Forex News Straddling Strategy (Part I)

By Ahmad Hassam

Major short term currency moves are almost always preceded by changes in fundamental views influenced by the news. Traders around the world make a living by processing and translating information into money. The forex market is extremely sensitive to the flow of news related to it.

We live in an era where information can be extremely powerful and strategic asset. Timely information is vital to an individual or a corporation and information equals money especially to a trader. Shutting yourself off to the news can be suicidal.

The speed of the news dissemination is very important to traders. Traders especially the day traders require the latest up to the second news updates. This facilitates their trading decisions which have to be made at the lightening speed.

Online news services display the latest financial and economic news on their websites. You can also get breaking news alert through your email. Many professional traders opt for instant online news services such as the Bloomberg, Dow Jones Newswires, CNBC and Reuters. Reuters and Bloomberg are very popular.

News is important to forex trading. Each new piece of information can potentially alter the traders perception of the current or future situation relating to the outlook of certain currency pairs.

News that is of great importance to forex traders is generally related to a countrys economic, monetary and political situations and socio-political events that are happening around the world like in Middle East and North Korea.

A traders action is based on the expectation that there will be follow through in prices when other traders see and interpret the same news in a similar fashion and adopt the same directional bias as the trader as a result. These traders will be preparing to cover their existing positions or initiate new positions based on this news.

This is in a way an anticipatory reaction on the part of the trader as he or she assumes that the other traders will be affected by the news as well. Because of the expected impact it has on other market players, news is a very important catalyst of short term price movements.

If the news happens to be bullish for the USD, traders who reacts the fastest will be the first to buy USD followed soon by other traders. Other traders may be slower. They maybe were waiting for some technical criteria to be met before they jump on the bandwagon.

When they get hold of the delayed news in the morning newspapers or from their brokers, there will be many who will join in the frenzy at a later stage. This progressive entry of the US Dollar bulls over time is what sustains the upward move of USD against another currency.

The reverse will happen on the surprise bearish USD news. Instantly traders will start selling USD on the assumption that when other traders will hear the news, they will also start selling. - 23221

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try Netpicks Forex Signals Free. Learn Forex Trading!

The Key Players In The World Of Penny Stock Trading

By Malcolm Torren

Penny stock trading is very appealing to new investors for two reasons: One is because it is cheap. The price range is between one to three dollars and not exceeding five dollars. This is defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission or the SEC. In actual practice, shares can even go lower than a dollar each. The second magnet for new investors is its high potential for fast profit at a short period of time.

But how does it happen? Where does all the money come from and where does it go? In penny stock trading, there are key players that make a dynamic exchange of shares. The common goal is to make money and reinvest. Here are the role players in the business:

- The Investor. If you are an investor, you are playing a key role in the stock market trading floor. The investment money comes from you. Of course an investment cannot be an investment if there is no intended profit to make. Some investors would trade on to many shares. This is because if one of your stock investments is losing, you can balance your profitability from another source. You also make decisions of your trading. Why and how?

- Penny Stock Broker - You as the investor cannot make transactions if there are no stock brokers to help you. They can influence the market stocks. They have a high degree of intelligence in the penny stock trading business. For every profit you make, they earn by commission. They also have other client investors to attend to. In some cases, penny stock brokers charge for investment consultations to their clients. But what exactly are they doing with your money?

- The Small Cap Companies - There won't be any investment made if there are no entities needing it. In the penny stock trading market, they are call small cap companies. These are companies that can either be newly established, wanting to expand their business resources for business growth, or going bankrupt and hoping to revitalize their financial resources. Whatever the reasons may be, these entities are responsible for the dynamics of your money.

- Stock Exchange - This is the venue where the buying and selling of shares take place. The trading is done every business day. All of the penny stock brokers meet at a huge spacious room they call the trading floor. This is even shown in movies that involve stock exchange scenarios.

- The SEC - Of course, to keep the entire procedure in penny stock trading orderly and discipline, the SEC holds authority. They set the regulations and guidelines, the requirements needed for companies to bid their shares, and sometimes initiate the jailing of fraudsters who conduct anomalous business here. - 23221

About the Author:

What is penny stock trading? Begin by learning more about online penny stock trading now.

