http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=18
Either it does not take much cash to survive long in Pakistan, or Osama Bin Laden has the world’s worst financial planner. When he was found Sunday night, still warm with two SEAL bullets in him, he had an escape plan that seemed like it was concocted by a toddler. Bin Laden had, sewed into his outfit, 500 euros and two phone numbers. Other than that, he was apparently relying on some sort of underground railroad for maniacs.
It is unlikely that you, as an investor, will ever need to prepare for the day when Marines or Navy SEALS bust down your door and start shooting. It would, however, be prudent to have your own investment plan for the future, so you can read Benzinga and react to whatever the markets are doing.
A few things to think about, whether you’re a beginning investor or a seasoned pro, include your asset allocations, diversification, and your buying/selling strategy. Your age, your goals for investing, and your financial and time resources will all factor in to how you want to play the market.
Asset allocation is essentially going to be a product of your time frame (a young investor might have more leeway to go after higher-risk, higher-yield assets), your financial responsibilities, and your ability to absorb risk. Depending on those variables, you’ll want some mix of stocks, bonds and ETFs, among other things. You’ll want to consider staying domestic or going international. Do you take a gamble that China will keep growing? Do you jump into emerging markets?
Diversification is a simple concept of not putting all your money into one fund, one stock, or one market. Spread your investment dollars around, and you’ll spread your risk of losing all your money — either because of natural disaster, market crashes, or some other financial calamity, such as a Madoff-style scam.
The other thing to consider is how and when you will buy and sell your assets. Some investors, particularly those with a lot of time (and/or a Benzinga Pro account) will routinely buy stocks when they dip a little and then sell them at higher points, only to repurchase the stock when it later drops. This timing-the-market strategy is riskier, but offers additional profit margins for clued-in investors. The other strategy is buy-and-hold, where you periodically buy your investments regardless of price. If the price is low, you end up with more shares; if it rises, you have less shares at a higher value. Over time, the two extremes should even out.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:Shortage of independent financial advisers looming
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=25
Financial advisers who can give independent guidance to New Zealanders will be in short supply when the new financial services regime comes into full effect on July 1, less than two months away.
And at least one industry player is warning it will only worsen the country’s underinsurance problem.
So far the Financial Markets Authority has on its records 4953 registered financial advisers (RFA) and 454 authorised financial advisers (AFA). It expects the numbers to rise to 5000 and 2000 respectively by the regulation deadline, but that is still far less than the numbers the industry originally estimated.
AFAs and RFAs are considered “independents” compared to qualifying financial entity (QFE) advisers who are “locked” into giving advice on products they market. So far, the 63 QFEs on the register have an estimated 20,000 advisers among them.
Fidelity Life chief executive Milton Jennings said the decrease is not good for the insurance industry which is serviced by both RFAs and QFE advisers, and the retail investment industry which is covered by AFAs.
“We’ve got an underinsurance problem in this country. Less people selling insurance will only make the problem worse.”
He said the lack of independent financial advisers tilts the insurance market to favour banks that “are getting far better in insuring people”.
It will split the market with “RFAs on the high-end side of the advice market and banks in the transactional volume end of the market with the simpler type of products”.
Jennings said the Government was expecting 5000 AFAs but “there’s not even 2000 right now” because many advisers stop at the entry RFA level even if they could get to AFA status because of the cost.
Financial advisers who can give independent guidance to New Zealanders will be in short supply when the new financial services regime comes into full effect on July 1, less than two months away.
And at least one industry player is warning it will only worsen the country’s underinsurance problem.
So far the Financial Markets Authority has on its records 4953 registered financial advisers (RFA) and 454 authorised financial advisers (AFA). It expects the numbers to rise to 5000 and 2000 respectively by the regulation deadline, but that is still far less than the numbers the industry originally estimated.
AFAs and RFAs are considered “independents” compared to qualifying financial entity (QFE) advisers who are “locked” into giving advice on products they market. So far, the 63 QFEs on the register have an estimated 20,000 advisers among them.
