Archive for the 'investing' Category

by NobleTrading
Managed futures trading accounts help peoples with lesser trading/investing knowledge to profit from futures. Managed futures trading accounts are futures contracts trading accounts which are managed by professional money managers known as Commodity Trading Advisers (CTAs). CTAs trade futures contracts on behalf of their clients. They should be registered under CTFC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission). In return of their services, CTAs charge fees, which usually include account management fee and/or performance incentive (a fixed portion of profit).

There are now a range of managed futures trading accounts to choose from. There are accounts which trade single type of futures contracts (metal futures, equity futures, index futures, currency futures, commodity futures, etc). There are also accounts which trade multiple types of futures contracts and thus insuring diversification of investment and risk. There are strategies for proofing from upward, downward and sidewise price movements. Some CTAs look for short-term short term profits while others look for long-term profits. Most CTAs trade futures contracts based on a pre-determined plan.

There are two different types of commodity trading advisors 1) Discretionary CTAs who are like professional traders; make trading decisions based on fundamental and technical analysis. 2) Systematic CTAs who use advanced trading systems delivering automated trading systems to trade the markets. CTAs can be trend followers who profit from bullish and bearish movements, market neutral traders who wrote options for profit, can be range traders who buy at one level and sell at another level or arbitrators who look to profit from pricing differences of contracts at different markets.

There are many advantages of trading futures contracts through managed trading accounts. 1) They need less investing knowledge, 2) they are managed by professional traders/money managers, 3) they are an easy way to diversify portfolio, 4) like futures they can be used for hedging portfolio risks and 5) they usually have reduced capital and account requirements than a normal trading accounts. The disadvantages include higher fees involved and counter party risk.

For profiting from a managed futures trading account, finding and trading with the right CTA is very important. There are many things to be considered when choosing a commodity trading advisor such as their trading experience, performance history, the products traded through the account, minimum account requirements, fees involved, trading strategies followed, their trading plan, risk adjusted return and annualized rate of return. You must also check your risk tolerance, risk-free capital in-hand and your investing knowledge before making any decision.

NobleTrading is an online futures trading broker who offer trading access to 3 major futures exchanges for over 50 electronically trading contracts. Get valuable trading insights on trading all financial instrument from NobleTrading’s daily updated online trading blog.

Article Source: Managed Futures Trading Accounts from CTAs

by Leon Williams
Forex trading is a complex business that has to be maintained with extreme caution and detail. However, many of the investors who enjoy a high investment income from large or multiple forex accounts do not have the time or the energy to spend behind managing the same. Here is where the notion of a forex managed account comes into play. Companies, with experienced and skilled forex brokers handle the managed forex accounts on behalf of their clients. Contrary to popular belief that managed forex accounts are prone to frauds and money-laundering, a managed forex account is much more safer and a better high return investment strategy than self-monitored forex accounts.

Advantages of a Managed Forex Account

Forex is a trade option with extreme potentials — both for gains as well as losses. With trading centers around the world open for 24-hours a day, managing a forex account as a high yield investment venture is tough but if done deftly, is bound to be successful. Time is a controlling factor in forex trading. Managed forex accounts are hugely beneficial when it comes to forex trading as forex fund managers can maintain transactions throughout the day. Any buying or selling opportunity can be cashed in on the forex managed accounts by dealing with them in time. Managed forex accounts are also low-investment ventures, which removes the financial risk considerably. And because of the fact that forex trade does not consist of lock-up periods, the forex fund manager can withdraw the money invested instantly from the market. A managed forex account is perfect for amateur or large-scale investors, who do not wish to or are not capable of handling their forex trade accounts by themselves.

How One Identifies the Ideal Managed Forex Account

while the industry is teeming with several companies offering managed forex accounts as services to interested investors, it is up to the latter to identify and select the one that suits best. There are several factors that need to be looked into before opting for a final managed forex account. The investment size and the risk potential are two major concerns. The cost of the complete program of the forex managed fund should also be checked with the industry standards before settling on the final forex manged account service provider.

Forex managed accounts vary in their request for initial investments. Some require thousands of dollars while some need a minimal amount. Usually the larger an investment is, the larger is the risk potential, and proportionately greater is the reward. Therefore, for a personal managed forex account, one should be aware of the combination of both and locate a forex fund manager accordingly.

