Thursday, 4 May 2017

Instaforex Malaysia Bürogebäude

Howtomakeadeal Der Handel auf dem Devisenmarkt kann eine sehr vielversprechende und fruchtbare Erfahrung für einen Aspiranten Trader sein, wenn er / sie die Grundlagen des Handels sehr gut studieren wird. Wenn eine Person wird versuchen, seinen Weg in den Devisenmarkt ohne das notwendige Wissen erforderlich Kraft, nur ein großes Problem erwartet, dass Händler. Ein Trader muss ein Spiel Plan oder eine Idee, wie die echte Transaktion in der Devisenmarkt zu tun, bevor er oder sie wird einen Umzug und Handel machen. Mit diesem kann das Risiko des Verlierens einer riesigen Menge an Geld abgeschnitten werden und der Händler bleibt Weg von Konkurs oder alle Probleme, die auf dem Weg kommen könnte. Der wichtigste Aspekt bei der Bestimmung, ob eine Person ist bis zu der Aufgabe, ein Forex Trader ist, ist zurück zu gehen, für eine Weile denken und eine Visualisierung auf Ihre gesamte private Geld-Bild. Wenn das Geld, das Sie versuchen, in Ihrem Trading-Konto zu investieren ist das Geld, das Sie auf Ihrem täglichen Leben verwenden, dann denken Sie noch einmal. Ein Geld, das 100 Prozent OK zu verlieren ist das Geld, das eine Person bei der Investition in den Devisenmarkt sollte dies die primäre Maßnahme bei der Festlegung der richtigen Gewohnheit eines wohlhabenden Forex Trader ist. Wenn die täglichen Ausgaben Geld in den Devisenmarkt investiert wird, dann ist diese Person dazu bestimmt, in die Irre zu gehen, weil, obwohl die Handelshavent begann, ist der Händler in hohem Maße an seinem Geld befestigt und wenn der strebende Händler Verlust wird er sein übermäßig emotional. Dies ist der Grund, warum einige Händler nicht in der Lage sind, in dieser Branche erfolgreich zu werden. Nach einem langen Denken, dass Sie genug Geld haben, um ein Forex Trading-Konto zu öffnen, können Sie jetzt gehen, um die nächste Phase. Erstellen Sie Ihre eigene perfekte Strategie, die Sie nutzen können, um alle Umstände zu verwalten, dass Sie gehen, um auf dem Markt. Eines der besten Dinge mit Instaforex ist, dass es jedem Client ein Demo-Konto bietet. Dieses Konto ist ein Trading-Konto, das einem Investor die Chancen zu versuchen und zu studieren die Merkmale einer Handelsplattform, erwerben die grundlegenden Handelserfahrung auf Forex, erstellen Sie eine private Geld-Management-Methode, lernen das System der Devisenmarkt-Analyse und versuchen zu behandeln Echte Zitate in einer Echtzeit-Situation und bauen Ihre Handelstechnik ohne Risiken vor der Investition in das reale Konto. Ein Demo-Konto arbeitet allgemein mit virtuellem Geld, das einem Investor die Macht bietet, einen imaginären Handel zu machen, um sich mit den Funktionen der Plattform vertraut zu machen. Hier in InstaForex. Jeder Einzelne ist willkommen zu beginnen und arbeiten in einem Demo-Konto für eine unbegrenzte Zeitspanne und absolut kostenlos. Transaktionen mit InstaForex Trading-Konto bietet dem strebenden Händler alle Informationen benötigt, als ob er / sie tut die Trades mit einem echten Live-Konto. Dies erweist sich als das größte Trainingsgelände für Rookie Trader. Und nicht nur, dass ein hoffnungsvoller Händler kann so viele Demo-Konten, wie er will absolut kostenlos. Nach dem Erhalten der dringend benötigten Erfahrung, ist der nächste Schritt, um eine eigene persönliche Technik, die zu Ihrem Trading passt, können Sie jetzt zu einem ernsteren Deals, die die Live-Konto ist. Stärkung Ihrer Chancen auf Verdienen und Beschneiden der Probleme, Risiken und Verluste ist Ihre oberste Priorität. Da das Umtauschvolumen nicht begrenzt ist, können Sie nach dem Grundsatz des Risikoprofits austauschen, wobei nur Sie die Höhe Ihrer Investitionen unterscheiden können. Alles bewegt sich nach Ihren persönlichen Entscheidungen. Das Handeln unter dem Live-Konto wird Ihnen das Gefühl der Verbindung zwischen Ihren Gewinnen und Währung Aktionen auf dem Markt. In Instaforex können alle Angebote profitabel sein. Mit dem Ruf als der beste Forex Broker in Asien, geben sie jedem Kunden die besten Handelsbedingungen in Reaktion auf die zunehmende Zahl der Händler. Jeder Kunde von Instaforex hat das Privileg für diese erweiterte Leistungsvielfalt: Online-Nachschub und Rücktritt per Kreditkarte Wöchentliche Wettkämpfe zwischen REAL-Konten (jährliches Preispool über 500.000 US-Dollar) Alle Berater können genutzt werden Keine Einschränkungen für das Ergebnisvolumen Einzigartiger Swap System basiert auf dem Prinzip Kaufen SwapSell Swap keine Provisionen Keine Einschränkungen für Transaktionsvolumen Qualitative technische Unterstützung und Beratung 24 Stunden, 5 Tage die Woche, in 5 Sprachen. Mehr als hundert Repräsentanzen international. Sofortige Orderausführung Mehr als 140 Handelsinstrumente einschließlich Forex, CFD und Metalle Handelshaus MetaTrader4 Wettbewerbsfähige Spreads für alle Währungspaare Swap-freie Konten (islamische Konten) Monatliche Wettkämpfe bei DEMO-Konten (jährliche Preisgelder ca. 500.000 US-Dollar) Willkommensbonus in Der Betrag von 30 US-Dollar auf 5000 US-Dollar Konten ohne Spread (Eurica Art von Konten Provision anstelle von Spreads) US-Dollar, Euro, Schutt-Konten werden auch angeboten Trading unter dieser Top-of-line-Bedingungen wird jedem Händler die Bequemlichkeit und Hartnäckigkeit sie Notwendigkeit, ihre Handelskarriere zu heben. Sobald Sie schlagen alle Umstände in der Abwicklung mit einem Live-Konto, das Erlernen der Kenntnisse über alle von Ihnen Fähigkeiten und Privileg als Händler, können Sie nun Schritt bis zum nächsten Punkt Ihres Fortschritts. Sie können wissen, berechtigen Sie sich einen professionellen Händler und arbeiten auf eigene Faust auf dem Devisenmarkt Nutzung aller Ihre Fähigkeiten, von Techniken, die Sie ausgeliehen oder Projektionen über die Markt-Aktionen. Nicht alle Rookie Trader sind in der Lage, zu diesem Punkt voranzutreiben, aber mit InstaForex Unternehmen stellen wir sicher, dass unser Team alle Anstrengungen zur Unterstützung jeder Kunde in allen ihren Bedürfnissen, um erfolgreich zu sein in der Devisenmarkt. Wednesday, 2014 InstaForex freut sich, den Start des sechsten jährlichen Online-Schönheitswettbewerbs Miss Insta Asia 2015 bekannt geben zu können. Die neue Saison beginnt am 1. Oktober 2014. Dieses Datum wurde nicht versehentlich gewählt. Während der ganzen Geschichte des Wettbewerbs war dieses Datum entscheidend für Kandidaten, wie Ergebnisse von Miss Insta Asia zusammengefasst wurden. Der außergewöhnliche und faszinierende Online-Wettbewerb Miss Insta Asia wurde während seiner Existenz noch beliebter. Teilnehmer aus der ganzen Welt erklären ihre Eleganz, Schönheit und Anmut. Liebhaber von Schönheit werden noch mehr charmante Damen aus verschiedenen Ländern sehen: Indonesien, Malaysia, Philippinen, Island, Großbritannien, USA, Russland, Ukraine, Lettland, Iran, Indien und China. Tauchen Sie ein in die Welt der Schönheit. Wählen Sie für ein oder mehrere Kandidaten, die Ihnen am besten gefallen Das Format, die Konditionen und Regeln des Online-Schönheitswettbewerbs sind gleich. Der Sieg und Preispool von 45.000 wird von Miss Insta Asia, zwei Vice Misses, Forex Lady und Insta Choice geteilt werden. Die schönsten Damen werden durch die Ergebnisse einer offenen Online-Abstimmung bestimmt. Beachten Sie, dass InstaForex-Händler eine privilegierte Stimme haben. Vielleicht sind Sie es, die Verteilung von Orten für die schönsten Kandidaten von Miss Insta Asia 2015 zu bestimmen. Wenn Sie an der sechsten Saison des Wettbewerbs teilnehmen und sich für den Titel von Miss Insta Asia 2015 oder wenn Sie wollen Beeinflussen das aktuelle Rating der Kandidaten, willkommen bei miss-instaforex-asia. Atemberaubender Sieg mit InstaForex Freitag, 23. März 2012 Wir bitten zwanzig der schönsten Schönheiten aus der Ratingliste heikle Fragen, um ihre persönlichen Besonderheiten aufzudecken und unseren Lesern zu zeigen, die tatsächlich hinter den verführerischen Portfolios stehen. Das Mädchen von März ist ein Frühling-wie Mädchen mit einem sonnigen Lächeln. Ihr Name ist Elena Ovdiyenko. Elena, ein Ökonom-to-be und ein zertifizierter NLP-Praktiker, hat ihre Ansichten über das Leben, Geheimnisse der Frauen Glück und erzählt über den Erfolg ihrer Anfänge auf Forex geteilt. IFX: Elena, Sie vertreten Ukraine in der Schönheit Wettbewerb, aber Sie zählen sich selbst als eine anständige Vertreter von Asien. Was ist mit Asien gefällt Ihnen so viel EO: Die Sache ist, dass ich vertreten Ost-Ukraine. :) Ich bin von der Kultur des Ostens seit der Schule fasziniert. Asien hat mich immer mit seinem Erhalt von alten Zeiten Muster des Lebens und des Denkens winkend. Ich war nach Indien vor kurzem, die mich noch näher an magnetischen Asien gebracht, ich fühlte die Glückseligkeit der Harmonie. Ich glaube, dass Ost sichert Wahrheit und Liebe heutzutage. Ich bin jetzt viel in die Philosophie von Indien und balanciere das Geistige und das Material in mir. IFX: Sind Sie ein Führer für das Leben EO: Ich mache keine besonderen Anstrengungen, die erste zu sein, die ich gerade lebe, um meinem Herzen zuzuhören. Einige konnten sagen, dass ich eine führende Person bin, während andere mich eine geführte Person nennen würden. IFX: Stellen Sie sich vor, dass Sie eine Möglichkeit haben, eine Super-Fähigkeit zu gewinnen, was würden Sie bevorzugen und warum EO: Was ich gerne haben würde, ist die Fähigkeit, Menschen echte Liebe zu lehren. Dann gäbe es keine unglücklichen Menschen. IFX: Welche Geschenke gefällt Ihnen am meisten? Sagen Sie uns etwas über das unvergesslichste und angenehmste Geschenk, das Sie bekommen haben. EO: Aufrichtiges Lächeln meiner Freunde und Verwandten und herzliche Worte sind das, was ich am meisten schätze. Gibt es etwas Besseres als eine Zusammenkunft aller geliebten Menschen auf einen Urlaub, der glücklich zusammen ist :) IFX: Magst du fotografiert zu werden Fühlst du dich vor der Kamera sicher EO: Ja, ich genieße es fotografiert, es fühlt sich gut an . Ich bekomme absolut aufgelöst in den Prozess jeder Blitz ist wie ein Herzschlag. Dies ist, wenn Magie passiert. :) IFX: Sind Sie genau wie in den Fotos in Ihrem Alltag EO: Was ich bin auf den Fotos ist genau das, was ich im Leben bin :) IFX: Denken Sie, Schönheit ist ein Geschenk oder vielmehr Ein Ergebnis der harten Arbeit EO: Es ist ein Geschenk, das eine Person für die Selbst-Verbesserung bekommt. IFX: Gibt es etwas zu vermeiden, so dass Schönheit zu retten EO: Sorrow ist unzulässig. Das Glück macht eine Frau schön IFX: Haben Sie ein Idol Sie bewundern EO: Nein, ich habe kein Idol im gewöhnlichen Sinne des Wortes.))) Allerdings gibt es eine Person, die ich bewundere Angelina Jolie. Zuerst hat sie ein Herz aus Gold. Es ist klar, aus ihrem Verhalten und Handlungen. Angelina reiste in verschiedenen Ländern der Welt auf einer 4-jährigen humanitären Mission. Darüber hinaus im Jahr 2006 Angelina Jolie zusammen mit Bred Pitt eine Wohltätigkeitsorganisation Jolie / Pitt-Stiftung spendet die Mittel für Ärzte ohne Grenzen. Zweitens ist diese faszinierende Frau das Ideal der Schönheit für mich. IFX: In Ihrem Profil haben Sie geschrieben, dass Sie in die psychologische Wissenschaft und dass Sie NLP Praxis. Verwenden Sie diese Methoden, um Ihre Freunde und Verwandten sind sie von jeder Hilfe im Leben EO: Ja, ich benutze die Methoden, mit guten Absichten nur. Dank der Kenntnisse von NLP, brach ich frei von obsessiven Zuneigung. Ich kann leicht mit Personen jeder psychologischen Art zu kommunizieren. IFX: Schaffst du es, andere wie ein Buch zu lesen EO: Definitiv nicht. Ich weiß nicht einmal danach streben, das zu tun. :) Wenn ich durch jedermann sehen könnte, wäre das Leben nicht so interessant. IFX: Sind Sie ein Anfänger auf Forex Was haben Sie bisher erreicht EO: Ja, ich bin neu auf Forex, so kann ich nicht sagen, dass ich wettbewerbsfähig bin, nach dem Rating zu beurteilen. Allerdings habe ich wirklich wie Finanzen und genießen Sie das Studium der Volkswirtschaftslehre an der Akademie, so bin ich vertraut mit Wertpapiertransaktionen. Ich hoffe, ich werde mehr geschickt auf dem Markt bald und meine Bewertung wird zunehmen. IFX: Hatten Sie mit dem InstaForex Unternehmen vor dem Miss Insta Asia Contest zusammengearbeitet EO: Nein, der Schönheitswettbewerb war der Ausgangspunkt meiner Arbeit mit InstaForex Company. IFX: Sind Sie genau beobachten die Abstimmung EO: Nr.) IFX: Was ist Ihre Haltung zu Niederlagen Was, wenn Sie nicht erfolgreich zu gewinnen EO: Ich habe einen philosophischen Ansatz, um Misserfolge. Es gibt ein sehr wahres indisches Sprichwort: Hass ist die Frucht des Sieges, Traurigkeit ist was für die Besiegten übrig ist. Nur wer auf Sieg und Niederlage verzichtete, ist ruhig und glücklich. IFX: Vielen Dank für so detaillierte neugierige Antworten. Sie sind nicht nur eine erstaunliche Schönheit, sondern auch ein großer Konversationist. Wir wünschen Ihnen Glück mit dem Wettbewerb und Leben als Ganzes, lassen Sie den Frühling blühen in Ihrem Herzen immer Montag, 5. März 2012 Charmante und fröhliche Regina Gorlanova wurde als der Miss des letzten Wintermonats gewählt. Kurz nach der Registrierung hat Regina es geschafft, durch den neu akzeptierten Teilnehmer zu den Führern zu brechen. Im Moment behält sie die führenden Positionen in den Top 10 im Insta Asia Schönheitswettbewerb. In ihrer Interview Miss Februar erzählte uns, warum Jakarta sie so viel angezogen und dass ihr idealer Mann sollte ziemlich weit von ideal IFX: Hallo, Regina. Das Finale des Wettbewerbs ist ziemlich weit, halten Sie die Miss Februar Nominierung als Ihren kleinen Sieg RG: Hallo Ja, Im sehr zufrieden mit dieser Art von Aufmerksamkeit von der Verwaltung, danke. IFX: Wie haben Sie von der InstaForex erfahren? Haben Sie jemals Erfahrung in der Zusammenarbeit mit unserem Unternehmen vor der Registrierung im Wettbewerb RG: Eigentlich habe ich über das Unternehmen nur gelernt, wenn ich am Wettbewerb teilgenommen habe. Mein ehemaliger Mitschüler und Freund, der ein Devisenhändler ist, hat mir vorgeschlagen, am Wettbewerb teilzunehmen. Dies ist eine neue und interessante Erfahrung für mich, so nahm ich diese Einladung mit großem Vergnügen IFX: Was hat Sie an Miss Insta Asia Wettbewerb Dou Sie wirklich wollen, zu gewinnen oder