Last Bank Standing - The Wall Street Mega-Crash

Dateline Washington, October 19th (get it?) 2010: the Peoples Bank & Trust of America has now established itself as the only bank of any kind in the USA, totally owned and managed by the US House of Representatives. A 2/3 majority must now approve all investment banking transactions; your district representative’s staff reviews individual mortgage applications; and all 401(k), IRA, and remaining employer pension assets have been rolled into the Social Security Slush Fund.
Only federal and state elected officials are exempt from the 45% all purpose Income Tax. The estimated time to bring new companies public is 4.5 years; all individual account dividends and interest are paid directly into your IRS “grabber” account; CEO’s salaries are limited to 50% of the amount paid to a first year congressman, and any government budget shortfalls are withdrawn from corporate earnings before any corporate obligations can be dealt with.

All employees receive the federal mandated minimum wage, except senior executives who are limited as mentioned above. Scary? This is a scenario that could play out if Congress (or the SEC) does not come to the rescue of the credit markets. You missed your opportunity to help stop it, but chances are a fix is on its way.

How many more businesses, jobs, and hopes will be killed by this irresponsible Congress? When will the average blogger realize that when a corporation fails, we all suffer? One would think that the informed and enlightened could take time out from their texting for a little research and education. Instead, they show their power by influencing public opinion numbers and the marshmallow politicians who worship them. As economist Irwin Kellner and I have pointed out, this is no bailout and we are not nearly approaching a recession.

Kellner’s September 28th Market Watch article points out ten major differences between now and then: (1) In 1929, the DJIA plunged 40% in two months vs. around 30% in about a year. (2) In 1933, the jobless rate was 33% vs. 6% today. (3) The GDP shrank 25% then, but has increased 6% now. (4) Consumer prices actually fell 30% then but haven’t ever since.

(5) Home prices dropped 30% then, but only 16% from the recent bubbly highs. (6) 40% of all mortgages were in default then vs. only 4% now. (7) 9,000 banks failed in the 1930s compared with just 25 or so (bigger and broader based ones) recently. (8) The Federal Reserve reduced the money supply, (9) raised interest rates, and (10) raised taxes on foreign imports.

Further, Kellner points out, we now have automatic stabilizers, deposit insurances, and market trading restrictions as protective elements. Today’s Congress however, has never been good at connecting dots, has accomplished nothing under an unpopular president, and is ignoring its role as the primary creative force in today’s problems. This transfusion is needed because: bad laws have obscured the values on financial institution balance sheets, and have created a clot in the credit arteries that keep the economy alive.

Educate yourselves on the Accounting Rule’s that require institutions to book paying assets at pennies on the dollar. Find out why institutions are afraid to loan money to one another— over night, at any rate of interest— strangling the credit markets.

Doing nothing is killing jobs, killing companies, and deferring retirements for those who were counting on 401(k) and IRA dollars to provide them with income. Congress, of course has an old-fashioned pension plan, so it is unaffected by such financial realities.

Investigate the relaxation of lending standards that Congress orchestrated over the past few administrations, before blaming the companies that then extended credit to many speculators and other buyers who falsified application papers. Learn how the SEC was prohibited from regulating the CDOs and other multiple-leveraged credit market speculations. There are as many culprits outside the corporate executive suite as in it.

Congress is bursting with pride over bringing some of the Rich and Famous to their knees, and capping some of their obscene compensation arrangements at still shareholder pillaging levels. I’ve spoken often about how these salaries need to be controlled. But the multi-level-mortgage-marketing schemes that Congress encouraged must be unbundled somehow, and a buy out is the proper vehicle.

Congress has punished the entire world with its attack on Wall Street, and both parties are to blame. Representatives of the states listed below voted “no” to the credit transfusion, causing death and destruction that, in many instances, cannot be recouped. We have to replace them with better decision makers, representatives who can think in economic terms when they have to.

The number and letter code after the state designation indicates the number of representatives and their party: AL-1R, AK-1R, AZ-4D4R, CA-15D9R, CO-2D2R, CT-1D, FL-1D13R, GA-4D7R, HI-2D, ID-1R, IL-4D5R, IN-3D3R, IA-1D2R, KS-1D2R, KY-2D2R, LA-2D3R, ME-1D, MD-2D1R, MA-3D, MI-3D6R, MN-2D2R, MS-3D, MO-2D3R, MT-1R, NE-3R, NV-1D1R, NH-2D, NJ-3D4R, NM-1D1R, NY-3D1R, NC-3D5R, OH-3D7R, OK-3R, OR-3D, PA-3D7R, SC-1R, SD-1D, TN-1D4R, TX-8D14R, UT-1D1R, VT-1D, VA-1D5R, WA-1D3R, WV-1R, WI-1D2R (Names withheld, but available from the author.)

