tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273085882899962232024-03-08T14:47:28.939-08:00InvestSudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-47321418827629149302016-06-22T04:30:00.001-07:002016-06-22T04:30:13.662-07:00Fwd: (~~~~~niligiris~~~~~~) basic in banking SWIFT transfer<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><span class=""><p style="MARGIN:0px 30px 0px 20px"><a name="m_2374236985776294781_12a606b1cfc5cc69_What is S.W.I.F.T?"><b><font size="2">What is a S.W.I.F.T?</font></b></a></p> <p style="MARGIN:5px 30px 0px 20px;WORD-SPACING:0px">S.W.I.F.T. (or SWIFT) stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It is a non-profit organization comprised of member financial institutions. It was established in 1973 by European bankers who needed a more efficient and secure system for inter bank communications and transfer of funds and securities. Until then, all inter bank communications were by telephone, telex, courier, or mail.</p> <div style="MARGIN:5px 30px 0px 20px;WORD-SPACING:0px">Whereas a Fedwire contains no instructions past the basic funds transfer itself, SWIFT is a messaging service. Each type of message is a condition of wire transfer. One cannot refer to a SWIFT message as a "Conditional SWIFT" per se, since all SWIFT's carry conditions</div> <div style="MARGIN:5px 30px 0px 20px;WORD-SPACING:0px"> </div> <div style="MARGIN:5px 30px 0px 20px;WORD-SPACING:0px"> </div> </span><div style="BORDER-RIGHT:medium none;BORDER-TOP:medium none;OVERFLOW:hidden;BORDER-LEFT:medium none;COLOR:#000000;BORDER-BOTTOM:medium none;BACKGROUND-COLOR:transparent;TEXT-ALIGN:left;TEXT-DECORATION:none"> <div><span class=""> <div> <div style="WIDTH:120px">SWIFT money transfers move money from one country to another.</div> <div> <div> <div> </div></div></div><span></span></div> </span><p>A SWIFT money transfer is a type of international wire transfer that is an electronic means of moving money from one country to another. </p></div><div><div class="h5"><span></span> <div> <ol> <h2>History</h2> <li>SWIFT money transfers originated in 1974, when seven international banks formed the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). Now SWIFT money transfers can be used to send money from practically any country to any other country. <h2>Features</h2> </li><li>A SWIFT money transfer begins when a person gives a bank permission to send a specific amount of money from his account to an account abroad. The person provides her bank with the SWIFT code and <a style="PADDING-RIGHT:0px;PADDING-LEFT:0px;FONT-WEIGHT:normal!important;FONT-SIZE:100%!important;PADDING-BOTTOM:1px;COLOR:#0364a4!important;PADDING-TOP:0px;BORDER-BOTTOM:#0364a4 1px solid;BACKGROUND-COLOR:transparent!important;TEXT-DECORATION:none!important" href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_5024126_swift-money-transfer_.html#" target="_blank">account number<img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH:0px;PADDING-RIGHT:0px;DISPLAY:inline!important;PADDING-LEFT:0px;BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH:0px;MIN-HEIGHT:10px;FLOAT:none;BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH:0px;PADDING-BOTTOM:0px;MARGIN:0px;WIDTH:10px;PADDING-TOP:0px;BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH:0px" height="10" width="10"></a> for the other bank. Electronic instructions are then sent to the other bank detailing the amount that should be posted and the account involved. <h2>Time Frame</h2> </li><li>Transfers can appear in the recipient's account as quickly as a few hours or as long as a week. <h2>Identification</h2> </li><li>The transfer looks like a sheet of paper with printed information, such as the sending bank's information, the parties involved in the transfer and a series of codes that describe how funds will be collected. <h2>Benefits</h2> </li><li>SWIFT transfers allow funds to be sent to foreign countries more quickly than by airmail or courier services. They also provide recipients with a guarantee that they will receive funds as payment and that the currency received is what was agreed upon during the transaction. <h2>Warnings</h2> </li><li>Fees of more $30 typically are required to initiate SWIFT transfers and there are similar fees to receive one. Additionally, SWIFT transfers are used by perpetrators of fraud who request that money be wired to them as a part of a scam. Consumers should be suspicious if they're asked by a stranger to wire money overseas. </li> </ol></div><br><br><br> </div></div></div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br clear="all"><br></div></div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-44982049826311868072014-05-07T20:26:00.001-07:002014-05-07T20:26:39.900-07:00Minors Over 10 Years Can Operate Bank Accounts: RBI<div dir="ltr"><h1 style="margin:0px;font-family:Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:28px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(228,232,232)">Minors Over 10 Years Can Operate Bank Accounts: RBI</h1> <div><br></div><div><br></div><div><strong style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)">New Delhi</strong><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)">:</span><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> Minors above 10 years of age can open and operate independently savings bank account and use other facilities like ATM and cheque books.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> The Reserve Bank on Tuesday issued the guidelines allowing minors to operate bank accounts independently with a view to promote financial inclusion and bring uniformity in opening of such accounts in banks.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> RBI had earlier permitted minors to open fixed and savings deposit bank account with mothers as guardian.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> Modifying the guidelines, the RBI said that all minors can now open a savings/fixed/recurring bank deposit account through either his/her natural guardian or legally appointed guardian.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> The minors who have attained 10 years of age, would be allowed to open and operate savings bank accounts independently.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> "Banks may, however, keeping in view their risk management systems, fix limits in terms of age and amount up to which minors may be allowed to operate the deposit accounts independently," the RBI said.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> Further, the banks can also decide on the minimum documents which are required for opening of accounts by minors.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)"> "Banks are free to offer additional banking facilities like Internet banking, ATM/debit card, cheque book facility, etc, subject to the safeguards that minor accounts are not allowed to be overdrawn and that these always remain in credit," the RBI said.