoping that the share price will rise higher and you will make a good profit on your investment. If the position moves in the opposite direction, the maximum loss is what you paid for your shares.
Trading CFDs allow you to not only profit from upward trending markets but also from a downward trending one. Traders can determine which direction they predict the market will go and invest accordingly. Trading CFDs allows you to invest with leveraged products which means that you have more buying power to profit on your investment. However, although potential profits are greatly increased, potential losses can also be increased. This is where it is essential to have a strong risk management plan.
CFD brokers provide investors with access to a wide range of CFDs on currencies, indices, commodities and shares.
You must ensure that your open trading account has sufficient funds in it at all times. If your account balance falls below the close-out level, then your broker reserves the right to sell your financial instruments to cover your margin requirement.
For more detail : A step-by-step guide on how to start trading
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As earnings season edges closer, investors are looking over the banking sector’s biggest names to assess their potential.
JPMorgan (JPM) and Citigroup (C) release their figures first, followed by Wells Fargo (WFC) and Bank of America (BAC) then Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS).
US banks have benefited recently from a perceived likelihood of interest rate increases from the US Federal Reserve. However, much of these banks’ future performance will depend on the tax cuts that US President Donald Trump proposed recently, and the ability of his administration to get them through Congress.
If passed, net income of the big six banks could rise $6.4 billion with Wells Fargo, Bank of America and JPMorgan the biggest beneficiaries, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
However, Trump’s administration has been frustrated by Congress’ unwillingness to back the president on a number of policies that he has wanted to pass since coming into power.
And Morgan Stanley’s chief US equity strategist, Mike Wilson, claims that S&P 500 companies will not hit their 2018 estimates without them.
JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon predicted a 20% year-on-year decline in the bank’s trading revenues. However, analysts are expecting JPMorgan to report EPS (earnings per share) of $1.66, an increase from the $1.58 recorded in the same period last year despite revenues falling year-on-year to reach $25.3bn.
Citigroup’s chief financial officer offered a similar outlook revealing that total market revenues are down 15% in the third quarter. However, Citigroup EPS are forecast to be $1.30, six cents higher than the same quarter earnings posted last year.
For more detail : Don’t bank on the banks
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Forex is an acronym for Foreign Exchange Markets. Forex is also represented by the symbol FX which is a familiar term among investors, bankers and stock brokers across the world. The Foreign Exchange Market or currency market is a global, decentralized market for trading of currencies. The principal participants in the FX market are major international banks.
Financial centers around the world offer buyers and sellers a convenient platform for trading in currencies. In addition, the FX market operates on several levels.
The unique advantages of FX trading.
24 hour market
FX trading operates on a 24/7 basis except for weekends. Trading around the world begins when the markets open in Australia on Sunday evening and closes when markets end at New York Stock Exchange on Friday evening.
High Liquidity
Liquidity is when you can easily change an asset into cash with minimum price fluctuations. In the forex market, transactions can easily be carried out by moving huge lots of foreign currencies in and out of the market with least price fluctuations.
Low transaction cost
The cost for a transaction is added with the price i.e. the buying price of the currency. This is known as a spread – the difference between the buying price and the selling price.
Leverage
The leveraging factor is the ability to trade more money in the market than that which is actually available on the trader’s account. Forex brokers allow traders to make profits on the leveraging factor. If you are allowed to trade on a leverage factor of 50:1 ratio it means you can trade for $50 with $1 capital available on your account. You can control a trade volume of $50,000 with just $1000 worth of capital.
For more detail : Advantages of forex trading
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Good financial advice is priceless, and the sooner you get it and apply it the better off in life you’ll be.
Today’s 18-year-olds who are preparing to go to university do so knowing that they are going to rack up a sizeable amount of debt by the time they graduate.
Has anyone sat down with them and fully explained the impact debt has on their life?
Advice about the benefits of getting a good education are echoed everywhere but strangely enough young people get little formal advice about financial planning through regular education channels. Aside from what they hear from their parents, who aren’t always the best at giving guidance on money management, they learn by experience.
The internet offers lots of financial advice in return for a few keystrokes and a couple of clicks but there’s so much out there and much of it is confusing and contradictory.
The financial challenges faced today make being engaged with the world of money more important than ever. Job security is something we reference in history books, banks are a very different entity to what they once were and the world is evolving at a far greater pace than it has ever done in the past and these changes are impacting more people, more quickly than ever before.
1. Be a saver not a debtor Few people truly understand debt and its implications. The first real exposure to debt in life is usually the aforementioned student loan. However, they aren’t a true reflection of debt. It’s actually more like a graduate tax. The amount is paid off over 30 years and how much you repay depends on how much you earn. If you earn less than £21,000 a year, you don’t pay back a penny. According to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, more than two-thirds of graduates will never repay their entire student loan which hopefully makes you think a bit more carefully about what you choose to study. This is explained more fully in point 3. Saving, especially savings which earn interest, seems to be like an endangered species to people under a certain age. If you have kids open a savings account today, instead of presents (or as well as) ask gift givers to make a deposit into their account and let that snowball gain momentum. By the time they’re 18, you will have already opened up so many more options for them even if going to university isn’t on the agenda. While your savings will be your fall-back position in case something unexpected comes along (good or bad) which requires immediate funding. As for debt it’s not all bad. If the debt you take on leads to an additional income that covers your debt payment it’s a good thing. However, any other debt should be avoided if possible.
For more detail : The financial advice you wish you’d received at 18
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FX brokers need to survive in the competitive FX industry, and to do this it has to continuously offer innovative and unrivalled products!
The Forex Debit Card is the right way forward!