On Friday evening, candidates Obama and McCain gave their support to the Capital infusion, but neither bothered to explain why— a huge audience was ready to soak up the information. Over the weekend, both attended meetings to support the plan and to generate support from their respective parties.

Is there enough time left to find a hero?

Online Trading, an Option for Transnational Trade

Global deal is exchange of capital, trade goods, and services across transnational frames or territories. In the most of nations, it acts a significant percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). While transnational switch has been represented throughout lots of history (see Silk Road, Amber Road) the economic, cultural, and policy-making importance has been along the rise in last centuries. Industrialization, manufacturers, advanced transportation, globalization, international corporations, and outsourcing are completely having a major affect on the global trade scheme.Trading globally makes consumers and nations the chance to be exposed to trade goods and services that are not available in their personal nations. Almost each form of product can be seen on the transnational market: food, dress, spare parts, oil, jewellery, wine, stocks, currencies and water. Services are as well traded: tourism, banking, consulting and transportation. A product that is sold to the transnational market is an export, and a product that is bought from the transnational market is an import. Exports and Imports are calculated for in a country’s ongoing account in the balance of payments.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, big companies gain up approximately 4 % of U.S. Exports which signifies that 96% of exporters are small companies. Why is transnational trade so crucial to scratch small businesses? In several cases, the products or services you may care to market are not accessible or created in your domicile area. For good example, consider about selling cashmere sweaters. You may need to turn an importer in order to compete with imported products sold by your competitors.

Online business can frequently start trading internationally with very little effort. The internet has transformed things. Your site can be your shop window in some number of nations. You don’t require a physical front in each territory to deal there.

A Study by Georgios Papastamkos, MEP on Worldwide Trade on the cyberspace emphasised that the online circumstances for small and medium-size enterprises are especially good since they give more opportunities to get across conventional commercial schemes rather than they had even a . Enterprises are effective to prepare their internet sale points easily, rapidly and at small cost, thereby reaching a higher stage of competitiveness.

If your business is running in a niche, with a relatively smaller internal market, looking to another nations can help you widen your audience with surprisingly little effort. And if your trade goods or services appeal to a larger audience, moving into outside marketplaces gives you the chance to reach a wide number of potency recent clients. It could actually rise your receipts and profits.

Still, in a bigger market there will be more competitor from local companies. It can be heavy to equal up on price or fulfilment when sending internationally, so you might let to modify your proposition to have an touch.

It’s not only for producer but for consumers are also receiving profits by online trading,. Since they enjoy a very large option between commodities and services, competitive pricing, lower living costs and a improve excellent of life, they as well don’t require to go out to surf all products and services even from wholesale suppliers. They are now better able to compare merchandises and services since they gain access more data on online trading.

Are Traditional Banks Better Than Internet Banking?

With the ubiquitous internet as it is today, you have the convenience of doing a variety of banking transactions online from the comfort of your home, in your office or while traveling. This extraordinary technological creation has so made life easier for a lot of people including professionals, the business community, housewives and scholars even for banking purposes. Notwithstanding, this new communication phenomenon people have not stopped patronizing the usual off line banks . The orthodox banks will always be there for those people who still choose to interact in an real bank in where they see staff and call them by name.The banks that have gone online and their offline counterpart have their advantages and disadvantages. It’s up to you to consider and decide whether to transact your financial affairs with either an online bank or an off line one . What really count s is that you should know your financial demands so as to be able to actually be on the look out for the latest tendency in the banking industry and understudy them to see how it favors you. Even if you are loyal to your usual offline bank, you may also have the need to sometimes use the online banking service for an urgent transaction or when you are where the bank is not near by.

Accomplished banks continue to use pen and paper for organizing financial transactions off line while in their online virtual offices computer and internet and keyboard are the instruments for banking transactions . The fact is that a lot of people are now online with financial products that are internet-only services meant to compete with the normal off line banks . Though these conservative banks cater mainly to their old customers, people who should know are advising them to also open online offices to serve the internet-savvy young people and by so doing attract more customers

Security and person to person interactions are the main reasons people maintain the use of traditional banks. A lot of people feel that human contact is a necessity in any bank transaction; they want to hand their hard earned cash over to real teller.