der Preis ist nicht der Grund, warum Sie im Wettbewerb registriert haben RG: Erstens war ich so aufgeregt, dass ich die Bewertung und Kommentare jeden Tag überprüft. Aber da dieser Wettkampf sehr lange dauert, habe ich beschlossen, ihn diesen Kurs nehmen zu lassen. Dies ist eine interessante Erfahrung ist es ähnlich wie ein Online-Spiel. Ich würde nicht sagen, dass der Sieg meine einzige Absicht für mich ist die Beteiligung selbst ist interessant. IFX: Haben Sie schon einmal an Wettbewerben teilgenommen, darunter Schönheitswettbewerbe (Wenn Sie haben, dann in welche und welche Orte haben Sie) RG: Im nicht ein Spieler in meiner Natur und Im nicht sehr gern von Wettbewerben und Wettbewerben. Ich nahm nur an den Wettbewerben teil, wenn meine Freunde mich dazu ermutigten. IFX: Erzähl uns von dir. Was sind Ihre Pläne für die Zukunft nach dem Studium von der Universität RG: Ich mache Modeling und Schauspiel und das begeistert mich wirklich. So bin ich nicht sicher, dass kurz nach dem Abschluss werde ich als Grafik-Designer arbeiten. Vielleicht werde ich mich in einem anderen Feld versuchen. IFX: Mögen Sie die langfristige Planung für Jahre oder mindestens Monate Können Sie dem Plan genau folgen oder nehmen Sie das Beste aus Ihren Entscheidungen spontan? Glaubst du, es ist wichtig für einen Forex Trader RG: Nein, das kann ich absolut nicht Die langfristige Planung Id besser mit Plänen für eine Woche oder sogar für einen Tag. Ich mag spontane Ereignisse und Entscheidungen, da sie eine Menge Emotionen geben. Ich mag die Unberechenbarkeit, aber manchmal ist die Planung notwendig. Erwartungen können zu viel Sorgen bringen, so dass ich es einfach nehmen. Für einen Forex Trader ist es natürlich wichtig, seine eigene Strategie auszuarbeiten und ihm zu folgen, um sich der Besonderheiten des Weltmarktes bewusst zu sein. Ein Trader muss wissen, wie man analysiert und Ereignisse voraussieht, aber es ist auch wichtig, spontane Entscheidungen zu treffen und Pläne zu ändern. Darüber hinaus sollten Sie eine gute Intuition und keine Angst vor Risiken haben IFX: Angenommen, Sie wurden eingeladen, eine Rolle im Kino spielen, welchen Charakter würdest du interessant zu spielen und warum RG: Ich mag verschiedene Genres von Kino und verschiedene Charaktere. Um meine Schauspieler Potenzial zu offenbaren und für meine persönliche Erfahrung würde ich daran interessiert sein, die entgegengesetzten Charaktere oder die Charaktere von verschiedenen Genres aus Cartoon oder Comics zu tief emotionalen Drama spielen. IFX: Welche Ihrer Qualitäten werden von Ihrer Familie am meisten geschätzt RG: Es ist ziemlich kompliziert, von Ihren Tugenden besonders vom Punkt Ihrer Familie zu sprechen. Aber ich höre oft, dass meine Familie meine Unterstützung, mein Mitgefühl, mein Verständnis, meine Sorge, meine leichte Stimmung und meinen Sinn für Humor schätzt. Ohne diese Qualitäten ist es schwer, in dieser Welt zu leben. IFX: Sie sind sehr kreative Person nach Ihren Hobbys und Fotos. Wie jede kreative Person müssen Sie einige Besonderheiten, mustnt Sie Möchten Sie uns über die seltsamsten Ereignis in Ihrem Leben erzählen RG: Das seltsamste Ereignis, das eine interessante Frage. Etwas wie salzige Cracker mit süßem Marmelade Es ist ziemlich schwer, von Ihren eigenen Besonderheiten zu sprechen. Ich denke, andere Leute sehen eine Menge von ihnen in mir. Das einzige, was ich sagen kann ist, dass ich nicht wie Komplimente, wie sie mich zum Lachen bringen und ich will weglaufen. Sein eigenartiges, weil zu meinem Verstand jedes Mädchen sollte wissen, wie man Komplimente nimmt. Ich weiß nicht, wie ich das noch machen kann und ich kann sie nur nehmen, wenn sie konkret und wahr sind. IFX: In Ihrem Fragebogen haben Sie erwähnt, dass Sie gerne viel unterwegs sind. Welche Orte, die Sie besuchten waren die bemerkenswertesten für Sie RG: Jeder Ort ist speziell und lieb zu Ihnen auf seine eigene Weise Bestimmte Treffen, Veranstaltungen, Atmosphäre werden in Erinnerung und Herz erinnert. Im Moment kann ich sagen, die bemerkenswerteste für mich war Indonesien, vor allem Jakarta. Dieser Ort ist wunderbar: es gibt eine Menge von netten und freundlichen Menschen, interessante Veranstaltungen, können Sie immer tun, was Sie wollen. Der Ort ist perfekt, da er Gegensätze verbindet: Tier - und Industriearchitektur, Reichtum und Armut, Arbeit und Unterhaltung. Obwohl es viele Gespräche über Bali gibt und wie viele Russen dort sind. Ich hoffe, eines Tages diese Insel zu besuchen. IFX: Was ist Ihr idealer Mann RG: Ideal Manfirst von allem sollte er nicht ideal sein. Kleine Unvollkommenheiten machen die Person attraktiver, entweder ihre Individualität oder ihr Aussehen. Ich mag intelligente und g ?? tige Männer mit leichtem Temperament. Sinn für Humor ist auch notwendig. Ich mag Männer, die dich zum Lachen bringen und von selbst lachen können, Männer mit beredten Augen, fröhlichem Lächeln und großen schönen Händen IFX: Glaubst du, dass die Schönheit die Welt retten kann RG: Absolut kann die Schönheit sparen und es spart die Welt Es ist auch notwendig, nicht nur die äußere Schönheit, sondern auch die innere Schönheit zu betrachten. Wenn eine Person innen schön ist, wird er schön draußen sein. Aber was auch immer schön Ihr Gesicht ist, können Sie nicht attraktiv sein, ohne die innere Schönheit. Alle Menschen versuchen, schön zu sein, aber auf verschiedene Weise. Sie sollten die richtige wählen. IFX: Ihre Figur ist perfekt Würden Sie uns Ihr Geheimnis sagen: ist es Sport, Schönheitssalon oder das Naturgeschenk RG: Im sehr geschmeichelt, ich danke Ihnen sehr, obwohl ich nicht so denke. Sicherlich Genetik ist wichtig für Figur, aber tatsächlich jede Figur kann schön sein. Der Punkt ist, wie Sie in Ihrem Körper fühlen: bequem oder nicht, was immer sie sagen. Es ist wichtig, die Vorteile Ihrer Figur zu zeigen. Aber wenn Sie Perfektionist dann sollten Sie Sport tun, essen gesundes Essen und lieben sich. Dies ist der Schlüssel zu Ihrem Erfolg. Persönlich mag ich Sport und genießen Sie körperliche Übungen Ich mag gesunde Nahrung. Aber um ehrlich zu sein, war ich nie davon besessen, weil die Natur mich nicht dazu veranlasste Und ich kann nicht umhin, etwas Süßes zu essen, das ist meine persönliche Leidenschaft und das Geheimnis der guten Laune. IFX: Regina, im Moment Ihre Bewertung ist eine der höchsten. Wie haben Sie es geschafft, diese große Menge an Stimmen in der kürzesten Zeit zu sammeln Warum glaubst du, die Gäste der Website für Sie stimmen RG: Persönlich habe ich keine Ahnung, wie die Menschen wählen, die aus der ganzen Menge dieser charmanten Mädchen . Schauen sie sich jeden an oder halten sofort an dem, den sie mochten. Also kann ich nichts zu diesem Thema sagen. Ich hoffe nur, dass die Leute meine Fotos genießen und ein wenig wärmer und energischer fühlen, wenn sie meinen Look sehen. Und ich möchte allen danken, die für mich gestimmt haben. Im immer noch überrascht, aber Im sehr dankbar, seine schätzen. Vielen Dank IFX: Regina, wir danken Ihnen für Ihre interessanten und informativen Antworten. Wir wünschen Ihnen viel Erfolg und lassen Sie Ihre Traumreise nach Bali wahr werden Donnerstag, 16. Februar 2012 Eine junge Mutter, Trader, Finanzberaterin und Autorin eines Buches für Kinder ist alles über Marina Zhabina, Teilnehmerin der Miss Insta Asia Schönheitswettbewerb aus Chabarowsk. Sie schaffte es, von den ersten Tagen des Wettbewerbs am besten bewertet zu werden. Wir beschlossen, herauszufinden, was es braucht, um alle oben genannten Rollen zu kombinieren. IFX: Guten Tag, Marina. Wir danken Ihnen für Ihr Interview. Bitte erzählen Sie uns etwas über sich. MG: Ich habe einen Abschluss in den Bereichen Konstruktion und Programmierung, aber gegen die Logik, ich arbeite in der Sphäre der Finanzierung. Ich bin ein Finanzberater, hilft den Menschen gut mit ihrem eigenen Geld. IFX: Ein Konstruktor-Programmierer MG: Ja, ein Ingenieur-Konstruktor und Programmierer. Meine Spezialität sind automatisierte Gebäudeentwurfssysteme. Um die Wahrheit zu sagen, weiß ich nicht, was mich dazu gebracht hat, einen wirklich männlichen Beruf zu wählen. IFX: Wie bist du zur Finanzsphäre gekommen MG: Es war eine Chance, die mich in die Welt der Finanzen brachte Im Alter von 20 Jahren habe ich eine Idee, dass, obwohl wir viele Fächer unterrichtet haben, es eine riesige Lücke gibt : Wir haben kein Wissen über unser Geld. Derzeit sind Schulen und Institute sind die Einführung von Disziplinen Entwicklung der finanziellen Kompetenz. Ich war nie glücklich mit dem Verdienstausgaben-Verdienstprinzip, also begann ich, nach relevanten Informationen und Leuten zu suchen, die ihr Wissen teilen konnten, und schließlich fand ich sie IFX: Und dann wurden Sie einer dieser Leute MG: Genau Geld Ist ein integraler Bestandteil unseres Lebens. Auch wenn die Leute sagen, dass Geld nicht Glück kaufen kann, machen Mangel an Geld Schwierigkeiten macht sie viel glücklicher. Ich bin froh, dass es mir gelungen ist, diese Probleme zu lösen. IFX: Im Profil haben Sie sich als kreative, aber mathematisch geneigte Person beschrieben. Wie schafft man es, den mathematischen Geist mit der Kreativität in Einklang zu bringen? Ist diese Dualität im Leben von Vorteil oder im Gegenteil MG: Seit dem Alter von 4 Jahren habe ich Verse und Prosa, gemalte Bilder, eine Musikakademie und ein Theaterstudio besucht So dass durch den Augenblick des Eintritts in eine Hochschule hatte ich Kreativität Überdosis. Deshalb habe ich mich für eine technische Spezialität entschieden. Damals war ich in fortgeschrittene Mathematik verliebt: Ich konnte drei Seiten logarithmischer Gleichungen auf einmal lösen. Doch Neigung zur Kreativität überstieg meine Eifer für Mathe: Ich fand einen Job in der TV-Industrie und verbrachte zwei Jahre mein eigenes Projekt zu verwalten. Übrigens führe ich momentan ein Märchen aus. Ich kann nicht warten, bis mein Märchen veröffentlicht wird. IFX: Bitte erzählen Sie uns mehr über Ihr Buch. MG: Nun, das Buch ist ein wenig großes Geheimnis betitelt. Dies ist ein Märchen, das lehrt, Ziele zu setzen und sie zu erreichen, an sich selbst glauben. Das Buch ist eine Art praktischer Führer für Kinder, die als Märchen gesetzt werden. Ich beabsichtige, einen Teil der veröffentlichten Exemplare an russische Waisenkinder zu bringen, da es für Kinder ohne Eltern besonders wichtig ist, eine Quelle der Selbstwirksamkeit zu finden. IFX: In Ihrem Profil haben Sie auch gesagt, dass Sie ein Leistungsträger sind, also haben Sie einen zielorientierten Lebensstil. Was ist Ihre bisher größte Leistung im Leben MG: Ich bin stolz auf alles, was ich heute habe. In jeder Sphäre, die ich verlobt bin, zeige ich Ergebnisse, die von anderen hoch eingeschätzt werden. Zum Beispiel gibt es keine Menschen in meinem Alter eine führende Position in meinem beruflichen Bereich. Top Manager hielten es für unmöglich. Aber ich tat es, obwohl ich keine Priorität für einen Job habe, weil ich einen eineinhalb Jahre alten Sohn habe. Das ist die Leistung, auf die ich am meisten stolz bin. Meine Freunde halten sich fragen, wie ich alles zu verwalten: ein Kind zu erziehen, zeigt ausgezeichnete Ergebnisse bei der Arbeit, kümmert sich um mich, kocht Mahlzeiten dreimal am Tag und erkunden etwas Neues. IFX: Wie haben Sie von dem Schönheitswettbewerb Miss Insta Asia erfahren Warum haben Sie sich entschlossen, daran teilzunehmen MG: Ich begann am Ende der letzten Contest-Saison mit der InstaForex Company. Dann entschied ich mich, an dem Wettbewerb teilzunehmen, wenn es eine andere Jahreszeit gibt. Ich bin eine Frau, anscheinend eine schöne Frau. Und ich bin ein Händler Ich würde mich freuen, den Hauptpreis im Handel zu beschäftigen. Der Sieg würde mir das Ziel der Veröffentlichung meines Buches näher bringen. Ich denke, es ist nicht der Erwähnung wert Wohltätigkeit, die ich es regelmäßig tun. Das Zeigen von mir ist nicht ein wirkliches Motiv außerdem: es gibt viele anderen Weisen, es zu tun. Ich kam gerade zu gewinnen IFX: Sie spenden auch Geld für wohltätige Zwecke, nicht Sie MG: Ja, ich weiß, für eine lange Zeit. Es ist ganz einfach. Ich regelmäßig Geld auf Konten von zuverlässigen Wohltätigkeitsfonds, manchmal auf Konten von bestimmten Kindern in der Notwendigkeit einer teuren Behandlung. Es war ein Schock für mich zu lernen, wie viele Kinder wirklich brauchen Unterstützung. Jedes kleine hilft Diese Methode ist effektiver als das Finden einer Person oder einer Organisation für die Behandlung von someones Kind zu zahlen. IFX: Unser Wettkampf heißt Miss Insta Asia. Marina, was bedeutet Asien für Sie MG: Ich wurde geboren und lebe derzeit im asiatischen Teil der Russischen Föderation. Aber reales Asien ist mehr als nur ein Platz auf der Welt. Asien bedeutet verführerische Augen der indischen Frauen, Weisheit und Sorgfalt des chinesischen Volkes, die Ehre japanischer Samurai und die Leidenschaft der Kaukasier. Asien bedeutet eine Vielzahl von Kontrasten. Darüber hinaus ist Asien für 4 von 7 Milliarden Menschen der Welt zu Hause. IFX: Meiner Meinung nach sind Frauen aus dem asiatischen Teil Russlands und aus Asien als solche anders als die europäischen Frauen MG: Meiner Meinung nach sind asiatische Frauen wahre Frauen in der alten Bedeutung dieses Wortes. Sie sind wirkliche inländische Göttinnen. Was europäische Frauen betrifft, so sind sie weitgehend emanzipiert und unabhängig. IFX: Was ist mit Ihnen Welche Gruppe gehören Sie MG: Ich bin glücklich, so einen guten Mann neben meinem Mann haben. Er macht mich zu einer wahren Frau. Immerhin ist eine Frau die größte Stärke ihrer Schwäche. Und ich kann schwach sein IFX: Was war der Ausgangspunkt für Ihre Forex Trading Weise MG: Es war mein Wunsch, sich zu öffnen, um die Chancen Leben bietet. Es gab eine gewisse Zeit, als ich über alle Angebote nachdachte. Ich ging durch viele Angebote Forex bestand. IFX: Was ist Ihre aktuelle Einstellung zum Handel auf dem Devisenmarkt Sie betrachten es als eine dauerhafte Arbeit oder eher ein Hobby MG: Das ist meine Aufgabe, die den Großteil meines Einkommens macht. Außerdem bin ich nun verstärkt Partner Beziehungen mit InstaForex Company: Ich plane eine Repräsentanz in der Stadt, in der ich wohne in. IFX: Es wird uns eine Freude, mit Ihnen