</p> <p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)">On attaining majority, the minor would be required to confirm the balance in his/her account.</p> <p style="margin:0px 0px 10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(228,232,232)">If the account was operated by the natural/legal guardian, fresh operating instructions and specimen signature of the minor should be obtained and kept on record for all operational purposes, the RBI said.</p> </div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-78479254126989152062014-04-25T19:53:00.001-07:002014-04-25T19:53:13.380-07:00weekly gold<div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Gold remains the safety bid that people flock to in troubled times! The turbulence between Russia and the Ukraine was just enough to propel Gold out of the downtrend. It may have initially been short-covering but may turn into a real bull run if the Ukraine situation escalates. The Russian/Ukraine situation has escalated in Donetsk with potential conflict possible which is supportive of the Gold market. Pro-Russian activists have kept the tensions front and center. The Ukraine government responded sending troops to Kharkiv when the activists started to take over buildings in the eastern portion of the Ukraine. Russia cautioned the Ukraine that any possible violence could escalate into a civil war. China and Japan had been main buyers of US Treasuries and the US Dollar as debt instruments. Recently, they have whittled down their US assets and have been accumulating Gold. Banks in China actually developed Gold Accumulation Plans with support of the World Gold Council so that investors could eventually take delivery if they so desired. The banks have about 17,125 branch offices with the GAP introduced to help the people build their wealth. They do keep their physical products separate from the paper assets. Projections from the World Gold Council have the Gold demand increasing in China 25 % over the next four years. The population alone may more than double creating further demand without external factors. India had been the number one buyer of Gold until 2013 when China overtook them. 2013 was a robust buying year in Gold by the Chinese, but it is thought that 2014 may be more of a consolidation year. China may hold about 2.716 tons of Gold while the US may hold 8.812 tons. China, in previous years, had suffered the effects of hyperinflation leading many to hedge for future events. They believe that the US economic policies will someday destroy the dollar which would propel the Gold to new highs. China may have their own predicament with a potential credit crisis for which the Gold may also be of use. It had been used for gift giving for the Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival and more recently Valentine's Day and Mother's day. Only the pure Gold would be considered investment grade. The demand for Gold in India may increase as a key festival is on tap. Wedding season may warrant a relaxation of the import taxes which remain at about 10 % which further constraints. Turkey's central bank had decreased their Gold reserves by 1.2 metric tons and 7.3 metric tons recently. Central banks are still net buyers of the Gold with holdings increasing 6.3 million ounces last year. The banks are projected to buy 5.4 million ounces in 2014. The industrial demand for Gold has reached about 92.0 million ounces in 2013. Investment demand had decreased to 30.9 million ounces in 2013. The Central Bank of Iraq had acquired 36 metric tons of Gold in March. Chinese buyers purchased about 125 tons of Gold in February. Mexico had increased their holdings by 78.5 tons of Gold in March. Supplies of Gold above ground are estimated to be about 177,200 tons according to the World Gold Council. Gold remains as one of the most liquid assets that has rallied in the face of the worst calamities in our history books. Yet without the fear and anxiety we may see a lower range for Gold. The CME Group has plans for a Gold contract at the Shanghai Gold Exchange. This would be a lease agreement for a physically settled contract. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">More sanctions to come from the G7 to Russia! The sanctions may be the only way to avoid a military confrontation, yet going back into the provocation that may have contributed to "Pearl Harbor" we must walk a fine line of diplomacy. The wall of worry is expanding and the sanctions while punishing Russia are affecting the markets globally. The Standard & Poor's credit rating agency downgraded Russia's credit rating today. The Russian central bank had then increased a key interest rate. Visa and MasterCard stand to lose a great deal with the sanctions imposed as hundreds of millions of cards are held in Russia. The Russian President countered with ideas to begin Russian self-contained credit payment systems. The old adage "sell in May and go away" may somehow come to fruition this year due to totally unrelated events that may support the cliché. If the equities sell off, the Gold should acquire the allocations among a few other hard assets. The US and Russia have danced around potential conflicts in the past without any military use. Each knows that the end result may just result in the end. It must be determined if Kiev may have illegally entered into the turmoil. The agreement signed in Geneva last week by the US, Russia, the European Union and Ukraine was to disarm the rebels. Russia stands by their right to protect Russian citizens according to the Geneva agreement. No one wants a military resolution, so the US and allied countries are attempting to increase the sanctions against Russia. Russia is already suffering with a weak Ruble and some lackluster data. Any further bloodshed may cause the conflict to escalate. Diplomacy is vital among the leaders of these nations to look for an accord for the benefit of life as we know it. The global marketplace still has fragility as Japan's flip from trade surplus to a deficit of about 1.446 trillion Yen in March exceeded expectations of 1.070 trillion Yen. It would not be a surprise for Japan to use additional tools to support their economy. Still the Yen has been used as a safe-haven in light of the Ukraine situation. It is a wait and see situation to monitor if the potential conflict in the Ukraine could possibly erupt into more. The powers have strong backing in allies, both the US and Russia, so any further gas on the fire could ignite a conflict that no one wants to imagine. The Russian borders and Crimea have been close with many of its people Russian born. The vote was in favor of Crimea to secede and ask the Russian Federation for Membership. Crimea had belonged to Russia back in the 1954 until Nikita Khrushchev had given the Black Sea region to the Ukraine. Russian President Putin defends his right to send troops to the Ukraine on behalf of the Russian citizens residing there. He actually stayed within the treaty