Banking online is quite the same as when you do the same thing in an offline bank. The significant dissimilarity is that your computer replaces paper or phone for accessing your account information for payments and statements reconciliations . You don’t really have to worry about going to your local bank branch when you can do all the things necessary to effect a bank transaction in the comfort of your home with a desktop computer or laptop and internet connection.

A principal advantage that internet banking offers people who go for online banking is cost effectiveness. Certain banks are known to charge their customers lower fees if the bank online banking services.

Make Money Online Fast Secrets?

Interested in make money online fast secrets? Are there any?

The Secret On How To Make Money Online Fast With Not-So-Conventional Jobs.
Ever notice that when you type in the words, “make money online fast” on the search bar, the top results almost always end up with an affiliation marketing scheme or online forex trading, or some off the wall scheme with e-books and software you have buy? Ha! If only their promise of making money fast is as fast as you want it to go. Truth is: there really is no make money online fast scheme that works in an instantaneous moment. There should always be some time allotted to setting up the business and waiting for the business to roll. There is also a period of adjustment where you complement your business’ needs to that of your intended market. So the word “fast” is actually relevant here.

However, if you like to see the results immediately… actually see the compensation from the sweat of your brow, you could try these not-so-conventional jobs to make money online fast.

1. Become a virtual worker. Hey, you could always go to the office everyday and perform the same repetitive tasks day in and day out. Or, you could do the same job at home, and still get paid. A virtual worker these days can be an accountant, a writer, a software developer, a website developer, a personal assistant, a graphic designer, a medical transcriptionist, a lawyer … you name it. Being a virtual worker has many advantages. For one thing, you skip with the commuting and paying for the gas thing. No need to dress up fancy either. If you are working on a project basis, you can work on your own time. If you are working on a per hour basis, you can actually get more work done because you do not have to do weird errands for your employers like picking up their dog from the vet (not that this is a requirement from everyone.)

Disadvantages to being a virtual worker (aside from the fact that you cannot have health benefits and company insurance and attend office parties) is the fact that you are competing with other virtual workers for the same job opportunity. Somewhere out in the vast niches of the World Wide Web, another virtual employee may be offering lower rates, faster services and better performance. So if you want to take part of this foray, you need to up your skills a bit and subscribe to one or more sites that can help you match up with prospective employers. You can start off by registering at Elance (www.elance.com) or literally going to company sites that are looking for virtual workers.

2. Become a blogger for hire. No, no, no… we are not talking about affiliate marketing here, although technically, the latter is one form of being a blogger for hire. The Web 2.0 world is now taking a different view of the words “blogger for hire.” Some marketers are now actively searching for bloggers who will write positive reviews (and only positive reviews) of the wares they want to promote. One advantage to this kind of work is that you actually get paid per post. Every piece you write corresponds to a deposit to our e-account or bank account. In other cases, bloggers are not paid in cash, but given a free sampler of the product he or she is supposed to write about. I mean, what’s so bad about writing positive reviews about a laptop in exchange for a laptop?

One of the major disadvantages to this practice is the fact that a lot of people are still wondering if this is ethical to begin with. And yet again, you will be competing with other bloggers for hire for the same job description.

The importance of reading forex broker reviews

If you’re interested in forex trading, then you need to find a good broker. In order to trade successfully in the foreign exchange market, it’s very essential that you consult with the best broker you can find. Forex brokers will keep you informed on the latest ups and downs in foreign economies so that you’ll know where your money needs to go.

So how can you get a hold of a forex broker? By reading reviews about each individual and/or financial institution involved in foreign exchanging. Your best bet is to go with a forex broker that is registered with an important financial institution or bank. You need to get in touch with the National Futures Association if you’re unsure. You can also read forex broker reviews online.

Since a lot of buying and selling in the forex markets is done online, it comes as no surprise that there are many forex brokers available online as well. It’s very important that brokers and their clients stay in contact every single day, therefore you need to read forex broker reviews to find out which ones are easy to get a hold of.

A forex broker review will provide you with a lot of information about a particular broker or brokerage company, so you’ll obviously want to choose one that has positive feedback from other clients. The review will include information about whether or not the forex broker is registered, has good credentials, is experienced, and so forth. Take note of the positive forex broker reviews so that you’ll know who you can trust with your money. Likewise, avoid the brokers with negative reviews.

Find out more about forex broker reviews and how they can help you by clicking on the link. Remember, if you want to find a lot of success with forex trading, then you’ll need to work with an expert broker. Read the reviews now and get started!