zusammenzuarbeiten. Vielen Dank für das Interview. Wir wünschen Ihnen viel Glück im Wettbewerb und Handel Donnerstag, 19. Januar 2012 Die dritte Saison des einzigartigen Schönheitswettbewerbs Miss Insta Asia hat vor kurzem immer mehr und mehr interessant mit jedem Stadium begonnen. Trader schließen ihre Terminals öfter, um die Wettbewerbs-Homepage zu öffnen. Jeden Tag können wir sehen, neue schöne Teilnehmer und mehr Fotos. Die enorme Menge an Kommentaren weist auf die unglaubliche Aktivität der Fans hin. Im letzten Monat des Jahres 2011 hatten wir das Interview mit einem der Führer unserer Wettbewerbe offene Abstimmung. Dieses Mädchen repräsentiert die nördliche Hauptstadt von Russland St. Petersburg. Bitte begrüßen Sie Darya Shlykova. IFX: Hallo Dariya. Zuerst möchten wir Ihnen für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit auf unseren Wettbewerb und Ihre Teilnahme danken Ihnen die erste Frage ist sehr häufig, warum haben Sie sich für Miss Insta Asien Wettbewerb und war es die erste Erfahrung für Sie DS: Es war mein Mann Die mich am Wettbewerb teilnahmen. Für mich war es das erste Mal. IFX: Wie haben Ihre Freunde reagiert, als sie gelernt hatten, dass Sie im Schönheitswettbewerb teilnehmen würden DS: Sie wünschten mir Glück. IFX: Lassen Sie uns über Forex sprechen. Was war Ihre erste Bekanntschaft mit Devisenhandel und warum haben Sie sich für den Handel entscheiden Was sind die wichtigsten Vorteile von Forex Trading in den Sinn DS: Zufällig sah ich die Werbung im Internet und ich neugierig geworden. Erstens müssen Sie Entscheidungen selbst treffen, zweitens gibt es kein solches Konzept wie Arbeitstag und schließlich ist das sehr spannend. IFX: Denken Sie, es gibt einige spezifische Qualitäten von Frauen, die ihnen helfen könnten, erfolgreicher zu sein auf Forex als Männer DS: Ich denke, dass es keinen Unterschied, ob Sie ein Mann oder eine Frau sind. Die persönlichen Qualitäten, die Selbstdisziplin und der Appetit auf das Lernen sind die Schlüsselfaktoren. IFX: Was ist Ihre Hauptschwierigkeit im Handel und wie Sie es verwalten DS: Es gibt ein Sprichwort: Schneiden Sie die Verluste lassen Sie Ihren Gewinn wachsen. Leider können wir dieser einfachen Regel nicht immer folgen. IFX: In Ihrem Fragebogen sagten Sie, dass Sie Fußball mögen. Einige könnten sagen, dass Forex und Fußball nicht für Frauen sind. Haben Sie irgendwelche Einwände DS: Nun, viele Männer, viele Köpfe. Ich denke, dass Sie nicht die Interessen zwischen Männern und Frauen teilen sollten. Was den Fußball anbetrifft, so mag ich es für seine Energie und Aufregung. IFX: Es gibt einige ziemlich altmodische Filme in der Liste deiner Favoriten, die du sagst, dass du die klassische Musik Dostoyevsky und Conan Doyle kaum als unsere Zeitgenossen bezeichnen kannst. Haben Sie auch solche konservativen Strategien im Handel zu folgen oder mögen Sie Experimente DS: Ich glaube, ich mag Experimente. IFX: Was ist Forex für Sie Ist es ein Ort, wo man Geld zu gewinnen oder ist es ein Hobby DS: Ein Hobby. IFX: Warum wollen Sie zurück in 1935 Warum sind Sie so interessiert in diesem Zeitraum DS: 30-es waren der Wendepunkt für unser Land: neue Ideale entstanden einige konkrete Ziele definiert wurden, führen uns in die glückliche Zukunft. Die Leute glaubten, dass alles möglich ist. IFX: Folgen Sie immer den Änderungen in der Bewertung Was können Sie über andere Teilnehmer sagen Glaubst du, jemand verdient den Sieg mehr als andere DS: Nein, nicht sehr oft. Es ist ziemlich schwierig, eine Vorliebe zu geben, wie eine Menge von würdigen und interessante Mädchen an dem Wettbewerb teilnehmen. IFX: Du hast gesagt, dass du mindestens 3 Kinder bringen willst. So ist das Familienleben für Sie wichtiger als Wettbewerbe, Charts, Aufträge, etc. DS: Ja, sicher nach Hause, Freundlichkeit und die Unterstützung von Ihrem Nächsten und Liebsten sind viel wichtiger als jeder Erfolg. Was sind all unsere Erfolge für, wenn es niemanden gibt, der mit IFX zu teilen: Fühlen Sie sich müde von Mens Aufmerksamkeit Im sicher, dass Sie immer von Lächeln und interessierten Blick gejagt werden DS: Vielen Dank, aber ich habe keine Aufmerksamkeit auf sie, I Bin absolut glücklich in meinem Leben IFX: Viele denken, dass Dezember ein magischer Monat ist. Fühlen Sie sich zufrieden, dass Sie anerkannt wurden Fräulein Dezember Glauben Sie, dass es Ihnen bei der abschließenden Abstimmung hilft Oder möchten Sie Ihren Sieg mit einem Sommermonat verbunden sein DS: Ich bin ziemlich zufrieden, obwohl ich Sommer sehr viel mag. Aber es scheint mir, dass Dezember eine magische Zeit ist und jeder möchte an das Wunder glauben. IFX: Was möchten Sie unseren Lesern zum Abschied sagen DS: Ich wünsche Liebe und Wohlstand für alle. FX: Darya, wir danken Ihnen für diese interessante Antworten und wünschen Ihnen viel Erfolg in 2012Group: Moderatoren Beiträge: 725 Mitglied seit: 13-August 09 Mitglied Nr. 100 Arbeitslosengeld: Bill könnte mehr als 1 Million Arbeitslosen helfen NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Mehr als eine Million Menschen könnten eine zusätzliche 13 Wochen Arbeitslosenunterstützung unter einer Gesetzesvorlage erhalten, die das Haus am Dienstag einstellen soll. Die Gesetzentwurf würde die Vorteile für diejenigen, die in Staaten mit Arbeitslosenraten höher als 8,5 zu verlängern. Etwa 27 Staaten, sowie der District of Columbia und Puerto Rico, fallen in diese Kategorie. Die nationale Arbeitslosenquote traf im August auf 9,7, die höchste in 26 Jahren. Die erweiterten Leistungen würden auf schätzungsweise 314.000 Menschen angewendet, um ihre Leistungen bis zum Ende des Jahres zu beenden und auf mehr als eine Million, die aufhören, Kontrollen bis zum Ende des Jahres, nach dem House Ways and Means Ausschuss. Arbeiter in anderen Staaten könnten qualifizieren, wenn ihr Zustand erwartet wird, um eine 8.5 Arbeitslosenrate bald zu treffen oder andere Kriterien erfüllt. quotDecent, hard-working Americans from North Carolina to California have been calling my office to tell me they still cannot find work after a year or more after becoming unemployed and they need some additional help to keep their heads above water, quot said Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash. when he introduced the legislation earlier this month. An estimated 400,000 people are expected to lose their checks by the end of this month and 1.4 million will by the end of the year, according to the National Employment Law Project. McDermott said he will push for more comprehensive legislation in the near future. In most states, unemployed people receive 26 weeks of state-funded benefits. Depending on where they live, they could get federally funded extensions for a total of 79 weeks. The bill will be fast-tracked though the House, where it is expected to pass easily. Senate Democrats said they will try to address the measure soon after the House votes. A spokesman for Senate Republicans could not be reached for comment, though at least one lawmaker has said he39d support the legislation. The cost of the additional benefits would be offset by extending for one year an employer-paid federal unemployment tax that has been in place for the past three decades, and by requiring that reporting on newly hired employees include a start date, which would reduce unemployment insurance overpayments. Calls to extend benefits Over the past year, Congress has twice voted to extend benefits. Still, pressure has been building on Capitol Hill to extend them again as the recession wears on and unemployment continues to rise. Governors of 22 states appealed to congressional leaders last week to quickly pass extended benefits. A record 50.7 of the unemployed failed to find work within six months of receiving benefits, according to the National Employment Law Project. There are now more than six potential workers for each opening, up from 1.7 in December 2007. Extending benefits is crucial since unemployment often continues to rise even after the economy starts to turn around, said Chad Stone, chief economist for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which advocates for workers. Also, lengthening benefits helps boost the economy since the jobless usually spend their checks. The bill is well-targeted since it would apply to more than 80 of those about to exhaust their benefits, Stone said. They will likely continue to have the hardest time finding a new job. The states with unemployment rates greater than 8.5 are Alabama, Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. G-20: Do global summits matter Leaders of the world39s biggest economies converge again. They will call for strengthening the financial system that collapsed - just like they did twice before. WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- Let39s try this again. When Group of 20 leaders meet in Pittsburgh this week, they will call for a coordinated global effort to tighten financial regulation to prevent future financial collapse. That sounds a lot like the same thing they said at the previous two meetings they convened over the past year in April and last November. quotWe39ll discuss some of the steps that are required to safeguard our global financial system and close gaps in regulation around the world -- gaps that permitted the kinds of reckless risk-taking and irresponsibility that led to the crisis, quot President Obama said last week. Leaders will probably walk away from the Pittsburgh summit with a general agreement on at least two priorities: Requiring banks to build stronger safety nets for their balance sheets and getting tougher on executive pay in order to curb risky practices. They may even set some deadlines -- as in next year or several years from now. quotThere39s little more you can expect from a meeting like this, quot said Benn Steill, director of International Economics at the Council of Foreign Relations. quotEven I39d be a little uncomfortable with them trying to do more, because we39re a ways away from a consensus domestically on what the numbers should be. quot European concern at pace of change A White House senior adviser, speaking to reporters last week, defended G-20 progress on global regulatory reforms. For one thing, nations have been focused on the more immediate task of stabilizing their economies. quotIf you asked people then what they thought the situation would be in September, they probably thought it would be worse than it is now, quot said Michael Froman, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. Froman also stressed that just getting all the nations to agree on regulatory reform principles is an accomplishment. quotWe should not necessarily underestimate what the significance of countries coming together and saying, 39Given the lessons of this crisis, here are the policies we agree to pursue going forward, some of which require adjustment in our approach to our economic policy,39 quot Froman said. quotThat39s a fairly significant innovation in international cooperation. quot However, some European officials are worried about what they see as a lack of progress. A group of regulators and academics called the European Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee sent the G-20 a letter this week warning that proposals on the table quotare not likely to substantially reduce the likelihood of future crises. quot quotWe are concerned that not enough has been done, quot said Harald Benink, a banking professor at Tilburg University in the Netherlands who chairs the group. What will they do Earlier this month, U. S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner lobbied G-20 finance ministers to endorse a key reform effort: Requiring bigger capital cushions at financial firms. Such reserves can protect banks against losses and are considered important for preventing another financial crisis. The idea is among those at the top of the list for the Pittsburgh meeting. While nations agree about the need for boosting reserves, the debate will likely center around how best to do it. The more controversial question of how big capital reserves should be is not expected to be decided. The United States would prefer to pass its own capital rules and have other countries follow suit, said Eswar Prasad, an international economist at Cornell University. The Europeans would prefer a multi-national process with all nations work together, more or less, as equals. quotThe Europeans want to be very involved in developing those standards, so they39re not going to be as enthusiastic as they might be, quot Prasad said. The more high-profile regulatory proposal will be over executive pay -- and how to tackle it. The French, among others, have been calling for global caps on executive pay, but the Obama administration isn39t budging on that issue. quotI think the president has been pretty clear that he supports a robust approach to executive compensation, but has been reluctant to sort of set individual compensation levels, quot Froman said. International experts say they don39t expect the G-20 to endorse pay caps. Instead, the leaders are likely to give a nod to a set of principles that would encourage countries to decouple bonuses from risky behavior, while adding more disclosure of pay to regulators or shareholders. Morris Goldstein of the Peterson Institute for International Economics said that the G-20 could create a compromise that satisfies all members by linking executive pay issues to stronger capital requirements. If financial firms are forced to increase capital requirements, it means they39ll have fewer profits, and less available for bonuses linked to profits. Experts also say that the G-20 will also talk about the need for coordinated regulation of some of the kinds of complex financial products that were sold by Lehman Brothers and AIG (AIG, Fortune 500). However, the countries are not likely to reach agreement on how to do it. Finally, experts believe the Pittsburgh meeting will feature discussion of broad, tricky issues of rebalancing different G-20 member economies. The United States wants China to spend more and depend less on exports, and other nations want the United States to quit living on debt. But the meeting is not expected to produce a concrete plan for rejiggering the imbalances. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 The Fed39s dollar conundrum The central bank has flooded the world with dollars to avert collapse and start a recovery. But what if the U. S. economy doesn39t reap the rewards NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Whose recovery is the Fed stimulating, anyway A year after the near collapse of the financial markets, the global economy has stabilized. Job losses have slowed and stocks have posted a sharp rally. Yet skeptics warn that a major driver of the recovery in stock and bond markets -- a round of unprecedented emergency money printing by the Federal Reserve -- could actually slow the healing of the real economy. In this view, the Fed39s decision to hold short-term interest rates near zero has temporarily revived financial markets without addressing the economy39s underlying problems. The danger is that with bank lending remaining anemic and consumer balance sheets still bloated, the low U. S. rates could end up supporting overseas growth without fortifying domestic health. quotYou end up financing everybody else39s expansion but your own, quot said Howard Simons, a strategist at Bianco Research in Chicago. Critics focus on the fact that low U. S. interest rates enable investors around the globe to borrow dollars for next to nothing and invest them elsewhere at higher rates. This bet -- known as the dollar carry trade -- appears to be one of the forces pushing down value of the dollar. Though there are few reliable figures on the size of the carry trade, the dollar39s trend has clearly been down since stock and bond markets revived. The buck recently traded at its lowest level against the euro in a year, while the trade-weighted dollar index has dropped 14 since March. The resulting investment flows are potentially unstable, prompting talk of new asset price bubbles -- particularly in commodities such as oil and gold, and the economies of faster-growing emerging markets. That sounds like an unpleasant arrangement, but Americans may have to get used to it. The Fed, which is expected to hold interest rates steady when it wraps up a two-day meeting Wednesday, has said it anticipates keeping its fed funds rate near zero for an extended period. That could mean months of a currency-depressing, growth-stunting carry trade -- an echo of Japan39s experience during two decades of on-again, off-again zero interest rates. Could have been worse -- but who really benefits Of course, the world was a different place then. In the 1990s and the early part of this decade, other rich countries were showing solid growth. Now, other governments -- notably the U. K. -- are following essentially the same spending playbook as the U. S. quotEveryone39s doing the same stupid thing now, quot said Simons. quotIf everyone39s being irresponsible, you end up in a race to be most irresponsible. quot None of this means that Fed chief Ben Bernanke and other policymakers had lots of better options at their disposal when they took rates down to zero and began buying bonds in a bid to make credit more available. The financial sector was on the verge of cataclysm after years of easy money policies led to a surge of bad loans and a flight of capital from wholesale funding markets. Facing a total meltdown, officials enacted programs that supported the mortgage market and stabilized the banking system. That those decisions were costly and have contributed to soaring government spending is obvious. But without them, the U. S. could have faced a replay of the Great Depression, when unemployment was above 20. quotHow much worse. would conditions for the average American have been without that handoutquot says Tim Duy, an economics professor at the University of Oregon. quotThat is the relevant question. quot Still, the debate over who is reaping the biggest benefits from the financial rescue is hardly a new one. Most prominently, Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) -- the securities firm that received 03610 billion of Treasury capital last fall under the Troubled Asset Relief Program and has since issued almost 03622 billion of government-backed debt -- has rebounded so strongly that it39s on pace to pay bonuses on par with those of the boom years. Meanwhile, two forms of credit creation most relevant to consumers and small businesses -- securitization and bank lending -- have yet to bounce back. Consumer credit dropped at a 10.5 annual rate in July, the Federal Reserve said, and commercial bank loans fell at a 036392 billion annual rate in the second quarter. These are not the makings of a vigorous domestic recovery, said Michael Pento, chief economist at investment adviser Delta Global Advisors. quotThe people looking for a V-shaped recovery are living in Candyland, quot he said. quotOne of these days we39re going to have to stop trying to inflate our way out. quot Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Bank bailout problem: No easy answers FDIC has a decision to make: How to replenish its insurance fund. With failures mounting and banks complaining about fees, borrowing from Uncle Sam may be the best way out. NEW YORK (Fortune) -- It39s time for Sheila Bair to stop worrying about bailout politics and hit Uncle Sam up for some dough. Bair is the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. the federal agency that administers the insurance fund that stands behind the savings of millions of Americans. The fund is paid for by the banks that benefit from it, but it has been depleted by a wave of bank failures that isn39t expected to abate any time soon. The FDIC board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss how to raise money to restock the fund. There aren39t a lot of good options. Bair could easily borrow the cash from Treasury, where the FDIC has a standing credit line. But the agency hasn39t done so in nearly 20 years, since the trough of the last banking crisis. And with bailout rage lingering in the air, Bair has made clear she39s not eager to break that precedent. She said last week that whether to tap the Treasury credit line is a quotphilosophical questionquot for bankers and their regulators. The central issue: Is the Treasury backstop there for foreseeable losses or for quotunexpected emergenciesquot That comment reminded listeners that as heavy as the FDIC39s burden has been -- 94 banks have failed this year, on top of 25 last year -- the agency is still wary about the possible collapse of a giant, multibillion-dollar institution. But another danger is that if the FDIC fails to take prompt and transparent action, the public could again lose faith in the financial system -- at a time when bad news about failing banks is certain to continue. quotI don39t understand why Sheila just does not use her Treasury line to recapitalize the fund in the same way that she encourages banks in similar situations to recapitalize themselves, quot said Ken Thomas, a Miami-based banking consultant who has testified before Congress on deposit insurance funding. quotBy doing this, quot Thomas added, quotshe would put an end to all of this growing and troubling uncertainty about the shrinking fund, which does nothing but detract from confidence in the FDIC which is the most important concern. quot What Bair would rather do is what the agency typically does -- collect funds directly from banks -- or turn to what she describes as other tools, such as raising money by issuing debt to banks. The FDIC has warned banks that they may have to pony up another special fee to support the insurance fund, whose balance fell to a 17-year low of 03610 billion this summer. But the banks, which have been socked with one special fee this year, are warning that a tax on their already weakened profits could push a number of them over the edge and stall the economic recovery that has gingerly taken hold since spring. And for once, they may not just be blowing smoke. The industry posted a 0363.7 billion loss in the second quarter, when one in four institutions were unprofitable. The FDIC classifies more than 400 institutions -- nearly 5 of its membership -- as troubled. Whatever the industry39s problems, many commentators have dismissed the prospect of the FDIC using its Treasury credit line as another bailout. The agency has a 036100 billion standing credit line with Treasury -- and, thanks to a law passed this year, the authority to borrow as much as 036500 billion through 2010 in an emergency. Given that the industry paid essentially no insurance premiums for a decade, it39s easy to see why there might be some resentment over a fresh demand for taxpayer funds. Between 1997 and 2006, the industry made 0361.28 trillion in pretax operating profits, according to FDIC data. During that period, thanks to a 1996 law that prohibited the agency from assessing well capitalized banks, the banks paid just 036672 million in insurance premiums. Yet given the banks39 current problems -- and the federal laws that oblige the industry to, over time, fully repay any Treasury borrowings -- the option of drawing on the credit line is gaining backers in unexpected places. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. chairman of the House Financial Services committee, said this week he believes using the credit line is the quotcleanestquot way to solve the FDIC39s funding questions. And Thomas -- who twice last decade proposed boosting the minimum size of the deposit insurance fund, so that the FDIC fund would never repeat its brush with insolvency in the early 1990s -- dismisses the bailout talk as a red herring. quotThis idea that she does not want to go to the Treasury because of the perception of a federal 39bailout39 does not make sense, since everyone knows that FDIC is ultimately backed by the full faith and credit of the U. S.,quot said Thomas. Whatever outsiders think, the FDIC board -- led by Bair and staffed by two members of the FDIC and two other federal banking regulators -- will soon decide. An FDIC spokesman said it39s likely the agency will put some proposals out for public comment Tuesday, rather than making a decision on the spot. The shifting debate seems to have left even the politically savvy chairman a bit bemused. quotThe political dynamic on this is interesting, quot Bair said this month after her speech at Georgetown University. quotPeople are shifting from not wanting this to go to taxpayers to wanting it to go to taxpayers. quot Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Chrysler: Check engine now Out of bankruptcy but not out of the woods, the automaker is struggling with a stale product line-up and not much new in sight. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Three months after coming through a federally-financed bankruptcy, the new Chrysler Group still faces serious trouble with no quick solution in sight. The carmaker may have been given a sleek and shiny new balance sheet, but the products on the showroom floor are the same stale cars and trucks from before and there39s not much new to look forward to. In the hyper-competitive American car market, that empty product pipeline is potentially disastrous. Newly designed and engineered cars and trucks are what keep automakers in the game. quotIt39s the most important thing, quot industry analyst Jesse Toprak of Truecar said of new product offerings. quotIt39s the lifeline. quot Besides a new heavy-duty version of the well-regarded Dodge Ram pick-up on sale now, there39s nothing new coming from any of Chrysler Group39s brands before the middle of next year. quotI think they will run out of steam quickly, quot Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend magazine, said of Chrysler Group. quotHow long could they prop it up with color changes and incentives Another year or two, maybe. quot New car and truck models are important because consumers are always interested in the newest stuff, Toprak said, but all-new products with the latest engineering and the trendiest designs take years to develop -- time which many experts say Chrysler does not have. To try to turn its own situation around before it39s too late, Chrysler Group is expected to release a new revitalization plan in November. Interviews published recently by the industry newspaper Automotive News provide some insight into what Chrysler Group executives might be thinking. Under the new plan, both the Chrysler and Dodge brands will undergo serious image makeovers. Dodge will continue to be a performance-oriented brand but now focus more on fun-to-drive qualities than on raw engine power. Chrysler, meanwhile, will move upscale. Way upscale, setting its sights on competing with Cadillac, BMW and Mercedes. A Chrysler spokesman would not officially confirm anything that was said in the Automotive News report. When pressed by reporter at the Frankfurt Motor Show recently about Chrysler Group39s dry product pipeline, Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne replied quotWho saysquot and told reporters to quotwait until November. quot New directions: In order to crank out new products quickly, Chrysler will likely depend on Fiat for much of the vehicle engineering needed. The Italian automaker39s CEO now runs the show in Detroit after it took a 20 ownership stake in the new Chrysler Group. Dodge39s new image as a more fuel-efficient, but still sporty, car brand could benefit from Fiat engineering, said James Bell, an industry analyst with the Web site KBB. Fiat is well known for building just that sort of product and Dodge will only be following a larger trend in the U. S. away from big cars and big engines. quotI think it39s where the business is going to go, anyway, quot he said. While he agrees this strategy could work for Dodge, Motor Trend39s Stone thinks a quicker path to profit for Dodge would be to just ditch cars altogether. quotI still think the best strategy for Dodge would still be to become an all-truck division, quot he said. Gary Fong, who heads the Chrysler brand, as well as handling sales for all of the Chrysler Group brands, told Automotive News he wants the Chrysler brand to reach toward the high-end luxury car market. He described the goal as quota notch above Cadillac, a notch above Lincoln. quot That idea is more controversial. quotChrysler did used to be an upscale brand, but that is so ancient history, quot said Michelle Krebs, a senior industry analyst with the automotive Web site Edmunds. Even in those days, Motor Trend39s Stone said, Chrysler wasn39t really in the luxury big leagues. Back in the 1950s, 3960s and 3970s -- remember Ricardo Montalban boasting of quotsoft Corinthian leatherquot -- it was more of a value-oriented alternative. That39s something Chrysler could shoot for again, he said, as it did with the current Chrysler 300, a car that offers luxury car looks for mass-market money. quotI think there39s people proving there39s room in that space, quot he said. Hyundai, for instance, is succeeding with its new Genesis sedan. Under the best of circumstances, a luxury-leading Chrysler brand will take a long time to build, said Bell. quotTo do what they39re trotting out here is at minimum a decade-long project, quot he said, quotand that39s with killer product. quot Another problem is that Fiat could do little to help Chrysler build real luxury cars, said Stone. Even Fiat39s upper-end European brands like Alfa-Romeo and Lancia don39t have cars that could readily be turned into American-style luxury cruisers, he said. Chrysler will have to start from nothing. quotYou39re talking scratch-built stuff here. quot Gary Dilts, senior vice president of global automotive operations at J. D. Power and Associates, sees luxury aspirations for Chrysler brand cars as more of a vague, long term target than something anyone realistically expects in the near term. quotThat doesn39t mean you shouldn39t shoot for it, quot he said. quotIf there was ever a time to get out of jail, it39s now, quot Dilts said. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Australia gets OK to sue Lehman Town councils and other investors in Australia can pursue financial claims against the U. S. investment bank, according to a firm representing 60 claimants. SYDNEY (Reuters) -- An Australian court has ruled that local governments can pursue financial claims against collapsed U. S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in Australia and elsewhere, a firm that is funding the litigation said on Monday. IMF (Australia) Ltd. said the Federal Court ruled on Friday in favor of town councils and others which had lost money in collateralized debt obligations marketed and issued by Lehman, opening the door to legal claims to recover their losses. However, the judgment does not set a precedent for the many other Lehman investors and creditors worldwide who are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from the bankrupt bank39s estate, said Susanna Khouri, investment manager at IMF. quotThis does not have implications beyond Australian law. It is not going to be a precedent for creditors to other Lehman entities around the world, quot Khouri told Reuters. The firm said in a short statement to the stock exchange that the court had found against the validity of a Deed of Company Arrangement which had prevented the councils and others from pursuing claims against Lehman entities and from pursuing payment under various insurance policies. quotIMF will now fund those councils and other parties in litigation to recover monies lost when they invested in collateralized debt obligations arranged, issued and promoted by those Lehman entities, quot the statement said. IMF is representing about 60 clients. Lawsuits abound. Lehman39s estate is facing a slew of claims from creditors worldwide, including bondholders, derivatives counterparties, states, towns and individuals. Administrators of the London arm of Lehman Brothers said last month the claims it is handling against the collapsed Wall Street bank could total as much as 036100 billion. Lehman39s demise a year ago brought the global financial system to the brink of collapse, and accountants and lawyers expect to have to work for years to sort out billions of dollars worth of assets left locked in its accounts. About 35 councils in Australia invested 03622 million in Federation CDO, a long-term, synthetic instrument based on a list of 40 residential mortgage-backed securities linked to the U. S. subprime market, financial magazine the Government News said in a report in April. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 The last bank left standing for small businesses As other major players fell away, Wells Fargo has remained a stalwart, increasing its lending this year through SBA programs. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The landscape of lenders willing to work with small business owners has changed dramatically in the last year, but one bank -- Wells Fargo -- has emerged stronger than ever. While other financiers that were historically major players took a knee, Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) increased its lending, emerging as the new number-one lender through the Small Business Administration39s loan programs. CIT Group (CIT, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), Banco Popular of North America and others that once held top spots have cut their SBA lending by more than 70 this year. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo upped its loan volume 4, from 036583.4 million in 2008 to 036605 million this year. Some of that gain may be fueled by Wells Fargo39s late-2008 acquisition of Wachovia, another bank that traditionally made many SBA-backed small business loans. The acquisition closed three months into the 2009 fiscal year (which the SBA began Oct. 1), leading Wachovia and Wells Fargo to report their loans separately through part of the year. Taken together, the two banks lent 036742.3 million this year -- down 24 from what they collectively lent as independent banks last year, but still far more than any other bank put into the small business market. The next runner-up, U. S. Bank (USB, Fortune 500), made 036249.5 million in loans through the SBA39s flagship lending program. Given the retraction of a number of key lenders, Wells Fargo39s leap to the top is not a major surprise. quotI don39t see anything shocking with Wells Fargo being number one, quot says Bob Coleman, editor of the Coleman Report, which monitors small business lending trends. What Wells Fargo did right: Wells Fargo39s ascendance isn39t solely due to its competition39s collapse. The bank made two key strategic decisions that turned into major advantages. First, Wells Fargo doesn39t resell its loans on the secondary market, where many banks unload bundles of the SBA-backed loans that they39ve made. That market froze last fall after Lehman Brothers39 collapse, leaving many banks unable to find buyers for their loans -- and without those sales, the banks lacked the capital to make new small business loans. Second, Wells Fargo focuses on making traditional 7(a) loans, which can total as much as 0362 million each. The Small Business Administration guarantees a portion of its 7(a) loans -- if the business owner defaults, the government pays the bank back for the insured portion. But the SBA also offers a variety of quotExpressquot loan programs, which involve lower loan amounts, lower government guarantees, and less paperwork. Because banks scrutinize those loans less, they39re more prone to go bad when the economy gets rough. Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), in particular, has been hit hard on that front. The bank made 3,296 SBA loans last year, making it the fourth most-active SBA lender based on the number of loans made. But most of those loans were Express loans, with an average loan size of just over 03631,000 each. And many have begun defaulting. A year ago, CEO Ken Lewis called his bank39s small business loan portfolio a quotdamn disaster. quot Bank of America reacted by sharply pulling back on its SBA lending. So far this year, the bank has made just 303 loans, 269 of which were Express loans. quotWells Fargo is more of a traditional 7(a) lender. Their loans are larger and there is collateral behind them, quot says industry observer Coleman. quotThey do a more extensive underwriting analysis than the SBA Express lenders, which makes them feel more comfortable in assuming risk. For some lenders, the model is broken for those smaller Express markets, and so they have backed out of the market. quot The new lending scene: Tom Burke, Wells Fargo39s senior vice president of SBA lending, sees his bank39s new leading role on the lending scene as a validation of what it has been doing all along. While Wells Fargo never before held the number-one spot, it has routinely been in the top two or three. quotWe have been consistent. Our portfolio performs consistently, quot Burke says. quotWe always said that we are a player in the market. It is part of our DNA to help our small business customers. quot Wells Fargo plans to press its advantage. quotWe are increasing staff to take advantage of gaps in the marketplace, quot Burke says. quotWe saw weakness in our competitors, and we decided to take advantage of what was going on in the marketplace. quot One new small business owner is grateful that Wells Fargo is still actively lending. Jennifer Braun obtained an SBA loan from Wells Fargo in June to purchase a five-year old event-planning business called Festivities. Located in Medina, Minn. just outside of Minneapolis, the small business has seven fulltime staffers and a handful of part-timers who work weekends to cover events. Previously employed at an event-planning firm, Braun knew it was risky to change careers in a recession: quotAll along, I kept thinking this is the worst time to quit my high-paying corporate job, as the primary breadwinner in our house. quot But her doubts didn39t stop her from following her instincts. quotI just kept having the gut feeling that this was the time to act, quot she says. quotYou see a trend in downturns that a lot of companies are looking for mergers or consolidations, and that just seemed like something that I needed to capture -- to get a great business at a great price, because everyone is so scared, they are not moving forward on it. quot Braun started her research by Googling quotHow do I get a business loanquot and ended up being directed to Wells Fargo by a broker. Both Braun and her husband quit their jobs and currently devote all of their energy to growing Festivities. She39s optimistic that the economy is on the rebound: quotI have had a strong belief in next year, quot she says. Without the loan from Wells Fargo, Braun wouldn39t have been able to take the entrepreneurial leap. quotI would still be working at my corporate job, quot she says. quotIt would have been a dead dream for now. quot The future: Next week, the government wraps up its 2009 fiscal year, and the SBA numbers are likely to be grim. To try to revive the market, Congress allocated funds in February39s Recovery Act to temporarily eliminate fees for SBA loans and increase to up to 90 the percentage of the loan that is insured against default. Those moves have had some effect: quotIf you look in terms of all the government programs that are out there -- increasing that 7(a) guarantee to the bank has made the greatest impact to getting money to Main Street, in my opinion, quot says Coleman. quotThis is a good time to be making SBA loans, quot Wells Fargo39s Burke says of the added incentives. Even with the stimulus cash, the number of 7(a) loans made this year is on track to drop 38 from last year, to just over 40,000 loans. The total amount lent is also down sharply: Though mid-September, loans totaled 0368.7 billion, down 28 from the same time last year. But Wells Fargo, at least, expects its coffers to remain open to small business borrowers. quotWe are in it for the long term, quot Burke says. quotWe would love to continue to be the top SBA performer. quot For new banks, starting up is hard to do Would-be bankers are finding plenty of regulatory resistance, particularly in hard-hit regions of the country. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- What39s harder than running a bank these days Try starting one of your own. Even as enterprising bankers try to benefit from a less competitive industry landscape and Americans39 new-found love for Main Street banks, many industry hopefuls have had their dreams deferred. Nearly a year ago, Cindy Delaparte, a veteran of the Florida banking community, had visions of striking out on her own, establishing a de novo, or new bank, in the suburbs of Jacksonville. Things started out smoothly enough as she and her partner quickly raised the roughly 03612 million in start-up capital for their new venture: St. John39s Bank. But with costs mounting by the day and no indications that their business plan would be approved anytime soon by federal and state regulators, Delaparte withdrew her application in March. quotWe still believe it would have worked, quot she said. Starting a new bank has never been a simple undertaking. Would-be bankers not only have to secure millions of dollars from investors and find a management team with years of experience, but they also have to undergo significant scrutiny from both state and federal regulators. From start to finish, the entire process has known to take two years or more in some instances. So given the backdrop of the current crisis, industry experts suggest that regulatory scrutiny over prospective banks is as high as it has ever been. Would-be bankers in states where the local economy has suffered greatly or endured a rash of bank troubles now face a particularly tough time in securing new charters, notes Jerry Blanchard, a partner in the financial institutions practice at the Atlanta offices of the law firm Bryan Cave. Georgia, for example, was once a virtual boom town for new banks, averaging 14 per year between 2006 and 2008, according to FDIC data. After becoming the nation39s leader in bank failures during the crisis, regulators have placed a virtual moratorium on new banks in the state. quotRegulators are trying to figure out what went wrong, quot he said. But regulators have put the brakes on new banks in other ways. For example, experts believe the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which has the final say on new ventures by choosing whether to extend deposit insurance, has demanded that new lenders raise more capital than they might have in previous years. Officials have also been vigilant about firms intending to accept brokered deposits or building much of their business through commercial real estate loans, practices that have been problematic. quotYou have to have a very solid business plan, quot said Carey Richardson, director of sales for the Dallas-based Bankmark, which consults de novo banks. quotRegulators want to see that an institution is profitable by the end of its second year. quot Tougher scrutiny In a sign of just how reluctant regulators have been to sign off on new banks, about two thirds of the 32 firms that applied to the FDIC for deposit insurance have had their application rejected, according to the most recent agency data. Compare that to the pre-crisis environment of 2006 and 2007, when four out of every five new bank applications were approved. Faced with such grim statistics, some bankers have gotten creative in an effort to launch their business. When plans to open last year came unraveled because of the economic and regulatory environment, Richmond, Va.