Self-monitored forex trading is often done as a hobby or a part-time trade than as a professional act. Managed forex accounts, however, are hard-core business projects. Professional advice and thorough research with newsletters etc are necessary before you start investing money. The best forex investment strategy is always to test the waters before taking the plunge!

IFX Consulting offers Managed Forex Accounts service. For more information visit - ifxconsulting.com

Article Source: Managing Forex Accounts Made Simple

by Master J - Founder, MastersoEquity.com
2008 is over at last. It has been an extremely turbulent year and everyone’s swept under its currents such that it was hard to see what actually happened, so, here’s a recap of what happened in the stock market in 2008.

Summing up, the Dow lost a total of 4488 points this year, down 33.84%. The Nasdaq composite lost a total of 1075 points, down 40.54%. The S&P500 lost a total of 565 points, down 38.49%. The more volatile Nasdaq Composite became the loss leader this year just as it is expected to be the gain leader in a rising market, so, no surprise there. Both the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P500 went lower than the low of the last crisis in 2002. Only the Dow managed to stay above the last crisis level marginally. I had expected it to also make a lower low but it did not.

How did it all begin? Indications of this 2008 market crash actually started showing up as early as July of 2007 when short term bond yields begun yielding higher than long term bond yields in a bond yield curve that is almost perfectly horizontal above the 4% yield line. Such a bond yield curve indicates excessive optimism in the capital market as the 20yr bond hit an all time low price (relative to recent years). Bond prices go down when demand for bonds goes down. Demand for bonds goes down when capital gets reallocated, usually into the equities market (for simplification sake), resulting in high bond yields. At that time, the Dow was trading well above the 13000 points level, just one step from the 14000 level resistance which marked the beginning of the 2008 market crash. At the same time, foreclosure rates had been and continued to rise nation wide, putting pressure on the value of the most complex derivative instrument ever created amongst investment bankers, CDOs or Collateralized debt obligations.

All 3 major indices hit their peak in October of 2007 and begun their long retreat. The retreat didn’t look at all menacing for a start as all 3 major indices backed down to their respective short term support levels and even rebounded slightly, making it all look like a classical pullback in a strong primary bull trend. At that time, the Fed’s still all confused with what to handle, inflation or growth, and talks of Stagflation begun showing up as real GDP went sideways in Q3 2007 and then retreated in Q4 2007. This was when 2 groups of economists; Recession Talkers and Goldilocks, begun their battle of tongues over the major wires. Of course, now we know who knew better. Sensing danger, investors begun taking positions in bonds once again, bringing bond yields down from their previous highs. The Fed also begun taking Fed Fund Rate down from its high of over 5% in August gradually (too gradually, argued by some economists). At this time, a perfect storm is brewing as the more the Feds cut rates, the lower the dollar goes and the higher commodities prices went (as well as prices at the pump of course), putting further pressure on the real economy.

The first warning sign of a recession surfaced in January 2008 as unemployment rate hit 5% for the month of December 2007. 5% is a psychological level that says that something might be wrong in the economy as full employment rate (normal unemployment with minimal cyclical unemployment) is around the 4.5% level (number arrived at from my own research). That was probably one of the catalysts that caused all 3 major indices to break their respective short term support levels downwards in the first month of 2008, threatening the integrity of the primary bull trend that was in place since 2003. At the same time, inflation continued to be a problem as oil continued it march to the $140 per barrel level while talks of CDOs becoming worthless due to significant doubt about the fixed income ability of mortgage loans built into them begun hitting the wire. In fact, it was around this time when analysts begun finding CDOs being over-rated by rating agencies (well, like one of the high profile analysts said, they belonged to the same club).

