Posts

Showing posts from January, 2012

The Economy Stimulus Story

In the midst of the European sovereign debt crisis, I would like to share with you a story that I came across a few years ago about the economy and how it is stimulated through spending. Here's the story: The story started with a rich tourist came to a town in which everyone living there was in debt. The tourist put down a 100 Euro note for the hotel owner as a deposit while he went round to check the conditions of the rooms. With the 100 note on hand, the hotel owner quickly ran to pay off his debt – his supplier, the butcher. The butcher received the money and he quickly settled his debt with the pig grower. Next, the pig grower used the receipt to pay off his debt with his supplier of feed and fuel. And this supplier ran to pay off his debt to his creditor - the prostitute, and finally, the prostitute went to the hotel owner and settled her debt with the hotel owner with the same 100 Euro note. The hotel owner then put the 100 Euro note back on the counter as it was the depos

How to value a mining company

By Paul van Eeden I received an interesting question about company valuations from one of my newsletter subscribers that I thought I would address as a Commentary. It is a multi-part question that will take more than one Commentary to address; this week is part one: Valuing Mining Stocks. Mining is a finite business. Mineral deposits contain a certain amount of ore and when that ore is mined out the deposit is depleted, no matter what you do or wish. That is in stark contrast to say, an auto parts manufacturer, who can adapt to new demands and specification changes and (hopefully) stay in business for many decades. When you value an auto parts company, you can compare the company's price to earnings, price to cash flow, operating margin and net profit margin (among other things) to the company's peers to assess whether the stock in question is relatively cheap, or relatively expensive. You can also get a sense of whether the stock is cheap or expensive in an abso

4 Smart Decisions that Save on Car Insurance

Image
The high cost of getting and keeping up with auto insurance can be a big hit on anyone’s budget. Fortunately, for anyone in the car insurance market there are a lot of different ways to save on this insurance. Follow these four tips to start saving hundreds of dollars a year. 1. Start your search for insurance by shopping around. Be sure to compare car insurance prices at several different auto insurance companies. During your search, you’ll probably realize that car insurance rates can vary a lot between companies. In addition to just the normal market differences, auto insurance companies typically vary their rates based on a variety of factors, all of which differ among different companies. For example, the driver’s age and gender can be among the biggest factors in determining someone’s premium at one company, while another company may give more weight to a person’s driving history. Additionally, credit history and where the car is kept at night are also used by some companies to d

Campus Updates: The Global Imperative

Image
New Cornell dean Dutta: INSEAD import For more than a decade, most top business schools have made it an important objective to "go global." They've incorporated international topics and issues in all phases of the curriculum.  They've encouraged or even required students to do internships or semesters of study in foreign countries. They've hired professors (full-time and adjunct) to teach courses that address business challenges around the world.  Some schools push students to master a foreign language and/or study abroad at a peer business school.  Students have eagerly embraced these opportunities. It's not unusual for MBA students today to spend a spring break in Tanzania observing corporate activity in East Africa, do a consulting project in Brazil and Peru, or do a summer internship in Indonesia, as some Consortium students did in the past three years. Business schools, we know, evolve, reassess and reinvent themselves--from year to year. They also observ

Getting Started in Forex Trading

Image
Read on for 3 great tips to help you getting started in forex trading and well on your way to becoming a successful foreign exchange trader. 1)       Before you enter a market, you need to know your market  :  Think of the world of forex as a virtual casino. What’s the first thing you do upon entering a casino for the first time? You assess the behavior of each of the tables before placing a bet, so you have a good idea of what sorts of odds you are facing and become aware of any potential high-risk and high-loss games, as well as those with potential high-winnings to be had.   It’s much the same with the foreign currency markets; some currencies are volatile while others ensure solid returns. You should study the forex market and get a feel for patterns and stay ahead of market activity by reading the financial news, keeping a wide-angle view of international news and their economic consequences on the currency market. Pick a currency pair that suits your trading hours  Your success

How to Save Money While Attending College

Image
College is pricey. From costly textbooks to the constant hikes in tuition rates, going to college requires a significant financial investment. The prospects of a good career ahead of you should make this investment worthwhile, but you still won’t want to graduate with astronomical debt. An overwhelming amount of debt can haunt you for decades and some people never manage to fully pay it off.  Truth be told, college is more expensive than ever before. However, the good news is that there are many simple ways you can save money and still get a great education. By incorporating just a few money saving tips and adjustments into your lifestyle you will be able to make big savings. Here are a few of our top tips for saving money while attending college: Go Online You won’t get the exciting social life you will likely find at a traditional brick and mortar school, but studying online will definitely save you a lot of money! An online university degree program generally offers significantly l

Price Patterns of Stocks

Image
By looking at stock charts, an investor can spot different price patterns of stocks. Today I'll illustrate 2 famous chart patterns here. Head and Shoulders A head and shoulders formation , by its name, consists of a head and two shoulders. The left and the right shoulders represent two smaller rallies before and after the big head (big rally). Reverse Head and Shoulders Trend Reversal Point Draw a line connecting the two troughs at the base of the head. This line is known as the neckline. When the neckline is breeched on the right shoulder, it sends a warning signal to traders that the price is going to plunge. Similarly, for the reverse head and shoulders, we draw a neckline to connect the two small rallies beside the head. Once the price surge passes the neckline on the right shoulder, it indicates a positive move in the price. In order for the trend reversal to materialise, the violation of the necklines in both cases has to be supported by an expanded volume at the righ