Investing in forex

Investing in foreign currencies is a relatively new avenue of investing. There are considerably fewer people are aware of this market than there are people aware of several other avenues of investing. Trading foreign currency, also known as forex, is the most lucrative investment market that exists. There are several factors that make this true among which, successful forex traders earn realistic profits of one hundred plus percent each month. Compared to some of the better known investment markets such as corporate stocks, this is an unheard of return on investment. It's very necessary to mention here that a person who invests in forex must, without exception, make it a point to learn the detailed, but simple strategies and information surrounding the market. This very fact is what makes the difference between successful forex traders and other traders.

A few additional points, which create such powerful leverage for investors within the forex market are: The amount of capital required to begin investing in the market is only three hundred dollars. For the most part, any other investment market is going to demand thousands of dollars of the investor in the beginning. Also, the market offers opportunities to profit regardless what the direction of the market may be; In most commonly known markets investors sit and wait for the market to begin an up trend before entering a trade. Even then, investors, as a rule must sit and wait some more to be able to exit the trade with a nice profit.

Given that the forex market produces several up, down, and sideways trends in a single day, it can easily be seen that forex stands head and shoulders above other markets. Additionally there are trading strategies, which are taught that provide for compounded profits; these are profits on top of profits. In addition, free demo accounts are available within the industry of forex trading, which facilitate the sharpening of skills without the risk losing any capital. And the advantage regarding the time factor in trading foreign currency is a very attractive point for any investor. Compared to one of the most sought after avenues of investing, which often requires forty or more hours each week, namely in the real-estate market, the forex market requires a much smaller demand on the investor's time. Forex trading requires approximately ten to fifteen hours each week to earn a full time income. It's easy to see that the advantages and great leverage that exist in the forex market, make it among the most lucrative, time liberating, and easy to enter by far.

I hope this information gives you a clear understanding of how you can turn your investing into a true method of making your money work harder for you.

Sincerely,

Joe Clinton.

Managed funds -- growing your wealth without the headaches

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Managed funds are an easy way to invest wisely and with low risk. Investment in a fixed term deposit – especially with a fund that invests in real estate – is an easy way to grow to your wealth.

Apart from being a great way to have your money managed by investment professionals, managed funds also simplify the process of building and maintaining an investment portfolio. Instead of tracking a wide range of individual investments, your fund will keep track for you, and the progress of your investment is expressed in one simple unit price.

A Bit Here and a Bit There

With any investment strategy diversification is important to minimise risk. The resources available to financial institutions are usually greater than those of the individual investor, therefore diversification is much easier as part of a managed fund than it would be if you had to raise the capital for a truly diverse – and therefore more secure – investment yourself.

As an example, if you have $100,000 to invest and you choose to buy real estate, your $100,000 might buy you a small unit that you could rent out. Then your entire financial future hangs on the performance of this one investment. If houses in that area depreciate due to changes in the locale, or you have trouble finding or keeping tenants, or you find out three weeks too late that there are serious structural problems, your financial future is in jeopardy.

By comparison, a managed fund that invests in mortgages has the capital to speculate on a wide range of properties in diverse suburbs, with differing land values, various land uses (residential, commercial etc), and a much lower dependence on the performance of any single investment property. Your future no longer hinges on one little unit because it’s merely a part of a much larger portfolio than you could invest in on your own.

Choosing a Managed Fund

When you’re choosing a managed fund it’s always tempting to just go with the one that offers the best term deposit rate. However, experience dictates that it’s wiser to conduct some deeper research before committing yourself to a fund. Here are some issues to consider:

The decision-makers: What qualifications do the Directors of the fund have? How closely are they involved in the day-to-day running and major investment decisions of the fund? Any managed fund that you invest in should be run by industry professionals – accountants, brokers, people with backgrounds in banking and finance; if you’re investing in a managed fund that invests heavily in property, the decision-making team should include someone with extensive experience in the real estate market.

Mortgage funds – choosing properties and quality mortgages: Mortgages are very popular investments for managed funds. As mentioned above, any fund that invests in property should have ready access to advice from a real estate market professional.