By February of 2008, it has become apparent from the charts that the intermediate term bull trend has been compromised as investors rushed for quality, depressing short term bond yields to almost half of what they were just a couple of months ago. On the charts, however, it could still be argued that the Dow merely made its first major intermediate term correction since the primary bull trend started in 2003. Such a technical correction is also an acceptable argument under the Dow theory as some technical chartists expect the major indices to make a rebound from that level, which, did not happen (even though the Dow did rebound just a little bit for a couple of months as technicians took position). At this time, however, the economy’s already not looking at rosy as it did just months ago with rising unemployment, lowering durable goods order, rising oil price and a dropping GDP. Signs of trouble also begun emerging in the investment banking sector as major investment bankers started changing CEOs and writing off worthless CDOs and subprime loans. By this time, the Fed is beginning to get it that the economy is in real danger but has yet to take major actions on the fed fund nor to take coordinated action with central banks around the world. The dark cloud also spreaded into stock markets worldwide, making it obvious that this is not only an USA crisis but a world crisis.

By July 2008, investors were convinced that the economy is indeed in a recession (at last) and the credit crisis is deeper than most has expected. All 3 major indices made their first significant downwards breakout, totally disintegrating the previous primary bull trend, and stated without a doubt that the bear has arrived. All hell broke loose after that as Lehman Brothers closed down, unemployment rate soared and real GDP went negative. Investors begun rushing for the door, taking major indices down by a greater magnitude each month. The Dow was down 9% for the month of September and over 17% in October. At the same time, as aggregate demand drops in the economy, so did demand for oil as crude oil price dropped like a rock from its high of $140 per barrel all the way to below $40, taking CPI along with it. The US dollar also took a surprising turn and surged upwards against major currencies for months, wiping out forex traders trading on the “short-the-dollar-golden-strategy“.

Right now, commodities prices are at lows that was not seen for decades, bond prices has formed a bubble waiting to be burst and unemployment rate has reached higher than the previous crisis. Talks of write downs are also disappearing. This is certainly the best time for enterprising companies to take advantage of better prices and start hiring once again. In fact, purchasing by companies are already picking up slightly as indicated by the latest PMI number. All the ingredients needed for economy recovery seems to be in place and I suspect we should see some real signs in 2009. 2008 has done a good job of quickly and mercilessly draining waste from the economy instead of making it a prolonged agony. With stocks this low and bond bubble waiting to be burst, the stock market definitely has a lot more upside potential than downside potential right now. Let’s say a nice goodbye to 2008 and welcome 2009!

** I am sorry if I did not include many of the other major events that contributed in the 2008 crash as I intend to keep this as short as possible while correlating events in the economy to the stock market.

Jason Ng is the Founder and Chief Option Strategist of Masters ‘O’ Equity Asset Management ( MastersoEquity.com ) and author of an Options Trading education site, Optiontradingpedia.com. He is a fund manager specializing in options trading and his revolutionary Star Trading System has helped thousands.

Article Source: 2008 Market Crash Recap

by ebook finder
Home Made Energy is a guide that will teach how to make solar panels and wind turbines for under 200$! I researched this product quite a bit, and a high percentage of people are fully satisfied. With the recession and the growing energy costs this could come in handy. If you are like most people in America paying outrageous prices for energy, or just want to help the environment, this a something to buy.

I’m one of those people who wants to help the environment and all that jazz, but I can’t afford to buy all of the expensive solar panels and other energy helping devices. I was looking for “green” things i could get instead of the less “green” items that do the same thing when I ran into this. I read through the sales page then searched for some user opinions. As i said above, a high percentages (not sure of exact numbers, 80-95%) of the people who have bought this don’t regret it one bit and are saving tons of money. These weren’t the responses you see in ads, I actually sent messages to a few of the people. On top of that I spent most of my free time since i was 10 on the internet so I’ve learned to recognize fakes.

This guide is really easy to understand. I read it was written so a 10 year old would be able to understand. All of the materials you need you can buy at a local hardware store for 200$ (total).

Once again, this product would be a great buy and will save you plenty of money of energy.

Link to my main blog with link to guidehttp://dwebookfinder.blogspot.com/2008/12/home-made-energy-guide.html

Article Source: Home Made Energy Guide

by Mark A Taylor
Successful long term investment is not just about buying low and selling high.

Stock markets rise and fall, and share prices are vulnerable to everything from political newsflow to the weather. Trying to find your way around - particularly during times of high volatility and uncertainty - can feel like negotiating a minefield.