Mini – forex brokers

With the advent of technology, it has become possible for new and small investors to start currency trading. These investors do not have the huge capital that a conglomerate or an MNC (Multi-National Company) has. Therefore, such small investors are given an option of opening a mini forex account.

Mini-Forex Brokers allow investors to open their forex accounts by putting down a comparatively smaller down payment. The minimum requirement for actual forex trading is $100,000. Mini forex brokers may accept contracts as small as $10,000. Also, the margin in real forex trading is 1%, where as mini accounts may operate at around 0.5%. Many mini forex accounts can be opened with a deposit as low as $100.

A mini-forex broker offers the investor a quick and inexpensive way to trade from the comfort of home day and night. All the specifications remain the same, except that these trades are operated from a mini forex account.

For beginners, many online websites of these brokers offer demo or trial accounts that help the investor practice trading skills. These accounts also help increase the understanding of the functioning of the real time forex market.

Mini-forex brokers often guide their customers regarding the best trading options that could yield the most profit. The major factors to consider while choosing a mini forex broker are feedback from other traders about the broker, if the broker has insured his client’s funds and the amount of commissions charged.

A trader’s success in forex trading depends on the information they possess. Brokers keep traders informed of market fluctuations, which help them to take maximum advantage of the forex market.

Forex broker involvement optional

To trade on the forex market, the largest financial market on the planet, one must use a forex broker. Not unlike a stock broker, a forex broker can also makes suggestions about which moves to make when exchanging foreign currency. Some forex brokers even supply technical analysis to some of their clients and offer tips on research to improve their success as forex traders.

Typically in the forex market a forex broker is a banking institution who may buy up large amounts of a certain currency. For years, banks were the only ones who had access to the forex markets. But today with the Internet, any forex trader, who subscribes with a forex broker, can access the market 24 hours a day.

Today, as with stock brokers, the brick and mortar institutions, such as banks, are less of an option for the individual forex trader who works from home, monitoring the news and gaining insight into certain technical information to help with his or her trading decisions.

Choosing a forex broker may depend on your needs. If you are new to the field, there are houses, or online forex brokers who may cater to your needs, providing in-depth research, ample time to demo their product and so on. Other forex brokers are geared toward the experienced online forex trader. They too offer advice, but may be less likely to offer instructional help with the information, assuming that you may already know how it may or may not benefit you when you read it. It is advisable to read about and even run a demo on several different online forex brokers before going with one.

Forex broker

A broker is any person or firm that charges a fee in exchange for executing trades for a trader. A Forex broker does not charge a commission for placing a buy or a sell order the way a real estate broker would charge a percentage fee of the total price of a sale. A Forex broker is paid according to the spread – or the difference between the trader’s bid for a currency, and the seller’s asking price for that currency. Usually this spread is less than 0.1% or ten pips. (Pips are the smallest movement a currency can make on the Forex. Pips are commonly called referred to as points.) The lower the spread, the less a trader pays a Forex broker for a trade.

The Forex market is global and does not have one central regulatory agency like the Security Exchange Commission. Each country is responsible for the actions of trades in it’s own country. A Forex broker in America must register with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). While traders are not regulated, Forex brokers are. A Forex broker must be registered as a Futures Commercial Merchant (FCM) before that Forex broker is allowed to accept a deposit for an account from a trader. Once registered, a Forex broker is given an identification number so that a trader can check the status of a Forex broker before hiring that Forex broker. There are such people known as introducing brokers who may solicit traders for a registered Forex broker, but the introducing broker cannot accept a deposit for a trader’s account. It is a good idea for any trader hiring a Forex broker to check the status of the Forex broker with the authorities.

A comprehensive forex broker register

A comprehensive forex broker list includes investment banks with dealing rooms, commercial banks with treasury operations, and online brokerages that serve a larger market. The investment banks with forex trading capabilities include Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Salomon Smith Barney, Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Prudential Securities and Bear Sterns.

Some of the brokerage services are not directly accessible for all customers. For example, inter-bank market dealers and treasury operations in commercial banks handle large customer orders themselves.

The top commercial banks in the Forex Broker List, having inter-bank and treasury operations, are JP Morgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, CitiBank, Wachovia Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Fleet Bank, US Bank, HSBC Bank, Sun Trust Bank, Bank of New York, State Street, Chase Manhattan Bank, Key Bank, Branch Bank, PNC Bank, Lasalle Bank, South Trust Bank, MBNA America Bank, Fifth Third Bank.