Fidelity Life chief executive Milton Jennings said the decrease is not good for the insurance industry which is serviced by both RFAs and QFE advisers, and the retail investment industry which is covered by AFAs.
“We’ve got an underinsurance problem in this country. Less people selling insurance will only make the problem worse.”
He said the lack of independent financial advisers tilts the insurance market to favour banks that “are getting far better in insuring people”.
It will split the market with “RFAs on the high-end side of the advice market and banks in the transactional volume end of the market with the simpler type of products”.
Jennings said the Government was expecting 5000 AFAs but “there’s not even 2000 right now” because many advisers stop at the entry RFA level even if they could get to AFA status because of the cost.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:Obama sees China as a partner in Mars mission
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=29
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama views China as a potential partner for an eventual human mission to Mars that would be difficult for any single nation to undertake, a senior White House official told lawmakers.Testifying May 4 before the House Appropriations subcommittee on commerce, justice and science, White House science adviser John Holdren said near-term engagement with China in civil space will help lay the groundwork for any such future endeavor. He prefaced his remarks with the assertion that human exploration of Mars is a long-term proposition and that any discussion of cooperating with Beijing on such an effort is speculative.
“(What) the president has deemed worth discussing with the Chinese and others is that when the time comes for humans to visit Mars, it’s going to be an extremely expensive proposition and the question is whether it will really make sense — at the time that we’re ready to do that — to do it as one nation rather than to do it in concert,” Holdren said in response to a question from Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., a staunch China critic who chairs the powerful subcommittee that oversees NASA spending.
Holdren, who said NASA could also benefit from cooperating with China on detection and tracking of orbital debris, stressed that any U.S. collaboration with Beijing in manned spaceflight would depend on future Sino-U.S. relations.
“But many of us, including the president, including myself, including (NASA Administrator Charles) Bolden, believe that it’s not too soon to have preliminary conversations about what involving China in that sort of cooperation might entail,” Holdren said. “If China is going to be, by 2030, the biggest economy in the world … it could certainly be to our benefit to share the costs of such an expensive venture with them and with others.”
Wolf, who characterizes China’s government as “fundamentally evil,” said it is outrageous that the Obama administration would have close ties with Beijing’s space program, which is believed to be run primarily by the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA.
“When you say you want to work in concert, it’s almost like you’re talking about Norway or England or something like that,” an irate Wolf told Holdren, repeatedly pounding a hand against the table top in front of him. “As long as I have breath in me, we will talk about this, we will deal with this issue, whether it be a Republican administration or a Democrat administration, it is fundamentally immoral.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama views China as a potential partner for an eventual human mission to Mars that would be difficult for any single nation to undertake, a senior White House official told lawmakers.Testifying May 4 before the House Appropriations subcommittee on commerce, justice and science, White House science adviser John Holdren said near-term engagement with China in civil space will help lay the groundwork for any such future endeavor. He prefaced his remarks with the assertion that human exploration of Mars is a long-term proposition and that any discussion of cooperating with Beijing on such an effort is speculative.
“(What) the president has deemed worth discussing with the Chinese and others is that when the time comes for humans to visit Mars, it’s going to be an extremely expensive proposition and the question is whether it will really make sense — at the time that we’re ready to do that — to do it as one nation rather than to do it in concert,” Holdren said in response to a question from Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., a staunch China critic who chairs the powerful subcommittee that oversees NASA spending.
Holdren, who said NASA could also benefit from cooperating with China on detection and tracking of orbital debris, stressed that any U.S. collaboration with Beijing in manned spaceflight would depend on future Sino-U.S. relations.
“But many of us, including the president, including myself, including (NASA Administrator Charles) Bolden, believe that it’s not too soon to have preliminary conversations about what involving China in that sort of cooperation might entail,” Holdren said. “If China is going to be, by 2030, the biggest economy in the world … it could certainly be to our benefit to share the costs of such an expensive venture with them and with others.”