So how can we make sense of such a confusing world? It is probably time to go back to basics - stock markets may rise and fall, but the rules of sensible investment remain constant.

Rule 1: Buy what’s right for you.

Just because an investment works well for somebody else does not mean it is right for you. Consider your own situation - your future liabilities, your investment goals and, most importantly, your appetite for risk - and then make your own decision.

Rule 2: Diversify.

Spread your risk by diversifying your portfolio across a mixture of asset classes, industry sectors and areas of the world. If you put all your money into a single asset class,sector or company, your portfolio is very exposed and performance is likely to be volatile - whereas, if you mix it up, when one asset is going down, chances are, another asset could be going up and will help compensate. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Rule 3: Invest for the long term.

It’s hard work - and largely pointless - trying to time your investment so you buy right at the bottom and sell right at the top. Similarly, trying to make short term profits by turning over investments quickly will get expensive and carries a high risk. Instead, target your portfolio at quality companies or funds and then allow them the time and space they need to grow. However…

Rule 4: If an investment has risen substantially, take another look.

There is an old rule of thumb which says ‘when your investment doubles, sell half’. Short term sentiment in stock markets can drive values artificially high, in which case, you may want to cash in while you can. Don’t get greedy - you should never be ashamed to take a profit.

Rule 5: Never buy what you don’t understand.

History is littered with funds which promised a great dealbut which, when faced with pressure from the market,collapsed with all those promises broken. Some shares or funds might sound very exciting and, indeed very simple,but if you don’t understand exactly what the company does or how the fund works, steer clear.

Rule 6: Know when to say goodbye.

If a holding has performed particularly badly relative to its peers, you need to consider cutting your losses and selling it altogether. It might be better to sell out and reinvest the proceeds into a quality alternative than to sit around hoping to recoup your loss.

Rule 7: Don’t get emotionally attached.

It’s wonderful if a holding has worked for you, but you don’t have to feel grateful: the share doesn’t know that you own it. You should look at every existing investment with the same clear headed objectivity as you did before you bought it - and when it’s time to sell, do so with a clear conscience.

Rule 8: Be your own person - don’t follow the herd.

Many investors became caught up by the euphoria which surrounded the dot-com boom of the late 1990s simply because everyone else was and they did not want to miss out. Consequently, they bought shares in companies that promised much and delivered little or nothing. It is hard to turn against the flow but always take a step back and think not just about what you are buying, but why.

Rule 9: Review your portfolio regularly.

Your portfolio has been set up to meet your objectives based on your needs today. However, over time, your needs and circumstances can change. The markets can also change - and your portfolio may need the odd tweak to make sure it keeps up. Review it regularly - perhaps every one to three years - and make sure it stays on track.

Rule 10: Don’t believe everything you read!

Headlines on TV and in the finance sections of newspapers can be just as misleading without investigation as they are in celebrity news and sport. Make sure you keep a clear head, remain focussed on your objectives and take advicefrom a qualified professional to ensure you are making the most of your investment portfolio.

If you would like to take a closer look at your own circumstances and discuss the best mix of investments to meet your needs, speak to your professional financial adviser.

Author: Mark A Taylor Certs CII (MP & ER) PFS, CeMAP, CeRER, CeRGI Independent Financial Advisor,Visit Our Website at:Website http://www.imsfa.co.uk/

Article Source: 10 Rules for Successful Long term Investing.

by Old School Value
I wanted to add some additional points on FCF which I brought up in analysing the Statement of Cash Flows before moving onto the future posts on balance and income statements.
Tax Adjustments

If a company receives a tax deduction when employees exercise their stock options, does this count as cash from operating activities? Or if the company defers its income taxes to a later period, does this count as cash from operations? I don’t think so.

The FCF is supposed to be derived from the operations of the business. In the updated version of the intrinsic value spreadsheet, the FCF number now subtracts deferred taxes and “others”. I mentioned this in the DCF post. Thanks to Jim for making me think about this.
Capital Expenditure Adjustments

I would say the most difficult aspect of trying to calculate FCF is determining the amount of capital expenditure used to maintain operations and market position versus the amount used for growth. A simple example would be to think of a retailer like Wal-Mart.