limit of 25,000 troops initially, but it was reported that about 40,000 troops and even more perhaps remain around the Ukraine border. The Ukraine is seeking financial aid from the IMF of up to about $18 billion to help the country out of the debt. Russia is experiencing the punishing effects of the sanctions as the sovereign wealth funds had outflows. Global leaders still regard Russia's action as grabbing a country for benefits perhaps derived from the resources of the region. World leaders are intent on watching Putin to be sure his "annexing" stops at Crimea! British Prime Minister David Cameron regarded this action as a breach of international law. Sanctions may be imposed on Russia still yet regarding this action such as travel bans and financial sanctions. About $5.5 billion of outflows have already transpired this year in Russia in light of the sanctions. US sanctions have already stopped the Visa and MasterCard services at the Bank Rossiya in St. Petersburg. Sanctions on parties in Putin's inner circle have been targeted. The sanctions have already had an impact on Russia as Fitch's credit rating agency has cut the outlook to BBB negative. Loans have been called in and gold reserves have fallen to $493.2 billion as of March 14th. The G-8 said that they will suspend the G-8 Summit in Sochi this year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has spoken of revoking Russia's entrance into the organization. Asset blockades, financial and trade sanctions have all been suggested. Putin may pay about $3 billion ++ costs to annex Crimea. The problem seems to be a history of violating international boundaries for the Russian President. Putin retorts that the US and NATO have come close to the Russian borders. The currencies have become extremely volatile especially for the ruble and the hryvnia. Russia is also set on building the relationship with China. China has been one of the only countries holding loyalty to Russia and not condemn the country for the Crimea situation. China is a superpower that will matter and Russia wants to use that strength. Russia and the US had fought on the same side during WWI and WWII yet tensions still run very deep. US Secretary John Kerry and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met in Geneva to discuss a disarmament in the Ukraine of all illegal armed groups. US Vice President Biden warns Russia that time is short for action to dissolve any potential conflict. Pro-Russian militia occupying areas in the eastern Ukraine do not consider to be part of any deals reached by the US, Russia, Ukraine or EU. Russian troops seized the Crimean port of Sevastopol raising their flag. Russia's take-over of Crimea will perhaps consist of pension adjustments up to the Russian pensions, raises, infrastructure upgrades such as quite possibly a bridge and a tunnel. The EU may proceed to lighten imports of natural gas from Russia. The Euro Zone and the world would feel the pressure of the sanctions as many global workers are employed by Russian companies. Russia and the US both have an accord on nuclear terrorism threats realizing that international cooperation is necessary to provide a stronger front. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today's PMI Services Flash for April is 54.2 while the previous reading was 55.5. Consumer Sentiment for April was at 84.1 while the previous reading had been 82.6. The US Initial Jobless Claims for the week of April 19th was up 24,000 new claims for unemployment insurance to 329,000 while the previous week had 304,000. The Continuing Claims which have a week lag time were down 61,000 to 2.680 million. Durable Goods New Orders for March were 2.6 % while the previous reading was 2.2 %. The Durable Goods excluding transportation were 2.0 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index for April was 7 while the previous reading was 10. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for April was -25.4 while the previous reading was -29.1. The PMI Manufacturing Index Flash for April was 55.4 while the previous reading was 55.5. New Home Sales for March came in rather lackluster perhaps due to inventory shortages at 384,000 while the previous reading had been 440,000. The MBA Purchase Applications for the week of April 18th Composite was -3.3 % while the previous reading was 4.3 %. The Purchase Index was -3.0 % while the previous reading was 1.0 %. The Refinance Index was -4.0 % while the previous reading was 7.0 %. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of April 19th was 0.4 % while the previous reading was -0.3 %. Redbook Store Sales for the week of April 19th were 3.7 % while the previous reading was 2.6 %. The FHFA House Price Index for February was 0.6 % while the previous reading had been 0.5 %. Existing Home Sales SAAR for March were -0.2 % or 4.59 million annual rate while the previous reading was -0.4 % or 4.600 million annual rate. The Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index level change for April was 7 while the previous reading was -7. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index Level for March at 0.20 while the previous level was 0.14. This is a report to gauge the economic activity and inflationary pressure. The Leading Indicators for March were 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.5 %. The last Nonfarm Payrolls for March was 192,000 while the previous reading was 175,000. Though better than February's report, the forecast of 206,000 left some traders disappointed with the moderate number. The Unemployment rate was left unchanged at 6.7 % while the forecasts were for 6.6 %. The Average Hourly Earnings was 0.0 % while the previous reading had been 0.4 %. The Average Workweek was 34.5 hours while the previous reading was 34.2 hours. The Private Payrolls was 192,000 while the previous reading was 162,000. Friday, we look forward to the PMI Services Flash Level for April forecast at 56.2 while the previous reading was 55.5. Consumer Sentiment Index for April is forecast at 82.5 while the previous reading was 82.6. Next week is huge, we have so many reports such as the GDP and the Employment report which is forecast between 203,000 and 250.000 so far. We have the FMOC. The country is walking a fine line of potential conflict as well. