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  • Finance 0

    Bank Of Canada Urges ‘Star Trek’ Fans To Stop ‘Spocking’ Their Fivers

    Bank of Canada is pleading with Star Trek fans to stop “Spocking” its five dollar bills. Since Leonard Nimoy’s death, Canadian folks have been “Spocking” the hell out of the five dollar bill that features a portrait of Canada’s seventh prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Sir Wilfrid now sports, on certain bills at least, pointy ears, the signature Vulcan haircut and eyebrows and Spock’s mantra “Live long and prosper.” According to Bank of Canada it’s not illegal to do this but: “…However, there are important reasons why it should not be done. Writing on a bank note may interfere with the security features and red...
    On March 4, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    Solutions Start With Innovation And Transparency

    Innovation is selectively restrained in systems controlled by vested interests. Just as everyone supports “solutions” until the solutions crush their share of the swag, everybody supports innovation and transparency (IT) until IT disrupts their share of the swag. Then they scramble to hide the ugly truths and suppress the spread of threatening innovation. This parallel rejection of swag-crushing solutions and innovation/transparency by vested interests is not coincidental: innovation and transparency are the heart of real solutions. It’s not surprising that the Status Quo craves pseudo-solutions, for real solutions necessa...
    On March 4, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    India Central Bank Cuts Interest Rate “Pre-Emptively” For Second Time In 2 Months

    In a surprise move, the RBI just cut its main interest rates for the second time in two months, taking it from 6.75% to 6.50%, in what the central bank calls a “pre-emptive” policy move, but what is in reality merely a confirmation that so far in 2015 at least 20 central banks have lowered their interest rate.  From the statement:  The RBI notes that the rupee has remained strong relative to peer countries. While an excessively strong rupee is undesirable, it too creates disinflationary impulses…  …softer readings on inflation are expected to come in through the first half of 2015-16 before firming up to below 6 per cent in the...
    On March 4, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    Saving Money On Non-Perishables Online

    I’m no stranger to shopping online, in fact, my wife and I have been big advocates for doing your entire grocery shopping online for a while now. However, until recently the only shops offering this service were the big grocery chains, and their prices were essentially the same as what you would find in store – that advantage being that you did not have to spend time going to the shops. Recently though I discovered that there was a new player in the Aussie grocery marketplace –Kogan. Now I have used Kogan plenty of times before, but always as an electronics retailer, not a grocery shop. Originally I dismissed their marketing as a bit of...
    On March 4, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    How To Avoid Exorbitant 401(k) Retirement Fees And Save More For Your Nest Egg

    Written by Phil DeAngelo, Focused Wealth Management 401(k) retirement plan fees may appear negligible at a few pennies on the dollar. However they add up to a colossal amount of money for your nest egg over the span of your entire career. The vast majority of the 53 million people who take part in an work-sponsored 401(k) plan in the U.S. don’t know how much they’re paying in annual expenses and that they could be paying a lot less. If they do know about the high fees, it’s tough to complain for fear of offending the one who signs the paychecks. Participants typically pay a management fee of 0.67% of assets annually for 401...
    On March 4, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    UK PMI Read Lifts Sterling

    The Pound Sterling edged higher against the Euro following the latest data release on UK construction which beat expectations and reinforced an improved start to this year despite uncertainty in UK politics. According to the February PMI construction report, the sector’s growth improved to a reading of 60.1 in February, a 4-month high and up from January’s 59.1 reading which was better than the fall that analysts’ consensus had been calling for. Analysts report that the political headwinds may put some pressure on the Pound Sterling as the General Election looms and new political wrangling could mean more taxes and regulation, especiall...
    On March 4, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    The Lights Are On In Outer Space, Plus Shedding Some Light On Today’s Markets

    Podcast: Play in new window | Play in new window (Duration: 13:16 — 6.1MB) DOW – 85 = 18,203 SPX – 9 = 2107 NAS – 28 = 4979 10 YR YLD + .04 = 2.12% OIL + 1.00 = 50.59 GOLD – 2.40 = 1204.50 SILV – .13 = 16.33 Just a few economic reports today. Corelogic reports home prices jumped 1.1% in January to take the year-over-year gain to 5.7%. CoreLogic said 27 states and the District of Columbia are at or within 10% of their peak. The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index fell to 120.9 from an upwardly revised December reading of 133.5.  Small businesses cut back on borrowing. Cold weather may be part of the reason. Car com...
    On March 3, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    3 Value Stocks To Own Before Oil Bottoms

    One of the recent trends I have seen in the market is some of the industrial and construction plays that have plunged with the price of crude oil are posting much better than expected results. These stocks are now staging impressive rallies that are only just beginning. Given how severely and unfairly these shares were beaten up this is not surprising. Patient value investors are being rewarded for scooping up these cheap shares while panic engulfed everything connected to the oil and gas industry over the past few months. These stocks might be early in a significant move as they still sell way below their levels before the energy complex sta...
    On March 3, 2015 / By
  • Social 0

    From GCHQ to tech giants: why the fight for your personal data matters

    Government agencies and companies across the world hold large amounts of data on each and every one of us. From profiles of your favourite movies to where you ate out last night, this vast mountain of data is a representation of you that you can do little about. But is that strictly true? Can you find out what GCHQ, Facebook or Google hold on you? And can you get it removed? Let’s start with the king of data collection in the the UK: GCHQ. A recent court win by human rights watchdog Privacy International could enable some people to see what the British surveillance agency holds on them, if someone is prepared to go to court for them. The gr...
    On March 3, 2015 / By
  • Finance 0

    Nasdaq 5,000 Is Different This Time…But Not In A Good Way

    The robo-traders and Wall Street punters were busy painting the tape yesterday, and did bump the Nasdaq composite across the magic 5,000 threshold for the first time since March 2000. But even as Wall Street urged home-gamers to “return with us to the thrilling days of yesteryear”, the caveats about this time is different were flowing with abundance: This time, the Nasdaq at 5,000 is underpinned by substantial companies with strong sales and credible plans for growth, not wishful schemes to “monetize eyeballs” and sell pet food online. Not exactly. This time is very different, but, as they say, not in a good way. Not even close. S...
    On March 3, 2015 / By