The online forex broker list of smaller forex accounts sees new entrants almost on a daily basis.

The online forex broker list includes Forex Capital Markets, MG Financial Group, CMS Forex, Global Forex Trading, GCI Forex Direct, Forex.com, GAIN Capital, Real time Forex SA (Geneva), Global Forex, Commerce Bank and Trust, FX Solutions, Forex MHV, swissDirekt (Swiss), Goetz Financial Forex, NY Broker Borsentermin AG, Act Forex, Online Trader, Shield FX Online Currency Trading, Forex Trade Signals, CMC Group PLC, Foreign Currency Direct Limited (UK), FX Advantage, FXCM, Forex Millenium, ACM REFCO, REFCO Spot, Easy Forex, Online Forex Trading Inc., Lincoln Corporation, Global Trade Waves, Ltd., and CIBC FX Web Dealing.

Forecasting Forex Trading

What is Forex or Foreign Exchange: It is the largest financial market in the world, with a volume of more than $1.5 trillion daily, dealing in currencies. Unlike other financial markets, the Forex market has no physical location, no central exchange. It operates through an electronic network of banks, corporations and individuals trading one currency for another.

What about Forecasting: Predicting current and future market trends using existing data and facts. Analysts rely on technical and fundamental statistics to predict the directions of the economy, stock market and individual securities.

For those who trade using the Forex, or foreign currency exchange, knowing how to forecast the Forex can make the difference between trading successfully and losing money. When you begin learning about Forex trading, it is vital that you understand how to forecast the Forex trading market.

There are a few methods that are used when forecasting the Forex. Each system is used to understand how the Forex works and how the fluctuations in the market can affect traders and currency rates. The two methods that are most often used are called technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Both methods differ in their own ways, but each one can help the Forex trader understand how the rates are affecting the currency trade. Most of the time, experienced traders and brokers know each method and use a mixture of the two to trade on the Forex.

One method used in forecasting foreign currency exchange is called technical analysis. This method uses predictions by looking at trends in charts and graphs from past Forex market happenings. This system is based on solid events that have actually taken place in the Forex in the past. Many experience Forex traders and brokers rely on this system because it follows actual trends and can be quite reliable.

When looking at the technical analysis in the Forex, there are three basic principles that are used to make projections. These principles are based on the market action in relation to current events, trends in price movements and past Forex history. When the market action is looked at, everything from supply and demand, current politics and the current state of the market are taken into consideration. It is usually agreed that the actual price of the Forex is a direct reflection of current events.

The trends in price movement are another factor when using technical analysis. This means that there are patterns in the market behavior that have been known to be a contributing factor in the Forex. These patterns are usually repeating over time and can often be a consistent factor when forecasting the Forex market. Another factor that is taken into consideration when forecasting the Forex is history. There are definite patterns in the market and these are usually reliable factors. There are several charts that are taken into consideration when forecasting the Forex market using technical analysis. The five categories that are look at include indicators, number theory, waves, gaps and trends.

Most of these can be quite complicated for those who are inexperienced using the Forex. Most professional Forex brokers understand these charts and have the ability to offer their clients well-informed advice about Forex trading.

Another way that experienced brokers and traders in the Forex use to forecast the trends is called fundamental analysis. This method is used to forecast the future of price movements based on events that have not taken place yet. This can range from political changes, environmental factors and even natural disasters. Important factors and statistics are used to predict how it will affect supply and demand and the rates of the Forex. Most of the time, this method is not a reliable factor on its own, but is used in conjunction with technical analysis to form opinion about the changes in the Forex market.

For those interesting in being involved with Forex trading, a basic understanding of how the system works is essential. Understanding both forecasting systems and how they can predict the market trends will help Forex traders be successful with their trading. Most experienced traders and brokers involved with the Forex use a system of both technical and fundamental information when making decisions about the Forex market. When used together, they can provide the trader with invaluable information about where the currency trends are headed.

Always leave the forecasting to the pros unless you are playing the Forex as a hobby and don't have a lot of money invested...Or like most people you will learn the hard way.

How Are Interest Rates Set?

How are interest rates set -- a common question received by those who broker loans. The first thing most clients or prospective clients will ask is "how are rates doing?" Or, "what rate can I get?" It's understandable as the interest rate determines in large part as to what your monthly payment will be. Fundamentally, the interest rate is what you pay the lender in exchange for their lending you the money for your home loan.

How Are Rates Set?