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"><strong>Gold Chart</strong></p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> <img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_4_25.jpg" border="0"> </p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </p><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-76537518510102318222014-04-13T05:15:00.001-07:002014-04-13T05:15:27.999-07:00Weekly gold<div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The <span class="" id="ie9723d7_2" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">Gold market</span> has broken out of the bearish stance temporarily. Gold is a wonderful safe-haven currency that may hedge against inflation and/or currency devaluation. The currency devaluation in China potentially may trigger further reevaluations of each global currency. In the stock valuations, it may be a matter of overvaluations that may be necessary to reign in irrational exuberance in the market. We do have a potential perfect storm for Gold in the case that the Ukraine situation heats up. If the Iranian Diplomat refusal ignites further conflict with Iran. If the Stock Indices do not bottom soon. If the US Dollar becomes more devalued. Any of these conditions may result in a takeoff of the Gold market. The accommodative stance of the Fed and the further out the tightening may also support the Gold market somewhat. The more dovish the Fed, the better for Gold. The US is constantly in the spotlight and while the US Dollar remains a premier currency, countries may dump dollars for other products that may be a stronger performer. While all of these factors could potentially lead to a higher Gold price, none have come to fruition to the point that we would need for the Gold to takeoff, so we may experience again a range bound market in the near-term. Central banks are still net buyers of the Gold with holdings increasing 6.3 million ounces last year. The banks are projected to buy 5.4 million ounces in 2014. The industrial demand for Gold has reached about 92.0 million ounces in 2013. Investment demand had decreased to 30.9 million ounces in 2013. The Central Bank of Iraq had acquired 36 metric tons of Gold in March. Central banks purchased 544 tons of Gold in 2012 without the data or excluding China while in 2013 went to 369 tons. China rarely releases data to get a view of their holdings. Germany is currently moving Gold from New York to Frankfort in an attempt to increase their reserves while their holdings are the second largest to the US at 3,387.1 metric tons. Mexico had increased their holdings by 78.5 tons of Gold in March. Kazakhstan February reserves at 4.73 million troy ounces. The US reserves 8,133.5 tons. Holdings in the SPDR Gold Trust increased 0.6 % to 821.47 metric tons. Supplies of Gold above ground are estimated to be about 177,200 tons according to the World Gold Council. Gold remains as one of the most liquid assets that has rallied in the face of the worst calamities in our history books. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The <span class="" id="ie9723d7_7" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">fear factor</span> was ignited further today taking the VIX to 17.03! The Treasuries also have benefited over the <span class="" id="ie9723d7_6" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">high anxiety</span> in the marketplace taking the long-bonds up to $134^28. The valuations of the stock do not justify the <span class="" id="ie9723d7_4" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">share prices</span>. No longer can inclement weather conditions suffice for missed targets. Now the harsh reality sets in to reevaluate the stock prices of individual stock on merit. Allocations may shift as portfolio adjustments are made. There may be bargain hunting where investors may look for smaller companies with good market capitalization or just quality, making it more of a <span class="" id="ie9723d7_3" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">stock pickers</span> market. Some major companies valuations and revenue growth just were not there. To add to the concerns, China’s <span class="" id="ie9723d7_1" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">imports and exports</span> were down in March contributing further to the weakness. Premier Li Keqiang states that more tools may be used to increase growth. To add to the apprehension, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Legarde retorts that rebalancing is the intention of the Chinese Yuan depreciation yet other countries such as the US have been opposed. The Yuan was set to depreciate before widening the exchange-rate band on March 17th. China does want their currency to become a reserve currency in the future yet the recent import/export numbers do not support a higher Yuan. Exports decreased 6.6 % while Imports decreased 11.3 % to a trade surplus of $7.71 billion. The devalued currency will help the country’s exports as they become cheaper to purchase. China’s projected growth rate is set for 7.5 %. The US already has concerns about a devalued Yuan making goods from China less costly and more appealing to global consumers. The US appealed to the G-20 on deaf ears as the Euro Zone, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan have been trying to devalue their currencies. The US Federal Budget Deficit came in at $36.9 billion while a year ago it was $106.5 billion. The taxes were up while the spending was down. The sequestration and higher revenue got rave revues by the IMF. Last October, the US was close to suffering a default but managed to draw up a budget agreement temporarily. They still need the long-term sustainable agreement drawn up that would enrich the nation beyond a potential deficit. Treasuries increased after the Fed minutes this week as the market may have had tightening expectations dampened. The increased time on the tightening may have boosted the Treasuries at the Indexes expense. The increase may take place more likely mid-to-latter-2015. The US Fed released the minutes of the March 18th – 19th Fed meeting Wednesday. US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen had regained the positive vibe as she said that the US has a “considerable slack” in the labor market allowing the accommodation to remain as back up for some time to come. Her commentary prior had put a potential tightening on interest rates in perhaps as little as six months. She was able to calm investors with a dovish tone. Projections for continued growth in the US look extremely positive with little to drag it down at this time. US Fed Chairperson Yellen keeps the accommodative stance as a floor for this market, by maintaining that the Fed may have further tools or at least implying that. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank along with financial ministers and world bank governors are to meet April 11th thru the 13th to discuss economic issues and financial markets. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde coined the word “Low-flation” as she asked for additional monetary easing in the Euro Zone and Japan. The Euro Zone’s gauge of economic confidence gained to 102.4 in March while the previous reading was 101.2. The US interest rate projections by analysts are from 4.25 % to possible 3 % to the end of 2016. The European Central Bank met with an unchanged interest rate, yet they did discuss a potential stimulus. The German IFO Business Conditions Index decreased in March to 110.7 while the previous reading had been 111.3. The European Central Bank is contemplating a program of quantitative easing much like the US had to thwart a deflationary passage. The Bank of Japan on the other hand may be introducing further stimulus with deflation concerns. The IMF sees the world economy growth at about 3.6 %. The IMF sees the Euro Zone with a 2.9 % GDP this year. The Bank of England officials state that they will maintain the key interest rate at the lows until Employment decreases from 7.2 % to 7.0 %. The IMF is projecting the US growth to 2.8 % this year and 3.0 % in 2015. Russia and economic sanctions may be discussed. Russia is cited for the sanctions but they may target more than the giant economy as US companies have investments in Russia such as Boeing and General Electric. The Euro Zone including Germany may also suffer as the sanctions are imposed on Russia to put a financial strangle hold on the country. A snowball effect of conflict could ultimately result in the sanctions as Russia has been playing an integral part of negotiations with Iran on the nuclear program. Sanctions on Iran had been previously placed to pressure the country into allowing the NATO inspectors to come into their nuclear facilities to monitor the use of uranium. The uranium is said to be used at the highly developed level for medical purposes but it also becomes capable of being used to complete a nuclear bomb. Israel is within reach to Iran to suffer any hostile action initially and therefore they have pressured the US to propose the sanctions. Iran is now anxious to wind up the talks and agreements. US President Obama now wants to prevent the Iranian Ambassador, Hamid Aboutalebi from entering the US as the chosen UN envoy. He had been involved with terrorist activity in the past and the president feels him a threat to US safety. In 1979, the takeover of the US embassy was credited to the ambassador as one of his espionage efforts. He may be denied a US Visa to work at the UN. US President Barack Obama has been under some pressure for perhaps not opposing the takeover of Crimea by Russia more, but his diplomacy is of the utmost importance in such matters. Russian President Putin further taunts the US with support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria. They have sent weaponry like the “vacuum bomb” which is a heat and pressure explosive device. Iran and Russia are both with sanctions bartering goods and using oil to gain the products necessary for survival. The global relationships are vital to maintain peace and harmony. The nuclear disarmament of Iran and the role that Russian President Putin has is of vital importance to world peace. Putin can use his close relationship to the Iran officials to maintain harmony and keep the talks open. Russia is a huge trade relationship where globally, it would make a difference to other countries if the sanctions against Russia were to tighten. On the Russian developments, Vladimir Putin announced that he is not intent on splitting up the Ukraine. He is bent on increasing the region’s profitability with tourism and as an energy route. For the people of Crimea, much will change. Ukraine people will need a Russian Visa to travel within the region. The Russian leader is invoking some sanctions of his own as the Ukraine purchases about a half of their natural gas from Russia. OAO Gazprom (GAZP) is the primary Russian gas export firm that is owed at $2.2 billion by the Ukraine. Russia feels it is within their right to revert to a prepay account with the Ukraine. Gazprom recently increased their prices substantially to the Ukraine perhaps in the heat of the potential conflict regarding Crimea. Global leaders are looking for a resolve perhaps even a possible reverse flow system from Eastern Europe. April 17th, global leaders meet in Geneva to look for solutions. The vote was in favor of Crimea to secede and ask the Russian Federation for Membership. Crimea had belonged to Russia back in the 1954 until Nikita Khrushchev had given the Black Sea region to the Ukraine. Russian President Putin defends his right to send troops to the Ukraine on behalf of the Russian citizens residing there. He actually stayed within the treaty limit of 25,000 troops initially, but it was reported that about 40,000 troops remain around the Ukraine border. The Ukraine is seeking financial aid from the IMF of up to about $18 billion to help the country out of the debt. The G-7 is to discuss the Ukraine situation in Washington. The G-7 consists of the US, Japan, Germany, UK, Italy, France and Canada. Global leaders still regard Russia’s action as grabbing a country for benefits perhaps derived from the resources of the region. World leaders are intent on watching Putin to be sure his “annexing” stops at Crimea! British Prime Minister David Cameron regarded this action as a breach of international law. Sanctions may be imposed on Russia still yet regarding this action such as travel bans and financial sanctions. About $5.5 billion of outflows have already transpired this year in Russia in light of the sanctions. US sanctions have already stopped the Visa and MasterCard services at the Bank Rossiya in St. Petersburg. Sanctions on parties in Putin’s inner circle have been targeted. The sanctions have already had an impact on Russia as Fitch’s credit rating agency has cut the outlook to BBB negative. Loans have been called in and gold reserves have fallen to $493.2 billion as of March 14th. The G-8 said that they will suspend the G-8 Summit in Sochi this year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has spoken of revoking Russia’s entrance into the organization. Asset blockades, financial and trade sanctions have all been suggested. Putin may pay about $3 billion ++ costs to annex Crimea. The problem seems to be a history of violating international boundaries for the Russian President. Putin retorts that the US and NATO have come close to the Russian borders. For the moment, the market is taking Putin’s words as peaceful! If or when sanctions are imposed by other countries, will the environment remain peaceful or could another cold war escalate? For now, Putin seems to be concentrating on the completion the annexing of Crimea. Russia and the US had fought on the same side during WWI and WWII yet tensions still run very deep. Russian troops seized the Crimean port of Sevastopol raising their flag. Russia’s take-over of Crimea will perhaps consist of pension adjustments up to the Russian pensions, raises, infrastructure upgrades such as quite possibly a bridge and a tunnel. The EU may proceed to lighten imports of natural gas from Russia. It is hopeful that the Russian President will be able to show that he is not interested in taking other regions and that his intent is peaceful. It would be also hopeful that the sanctions would not constrict to the point of pressure to escalate any aggression. The Euro Zone and the world would feel the pressure of the sanctions as many global workers are employed by Russian companies. Russia and the US both have an accord on nuclear terrorism threats realizing that international cooperation is necessary to provide a stronger front.