-based Xenith Bank agreed in May to a merger with First Bankshares (SUFB), which already operated institutions. What helps keep so many would-be bankers interested, according to experts, is that new institutions can choose to make loans that are safer and more lucrative, particularly as credit remains tough to come by. That prospect has also helped bring in plenty of private capital to banks looking to launch in the future. In just three short months of fundraising, Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Paradise Valley National Bank has raised 03611 million of the 03615 million to 03617 million the firm hoped to raise, said company CEO Gary Hickel. For Hickel, a long-time Arizona banker, this will be the second bank he has launched, the first coming in the mid-1990s. If all goes according to plan, his new venture, which will offer a variety of business, real estate and consumer loans, will launch this spring. quotIt is different today than it was back then, quot he said when comparing his two efforts to launch banks. quotWe are still meeting with a lot of receptivity, so that is encouraging. quot Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Chrysler39s credibility challenge The carmaker has to convince suppliers, dealers, and customers that it can be competitive again. Viel Glück. NEW YORK (Fortune) -- An auto company high executive who shall remain unnamed chuckled when asked about the competitive prospects of Chrysler: quotWhat39s their market share, 7 And what do they have to sell for the next two years besides the Ram pickup truck and the minivan Their first new car after that will be the Fiat 500 How many of those are they going to sell Fiat hasn39t sold so much as a bicycle here for 20 years. quot Though harsh and a bit off the mark (Chrysler39s market share is closer to 9 nine percent), the executive39s comments neatly summarized the challenge faced by CEO Sergio Marchionne and his executive team as they try to reestablish Chrysler as a credible choice for consumers in the U. S. market. It won39t be easy. Turning around car companies takes time -- three years to develop a new model -- and money -- up to 0361 billion for a new car or truck and the tools and machinery to build it with. Chrysler has little of either. Former owner Daimler hollowed out Chrysler39s technical capabilities and scrimped on its products to meet corporate financial targets. Then its last owner Cerberus severed critical operations and crammed distribution channels with unwanted vehicles in a desperate attempt to generate cash and stave off bankruptcy. Marchionne, who spends half his time in Italy running Fiat, Chrysler39s 20 owner, is said to enjoy the challenge of putting Chrysler39s pieces back together. He has promised to unveil a five-year plan for Chrysler in November. That39s no small task -- especially since Chrysler sometimes seems to be confused about what it wants to do. At the same time that workers were protesting the decision to close the plant where the underwhelming Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger are made, reports were published that Chrysler now intends to give the cars a facelift and keep the plant open for another two years. Chrysler will also need a more convincing story in order to convince suppliers to do business with it and dealers to stock its cars. But the atmosphere currently is one of mistrust. Suppliers have taken a beating lately because industry volumes have been so much lower than anticipated. Making fewer parts with the same overhead crushes profit margins. And dealers got burned in the weeks before bankruptcy when Chrysler begged them to keep taking more cars in the face of slumping sales. Some dealers did so, only to see their franchise agreements terminated, leaving them with lots full of unsold merchandise. At least Marchionne appears to be a realist. He39s admitted to being surprised by how little product development had been done at Chrysler in the two years before he arrived in June. And he promised that his five-year plan will show quothow we39re going to come out of this. quot The whole auto industry will be watching. Including one particularly skeptical high executive. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Starbucks instant coffee unveiled The home of the upscale lattes launches a new brand of instant coffee called Via. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Starbucks unveiled a brand of instant coffee Tuesday that the high-end chain says quotwill change the way people drink coffee. quot The Seattle-based company will begin selling a quotready brewquot coffee called Via at all of its U. S. locations in a move designed to tap a growing market for instant coffee. quotWith a 03621 billion global instant coffee business, and instant coffee representing 40 of overall global coffee sales, we believe Starbucks is uniquely positioned to capture a significant share of this market, quot said Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz, in a statement. Starbucks has struggled to compete with lower-priced rivals such as Dunkin Donuts and McDonald39s (MCD, Fortune 500) as consumers have become more price-conscious amid the weak economy. However, the company could face resistance from coffee purists who generally see instant coffee as inferior to brewed. Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) said Via is made with 100 natural roasted arabica coffee and that it took 20 years to develop quota proprietary, U. S. patent-pending microgrind technologyquot that preserves the taste of fresh coffee. To help get Via off the ground, Starbucks said it will offer customers the chance to taste it at U. S. stores from Oct. 2 to Oct. 5. Customers will also be given a coupon for a cup of brewed coffee on their next visit and 0361 off on a purchase of the instant brew. Via is sold in packs of three cup-sized servings for 0362.95 or 0369.95 for a 12 pack. That makes for a cost of 0361 per cup, which is Starbucks39 cheapest option. Starbucks has partnered with a number of other companies that could benefit from Via39s portability. The instant brew will be available on United Airlines (UAUA, Fortune 500) flights of more than two hours, and at Omni and Marriott (MAR, Fortune 500) hotels, as well as through outdoor gear retailer REI. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 FDIC asks banks for help The agency raised its estimated bank failure tab and wants banks to kick in 03645 billion to shore up the deposit insurance fund. NEW YORK (Fortune) -- The banking bust is getting mighty costly. Bank regulators on Tuesday sharply raised their estimate of the cost of cleaning up after bank failures -- and proposed sending the industry a 03645 billion tab to shore up the dwindling deposit insurance fund. The staff of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said it expects expenses tied to failed banks to surge to 036100 billion over five years -- up 43 from the agency39s last estimate in May. As a result of the rising costs and the pressures on the agency39s cash position, the FDIC proposed that banks prepay their deposit insurance premiums for the next three years at the end of December. The move would head off a cash crunch at the fund that stands behind consumers39 bank deposits. Under FDIC guidelines, bankers and others will have a month to comment on the proposal before it becomes a rule. The FDIC said the fund, under strain from 95 bank failures this year, will have a negative balance when the third quarter ends Wednesday and could run out of cash by the end of the first quarter next year. Over the past year, the deposit insurance fund balance has dropped to 03610 billion from 03645 billion. As a result, there is a need for banks to pony up cash on hand now to support the fund, which supports more than 0364 trillion in insured deposits. The FDIC said the banks mostly will be able to make the payments out of reserves, so it won39t unduly strain their finances or reduce lending. quotOur analysis suggests the industry can step up, so that39s what we are asking them to do, quot said FDIC chief Sheila Bair. The agency said the banking industry has quotsubstantial liquidity, quot with some 0361.3 trillion in liquid balances -- up 22 from a year ago. Because the banks won39t have to account for their payments to the FDIC all at once, the plan proposed Tuesday quotwill put the industry39s liquid balances to good use in conserving capital and helping to maintain the capacity of banks to lend while they rebuildquot the fund, the FDIC said. The industry, which had been lobbying against another option open to the FDIC -- levying a so-called special assessment on banks, as it did earlier this year -- generally praised the prepayment decision. quotAt this critical time, when the economy is just beginning its recovery, looking to options that are less pro-cyclical and that spread the cost over time is the right policy, quot the American Bankers Association said in a statement. The FDIC said it wouldn39t make any further special assessments on banks for the rest of the year, and ruled out raising the premiums it levies on banks till 2011. Tuesday39s proposal highlights how much money the banks have made over the past decade, while until recently contributing little to the insurance fund. In the seven years leading up to the bloodbath of 2008, when banking industry profits tumbled 78 as the credit bubble collapsed, FDIC-insured commercial banks made an average pretax operating profit of 036142 billion, according to agency data. Over the same period, the industry paid out just 036170 million a year, on average, in deposit insurance premiums, thanks largely to a 1996 law backed by the bankers39 friends in Congress. In 2006, President Bush signed into law a measure that restored the FDIC39s right to assess premiums on well-capitalized banks. Since the markets melted down two summers ago, the FDIC has been playing catch-up. It booked 036643 million in net assessments in 2007 and 0363 billion last year -- and is on track to bring in some 03617 billion over the course of 2009. The FDIC does have some other options to shore up the fund. For instance, it could borrow cash from the Treasury Department. The agency has a 036100 billion standing credit line with Treasury -- and, thanks to a law passed this year, the authority to borrow as much as 036500 billion through 2010 in an emergency. But Bair has been reluctant to tap into this line of credit. She and other officials said Tuesday they prefer to leave the Treasury credit line untapped unless there is what they call an emergency situation -- such as the failure of a massive institution. quotI think that the American people would prefer to see an end to policies that look to the federal balance sheet as a remedy to every problem, quot Bair said. quotThat is especially the case with an industry that has the resources to deal with the problem. quot Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Private sector still losing lots of jobs Payroll-processing firm says 254,000 jobs were lost in September, more than expected but down slightly from August. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Private sector employment fell more than expected in September, but the pace of job losses continued to slow, according to a report released Wednesday. Automatic Data Processing, a payroll-processing firm, said private-sector employers cut 254,000 jobs in September, down from a revised 277,000 in August. It was the smallest monthly total since July 2008. The decline was greater than the 200,000 loss economists surveyed by Briefing had forecast. But the difference was quotnot statistically meaningful, quot according to Joel Prakken, an ADP spokesman and chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC. quotThe pattern of improvement in headline number is undeniable at this point, quot Prakken said. Private sector payrolls will continue to decline at a slowing rate for the next few months before modest job growth resumes quotin the first few months of 2010,quot he added. Large businesses, those with 500 or more workers, let 61,000 workers go. Medium-sized businesses, with between 50 and 499 workers, shed 93,000 jobs. And small businesses, those with less than 50 workers, reduced payrolls by 100,000. Small businesses held will continue to shed more workers than larger and medium-sized firms, Prakken said. That39s because large businesses started shrinking payrolls earlier and therefore will recover sooner, he explained. The goods-producing sector cut 151,000 jobs in September, while the service sector shed 103,000 jobs. Employment in the manufacturing sector dropped by 74,000 jobs. The pattern of gradual improvement in the job market has been quotfairly wide spread, quot Prakken said. But employment in the construction and manufacturing sectors will remain weaker than the service sector, he added. Public sector employment, which ADP excludes from its report, is expected to decline significantly due to quotpressure on states to cut costs and meet budgets, quot Prakken said. ADP based its report on payroll data from about 500,000 employers across a broad range of industries. The report is seen as a precursor to Friday39s closely watched jobs report from the U. S. Labor Department. That report is expected to show that the economy shed 180,000 jobs in September, down from the 216,000 reported for August, according to a consensus estimate of economists compiled by Briefing. The unemployment rate is predicted to rise to 9.8 from 9.7. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Bailout cop on the prowl for perps Neil Barofsky39s job is to root out fraud in the 036700 billion rescue program. So far, he has put only one bad guy behind bars. But he says: Stay tuned. WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- Bailout cop Neil Barofsky is on the lookout for Censoredmers and thieves. The special inspector general will soon release results of an audit of the money given to the nine largest banks, with a focus on the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch merger. He39s also involved in a criminal investigation into that merger. In addition, Barofsky is investigating a now-defunct Alabama bank that applied for but never received bailout funds under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. In all, he has 35 ongoing criminal and civil investigations underway. But if you measure an investigator39s success by notches in his gunbelt, Barofsky has a ways to go. His biggest win came in August, when he helped put behind bars for 10 years an investment manager who conned investors into buying quotTARP-backed securities. quot Barofsky is not worried about counting wins. His team is going after complex cases like securities and accounting fraud, even if indictments are years away. quotThe cases most important to our mission are those where we investigate those who try to steal money from Treasury, quot Barofsky said in an interview with CNNMoney. quotBut that means they39re complex and take awhile. quot And he has time for in-depth investigations. His office, which was established by the 2008 bailout law, exists as long as the Treasury Department still owns assets paid with TARP dollars. Even as new funding winds down next year, some TARP programs are expected to own assets for another 8 to 10 years. Investigating fraud Barofsky is one of several watchdogs lurking over the 036700 billion federal bailout program. quotAt SigTARP, they really do carry a gun and a badge, quot said Elizabeth Warren, chairwoman of Congressional Oversight Panel, which also oversees the bailout. quotThey audit the books. They make sure that when a check has been made out to the First National Banks of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, that it really got cashed and the money went into that bank39s coffers. quot Warren39s panel looks at policy and big picture questions about how taxpayer dollars are spent and whether they39re helping the economy. Barofsky39s job is different. He focuses on fraud. Yet, he says the loose nature of the TARP law gives banks leeway in how they use the funds that wouldn39t be considered fraud. quotThey39re so few conditions on how they can use the money, quot he said. quotThey could use it to support ACORN. They could use it to make a million-dollar contribution to the American Nazi Party or bet all the money on black. quot Barofsky is looking beyond the banks that have received funding and is probing companies that may have lied on their bailout applications or used the TARP name to rip off consumers. quotIf those numbers are cooked, then there39s accounting fraud going on, and there is securities fraud going on, that39s a large part of our work, quot he said. Dancing with Treasury Barofsky, 39, a former federal prosecutor from New York, was tapped as bailout overseer by President George W. Bush last December. His ultimate boss is President Obama, who has the power to dismiss him. But, unlike most federal inspectors general, Barofsky reports to Congress and not the head of the agency he reviews. Treasury had challenged the question of who Barofsky reports to until dropping the issue in late August. quotYou can never rest on your laurels, quot Barofsky said about his apparent victory in affirming his office39s independence. quotThis challenge has been met and turned away, but we need to stay vigilant. quot The question of SigTARP39s independence was only the latest of several awkward moments between Treasury and SigTARP, although both sides maintain they have a cordial and professional relationship. In July, Barofsky made headlines when he said that 03623.7 trillion had been committed for all federal rescue programs. Republicans seized on the number and redoubled their criticisms of the TARP-keepers in the Obama administration. Treasury officials said the figure was inflated. Indeed, Barofsky39s calculation included several programs that the government is no longer on the hook for, as well as bailouts that banks paid back. But Barofsky stood by his figure. A more nuanced punch, counter-punch happened again last week before the Senate Banking Committee over what Barofsky called Treasury39s quotgreat failingquot -- its lack of transparency in how it39s handling TARP. Treasury39s TARP chief, Herb Allison, told lawmakers that the department had implemented the quotvast majorityquot of recommendations made by Barofsky and other watchdogs about reporting bank lending data and other activities. Barofsky didn39t see it that way. quotWith all due respect to Mr. Allison, the things that he39s described and that they39re doing falls far, far short of meeting this basic level of transparency, quot he said. Treasury spokeswoman Meg Reilly said that when Treasury has declined to implement a SigTARP recommendation, it has nonetheless tried different ways to meet the recommendation39s goal. What39s next Barofsky39s office has kicked into action. He has a staff of 86, on its way to 160. He has drawn investigators from the FBI, Secret Service, homeland security, energy and housing agencies. A team recently went to Texas for an audit on mortgage servicers. More than half of its investigations come from tips from a telephone hotline, which has had 7,000 inquiries, or over the Internet. The office39s Web site has gotten 26 million hits. The rest come from a combination of referrals from other agencies and follow-ups on reports in the news media and on blogs. In the meantime, he said his office is investigating fraud and Censoreds. Earlier this year, it worked with the Federal Trade Commission to shut down an Internet company purporting to be the government Web site for a program to help modify home mortgages. Barofsky said he expects his office to produce a quotlot more activityquot going after home mortgage modification fraud. quotWe39ve got a pretty good number of investigations underway, quot he said. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Auto sales fall as Clunkers rush ends Without the popular government program and low inventories, Ford39s sales slip 5, while Chrysler and GM sales plunge more than 40. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The end of the government39s popular Cash for Clunkers program and low inventories of vehicles led to drops in sales at the top U. S. automakers, although the declines generally were in line with forecasts. Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) reported the best results of Detroit39s Big Three Thursday. Its sales slipped only 5 from a year earlier, although they were off 37 from the rush it got from the popular Cash for Clunkers program in August. Still Ford39s results were better than the 10 year-over-year drop forecast by sales tracker Edmunds. Rival General Motors reported a 45 drop in sales compared to a year ago, and a 37 drop from August. Edmunds had forecast a 46 decline for the nation39s largest automaker. quotSeptember was a tough transitional month for the industry, and a difficult year-over-year comparison for GM, quot said Mark LaNeve, vice president of U. S. sales for GM, in a statement. quotFortunately, the fourth quarter looks brighter. quot Chrysler39s sales plunged 42 from a year ago, and 33 from August. Chrysler, with a heavier reliance on trucks than other automakers, did not get as much of a sales lift from the Clunkers program. But Edmunds had expected an even worse year-over-year drop of 48. quotWe believe the remainder of 2009 will continue to be a challenge for the U. S. automotive market, quot said Peter Fong, the lead sales executive for the Chrysler Group in a statement. quotCredit markets have thawed slightly, but still remain tight, and consumer confidence, as we saw in September, is tenuous. quot Cash for Clunkers, which paid buyers up to 0364,500 for their used cars when they purchased more fuel efficient models, spurred strong sales from late July through the end of the program on Aug. 24. But it likely pulled ahead sales that might have taken place in September and left dealers with limited supplies of vehicles to sell coming into the fall. With low inventories, automakers also scaled back on incentive offers to buyers. quotThere were a lot of things working against sales in September, and very little wind at their back, quot said Jeff Schuster, director of global forecasting for auto consultant J. D. Power amp Associates. The firm estimates that industrywide sales in September would be cut by more than 50,000 vehicles because of sales that got pulled into August due to the Clunkers program. Ford and other automakers have ramped up production to try to replenish supplies, but inventories remained low throughout September. George Pipas, director of sales analysis for Ford, said the company had an inventory of about 300,000 vehicles at the end of the month, up about 60,000 from the end of August. But he added that was an historic low and that some of those vehicles are still in transit to dealerships. Edmunds forecasts that industrywide sales will be off 23 from a year ago, while J. D. Power expects September sales will come in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 9.2 million, down about 26 from last year. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 TD Bank customers hit by tech glitch Overnight postings delayed for third time this week as bank combines systems with Commerce Bank. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- For a third time this week, TD Bank customers cannot see real-time updates on their account transactions and balances. In a statement released Thursday, TD Bank (TD) said U. S. customers can only see their account balance and transactions as of Wednesday evening because the bank is quotexperiencing an unusual delay in its overnight batch postings. quot TD Bank said it expects to complete processing transactions and have current balances later in the day, and will reverse fees, charges or interest incurred because of the disruption. The system first malfunctioned Monday night when the Toronto-based bank tried to integrate its operating system with New Jersey-based Commerce bank, which it acquired last year. TD Bank said the problem was resolved Tuesday, resurfaced Tuesday night, was resolved again Wednesday, and then recurred. TD Bank spokeswoman Jennifer Carlson said that quothigher-than-normal transaction volumes are compounding and having to play catch upquot and ultimately causing a quotcomputer glitch. quot Carlson said the bank is quotposting transactions as fast as we can using the system we have in placequot and hopes customers will be able to see real-time transactions and balances later Thursday. While customers temporarily cannot access online banking, Carlson assured that they can still access their funds and continue to make transactions. Less than a week ago, the bank39s New England and upstate New York branches changed their name from TD Banknorth to TD Bank, bringing more than 1,000 of its units between Maine and Florida under the same name. Lauren Ventola, 23, who started using the bank seven years ago when it was still called Commerce Bank, hasn39t found the bank to be as convenient as its quotAmerica39s Most Convenient Bankquot slogan. As a medical student on the Caribbean island of Grenada, she relies on online banking to manage her finances. quotWith the TD Bank Web site down I can39t check statements, make sure rent money has cleared or determine my credit card balance, quot Ventola said. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 The dark side of merger talk Investors need to be wary of getting burned by unsubstantiated takeover chatter. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Psst. Did you hear who Microsoft is going to buy next No Me neither. But that hasn39t stopped traders from gossiping. Mergers are starting to make a comeback as the economy and stock market show signs of life. But there is a dark side to the pickup in deals. Takeover rumors with little to no basis in fact have also returned. Last week, for example, Wall Street and Silicon Valley were awash with the rumor that Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) was in talks to buy video game publisher Electronic Arts (ERTS). Shares of EA spiked as much as 9.6 on the chatter. A deal for EA wouldn39t have been preposterous. Microsoft, after all, has a big interest in gaming with its Xbox franchise, and EA has been frequently cited as a potential acquisition target in the past few years. But the takeover talk turned out to be just that: talk. Microsoft spokespeople and executives quickly denied the rumors and EA39s stock took a hit as a result. The Microsoft-EA quottakeoverquot is just one example of investors getting their hopes up only to have them dashed. Earlier this week, The New York Post reported that hedge fund wunderkind John Paulson, who made gobs of money last year shorting financial stocks and is now sifting through the rubble for bargains, was pushing to merge troubled small business lender CIT Group (CIT, Fortune 500) with OneWestBank, the failed mortgage lender previously known as IndyMac. Paulson39s firm is an investor in CIT39s debt and was part of a group that bought IndyMac from the FDIC this year. Shares of CIT unsurprisingly shot up on the quotnews. quot But this chatter also turned out to be untrue. Reuters later reported from an unnamed source that talk of an IndyMac-CIT merger was quotjust wrong. quot CIT39s stock promptly sunk, plunging 45 Wednesday. It now appears that the company is considering a prepackaged bankruptcy. Ouch. But neither of those bogus MampA stories can hold a candle to the curious case of big screen move theater operator IMAX. On Wednesday morning, a press release began to float around the Internet saying that IMAX (IMAX) had agreed to be purchased by Walt Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) for 0361.5 billion, a handsome premium. IMAX39s stock rose more than 7 Tuesday and was up about 6 in pre-market trading Wednesday. So it seems that some investors believed the reports. But upon further inspection, there were some things that didn39t make sense. While Disney does have an agreement with IMAX where several Disney films will be shown in IMAX theaters, an outright purchase of the company would not really fit Disney39s strategy. Plus, Disney just announced a few weeks ago that it was spending 0364 billion to buy comic book publisher Marvel Entertainment. Well guess what The IMAX press release turned out to be a fake -- and a bad one at that. It was a classic cut and paste job, with mentions of the Marvel deal scattered throughout. Still, IMAX felt compelled to issue its own legitimate press release shortly after the market opened Wednesday to point out that it had not been acquired and was not in discussions to be bought by Disney. IMAX39s stock was flat Wednesday but fell nearly 2 Thursday morning. Of course, not every fake merger will be a case of someone acting fraudulently and making something up out of thin air as was the case with the IMAX rumor. Is it possible that Microsoft and EA held talks about a deal at some point Sure. But that39s not the same thing as having a signed merger agreement that39s going to be imminently announced. Just look at all the hullabaloo Thursday about Comcast and NBC Universal. According to a story that surfaced Wednesday evening on TheWrap, a Web site focusing on the entertainment business, Comcast is in advanced discussions to purchase NBC Universal from General Electric for 03635 billion. Considering that the cable giant made a bold, unsolicited 03654 billion takeover for Disney back in 2004, it39s not entirely shocking that Comcast would be interested in NBC Universal. But a Comcast spokeswoman denied this later Wednesday night, saying that quotthe report that Comcast has a deal to purchase NBC Universal is inaccurate. quot Other reports suggest that Comcast (CMCSA, Fortune 500) is trying to purchase a stake in NBC Universal, not the whole thing. And the Comcast spokeswoman simply said that Comcast does not have a deal to purchase NBC Universal. So there probably is something to the notion that Comcast and GE (GE, Fortune 500) are talking. It just doesn39t seem as if Comcast is about to ink a deal to buy all of NBC Universal. There will probably be many more stories and rumors of takeovers that are at best slightly off the mark, and at worst just flat-out wrong. It comes with the territory now that companies are showing a willingness to make deals again. It just goes to show that investors need to be wary of believing everything they read and hear, lest they get burned. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Jobless claims report is setback to recovery Initial claims jump 17,000 to 551,000 after three straight weeks of declines, but easing is still seen. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The number of first-time filers for unemployment insurance jumped last week, according to a government report issued Thursday, with the increase exceeding economists39 forecasts. There were 551,000 initial jobless claims filed in the week ended Sept. 26, up 17,000 from an upwardly revised 534,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said in a weekly report. A consensus estimate of economists surveyed by Briefing expected 535,000 new claims. quotWe39ve been holding in a similar pattern the past few weeks, and this could dash some hopes of a quicker recovery, quot said Adam York, analyst at Wells Fargo. Ian Shepherdson of High Frequency Economics wrote in a research note that quota correction was overduequot after three consecutive declines in initial claims. quotProgress is slow, quot Shepherdson said. quotThere is still no sign of a near-term stabilization in employment. quot The 4-week moving average of initial claims was 548,000, down 6,250 from the previous week39s revised average of 554,250. Continuing claims: The government said 6,090,000 people filed continuing claims in the week ended Sept. 19, the most recent data available. That was down 70,000 from the preceding week39s ongoing claims. The 4-week moving average for ongoing claims fell by 39,250 to 6,154,500 from the prior week39s revised average of 6,193,750. The initial claims number identifies those filing for their first week of unemployment benefits. Continuing claims reflect people filing each week after their initial claim until the end of their standard benefits, which usually last 26 weeks. The figures do not include those who have moved to state or federal extensions, nor people whose benefits have expired. State-by-state data: Two states reported a decline in initial claims of more than 1,000 for the week ended Sept. 19, the most recent data available. Claims in Kansas fell by 1,545, while Wisconsin39s fell by 1,258. A total of 12 states said that claims increased by more than 1,000. California reported the most new claims at 5,112. Fewer layoffs: A separate report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray amp Christmas said its data showed stabilization in the job market. Monthly layoff announcements fell in September to 66,404 job cuts, down 13 from August. That39s the lowest level since March 2008, and the September figure was 30 lower than the same month a year ago, when employers announced 95,094 job cuts. It was the fourth consecutive month in which job cuts declined from the year-ago level. Outlook: Thursday39s government report quotshows we still have job losses to come this year, quot said Wells Fargo39s York. The rest of 200939s job losses won39t come near the levels seen during mass layoffs in January and February, York said, and initial claims could fall below the 500,000 mark by year39s end. High Frequency Economics39 Shepherdson wrote that better economic data in the third quarter should boost the job market. quotIt would be very surprising not to see claims falling now, quot he said. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Dollar rises as on jobs data Safe-haven greenback gets a boost after data show a bigger-than-expected decline in payrolls in September. NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The dollar gained against the euro Friday after bigger-than-expected U. S. job losses in September rekindled demand for the greenback as a safe haven. The Labor Department said U. S. job losses last month totaled 263,000 with the unemployment rate rising to 9.8, the highest rate since June 1983. Markets were expecting payroll declines of 180,000. quotA very ugly read. But the reaction today is going to be a serious push and pull between two primary themes, quot said Boris Schlossberg, director of FX research, at GFT in New York. quotOn one hand, there39s risk aversion, which should help the dollar. quot But on the other hand, Schlossberg said, the report could pressure the dollar as markets realize that the United States is quotbecoming the laggard in the G-20 as far as recovery goes. quot The euro fell to session lows against the dollar to 0361.4481 from 0361.4539 before the data. It was last at 0361.4515, down 0.1. The dollar slipped against the yen to 89.18, down 0.4. Nick39Otin View Member Profile Oct 2 2009, 10:00 PM Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 U. S. broadband lags Asian nations South Korea edges out Japan for providing top quality broadband service in 2009 study. The U. S. didn39t even make the top 10. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- South Korea leads the world in providing broadband services, according to a study released on Thursday. The United States did not make the top 10. South Korea dramatically improved the speed, quality and availability of its Internet service in 2009, pushing past Japan, the former worldwide leader, according to a team of business students from the University of Oxford in England and the University of Oviedo in Spain. The study, sponsored by Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500), examined 66 countries and 240 cities. Broadband leadership was measured by various factors, including the number of wired households, where South Korea scored 97. Hong Kong, which was rated number three in overall broadband leadership, had an even higher penetration, at 99. In terms of overall leadership, Hong Kong was followed by Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Singapore, Luxembourg, Denmark and Norway. The United States did not make the list39s top 10, even though it made quotsignificant, above average improvementsquot in quality, the study said. In terms of broadband Internet quality, the U. S. lags behind not only Sweden, which leads Europe, but the island nations of Malta and Iceland, and the former Soviet Bloc country of Lithuania. The top three cities with the best overall broadband services -- Yokohama, Nagoya and Sapporo -- were all in Japan, the study said. Japan also led the way for providing quality services outside major cities. But the study showed that the biggest digital quality divide between urban and rural areas was in Lithuania, Russia and Latvia. quotThe Broadband Quality Study shows us which countries have made real moves towards the Internet of the future, quot said Professor Maria Rosalia Vicente of the University of Oviedo, in a written statement. quotIt also provides fresh evidence of the urban-versus-rural quality divide. The challenge for countries now is to bridge this quality divide. quot The study39s researchers judged broadband quality by measuring upload and download speeds, network latency and capacity. For their benchmarking, they tested out typical applications used today such as video streaming, Web browsing and social networking. But they also took a look at which countries have the broadband quality necessary for handling future applications, like high definition Internet television and video communications, which they expect to become common in the next three to five years. That list features nine countries, including the leaders South Korea, Japan and Sweden, as well as former Soviet nations Lithuania, Bulgaria and Latvia. The U. S. didn39t make the cut. Group: Moderators Posts: 725 Joined: 13-August 09 Member No. 100 Chicago loses Olympic bid to Rio The Windy City would have faced a tough financial challenge experts say. It already spent an estimated 036100 million in its failed effort. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Chicago lost its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics Friday to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The news was announced by Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, at a meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark. quotLike in every competition, there can be only one winner, quot said Rogge, just prior to announcing Rio as the host city. With help from hometown heroes like the Obamas, the Windy City was aggressively lobbying to host the games. The upside to the rejection is that Chicago possibly saved money, as making the Olympics profitable would not have been an easy win. Chicago was competing with Tokyo, Madrid, Spain and Rio de Janeiro in wooing the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen. The IOC also rejected Tokyo and Madrid Friday. Chicago 2016, the organization leading the effort to host the games, had projected a cost of 0363.8 billion, including a quotrainy dayquot fund of 036450 million in case of unforeseen increases if the city won the bid. But there was good reason to be skeptical of that projection, said Robert Livingstone, producer of GamesBids and a leading expert in the Olympic selection process. Host cities routinely overrun their Olympic budgets, he said. quotIt39s going to be more expensive than we think it39s going to be, because it typically is, quot Livingstone said, before the decision was made Friday. quotI think every host city is going to lose money. It39s not an efficient event. quot The bidding process alone cost Chicago about 036100 million, Livingstone estimated. An argument often made by host city advocates is that presenting the international spectacle is good for a local economy. But such quottrickle-down effects, quot like benefits to local businesses, are quotalmost impossible to measure, quot Livingstone said. quotI think a lot of people look at the Olympics, and they try to justify it by how much money it adds to the economy, quot said Livingstone. quotBut if you39re in this to make money and improve your economy, you39re in it for the wrong reasons. quot A Chicago 2016 spokesman, who asked not be named, had stood by the 0363.8 billion projection. quotOur numbers are completely feasible thanks to the infrastructure already in place, the number of venues already built and the temporary nature of the majority of those we39re planning to build, quot he wrote, in an e-mail prior to the IOC rejection.


No comments:

Post a Comment