In 2008, Wal-Mart spent $14.9 billion on capital expenditure. Of that $14.9 billion, 100% of it did not go to opening new stores or expanding to new emerging markets. A certain percentage was used to maintain its current stores. The shelves have to be filled, maybe the plumbing needed to be fixed or the walls had to be repainted.

The point is to find (or estimate) how much of the company’s cap ex is for maintenance which should then be subtracted from Cash From Operations, whereas the cap ex used for growth should not be subtracted. Calculating these numbers is much easier said than done. You can read a very good explanation from Joe Ponzio of F Wall Street where he previously wrote how to find the maintenance capex for Wal-Mart.

If you don’t feel inclined to go through so much data (like myself), simply subtracting the given cap ex is an accepted and conservative practice. The reason people go to such lengths to find maintenance cap ex is to find value a majority of investors cannot see.
Understanding the Industry and Company

Positive FCF for every company is not possible. That doesn’t mean a company with negative FCF is bad. In some industries, companies might choose a strategy of declining or negative FCF in the short term for a great increase in future shareholder value.

One example is the oil industry and within that industry, take a look at Transocean (RIG). A cyclical industry and high cap ex business, yet it’s able to throw off huge amounts of FCF. Transocean and most oil drilling companies forego FCF in the short term to create immense shareholder value in the future.
Conclusion

Cash is a fact but there are lots of items which can be left out or moved to another section of the statements.

Stick with the cash that comes from operations rather than one time occurrences.

Going the full length to find the real maintenance cap ex will give you more investment opportunities.

It’s always a good idea to understand the business’s cash strategy.
Disclosure

No positions in any stocks at time of writing.

[tags]FCF, WMT, Wal-Mart, Transocean, RIG[/tags]

http://www.oldschoolvalue.com

Article Source: Free Cash Flow, Tax and Capital Expenditures

by KevinH
Bullion trading encompasses gold, silver, precious metals and associated products which are traded through over-the-counter bullion trading platforms .US already has many decentralized units splashed all across its territory which enable bullion trading. Few countries have become price makers and left the tag of price takers far behind the toe-line. This is amply exhibited by how these countries are reacting today through the ever looming recession, focusing chiefly on bullion clouding.

The oil prices have led to the hottening up of bullion trading and it seems that drying liquidity and cabinet proposals may look to be instrumental for bullion market in recent future.

Domain expertise and best global trading practices help in setting price lines for gold trading with the most precise pricing mechanisms followed over the counter in most of the bullion trading countries.

Bullion trading requires a meticulous centre for hallmarking that can facilitate the procedure of setting gold and silver prices in accordance with the top systems. For instance, South East Asia looks up to the AM/PM system in London.

The concept of Spot gold has been traveling all through the arc of western bullion market. Spot gold trading is put forth for settlement two business days from the day of trade. Here, business day is defined as a day when both London and New York bullion exchange are open. Supply and demand theories do not move the gold market that much. It’s the interest rate differentials along with spot prices which are instrumental in freezing and melting the bullion market. This determines the volatility or the lack of it as far as gold price movement is concerned?

Interest rate for gold is obviously below intra country interest rates. This is so precisely because it would encourage gold borrowing and let the central bank monetize in chunk through their colossal gold holdings.

Today, bulk of gold and silver trading is done at the over the counter market. An optimum chunk of bullion trading is also done over internet medium.

Also, the banks are promoting the purchase of gold and they are trying to lure retail investors with handy perks to speed up the process of gold sale.

http://bullioncity.com

Article Source: Bullion Trading

by TwistInside
The best way to ensure that you don’t end up with squatters in your rental unit is to put the correct procedures in place to deal with a tenant that is in breech of the lease.

The easiest way to do this is to ensure that you are a competent landlord. A defaulting tenant is easy to deal with and moneys that are lost are easy to recoup in the future, a squatter on the flip side is a predicament you want to avoid all cost, as this can turn into a persistent quandary that can cost you a lot of money in lost rental income and legal fees.

Here are a few steps to make sure a bad tenant does not turn into a monetary calamity. The following points depend on the property owner having dealt with the tenant legally from the start and ensuring that the lease agreement that is in place is legally binding.