Forex brokers are now giving their traders a branded forex debit card which offers a sequence of exclusive advantages.
The greatest advantage is that all payments are made quicker and easier especially withdrawals which have been the worst nightmare for many FX brokers. Now it’s possible for traders to withdraw from their FX trading account at any time and from any place.
The other benefits of a branded Forex debit card are that it can be used as any regular debit card; it is accepted worldwide at any ATM around the world.
The card can also be used for point-of-sale payments everywhere, and most of them offer a free SMS notification of all transactions carried out.
Account balances can be checked online anytime which means that finances can be easily managed.
For more detail : Instant access to profits with the forex debit card
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Water will become a traded commodity, like oil, gold and silver, it’s just a matter of time.
70% of earth may be covered by it, but less than 1% of it is readily available freshwater, which makes it a scarce resource.
It’s value to human life is unquestioned – oil, gold and silver we can live without – we die without water.
The problem for Wall Street and the major international markets is that in addition to overcoming the difficulty of attaching a price to something so essential to our lives, for it to become a traded commodity it also needs to fulfil three criteria: standardised/interchangeable, tradeable and deliverable.
WATER IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OIL TO TRANSPORT
Water is always made up of H₂O, but the levels of minerals and metals it also contains depends on the location it is drawn from thus making it difficult to standardise.
Its tradability is dependent on location. There are parts of the world have so much of it their biggest problem is flooding. In others it’s a scarcity and they suffer droughts.
Water is also costly to transport – it costs more to pipe water than it does to pipe oil.
So how can it be said with any certainty that it will become a tradable commodity?
Jean-Louis Chaussade, the chief executive of French utility Suez, recently told the Financial Times that he believed water will become more valuable than oil because of the increased demand from people, industry and agriculture.
DEMAND FOR WATER IS INCREASING BEYOND SUPPLY CAPABILITIES
The United Nations has projected that by 2035, 40% of the world’s population will live with water scarcity. This puts companies in competition with people and farming for supplies.
Local governments around the world are refusing to allow industries to take water from underground to operate which is forcing them to turn to desalination plants or waste water recycling to meet needs.
For more detail : Water will be a more valuable commodity than oil
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What Is CFD And How Does It Assist In Forex Market?
Forex market is the platform that provides investors with many opportunities to earn money without even putting many resources into it. Many people attempt to use their own ideas in this trade and try their luck. In order to grasp the concept of CFD (Contract for Difference) in Forex market, you have to understand the short and long positions in the financial derivatives.
Long and Short Positions
When the price of a currency increases and one party decides to buy it for more chances of returns on it, then it takes the long position. However, when the price of a currency decreases and investors decide to sell it in order to retain the actual amount that they invested then it is called the short position.
For more detail : CFD in forex market
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Forex trading robots have become a popular tool in the personal forex market. They’re often attractively priced and are marketed as ‘Expert Advisors’ that can operate on many of the favoured trading platforms. However, an increasing number of traders have been left disappointed with the purchase of their automated forex trading program that ends up performing well below expectations, which leaves them feeling cheated and even results in claims of fraud.
Sold on profits
Anybody with a product to sell will focus on the product’s most attractive features to get you to buy it, and that is especially true about automated trading products. Often, they’re presented as offering the path to financial freedom and being easy to use; claims that are backed up by historical trading profits and glowing testimonials from seemingly satisfied users. In reality, the evidence of their success is just a small sample of trading when the software enjoyed a profitable spell and leaves out the less impressive other periods which more accurately reflect its true capabilities and how it performs for most of the traders who buy it.
The disclaimer makes it alright
Every forex trading robot is sold with a disclaimer (sometimes well hidden) that denies any responsibility for how it will perform in the future. The words may be different each time, but the message always amounts to the same thing: there’s no guarantee this software will trade profitably based on its historical performance and is there to protect the vendor from potential fraud claims.
For more detail : Avoid the pitfalls of forex trading robots
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Trading opportunities are improved by a rise in volatility. The market fluctuates continuously which generates a positive mood for a great upward trend; however, there is also the possibility for significant losses if measures are not taken. When the market is volatile, adjustments regarding trading strategies need to be applied as the markets are uncertain.
Helpful advice for trading in volatile markets:
1. Trade selections
Volatility of the market can cause one to take the risk in order to derive profits. Unprofessional traders can make a bad decision by making incorrect trading selections. If there are trading opportunities to gain a profit in a fluctuating market, there is also the possibility of acquiring losses. Do not place too many trades, but take into consideration the level of risk. It is important to consider financial and psychological levels of risk tolerance.
2. Trade with smaller trade positions
Leverages affect trading largely when the market is volatile. The degree of leveraging and position sizing should be considered even if you have the margin of 1% or half percent. Trade with an average of 1 lot position instead of 2 lot position since the possible loss of 100-200 pips can be made .
3. Discipline is the key to effective trading
Trade in a more disciplined way when the market is unstable. Maintain your trading strategy regardless of the market condition. Control yourself from making trading mistakes and avoid temptations. Follow the set stops, standards for risk management and the contingency plan with confidence. This will assist in deciding the level of risk.
4. Tighten your stops
Tightening stops can perform as great risk managers during periods when the market is volatile. Tight stops can safeguard the position of your currency. Consider placing stops with lesser pips. A break in stop indicates the possibility of a lower trend and tightening the stop can avoid a loss. The currency pair is the determining factor of the width. Traders will have wider stops while trading with Yen. Aim for 75 pip width stops instead of 100 pip.
5. Pull up your socks!
For more detail : 5 tips for trading during volatile markets