So, how are rates set? Generally speaking, the longer the loan the more the risk to the lender and consequently the higher the rate. Of course, it's not as simple as that for there are a number of factors that determine how rates are set. Here's the nitty-gritty as to how your California home loan interest rate is set. There are three fundamental forces that determine interest rates in the United States. They are:
The Federal Reserve
The Bond Market
Multiple Forces in The Economy
The Federal Reserve
The "Fed" as it is commonly called determines US monetary policy for the entire country. There was no central federal banking system in the US from 1783 to 1913 but that all changed with the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. Ostensibly, it is the central bank of the US. Don't let the term "Federal Reserve" throw you -- it is NOT a federal US government institution or department.

It is a privately-held organization. There are 12 regional Federal Reserve System banks throughout the US. In addition, the Federal Reserve seeks to constantly adapt its various monetary policies in a concerted effort to combat inflationary and deflationary pressures brought about due to changes in the domestic or global economy. The Federal Reserve Board members meet eight times a year and generally only changes rates during a meeting. The 12-member Federal Reserve Board can control interest rates by changing the rates it charges banks to borrow money.

Here's how it can influence rates. The Federal Reserve loans banks funds from their district Federal Reserve bank who pledge their commercial paper as collateral. The Fed essentially charges the borrowing bank interest on the loan. This is called the discount rate. Banks or lenders then lend the consumer or borrower money charging their primary interest rate. The implications are self-evident. The higher the discount rate the Fed charges the bank, the higher the primary interest rate will be to the borrower as the bank wants to meet the minimum requirements as well as make a profit.

Many people think that when they hear the Federal Reserve Chairman make a monetary policy change with the Prime rate, it automatically affects interest rates. Not so. The Prime rate increase or decrease may affect a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), but it wouldn't affect interest rates. Interest rates also fluctuate with the various loan programs available to the borrower. (For more information on Loan Programs within this site, please click here.)

The Bond Market

The bond market fluctuates on a daily basis and is a major determinant in the setting of interest rates. In fact, one can actually guess with an astonishing degree of accuracy as to any movement within a business day if there will be a rate adjustment, whether up or down, based on what the bond market is doing, specifically the 10 year bond. For clarity's sake, there a couple of different bonds that affect interest rates. They are:
The 2 Year Bond
The 5 Year Bond
The 10 Year Bond
The 30 Year Bond
The primary bonds that affect interest rates are the 10 year and the 5 year bond. To see actual, real time fluctuations in the bond market, go here at http://money.cnn.com/markets/bondcenter/ to see current prices for bonds. This is the one I view daily. The bond market is highly volatile. How do you read the graphs so as to know if interest rates will have a spike downward or upward?

While looking at the 10 year price graph (the farthest one on the right), if the 10 year price has a massive swing upward from say 99 28/32 to 103 28/32, rates most likely will have a decrease from current levels. On a daily basis, California loan agents receive rate sheets from lenders (we work with over 400 lenders so they are plentiful).

If the bond market fluctuation merits an increase or decrease in the loan broker's yield spread premium (their rebate), it will in turn affect the interest rate that is quoted to a client, which in this example would be a lower rate. If the bond price doesn't have much of a fluctuation during a normal business day, the rate will not move. Every day, in the morning, rates are received in the office. If a price adjustment is required, the primary lenders will immediately issue an adjustment rate sheet to their broker partners.

As I've said, interest rates are set based on the yield in the bond market at any given time. Let's show an example. If, for example, a $100,000.00 bond falls in value to $95,000.00, the corresponding yield (return) is significantly higher. Because the yield is higher, the prevailing interest rate that is set for the mortgage must offset the higher yield and provide a return on the mortgage for the lending institution. With all things being equal, the rates on fixed rate mortgages would tend to rise.

Multiple Forces in The Economy

There are many factors influencing interest rates for your California home loan in the US economy. Higher interest rates can cause fluctuations in the stock market which in turn affects the bond market. In fact, the bond market and the stock market are opposite sides of the same coin. One can't move without the other. If the US Dollar rallies, bonds dip; when oil prices dip, bonds can as well. Generally speaking, when the bond market is up, the stock market is down. In addition, if economic news is worse or better than expected, it will cause a fluctuation in the US dollar currency pairs in the spot Foreign Exchange market (the FOREX), which can affect the bond market and in turn rates.