Tip 1 — Never allow a tenant scope if they default on the rental agreement. Communicate the non payment with your tenant immediately and ask for the missing payment at once. Pretending the default never happened is not going to make the situation improve.

Tip 2 — Do not wait, and be quick and decisive in your action. The longer you wait to act on the problem tenant, the worse the situation will become.

Tip 3 — Take the individual circumstances into account and do not amplify the truth. As an example, if there are a few dollars missing from the rent confront the tenant about it but do not threaten to sue. Making implausible threats like that makes a landlord lose credibility.

Tip 4 — Negotiate before threatening legal action. Lawsuits can be expensive and hardly ever are they really effective in securing a speedy solution to a problem. Obviously if the problem persists then the legal route is the way forward. For example if a tenant has not paid the rent it may be more beneficial to explain that they are in breech of the rental agreement that you have. It may sometimes be beneficial to ask them why they are in breech and if they can no longer meet the expense of the rental ask if they would like to be released from the contract.

Tip 5 — Once you have tried all the steps in this article and you still feel like you are dealing with a skilled squatter, turn to the law immediately and consult your attorney.

TwistInside is a South Africa Real Estate Investor and Webeneur, he helps teach people how to invest in residential real property through his company Property Tycoon and has a website called Learn How To Dot Net where he teaches various skills including investing in residential real estate.

Article Source: When a rental contract goes bad: 5 good tips to deal with dreadful tenants

by Steve Selengut
Most people enter the investment process tip first. They hear something, grab an idea from a popular blog, accept a Cramerism or some motley foolishness, and think that they are making investment decisions. Rarely, will the right-now, instant-gratification, Internet-generation speculator think in terms that go beyond tomorrow’s breaking news.

It just doesn’t work that way in the long run. Investing takes place in an uncertain environment with at least three important cycles working their way through time at different rates of speed. Each should have an impact on investor decision-making. More often than not, short-term thinking and impulse decision-making are ineffective long-term investment strategies—

Today, in the midst of a cyclical “perfect storm”, how many Wall Streeters have the cold-blooded temperament required to focus on anything other than dwindling market values, depressing economic news, and income securities that just don’t want to react normally to minuscule interest rates?

The short-term mentality thrust upon investors by the tax code, the media, and the underground investment advice community obscures the big picture and makes investing more and more difficult as time goes on. The Working Capital Model (WCM) is a long-term-thinking-only-welcome-here approach that is based in a much less frantic, but parallel, investment universe.

The investment community evaluates short-term time intervals, and compares all performance to popular indices that rarely have any direct relationship to real live investment portfolios. If an investor thinks long term when constructing his investment plan, how does he justify short term thinking when it comes to performance evaluation?

In rising markets, investors second-guess their profit-taking disciplines because they exited a security too early, and strong markets often tempt the shortsighted into more aggressive asset allocations. In falling markets, just the opposite occurs. Most investment decision-making is a series of much-too-late, knee-jerk reactions to cyclical conditions that are misunderstood.

Market Value growth does little more than increase a person’s hat size; Working Capital growth increases a person’s asset base. The point is that paper profits can’t be reinvested or reallocated. True portfolio growth requires additions to the income and growth producing asset base— the working capital.

The most important fundamental tenets and basic differences between the WCM methodology and modern Wall Street craziness are these:

One. The length, depth, breadth, and height of the various cycles are presumed to be totally unpredictable. Additionally, even though they are inter-related and inter-connected in many ways, none of them are related in any way, shape, or form to the calendar year.

Unlike Wall Street, and most of Main Street for that matter, the calendar has no role as a measuring device within the WCM, making the horse race mentality, and competitive atmosphere disappear entirely.

Two. To be successful, an investor must make cycle-savvy, buy-sell-hold decisions, and formulate different performance expectations for securities based upon their purpose. The WCM recognizes only two classes of securities, Equity and Income, leaving more speculative “others” out of the equation entirely. Each class is purchased with a different primary objective in mind.

Investors must learn what to expect from each, and at different stages of the various cycles. The cyclical focus of the WCM makes it easier to determine now the actions and decisions most likely to produce the best results later— in terms of investor specific investment goals and objectives.