Wolf, who characterizes China’s government as “fundamentally evil,” said it is outrageous that the Obama administration would have close ties with Beijing’s space program, which is believed to be run primarily by the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA.
“When you say you want to work in concert, it’s almost like you’re talking about Norway or England or something like that,” an irate Wolf told Holdren, repeatedly pounding a hand against the table top in front of him. “As long as I have breath in me, we will talk about this, we will deal with this issue, whether it be a Republican administration or a Democrat administration, it is fundamentally immoral.”
Holdren said he admired Wolf’s leadership in calling attention to China’s human-rights record, but noted that even when then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan referred to the former Soviet Union as “the evil empire” in the late 1980s, he continued to cooperate with the communist bloc in science and technology if doing so was deemed in the U.S. national interest.
“The efforts we are undertaking to do things together with China in science and technology are very carefully crafted to be efforts that are in our own national interest,” Holdren said. “That does not mean that we admire the Chinese government; that does not mean we are blind to the human rights abuses.”
Holdren said that as White House science adviser, his capacity to influence the president’s diplomatic approach to Beijing is limited.
“I am not the person who’s going to be whispering in the president’s ear on what our stance toward China should be, government to government, except in the domain where I have the responsibility for helping the president judge whether particular activities in science and technology are in our national interest or not,” Holdren said.
Recently enacted legislation prohibits U.S. government collaboration with the Chinese in areas funded by Wolf’s subcommittee, whose jurisdiction also includes the U.S. Commerce and Justice departments, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
“The efforts we are undertaking to do things together with China in science and technology are very carefully crafted to be efforts that are in our own national interest,” Holdren said. “That does not mean that we admire the Chinese government; that does not mean we are blind to the human rights abuses.”
Holdren said that as White House science adviser, his capacity to influence the president’s diplomatic approach to Beijing is limited.
“I am not the person who’s going to be whispering in the president’s ear on what our stance toward China should be, government to government, except in the domain where I have the responsibility for helping the president judge whether particular activities in science and technology are in our national interest or not,” Holdren said.
Recently enacted legislation prohibits U.S. government collaboration with the Chinese in areas funded by Wolf’s subcommittee, whose jurisdiction also includes the U.S. Commerce and Justice departments, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Bin Laden fallout: Do US trains need a ‘no-ride list’?
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=62
New York
On Sunday night, as he traveled from Washington to New York, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says Amtrak brought sniffer dogs on the train at every stop.
Not surprisingly, Mr. LaHood says he felt safe.
But, are the rails really as secure as they can be?
The question is important considering that as part of its treasure trove of intelligence gathered up at Osama bin Laden’s compound, was a plan to try to disrupt rail transportation on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
Considering bin Laden’s interest in rail – including bombings in Europe – some legislators are wondering if Amtrak should emulate airlines with a “no ride list,” that duplicates the “no fly list.” Unlike air travelers, rail passengers do not have to go through electronic scanning machines or have their luggage checked. And most Amtrak trains don’t have armed marshals aboard as some flights to.
“We’re going to look at all these security matters,” Mr. LaHood said at a press conference on Monday in New York. “We’re going to look at everything and then we’ll make a judgment with our friends in Congress and decide what direction we should go.”
This year, as part of the budget cutting process, Congress cut $50 million from a $300 million grant program that was supposed to be used to beef up rail security. In 2010, that grant program provided Boston with $21.9 million, New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority $75 million, and Chicago $10.3 million.
Given Al Qaeda’s interest in disrupting the rails, Sen. Charles Schumer says perhaps that cut should be looked at again.
“I think we ought to reexamine that and try to restore that money and maybe make it go a little further,” said Sen. Schumer, who joined LaHood at the press conference.
Schumer said it’s possible that Amtrak will begin to implement a “no-ride list” since the rail carrier knows the names of the people traveling on each train.
“It does not seem that difficult to do,” says Schumer. “They are looking at it right now, looking at the feasibility,” he says.
According to a May 5 article in the Wall Street Journal, there are 12,000 people on the FBI’s no-fly list and another 460,000 on a watch list that requires secondary screening before they are allowed on a plane.