</p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s Producer Price Index for March was 0.5 % while the previous reading had been -0.1 %. The PPI excluding food and energy was 0.6 % while the previous reading was -0.2 %. The PPI excluding food, energy and trade services was 0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.1 %. The PPI Goods were 0.0 % while the previous reading was 0.4 %. The PPI Services were 0.7 % while the previous reading was -0.3 %. The Consumer Sentiment for April was 82.6 while the previous reading was 80.0. The Initial Jobless Claims for the week of April 5th was down 32,000 to 300,000 while the previous reading had been 326,000. The Continuing Claims was down 62,000. Import <span class="" id="ie9723d7_13" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">Prices</span> for March were 0.6 % while the previous reading had been 0.9 %. The Export Prices were 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.6 %. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for April was -31.9 while the previous reading had been -30.0. The Treasury Budget for March was -$36.9 billion while the previous reading was -$193.5 billion. The Fed Balance Sheet of Total <span class="" id="ie9723d7_11" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">Assets</span> was $7.7 billion while the previous reading had been $9.5 billion. The Reserve <span class="" id="ie9723d7_9" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">Bank</span> Credit was $6.9 billion while the previous reading was $4.7 billion. The Money Supply for the week of March 31st was -$37.0 billion while the previous reading had been $20.0 billion. The MBA Purchase Applications Composite for the week of April 4th was -1.6 % while the previous reading was -1.2 %. The Purchase Index was 3.0 % while the previous reading was 1.0 %. The Refinance Index was -5.0 % while the previous reading was -3.0 %. Wholesale Trade Inventories for February were 0.5 % while the previous reading was 0.6 %. The Federal Open Market Committee minutes were read today from the March 18th and 19th meetings. The Fed expressed that policy will remain loose for years and the tapering is in measured steps supporting the stock indices. A couple of Fed members see the Fed Funds Rate low as inflation remains below 2 %. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for March was 93.4 showing increased confidence in the economy while the previous reading was 91.4. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of April 5th was 1.5 % while the previous reading was 3.6 %. The Redbook Sales for the week of April 5th was 2.9 % while the previous reading was 2.3 %. The JOLTS (the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for February was 4.173 million while the previous reading was 3.974 million. The Gallup US Consumer Spending Measure for March was $87 unchanged. The TD Ameritrade IMX for March was 5.87 while the previous reading was 5.74. US Consumer Credit for February was $16.5 billion while the previous reading was $13.7 billion. The Nonfarm Payrolls for March was 192,000 while the previous reading was 175,000. Though better than February’s report, the forecast of 206,000 left some traders disappointed with the moderate number. The Unemployment rate was left unchanged at 6.7 % while the forecasts were for 6.6 %. The Average Hourly Earnings was 0.0 % while the previous reading had been 0.4 %. The Average Workweek was 34.5 hours while the previous reading was 34.2 hours. The Private Payrolls was 192,000 while the previous reading was 162,000.</p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">This is where the long-term safe-haven qualities must be viewed to determine the true value of Gold. It is not the type of commodity that is typically day-traded. Its true purpose is as a <span class="" id="ie9723d7_10" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">currency</span> when others are devalued. It is a hedge against inflation. It is a backup plan for a world in conflict or crisis. It is the type of <span class="" id="ie9723d7_8" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">investment</span> that one may not need all the time but when an event takes place, it is worth its weight in Gold. <br> The Gold (June) contract is in <span class="" id="ie9723d7_14" style="list-style:none;float:none;padding:0px;margin:0px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(0,0,255);display:inline!important">buy</span> mode if it stays above $1282.40. It could retrace to $1186.70 or back up to $1392.20 depending on the Ukraine situation and the economy. A key consolidation area may be $1318.90. The range may be $1307.00 to $1350.00 for now. Should Russian President Putin become ambitious to acquire additional annexing of the neighboring regions, nuclear talks begin to fail, the economic reports detect a contraction of growth in the US and/or a slowdown in China all could spur positive price action in the Gold market back to the old highs or above. For now, the Gold carries a negative positioning remaining under pressure. Anything can happen. The options may give a trader the right to control a futures position at a specific price or to simply profit/loss on the premium itself. It is suggested to consult your broker without delving into options if you are unfamiliar with them. </p> <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> <img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_4_11.jpg" border="0"></p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> </p></span><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-71609326930430447772014-04-04T20:23:00.001-07:002014-04-04T20:23:27.081-07:00Weekly Gold<div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The Gold market may just break out of the bearish stance temporarily. The Employment report today just gave the Gold a bit of a boost as the US Dollar faded in the session. The interpretation of the data seems to reflect the market sentiment more than numbers. It signaled disappointment as the expectations called for 206,000 while the market delivered 192,000. Though the previous reading for February had been 175,000 which confirms a gradual recovery. Gold is a wonderful safe-haven currency that may hedge against inflation and/or currency devaluation. Today, there may have been more of a short-covering bounce than a bullish sentiment. While it does have a distinct upturn, it may be a short-term bounce where a range may hold the metal for some time. The Gold and the US Dollar typically have that correlation where one may go up pressuring the other to go down. It is also quite noticeable that the equity markets have also developed that relationship with Gold where the allocations move from equities to Gold during times of economic weakness and/or uncertainty. The recent debut by