US Dollar (Part I)

By Ahmad Hassam

As a currency trader, you should know the US Dollar intimately. It is important for you as currency trader to have a good grasp of the general economic characteristics of the most commonly traded currencies. US Dollar is the most heavily traded currency in the global economy.

Some currencies tend to track commodity prices while others may move in complete contrast. Traders need to also know the difference between the expected and the actual data.

News or data that is in line with the expectations has less of an impact on currency movements than unexpected news or data. The correlation between the currency markets and news is very important. Therefore short term traders need to closely monitor the expectation of the currency markets.

US GDP is approximately three times the size of Japan, five times the size of Germany and seven times the size of UK. United States is the worlds leading economy. The US economy is now a service oriented economy with almost 80% of GDP coming from real estate, transportation, finance, health care and business services.

However, the manufacturing sector is still formidable and US Dollar is particularly sensitive to the development within the sector. United States has the worlds most liquid and deep equity and fixed income markets in the world.

Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into the US is equal to almost 40% of the total net inflows for United States. Investors from all over the world purchase US assets due to their liquidity and safety. The import and export volume of US also dwarfs the countries. This maybe due to the sheer size of US as true import and export represent only 12% of the GDP.

However, United States is running a large CA deficit for more than a decade now. US economy is facing the paradox of the twin deficits. One is the Budget Deficit and the other is the Current Account (CA) deficit. During the present financial crisis, the budget deficit has ballooned. Almost a trillion dollars have been added to the budget deficit. This is going to fuel inflation when the economy recovers. There are dangers of high inflation returning. Inflation can make the US Dollar weak in the long run.

The large CA deficit makes the US Dollar highly sensitive to changes in the capital flows. US need to attract a few billion dollars of capital inflows daily in order to prevent the decline in the value of US Dollar.

United States is the trading partner of many countries across the globe. US is also the member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). US trade is equal to roughly 20% of the world trade. A weaker US Dollar will help boost US exports whereas a stronger US Dollar makes the US exports expensive and US imports cheap.

Leading export markets for United States are: Canada, Mexico, Japan, EU and UK. Leading import sources for United States are: Canada, China, Mexico, Japan and EU. The growth and political stability in countries that are leading export markets for US are important. For example, should Canada growth slow; its demand for US exports will fall that will have a ripple effect on US growth. - 23159

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try Strignano's Forex Signals free. Discover a revolutionary Forex Robot Trading System!

Property Development with Tanger Immobilier

By Kevin Azgzaou

As a coastal country tanger immobilier of Morocco is situated at the southern point of Spain which is also proximate to some European countries like France and Italy. Moroccos lengthy beachfront line and tropical climate have transformed it into an ideal holiday zone for tourists particularly from Europe, the United States and other countries from different parts of the globe. The great vision to build a popular tourist destination spot by the year 2010 is now the focus of the real estate business in Morocco.

It is the right time to invest on these properties where you can have a good chance of selecting the most prominent areas at a lesser price yet. With the growth of the tourism industry, the development of the real estate business has also flourished. It is expected that more tourists are coming in and the construction of apartments, hotels and restaurants will definitely increase.

As soon as the influx of tourists gain a full blast it is expected that prices will soar as demands for new hotels, villas and apartments increase. Thus, it is a wise move to make your investment on residential properties at the earliest time possible. The boom of the real estate industry goes hand in hand with the height of tourism. You can avail of a residential property which is a bit near the beach, golf course or other tourist attraction spots. You might also be able to make money out of this in the near future.

Make sure that you contact can see through the genuineness of the titles and documents concerned to avoid unwanted liabilities in the future. It is very important that you contact a tanger immobilier representative that is very conversant and reliable to give provide you relative information concerning the overall set up of the country in relation to the immobilier a Tanger in general. It is vital that a knowledgeable person can shed light on the legalities of the acquisition of any Property in the regions.

This can be advantageous to you for tourists can be renting your property and you surely derived income out of that. It will also give you easy access in making the regular visits and check up for your property. You can always seek the assistance of trustworthy individuals who can assist you in your choice for residential assets. In setting for a residential property in Tanger, it is a good idea to settle for one that is proximate to all essential utilities that is from food, shopping areas, transportation accessibility and other necessities which you need to discuss with representatives of tanger immobilier. - 23159

About the Author:

Tourism is one great concern in Morocco that is why they have tanger immobilier which allows them to build a popular tourist destination in the near future. They want to invite as much tourists to enjoy the beautiful scenic spots which these guests want to see and visit. People get to experience the true essence of this purpose.

The Best Way of Getting Started with Forex Trading

By Regis Pelletier

Even beginners can explore the forex market nowadays. This is in most part due to the Internet and the various forex applications that have sprung out and made it accessible.

If you number among these beginners, then this could be a double edged sword.

The forex market is easier than ever to get into and will allow you to experience much faster but on the other hand it is also the reason why if you are a beginner and unprepared you will be tempted to rush into the market.

And this will certainly lead a beginner to total disaster.

One of the very first thing YOU need to do is to start by getting the knowledge that YOU need unless you want to number yourself amongst the many, many beginners who leaped before they looked.