Woodstock, Georgia Real Estate Is Thriving

By Jennifer Giraldi

About 30 miles north of Downtown Atlanta resides a wonderful city named Woodstock. Not to be confused with the legendary music festival which recently celebrated it's 40th anniversary, this Woodstock is the thriving suburban city with a small town feel located in the Northern Atlanta metropolitan area. This city was once just a small town that had a pretty simple real estate market that just serviced first time home buyers and middle class families. However over the last decade things began to change. There are now Woodstock homes for sale to entice just about any type of home buyer.

Now, Woodstock real estate is partitioned out into three main facets. The younger home buying crowd, who are usually single, married, or first time homebuyers. Next would be the largest home buying demographic, which includes home buyers with children, and/or married couples that desire to live in a medium to large size home community. And last but not least would be the retirees who seek the prospering active adult communities.

Over the last 5 years Woodstock has had an appealing real estate market for first new home buyers. Adults who grew up in neighboring suburbs such as Dunwoody, Kennesaw and Marietta, figured out really fast that their money could go much farther. Over the last decade, lower property tax, sales tax, and association dues have helped fuel the growth within this demographic.

Offering plenty of quality, affordable housing, first time home buyers have flocked to this city.Subdivisions like Brookshire, Weatherstone, and The Woodlands, offer a great example of Woodstock homes for sale. With the City's own new "Downtown Woodstock" development completed, the city now has even greater appeal to the younger crowd. Complete with lofts, condos, and town homes, downtown living has been finally brought to the suburbs.

Families of all shapes and sizes also love Woodstock, Ga real estate. The Woodlands provide many homes priced from the low 200s to the high 300s. Vast green space with wooded nature trails, creeks, and more, make this community one of the most sought after family neighborhoods. The area also has a good amount of luxury homes available. Golf course homes within Bradshaw Farms, and Towne Lake Hills, are also very popular housing destinations.

Retirees from surrounding states and areas are now finding Woodstock to be a special place to settle. Maintence free communities such as Cottages of Woodstock offer great homes for an affordable price. Many of these new communites are modeled after some of the great developments in Florida. Why move to Florida now, when you can have the same type of home and amenities right here in your own back yard? - 23221

About the Author:

Search homes for sale in Atlanta, GA. Search homes for sale in the Woodstock homes for sale market. Woodstock homes for sale Atlanta homes for sale

Determining Property Management Fees For Your Property

By Layla Vanderbilt

When a property investor decides to hire a management company to manage their properties, they interview many companies before they decide whom to hire. Among the things they compare are the real estate management fees the company charges. The investor must decide whether they want to pay monthly percentages or flat fees for the management company?s services.

Each contract for a property management company should be thoroughly reviewed to better understand all fees involved in the monthly payment. Some companies incorporate fees for certain services in addition to the standard monthly fee. For example, an advertising fee may be assessed, or there may be a charge each time a property is shown to a potential client. Carefully consider and compare all services and charges before making your final decision, a company with a higher monthly fee and no additional charges could be a better deal than a company with a low monthly fee and several additional charges.

Monthly percentage fees are based on the type of property you own, and are generally based on the revenue generated by each property. Large properties are generally charged at two percent, average-sized single family homes at six percent, and larger single family homes may be charged up to ten percent. Property location and condition may also be taken into account when determining the percentage fee. Additional leasing and service fees may also apply.

Another important consideration in choosing a property management company is payment. Some companies deduct their fee directly from the income your property generates, while others send a monthly or quarterly bill. Other fees a company may charge are for cleaning and preparing rental properties, or eviction fees. Be sure to take the time to discover and consider all fees charged by the property management company.