US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen had released the potential time of the tightening to perhaps six months, but this week she countered the statement with an accomodative dovish tone. Central banks are still net buyers of the Gold with holdings increasing 6.3 million ounces last year. The banks are projected to buy 5.4 million ounces in 2014. The industrial demand for Gold has reached about 92.0 million ounces in 2013. Investment demand had decreased to 30.9 million ounces in 2013. The Central Bank of Iraq had acquired 36 metric tons of Gold in March. Central banks purchased 544 tons of Gold in 2012 without the data or excluding China while in 2013 went to 369 tons. China rarely releases data to get a view of their holdings. Germany is currently moving Gold from New York to Frankfort in an attempt to increase their reserves while their holdings are the second largest to the US at 3,387.1 metric tons. Mexico had increased their holdings by 78.5 tons of Gold in March. Kazakhstan February reserves at 4.73 million troy ounces. The US reserves 8,133.5 tons. Holdings in the SPDR Gold Trust increased 0.6 % to 821.47 metric tons. Supplies of Gold above ground are estimated to be about 177,200 tons according to the World Gold Council. Gold remains as one of the most liquid assets that has rallied in the face of the worst calamities in our history books. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The Employment Report showed 192,000 new jobs created in March when the last report was 175,000 but the expectations were for 206,000. Of course the temporary workers increased to 28,500. Health care added 34,000 jobs. Construction added 19,000 new workers and retail added 21,300 jobs. All in all, it was the gradual growth that we have seen during the recovery. Last week, US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen had regained the positive vibe as she said that the US has a “considerable slack” in the labor market allowing the accommodation to remain as back up for some time to come. Her commentary prior had put a potential tightening on interest rates in perhaps as little as six months. She was able to calm investors with a dovish tone. Projections for continued growth in the US look extremely positive with little to drag it down at this time. As the data comes in, traders will wonder about the “mini stimulus” to be launched by China. The International Monetary Fund (IMF)and the World Bank along with financial ministers and world bank governors are to meet April 11th thru the 13th to discuss economic issues and financial markets. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde coined the word “Low-flation” as she asked for additional monetary easing in the Euro Zone and Japan. The Euro Zone’s gauge of economic confidence gained to 102.4 in March while the previous reading was 101.2. The US interest rate projections by analysts are from 4.25 % to possible 3 % to the end of 2016. The European Central Bank met with an unchanged interest rate, yet they did discuss a potential stimulus. The German IFO Business Conditions Index decreased in March to 110.7 while the previous reading had been 111.3. The European Central Bank is contemplating a program of quantitative easing much like the US had to thwart a deflationary passage. The Bank of Japan on the other hand and the European Central Bank may be introducing further stimulus as the US is withdrawing theirs. Russia and economic sanctions will probably not be discussed. Russia is cited for the sanctions but they may target more than the giant economy as US companies have investments in Russia such as Boeing and General Electric. The Euro Zone including Germany may also suffer as the sanctions are imposed on Russia to put a financial strangle hold on the country. A snowball effect of conflict could ultimately result in the sanctions as Russia has been playing an integral part of negotiations with Iran on the nuclear program. Sanctions on Iran had been previously placed to pressure the country into allowing the NATO inspectors to come into their nuclear facilities to monitor the use of uranium. The uranium is said to be used at the highly developed level for medical purposes but it also becomes capable of being used to complete a nuclear bomb. Israel is within reach to Iran to suffer any hostile action initially and therefore they have pressured the US to propose the sanctions. US President Barack Obama has been under some pressure for perhaps not opposing the takeover of Crimea by Russia more, but his diplomacy is of the utmost importance in such matters. Russian President Putin further taunts the US with support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria. They have sent weaponry like the “vacuum bomb” which is a heat and pressure explosive device. Iran and Russia are both with sanctions bartering goods and using oil to gain the products necessary to survival. The global relationships are vital to maintain peace and harmony. The nuclear disarmament of Iran and the role that Russian President Putin has is of vital importance to world peace. Putin can use his close relationship to the Iran officials to maintain harmony and keep the talks open. Russia is a huge trade relationship where globally, it would make a difference to other countries if the sanctions against Russia were to tighten. On the Russian developments, Vladimir Putin announced that he is not intent on splitting up the Ukraine. He is bent on increasing the region’s profitability with tourism and as an energy route. For the people of Crimea, much will change. Ukraine people will need a Russian Visa to travel within the region. The Russian leader is invoking some sanctions of his own as the Ukraine purchases about a half of their natural gas from Russia. The vote was in favor of Crimea to secede and ask the Russian Federation for Membership. Crimea had belonged to Russia back in the 1954 until Nikita Khrushchev had given the Black Sea region to the Ukraine. Russian President Putin defends his right to send troops to the Ukraine on behalf of the Russian citizens residing there. He actually stayed within the treaty limit of 25,000 troops initially, but it was reported that about 40,000 troops remain around the Ukraine border. Global leaders still regard Russia’s action as grabbing a country for benefits perhaps derived from the resources of the region. World leaders are intent on watching Putin to be sure his “annexing” stops at Crimea! British Prime Minister David Cameron regarded this action as a breach of international law. Sanctions may be imposed on Russia still yet regarding this action such as travel bans and financial sanctions. About $5.5 billion of outflows have already transpired this year in Russia in light of the sanctions. US sanctions have already stopped the Visa and MasterCard services at the Bank Rossiya in St. Petersburg. Sanctions on parties in Putin’s inner circle have been targeted. The sanctions have already had an