Consider factors such as the diversification of the properties invested in (geographical diversification – are the properties spread throughout a wide range of suburbs and price brackets? And sector diversification – what property types are invested in, spread across residential, commercial, industrial etc); and what percentage of the value of the property the fund will lend (often 70% of the value for first mortgages, and up to 85% of the value of the property for second mortgages).

A good way to gauge the viability of a managed mortgage fund is to look at the number of loan write-offs; the number of bad debts incurred (mortgages that the fund has granted that have been defaulted on); and the amount of loans in arrears of principal and interest for over 30 days.

Also, every property that is invested in should be valued by a qualified valuer – not a real estate ‘market appraisal’ – and, if possible (especially for smaller funds), every proposed property should be inspected by a qualified employee from your fund to double check that everything is as it should be – good quality control can prevent mishaps.

Income options: Naturally, it’s your choice how long you wish to invest your money for. When choosing a fund look at factors such as early withdrawal penalties and payment options. Can you have access to the interest earned monthly? Quarterly? Annually? Or will you have to wait until the end of your fixed term period before earning any income from your investment? Choose whichever option suits you best. A high rate of return is useless if you envisage needing an income from your investment before the end of the proposed fixed term.

Environment: Economic trends and possible political changes are some other factors to keep a weather eye out for. If you invest heavily in a fund that in turn invests internationally, you’ll want to know where your money is going and whether the governments and economies in question are stable and likely to stay that way. Some financial advisors suggest that investing 15-20% of your capital overseas is a wise move, and it is – as long as the country/countries in question have a good economic climate and aren’t in the throws of political upheavals.

So, now you have a few tips for finding yourself a managed fund that will help to grow your wealth. Once you’ve chosen a fund, or have decided on the sorts of investments that you’d like to be involved with and you’re looking for a fund, there are still some more things to consider before diving in.

This is the first instalment of a four-part series of articles to help you cut through some of the financial jargon without getting too much of a headache. The next three instalments will look at investment rates, retirement funds and self-managed superannuation. Hopefully they’ll help put you on the right track to grow your wealth.

A final note: This article – and the series of articles to come – is not given as professional financial advice. Your personal circumstances have not been taken into account and financial situations vary the world over. You should seek professional financial advice and read the product disclosure statement for any financial product before making a decision.

Philippine apart-hotels set to outstrip treditional buy-to-let market

Beth Collingz, PLC Global Marketing Director of PLC International Marketing Networks, the lead marketing partners for Pacific Concord Properties Inc Lancaster Brand of Condo Hotels in the Philippines says Apart-hotels or Condotels as they are know locally are really growing in popularity among British and European investors. In the last two months alone we have sold a significant number of apart-hotel units both in the UK and Europe. Apart-hotels are an opportunity for investors to purchase into a new asset class with much higher yields than traditional buy-to-let properties.

The rental opportunity is achieved through a need for hotel accommodation, rather than residential letting markets. There are three key reasons why buyers are keen to invest in Apart-hotels or Condotels in the Philippines" Collingz continues, Firstly, it's a completely hands-off investment: the developer builds the hotel, and the management company runs it. Their job is to operate the hotel, maintain it and ensure maximum room occupancy and, as they receive a percentage of the nightly room rate, they are motivated to do so.

Secondly, because investors income is a percentage of the nightly, weekly or monthly room rate of the rental operations pool of all the units in the development rather than a monthly income from a single rented property, they are not exposed to substantial monthly deficits.

From a financial perspective, the income level compares favorably with traditional buy-to-let. Generally, expected income levels are sizeable 12-16% ROI per annum would not be unusual in a well-selected apart-hotel. If suggested income levels on a development are much below 10%, we would not consider promoting it as it would not represent a good investment opportunity for our clients said Collingz.

In the Philippines this form of investment seems set to outstrip the traditional buy-to-let rental market. At present, Metro Manila and regional towns such as Cebu, lack hotel rooms meaning that occupancy levels in any developments are likely to be high.

Most new investors in the Lancaster Suites Manila are established UK property investors who are looking for a UK product with a higher yield and no operating deficits. However, Apart-hotels are also attracting first time buyers looking to establish themselves on the property ladder whilst making yearly income as well.