However, security experts believe it’s more difficult to do than to harden airline security. For example, the airlines check passenger names against the no-fly list, a process that can take hours.
New York
On Sunday night, as he traveled from Washington to New York, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says Amtrak brought sniffer dogs on the train at every stop.
Not surprisingly, Mr. LaHood says he felt safe.
But, are the rails really as secure as they can be?
The question is important considering that as part of its treasure trove of intelligence gathered up at Osama bin Laden’s compound, was a plan to try to disrupt rail transportation on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
Considering bin Laden’s interest in rail – including bombings in Europe – some legislators are wondering if Amtrak should emulate airlines with a “no ride list,” that duplicates the “no fly list.” Unlike air travelers, rail passengers do not have to go through electronic scanning machines or have their luggage checked. And most Amtrak trains don’t have armed marshals aboard as some flights to.
“We’re going to look at all these security matters,” Mr. LaHood said at a press conference on Monday in New York. “We’re going to look at everything and then we’ll make a judgment with our friends in Congress and decide what direction we should go.”
This year, as part of the budget cutting process, Congress cut $50 million from a $300 million grant program that was supposed to be used to beef up rail security. In 2010, that grant program provided Boston with $21.9 million, New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority $75 million, and Chicago $10.3 million.
Given Al Qaeda’s interest in disrupting the rails, Sen. Charles Schumer says perhaps that cut should be looked at again.
“I think we ought to reexamine that and try to restore that money and maybe make it go a little further,” said Sen. Schumer, who joined LaHood at the press conference.
Schumer said it’s possible that Amtrak will begin to implement a “no-ride list” since the rail carrier knows the names of the people traveling on each train.
“It does not seem that difficult to do,” says Schumer. “They are looking at it right now, looking at the feasibility,” he says.
According to a May 5 article in the Wall Street Journal, there are 12,000 people on the FBI’s no-fly list and another 460,000 on a watch list that requires secondary screening before they are allowed on a plane.
However, security experts believe it’s more difficult to do than to harden airline security. For example, the airlines check passenger names against the no-fly list, a process that can take hours.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Downs farmer planting the latest in corn technology
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=64
Dennis and Tory Wentworth prepared to plant new refuge in the bag technology from Monsanto. (Photo by WJBC/Carrie Muehling)
McLean County Farmer Dennis Wentworth is among the first of farmers in the Corn Belt planting the newest biotech corn product this spring – DEKALB Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete. It’s Monsanto’s new refuge in the bag technology, which offers simplified planting without the need for a separate, structured refuge because the trait and refuge seed are blended into a one-bag system.
“This new refuge in the bag product will not require the 20% refuge that doesn’t have the newer genetics. So you’re able to plant the entire field with the refuge in the bag and not have to separate out two different varieties in the same field,” said Wentworth. “Typically with the refuge product in the past, you would go ahead and use a rootworm insecticide chemical, and this product will allow us not to use that product. I think it’s another means of being good stewards and using plant technology to allow us not to use man-made products. I think all us farmers are interested in doing a better job of being stewards of not just the soil but of the crop that we produce.”
Wentworth said he started planting a month ago, but was halted by the rain two weeks ago and was just getting back to the fields on Friday. The Wentworths and many other farmers in the area ran long hours this weekend ahead of the rain that is in the forecast for the next few days.
Dennis and Tory Wentworth prepared to plant new refuge in the bag technology from Monsanto. (Photo by WJBC/Carrie Muehling)
McLean County Farmer Dennis Wentworth is among the first of farmers in the Corn Belt planting the newest biotech corn product this spring – DEKALB Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete. It’s Monsanto’s new refuge in the bag technology, which offers simplified planting without the need for a separate, structured refuge because the trait and refuge seed are blended into a one-bag system.