A quick example. A couple of weeks ago from this writing, the US New Jobs report was projected at 350,000 -- it only came in at 10% of that or 35,000. Once the report was announced, literally IMMEDIATELY the GBP/USD currency pair (Great British Pound and US Dollar) spiked upward. The GBP dramatically increased in strength with the US Dollar becoming weaker. One FOREX trader I know literally made $3,500 in five minutes as he projected the claims to be much less than expected.

Also, interest rates dropped that day due to the lackluster jobs report. Coming into the office that day, a wise loan agent would have locked some loans or at the least knew interest rates would had gone down that day. Truly, the US economy is a highly interdependent organism that is very fluid and dynamic -- it is never static or motionless. Some of the key economic indicators that affect the economy, and in turn interest rates, are:
Durable Goods Orders
New Home Sales
US Trade Balance
Jobless Rate
Weekly Initial Jobless Claims
Fed Chairman Greenspan Speech Before Congress

The key economic indicators that can affect the bond market with corresponding fluctuations are:
Consumer Confidence
Retail Sales
Manufacturing Activity
Industrial Production
Jobs Growth
Inflation

There you have it. There are many forces at work in determining what your rate is on any given day. So the next time you ask a loan agent, "what are rates like today?" You'll see there's a lot behind it.

What to Learn As a Forex Currency Trading Beginner

If you are a Forex currency trading beginner, your first order of business is to get yourself informed. Forex trading can truly be highly profitably. However, without knowing its essentials, you will not earn one single dollar from it and may even lose your investment.

Do you know that the Forex market is the biggest financial market in the world? You may think that the stock market is big enough, but it can not quite measure up the size of the Forex market. Even if you add the futures market to the stock market, the Forex market would still have a bigger amount of money being traded every day.

In the past, the market was a playing field only for the big shots who could present millions of dollars before they were allowed to trade. Today, the presence of online trading companies has opened the FOREX market to those who do not have millions but could afford to dish out thousands of dollars as beginner traders.

In its simplicity, Forex trading is to buy and sell different currencies in the world. You buy one currency while sell another. As such, currency trading always involves pairs, and quotes of currencies also come in one currency against another. The major players include the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar (USD/CAD), the Euro and the U.S. dollar (EUR/USD), the U.S. dollar and the yen (USD/JPY) and the Australian dollar and the U.S. dollar (AUD/USD).

The advantage of Forex trading is multi-folded. The transactions are fast because everything is electronic. You also are assured that there are often people who would want to trade with you. This is simply because there are so many people who are trading everyday and every hour of the day. You can buy and sell at anytime whenever you want to.

Perhaps the biggest attraction of Forex trading is its leverage. With a nearly unbelievable ratio of 200:1, you leverage capacity is simply huge. With very minimal initial cash you can already manage a large amount of currency. This is probably the main reason why the market is quite attractive for those who want to increase their earnings impressively.

It is wrong, however, to think that you can immediately get rich in Forex trading. People can lose too in currency trading. Those who do are often those who act impulsively with the hopes of getting rich instantaneously. If you do not take the time to learn the inner wheels of Forex trading and the technical aspects of leveraging, then you could lose everything you have put into currency trading.

For any Forex currency trading beginner, the best way to dive into this game is to get well-prepared in terms of knowledge, practice, budget and psychology. If you are just an average player, you can pick an online company who offers virtual trading with imaginary currencies without any substantial cost or loss on your part. So, position yourself as a beginner and start by playing small, you can improve quite quickly and steadily.

Forex Online Trading Course

Are you looking for a highly successful Forex online trading course? This trillion dollar market is the largest volume trading market in the world, with money changing hands between a wide variety of participants every day that includes large financial institutions, investment firms and small investors like you and me.

Most of the currency rate movements are caused by the large financial players due to changes in demand and supply in different currencies. As these transactions are being made, smaller investors like institutions and single investors can profit from the activity by speculating in the direction of movement of the currency rate.

1. Signing Up for a Forex Online Trading Course

Before you can expect to make any money from the currencies market, you should get a good education first by joining a Forex online trading course. These types of courses will give you a good idea of how the markets work in general and help you realize the dangers as well as the potential profits that can be made trading the Forex.

2. Profiting with Forex Automated Trading Software

If you have absolutely no experience but you want to start making money immediately, you can choose to download automated software that can start making money automatically while you learn how it trades the market.

3. How to Start Profiting from the Forex Market?

You will need to sign up for a live account to start making real money with Forex trading. If you have no idea of how your trading system works yet, you should get a demo account to practice on it and get familiar with it first.

