Month: November 2008

In a continuing revelation of the economic team(s) to support his administration and its policy development, President-Elect Obama announced the formation of a new panel called the Economic Recovery Advisory Board (ERAB). The board's mission will be to give President-Elect Obama and his administration expert "outsider" policy advice on lifting…

Like most investors still braving this market I keep trying to find a safe place to invest that provides decent returns. With a stock market that seems to have many more down days than up days, it is hard to have confidence in future growth prospects. However with interest rates…

The WSJ personal finance section had a timely piece on how banks are passing on or increasing transaction fees for its customers to offset mounting losses from other parts of their business ravaged by the credit crisis. According to a Bankrate study, the average costs of checking-account fees, ATM surcharges,…

Whether you are a blogger or just enjoy reading blogs online, you may have wondered how much bloggers earn from blogging and whether all the effort is worthwhile from a commercial or alternative revenue perspective. If so, then read on. Based on my earnings from this blog over the last…

A few months ago I wrote a piece comparing the pros and cons of living and working in Dubai - the booming city in the Middle East most closely aligned with western norms. Perceptions were that expats could go there and earn vast sums of money while living in luxury.…

[Updated Feb 19 2008] See this recent article on President Obama's $75 billion dollar plan to stem foreclosures and stabalize the housing market. It also covers who qualifies and when the programs start. -------- Finally some good news leading into the holidays for millions of struggling homeowners, through a plan…

Today's bad economic news coupled with investor fear sent the stock market spiraling to a 5 year low. A sense of panic and fear seems to have entered the hearts of many investors, including myself, and the urge to sell and get out of the market is strong. But now…

I think we can all agree on is that the time for words is over. It is all about action and execution now. Here are the key focus topics our President should be considering. The Economy The number issue on the minds of most Americans is the failing economy and…

A very cool graphic from the Economist looking at the GDP, Unemployment and Inflation forecasts for the US, Japan, Euro Zone and OECD. As leaders of the G20 countries gather in Washington, these factors and their forecasts will be key when decisions are made. 2009 looks like a global write-off…

In an attempt to help struggling American homeowners, the U.S. Department of Treasury, HUD, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and the Hope Now Alliance recently outlined a plan to avoid "preventable" foreclosures. Households that have missed three or more mortgage payments may receive assistance through refinanced…

News that American Express (AmEx), is seeking roughly $3.5 billion in taxpayer-funded capital from the federal government was quite ironical to me. Millions of consumers are struggling to make ends meet, in part due to mounting credit card debt, and now we have the most prestigious credit company in the…

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced that he has shelved the original plan to buy troubled mortgage assets via the recently approved $700 Billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Instead he will use the remaining funds to assist non-bank financial institutions and promote consumer finance initiatives. In a striking admission, Paulson…

This the second part of a series looking at understanding and trading options. The first post in this series looked defined key option terminology and ideas, while here I go into some basic trading strategies and patterns to improve your odds when trading options. You can see some of the…