“This new refuge in the bag product will not require the 20% refuge that doesn’t have the newer genetics. So you’re able to plant the entire field with the refuge in the bag and not have to separate out two different varieties in the same field,” said Wentworth. “Typically with the refuge product in the past, you would go ahead and use a rootworm insecticide chemical, and this product will allow us not to use that product. I think it’s another means of being good stewards and using plant technology to allow us not to use man-made products. I think all us farmers are interested in doing a better job of being stewards of not just the soil but of the crop that we produce.”
Wentworth said he started planting a month ago, but was halted by the rain two weeks ago and was just getting back to the fields on Friday. The Wentworths and many other farmers in the area ran long hours this weekend ahead of the rain that is in the forecast for the next few days.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:From poverty to the top of the world
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=67
OUT on Gertrude Street, Lionel Rose was a presence again.
At the entrance to the Fitzroy gymnasium he helped set up for young Aborigines was a replica of the life-size bronze statue erected in his home town of Warragul. It was accompanied by a condolences book for passers-by to express their appreciation of the former champion, who died on Sunday.
Rose’s legacy is in part the inspiration he gave to young Aborigines to excel, and who, in boxing great Barry Michael’s words, ”Showed just how far an Aboriginal could go.”
But his legacy is also the existence of the Melbourne Aboriginal Youth Sport and Recreation gym, perhaps better known by its former name of Fitzroy All Stars.
”Lionel was very much part of the drive to establish this,” its chief executive, Glenda Thorpe, said yesterday. ”This was very much the passion of Lionel and [its first administrator] Jock Austin.”
Aboriginal activist Robbie Thorpe said Rose understood that young people have energy to burn and that the sport had something to offer. ”It does something for them – they learn discipline and it’s their own people looking after them.”
OUT on Gertrude Street, Lionel Rose was a presence again.
At the entrance to the Fitzroy gymnasium he helped set up for young Aborigines was a replica of the life-size bronze statue erected in his home town of Warragul. It was accompanied by a condolences book for passers-by to express their appreciation of the former champion, who died on Sunday.
Rose’s legacy is in part the inspiration he gave to young Aborigines to excel, and who, in boxing great Barry Michael’s words, ”Showed just how far an Aboriginal could go.”
But his legacy is also the existence of the Melbourne Aboriginal Youth Sport and Recreation gym, perhaps better known by its former name of Fitzroy All Stars.
”Lionel was very much part of the drive to establish this,” its chief executive, Glenda Thorpe, said yesterday. ”This was very much the passion of Lionel and [its first administrator] Jock Austin.”
Aboriginal activist Robbie Thorpe said Rose understood that young people have energy to burn and that the sport had something to offer. ”It does something for them – they learn discipline and it’s their own people looking after them.”
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: AT&T Courts Tech Support on T-Mobile Deal
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=86
AT&T Inc. executives met in Silicon Valley with technology companies and top venture-capital firms this week, courting a key constituency as the telecommunications giant presses the case for its proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG.
AT&T is hoping Silicon Valley will come out in support of the deal—or at least not strenuously oppose it—as the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission get deeper into their review of the transaction.
Regulators likely will be interested in hearing how the acquisition could impact the Valley, a key source of innovation that has …
AT&T Inc. executives met in Silicon Valley with technology companies and top venture-capital firms this week, courting a key constituency as the telecommunications giant presses the case for its proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG.
AT&T is hoping Silicon Valley will come out in support of the deal—or at least not strenuously oppose it—as the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission get deeper into their review of the transaction.
Regulators likely will be interested in hearing how the acquisition could impact the Valley, a key source of innovation that has …
Friday, May 20, 2011
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:Obama sees China as a partner in Mars mission
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=88
HONG KONG (Dow Jones)–China Mobile Ltd. (CHL) said Thursday it has reached consensus with Apple Inc. (AAPL) on using its fourth-generation technology on iPhones to be offered by the Chinese mobile services provider.
However, …
HONG KONG (Dow Jones)–China Mobile Ltd. (CHL) said Thursday it has reached consensus with Apple Inc. (AAPL) on using its fourth-generation technology on iPhones to be offered by the Chinese mobile services provider.
However, …
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