4. How is Forex Online Trading Different from Trading other Financial Markets like the Stock Market?

The currencies market is much more liquid and provides much more margin for profit due to increased leverage. It is extremely liquid compared to the stock market, and you can be sure that your trades will be successfully executed as there are always buyers and sellers, unlike certain stocks that can be very illiquid.

Currency Exchange Terms Every Forex Trader Should Know

Before jumping into the forex market, you need to arm yourself with some terminology that will be used in any course or software on this subject. The following set of terms were put together with the idea of providing the novice forex trader with the fundamental concepts of the forex trading business. While they sound technical, most are easy to understand and apply.

Let us begin with the instruments that are traded in the forex markets. Currencies are traded in pairs so the instrument will always be in this double denomination. The reason for this is simple; the basis of forex currency trading is to exchange one currency for another. So if the pair is the Euro and the US Dollar, and the forex trader is taking a long position or buying the Euro in hopes that it will appreciate, effectively the trader is also selling US Dollars to buy the Euros. The most widely traded pairs are the Great Britain Pound and the US Dollar (indicated as GBP/USD), the Euro and the US Dollar (the EUR/USD pair), the Aussie Dollar and the US Dollar (AUD/USD pair), the USD and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY pair), and the Canadian Dollar and the USD (USD/CAD pair). These pairs account for well over 80% of the total volume of the trading in the forex market. The advantage to trading in these currency pairs is that they are highly liquid and allow the investor to convert their portfolio to cash very quickly to realize a profit.

In every pair, the first currency is called the base currency, over which the second one is countered to imply the price of the pair, or commonly referred to as the "cross currency". The second is therefore called the quote currency and the pair price is recorded in terms of the units of the quote currency required to buy one unit of the base currency. Thus, assuming the price of the GBP/USD pair is 1.5, this implies that 1.5 USD will buy 1 GBP.

Every pair is quoted in terms of a bid ask spread. The bid price is the rate at which your forex broker bids to buy the currency at, while the ask price is the rate the forex broker is asking to sell the currency to the forex trader. The bid price will always be less than the ask price and the forex trader will buy at the ask price and sell at the bid price. The bid ask price will be quoted as: GBP/USD 1.532/5, meaning the bid price is 1.532 and the ask price is 1.535.

A pip price interest point), as it is commonly called, is the smallest incremental change a currency pair will experience, for instance, a change in the GBP/USD price from 1.532 to 1.542 is a change of 10 pips. A trading margin is a deposit which is a minimum amount or a small percentage of your traded amount that you have to put up. The remaining amount is supplied by your broker. This amount can vary from 1% to 0.25%, also referred to as 100:1 and 400:1. Most often, forex brokers will offer 100:1 or 200:1 to most clients. This is risky but enables the trader to leverage a large amount that he or she would not otherwise have access to.

Finally, a margin call can happen when the forex trader allows the balance in the trading account to go below the margin deposit percentage agreed upon with the forex broker. The broker will automatically sell your long positions or buy your short positions and clear the entire trading account, returning the margin amount to the trader to protect the trader from losing more money than they have.

Best Forex Trading Education

There are many forex trading courses and educational material that a person can find online. However how does someone go about finding the best Forex trading education information? Certainly there are huge amounts of information that will educate you about Forex trading, but not all of it will help you to achieve your goals of making a profit rather than losing.

Below are some guidelines which should help you to find the best forex trading education course

Point 1 - Avoid Day Trading Systems

Many people when starting out in Forex trading will be enticed into thinking that the best way of making money is through day trading. Certainly if you were to ask a person who is selling a Forex trading course for details relating to their real time track record with regard to profits relating to day trading they will not be able to provide one to you.

So if you are looking to produce an income from your trading then do not waste your time on day trading.

Point 2 - Real Time Profit Records

When buying any sort of forex education course, you need to be provided with these records. If a person selling their system does not have confidence in the abilities of their system and are not investing their own monies then why should you. Unfortunately some of these courses being offered online today are from people who have either never traded in their lives or have failed when they have used the system themselves.

Point 3 - Understand It

Once you find a forex trading system which either has a track record or is willing to show their real profits then there are some other things which you will need to take into consideration.

It is important that you learn everything you can about the system in question so that you understand it completely. Unfortunately if you have no understanding of how the system works then you will not have the confidence to trust in it and follow the system through to a likely conclusion if you start to suffer losses.

By keeping these points in mind, you will find the best Forex trading education
that is suited to your kind of personality. There are literally hundreds of places on the web that can offer you an education as well as free advice on Forex trading so do some investigating and you will soon find one that is ideal for you.