Demand for apart-hotels is increasing as investors become more aware and better informed about the opportunities on offer. And whilst finding financing for overseas property has been difficult in the past, PCPI offers all buyers a no prequalification In-House 12 year payment plan with zero down payment, making the entry level open to may first time investors.

Lancaster - The Atrium, located in Shaw Boulevard, Metro Manila, is a "Full Service" Apart-Hotel ["Condotel"] offering Studio, One, Two and Three Bedroom Suites for sale. To be completed and ready for turnover from December 2010, Lancaster will provide unit owners with premier residential condo units with the option of enrolling their units in the Lancaster Rental Pool and earn Rental Incomes as Owner Non-Residents when not using their units. This makes Lancaster Manila, one of the Hottest Investment Opportunities in the Philippines said Collingz.

All units at the Lancaster Suites have kitchen facilities. The standard unit price provides for the suite to be semi-finished but not fully furnished. Included in the current price are the interior finishing’s such as tiled & semi-fitted bathrooms, bedrooms with simulated wood plank flooring, semi-fitted living and dining area with simulated wood plank floorings and lower kitchen cabinets/work tops installed. Walls and ceilings are painted cement finish. A complete optional extra interior fit-out package including unit fittings and fixtures, furniture’s, furnishings, air-conditioning, lighting fixtures and appliances will be available towards the time the units are closer to being completed continued Collingz.

For further info please do not hesitate to contact us:

Beth Collingz

PLC International Marketing Networks

Hyperspectral imaging for hydrocarbon intensity no ritalin needed

I have heard in my travels across the midwest the word "Doodlebugger", a quack who professes to be able to mysteriously find oil. As I research new methods to help find oil, I am always skeptical, but recently came across technology that seems very promising: Hyperspectral Imaging.

So what is hyperspectral imaging? In layman's terms it measures the elemental signature at the earths surface. From data collected from satellites, the earth's surface is portrayed in millions of different colored pixels. Each pixel is a fingerprint of the chemical elements and molecular compounds found. Studies have shown that hydrocarbon seepage can be found at the earths surface and creates what we view as "hotspots" that warrant further analysis. This technology up until recently was only used by the big boys in the oil industry, but now can be reasonably added to an exploration budget of most small indepedent oil explorers.

One company in West Virginia, Quickstrike, yourquickstrike. com has utilized this technology plus other geochemistry to refine their search for oil/gas. Their sister company Geo-Max exploration has successfully built an impressive track record of oil and gas finds. Pete Hall and Jack Vires are very easy to talk to and can answer any questions or concerns you have regarding this technology. This is a close family run business, which is one of the "elements" I like to see in companies I have relationships with.

My company, Dynamic Natural Resources and Hughes Energy, Fairfield-IL, plan on utilizing hyperspectral imaging in upcoming months. We will create a 2 mile by 2 mile snapshot of the area we are prospecting. Once we have attained the hotspots, we will utilize "side looking airborne radar" to locate the main fractures. Overlaying the fracture map and the "hotspots", give us a fantastic starting point for further research.

When a hotspot and multiple fractures converge this creates the perfect environment for an accumulation of oil. More fractures create voids and higher permeability, thus more areas for oil to accumulate.

To further confirm our findings, we then utilize geochemistry. As oil and gas vertically migrate to the surface over millions of years they change the soil, plants, and water. Where oil seeps, bacteria live in the soil and "feed" on the hydrocarbons. Soil samples can show us where the bacteria are concentrated and these results can be put into a computer to be graphically displayed on our maps. Also, bacteria resperate CO2 when they feed on the hydrocarbons and we will test for higher concentrations.

I can't explain the chemistry behind the next geochemical test, but iodine has been a reliable indicator of hydrocarbon intensity. We measure via soil samples and map using gps coordinates. The high concentrations also validate our thesis of oil seepage.

Last but not least, we will utilize soil gas analysis. Gas is made up of mostly methane and oil mostly pentane and butane. We can find some of the large microseepage using this technique and the ratio of oil/gas.

I am confident that utilizing cutting edge technology will allow us to have above average success in the field. Remember, oil well investing always carries risk even when you find the oil.

In future articles, I will be interviewing various explorers that have utilized these technologies and updating readers on our progress in the field.