To do so, you should begin by reading whatever resources you can find about the forex market. Try finding books, guides, articles, and anything and everything else that you can lay your hands on that is connected to the forex market in some way.

It wouldn't be a good idea to start trading immediately even if you have all the knowledge brimming inside you. Instead, you should kick things off by carrying out what is commonly known as 'paper trades'.

Consider 'paper trades' to be a mock version of trading. While you're paper trading, you're going to be investing 'virtual' money instead of real money, and so any losses (or profits!) that you make are not going to affect your capital in the slightest.

What you've learnt with these paper trades will give you the hands-on experience that you need with trading in general. More importantly and at the very least these paper trades will give you the hands-on experience that you need when you are ready to move on to the real forex trading.

Most of the pitfalls and common mistakes that beginners make would be the kind of thing that you've already overcome during your paper trading sessions. The results that you obtain when you actually start trading are going to be dramatically improved if you go about starting in this manner.

Sure, on occasion you may find that you're still learning some things along the way, but it is a whole lot better than just wandering aimlessly through the forex marketplace and hoping that you get lucky somewhere.

Experience and knowledge are the two most crucial components that every prospective trader must have before they start to actually make trades. Bottom line: every effort should be taken to acquire these components - and then use them to your own advantage, to help you profit from your decisions! - 23159

About the Author:

Learn more about Getting Started With Forex Trading. Stop by Regis Pelletier's site where you can find out all about The best forex program reviews and what it can do for you.

ETF Investing 101

By Mike Swanson

As of June 2007, SPY ETF has become the largest exchange stock trading fund in the world. It is sponsored by PDR services LLC, which in itself is a subsidiary of American Stock Exchange LLC. It does, however, have some considerable competition on the market. The most formidable ETFs holding stock picks are listed on the New York Stock exchange as IVV, RSP, SH, RSU, SSO, RSW, SDS, UPRO and SPXU.

The ETF (exchange-traded fund) is a way of conducting business on the stock exchange. The value of an ETF is set at the value of the stocks or bonds it represents. This means the value of said assets over the course of the trading day. There are currently 680 active ETFs on the US markets, which are worth about $610 billion.

Many have criticized the ETF for several reasons. Many argue that they do not facilitate sufficient diversification, and that they only have short-term applications. The tax advantages gained o not apply to those who use tax deferred accounts. Corruption has also led many to manipulate market prices using ETFs. However, an ETF can still be a wise investment if used correctly.

ETFs are routinely criticized for several reasons. First, that they are short-term in scope. Second, they do not provide sufficient diversification. Third, the so called tax advantages are worthless to investors using tax deferred accounts. Fourth, they can be used to manipulate market prices. Most concede that a broadly diversified ETF can be a wise investment.

The Index Participation Shares (IDSs) of the late 1980s is the precursor to the ETF. IDSs were traded on both the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PSE) and the American Stock Exchange (ASE). The US courts put a stop to there use following a lawsuit from Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 1990.

Later that year the Toronto Stock Exchange began to trade in IDSs. The American Stock exchange looked for anything similar that could pass regulations. The ETF was the result. The very first ETF in the United States was the SPDR (Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts). SPDRs are often known as "spyders" or "spiders". - 23159

About the Author:

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Finding Affordable Financial Advice

By Richard Moran

It really isn't that hard to find a professional to help with your finances. Many times the larger firms have staff to help, if you don't mind a somewhat bias opinion. But to get the best, advice without talking to a "salesman", you may have to be willing to pay some money.

How Should You Start

Let's start with the easy, uncomplicated way of searching for advice. The first place should be your phone book. That way you'll know where the firm is located an if it will be convenient for your purposes. Assemble a small list of firms from the phone book, call and see what you can learn on the phone. Then you can determine if they will charge for a personal consultation and if they do what that fee will be. Also ask if they do charge a fee, and you contract their services if that fee will be credited back to your account. With the economy the way it is the firms may be more flexible in their charges.

Friends Can Help

If you are not able to get the information that you need from the phone call, then you can talk to some of your friends or family that may have already been looking into financial help before you were. They may have had some good experiences with a certain financial adviser and can point you in the right direction. They may even be able to help you get a discount because they helped you find them.

Research

Once you think you have found an interesting prospect to possibly work with, take all you have and start your internet searches. With the vastness of the internet today there is not much you can find from the comfort of your home. You may be able to reaffirm your belief in a very short time this way.

Most of the financial websites that are independent will have unbiased appraisals of both firms and particular professional advisors. There are many websites by "celebrity" advisors such as Jim Cramer who give advice directly on the internet or through their websites. Chat rooms, blogs, or forums often address peoples experience with particular firms or advisors. Don't expect all good things, everyone has some detractors in the world. With this method you should be able to cull out the better candidates.

Getting financial help doesn't have to be hard if you are able to find the right person and you are willing to really look at what may be going on with the financial area of your life. Taking the time to really look into it will help you to understand what you are going to need to do well before you start investing the money that you make and are trying to save for later in life. - 23159

About the Author:

Richard Moran is a Financial Consultant and maven for Money Helpers. The Blog contains hundreds of articles, charts, and calculators to aid you in your financial health. All the aspects of the Blog are free and it is updated on an almost daily basis. If you are looking for any financial information or products they can be found on Money Helpers.