Besides the renting of property and collecting of rents, the management company performs many other services. Accounting services including preparation of monthly statements, the hiring of contractors for cleaning services, groundskeeping, and maintenance, and the supervision of these crews are some of the services provided by the property management company. The proper execution of these services by the management company provides peace of mind for the property investor. After determining the services provided and fees charged, the investor should investigate potential management companies' references. The management company that provides the needed services for the fee within the investor's budget and that has the best references is most likely to be the best company for the investor to choose to manage the property.

Interviewing the management company to determine the real estate management fee they charge is only the first step to hiring a reliable company. Many things outside the monthly fee determine the final cost an investor sill pay the management company. How well the company communicates with the investor and tenants, how they handle problems, their attention to detail in the leasing process and their ability to maintain the property in good condition all determine an investor?s final costs on each property.

Hiring a good management company helps an investor rent his property faster and provide preventive maintenance before problems become major repairs and expenses. The investor should look at more than the initial monthly fees when determining how much it will actually cost them if they go with the cheapest company. An investor needs to be sure the company will actually help him avoid those expensive repairs and expenses as well as keep the property in good condition in order to make it attractive to prospective clients. - 23221

About the Author:

Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management solution review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.

Know When To Hold 'Em: Investments And Your Credit Rating

By Jeff Cardan

When it comes to investment properties, they have to be treated much like any other property that you have purchased, including the home that you're living in. In other words, if they go into foreclosure it's going to go on your credit, just like any other property would. With that in mind, you have to keep your investment properties up to date or liquidate them so that you don't damage your credit, and in this market it can be very hard to determine whether you can get a property rented or sold before you get behind on your payments, making the investment property issue a balancing act.

Investment properties were very popular back when the housing market was booming, and everyone was buying and selling them. Flipping them and reselling them was popular, and so was renting them out for the income. There were waiting lists and houses that went to the highest bidder because people were so eager for them.

Now there are properties all over the place that no one seems to want and the people who have them as investment properties can hardly give them away. In Detroit and some of the other hardest-hit cities there are properties that aren't going for tens of thousands or even for thousands of dollars, but that are going for only a few hundred dollars, instead. People who were lucky and bought and sold when the market was good made a lot of money, but there were people who got stuck with a lot of properties and it left them wondering: what were they supposed to do next?

When people find themselves in those kinds of situations they might feel as though they are all alone, but they definitely are not, since there are many people who tried to make a lot of money in the market only to have it crash down around them. A lot of them were left stuck with investment properties that they didn't know what to do with, since they couldn't seem to get them sold and they couldn't get them rented either - and this started to put them behind on the mortgage payments that they had to make. There are very few choices open to these people, and they are mostly limited to trying to get out from under the property before it destroys their credit or trying to hang on until the market improves - which might not be feasible for people in dire financial straits.

Even if there's already been some damage to your credit, the less damage there is and the shorter the period of time where late payments and other issues show up the less costly it will be to you in the long run when your credit is checked by a company that you're trying to use to finance something. The main thing is to avoid the damage, but if you're not able to do that the next best thing is to cut your losses and do some damage control in the form of getting rid of your investment properties before they can harm your credit and/or your financial future any more than they already have. To do that you have to know what's owed on them, what they're worth, and how you can most easily and quickly get rid of them - either by a deed to the bank in lieu of foreclosure, a short sale, or some other method.

One of the smartest things that you can do with financial difficulties that involve paying for an investment property (or properties) is to talk with your lender and be honest and upfront about the issues that you're facing. It's best to talk with your lender before you get behind on your payments but a lot of people are afraid to do this and they are very uncomfortable and embarrassed about admitting that they can't pay their bills - and they keep expecting and hoping that things will turn around. You don't want to let those things ruin your credit rating and your financial future, though, so talk to your bank or lender right away, at the first sign of any upcoming problems.

Being up front shows the lender that you're making a good faith effort, and that makes most lenders more willing to work with you and try to get you a better rate, a longer term, or something else that will let you keep the property and make the payments. If it's obvious that the property can't be paid for, talk to your lender and see what options the two of you can come up with. It's very important to try to keep an actual foreclosure off of your credit record, so checking with your lender and talking through all issues is vital to your financial life. - 23221

About the Author:

Consider loan modification options to reduce debts