Three. The WCM does not focus blindly on short-term changes in the market value of securities, nor does it concern itself with calendar time intervals. Similarly, it does not look at cyclical peaks and troughs as either good or bad. Rather, it attempts to deal with conditions at hand in a manner most likely to achieve long-term goals.

Four. The generation of annually increasing levels of “base income” is given paramount importance in the WCM. It is defined as the total of interest and dividends produced by the portfolio, without the inclusion of realized capital gains. Income pays the bills, not market values.

Five. The WCM is as much a planning tool as it is a decision making model. Working capital is defined as the cost basis of the securities and cash contained in the portfolio. This approach simplifies the implementation of the asset allocation decisions that all investors should be making before they purchase security number one.

Six. The WCM uses the market value of securities quite differently than most other investment methodologies. It recognizes that the price of a security is as much a function of speculation about the movement of market price as it is about the inherent fundamental quality of the security itself.

Lower prices of IGVSI stocks, for example, are considered opportunities for purchase, while higher prices are considered opportunities for profit taking.
Similarly, lower prices of income Closed End Funds translate into opportunities to increase income and reduce average cost per share, while higher prices are also viewed as profit taking opportunities.

The Working Capital Model operates in an environment of cycles rather than calendar years, and emphasizes a security’s fundamental value as opposed to its market price. Market Value is used only to signal buying and profit taking decisions. The methodology has three operating objectives:

One. Growing Working Capital at a rate consistent with portfolio asset allocation. Higher equity allocations should produce a higher long-term rate than income portfolios.

Two. Growing portfolio base income at a rate consistent with portfolio asset allocation. Higher income allocations should produce a higher growth rate than equity portfolios.

Three. Trading securities for reasonable profits, as often as possible. Equity portfolios should produce more capital gains than income portfolios, and mostly short term if the operating disciplines of the WCM are being observed.

When the cycles converge higher, new market value highs will appear as well.

Steve Selenguthttp://www.kiawahgolfinvestmentseminars.com/ http://www.valuestockindex.comProfessional Portfolio Management since 1979Author of: “The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read”, and “A Millionaire’s Secret Investment Strategy“

Article Source: WCM Investing - The Process

by Daniel Wright
Gold coin buyers are the most important link among all the links that form the chain of collecting gold coins. They will purchase coins from all different places and then sell them off to investors or collectors. A collector who wants to get rid of their collection and wants to make sure it gets into safe hands, can also go to a gold coin dealer. These dealers are certified professionals when it comes to coin collecting. From the high level of expertise they have gained from years of studying coins is how they make their living.

Gold coin buyers can buy gold coins from the U.S. mint, estate and coin auctions, sometimes by importing coins from different countries. These are some of the sources that gold coin buyers purchase from. Although, the best source to get coins from is other coin collectors. The buyers can come in contact with a lot of different coin collectors during their business dealing. A lot of the time, collectors have more than one of the same coin and they can sell off the lower grade coins and then upgrade their collection.

Most of the U.S. gold coin dealers do their business within the country, but there are a number of veteran dealers who can export gold coins overseas with proper licenses and paperwork.

The gold coin buyers will only purchase coins for resale when they are sure of the authenticity of the coin. They must be sure about the value of the gold coin since they don’t want to incur a loss if the coin is found to be counterfeit. Many times, gold coin dealers will offer their know-how for a fee. A gold coin collector can have his or her collection evaluated by a dealer when he or she wants to know what the collection is worth, monetarily.

In addition, many gold coin dealers will also serve as brokers for people who want to sell their collections of gold coins to other people who will keep the collection intact. This occurs if the owner of the gold coin collection has become rather attached to it, and wants to ensure that the collection stays together and will be properly cared for by a new owner.

Also, many gold coin dealers can help people obtain loans from different places with their gold coin collection as their collateral. Gold coin dealers can be helpful for people no matter if the person is a gold coin collector or if the person is merely trying to use gold as way to protect themselves from inflation, as a safe investment.

Find gold coin buyers and sellers at the net’s premiere site covering everything related to United States gold, US-Gold-Coins.org.

Article Source: Gold Coin Buyer - What Is Their Role Exactly?