impact on Russia as Fitch’s credit rating agency has cut the outlook to BBB negative. Loans have been called in and gold reserves have fallen to $493.2 billion as of March 14th. The G-8 said that they will suspend the G-8 Summit in Sochi this year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has spoken of revoking Russia’s entrance into the organization. Asset blockades, financial and trade sanctions have all been suggested. Putin may pay about $3 billion ++ costs to annex Crimea. The problem seems to be a history of violating international boundaries for the Russian President. Putin retorts that the US and NATO have come close to the Russian borders. For the moment, the market is taking Putin’s words as peaceful! If or when sanctions are imposed by other countries, will the environment remain peaceful or could another cold war escalate? For now, Putin seems to be concentrating on the completion the annexing of Crimea. Russia and the US had fought on the same side during WWI and WWII yet tensions still run very deep. Russian troops seized the Crimean port of Sevastopol raising their flag. Russia’s take-over of Crimea will perhaps consist of pension adjustments up to the Russian pensions, raises, infrastructure upgrades such as quite possibly a bridge and a tunnel. The EU may proceed to lighten imports of natural gas from Russia. It is hopeful that the Russian President will be able to show that he is not interested in taking other regions and that his intent is peaceful. It would be also hopeful that the sanctions would not constrict to the point of pressure to escalate any aggression. The Euro Zone and the world would feel the pressure of the sanctions as many global workers are employed by Russian companies. Russia and the US both have an accord on nuclear terrorism threats realizing that international cooperation is necessary to provide a stronger front.</p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s Nonfarm Payrolls for March was 192,000 while the previous reading was 175,000. Though better than February’s report, the forecast of 206,000 left some traders disappointed with the moderate number. The Unemployment rate was left unchanged at 6.7 % while the forecasts were for 6.6 %. The Average Hourly Earnings was 0.0 % while the previous reading had been 0.4 %. The Average Workweek was 34.5 hours while the previous reading was 34.2 hours. The Private Payrolls was 192,000 while the previous reading was 162,000. The US Initial Jobless Claims for the week of March 29th was up 16,000 to 326,000 while the previous reading was 311,000. Continuing Claims were up 22,000 to 2.836 million. The Challenger Job-Cut Report for March was 34,399 announced layoffs while the previous reading was 41,835. The Gallup US Payroll to Population level for March was 42.7 while the previous reading was 43.1. International Trade Balance for February was -$42.3 billion while the previous reading was -$39.1 billion. The PMI Services Index for March was 55.3 while the previous reading was 53.3. The ISM Non-Manufacturing Composite Index for March was 53.1 while the previous reading was 51.6. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for March was -30.0 while the previous reading was -31.5. The Factory Orders for February were 1.6 % while the previous reading was -0.7 %. The MBA Purchase Applications Composite for the week of March 28th were -1.2 % while the previous reading was -3.5 %. The Purchase Index was 1.0 % while the previous reading was 3.0 %. The Refinance Index was -3.0 % while the previous reading was -8.0 %. The ADP Employment Report of Private Payrolls for March was 191,000 while the previous reading was 139,000. The Gallup US Job Creation Index for March was 23 while the previous reading was 21. The PMI Manufacturing Index for March was 55.5 while the previous reading was 57.1. ISM Manufacturing Index for March was 53.7 while the previous reading was 53.2. Construction Spending for February was 0.1 % while the previous reading was unchanged. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of March 29th was 3.6 % while the previous reading was -1.5 %. The Redbook Store Sales was 2.3 % while the previous reading was 3.1 %. The Chicago PMI Business Barometer Index for March was 55.9 while the previous reading was 59.8. The Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey for March Business Activity Index was 4.9 while the previous reading was 0.3. The Production Index was 17.1 while the previous reading was 10.8. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">This is where the long-term safe-haven qualities must be viewed to determine the true value of Gold. It is not the type of commodity that is typically day-traded. Its true purpose is as a currency when others are devalued. It is a hedge against inflation. It is a backup plan for a world in conflict or crisis. It is the type of investment that one may not need all the time but when an event takes place, it is worth its weight in Gold. <br> The Gold (June) contract is in sell mode if it stays below $1310.50. It could retrace to $1186.70 or back up to $1392.20 depending on the Ukraine situation and the economy. A key consolidation area may be $1310.50. The range may be $1295.50 to $1350.00 for now. Should Russian President Putin become ambitious to acquire additional annexing of the neighboring regions, nuclear talks begin to fail, the economic reports detect a contraction of growth in the US and/or a slowdown in China all could spur positive price action in the Gold market back to the old highs or above. For now, the Gold carries a negative positioning remaining under pressure. Anything can happen. The options may give a trader the right to control a futures position at a specific price or to simply profit/loss on the premium itself. It is suggested to consult your broker without delving into options if you are unfamiliar with them. </p> <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_4_4.jpg" border="0"> </p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> </p></span><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-43344440931394071162014-04-02T04:52:00.001-07:002014-04-02T04:52:05.669-07:00Harley-Davidson Street 750 Review<div dir="ltr"><div><h1 style="background-color:transparent;font-size:23px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;width:650px;color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Harley-Da<span style="background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal">Harley-Davidson Street 750 Review</span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal">vidson Street 750 Review</span></h1> </div><div><br></div><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/slideshows/auto/harley-davidson-street-750-review/proper-attention-grabber/slideshow/33119476.cms">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/slideshows/auto/harley-davidson-street-750-review/proper-attention-grabber/slideshow/33119476.cms</a><br clear="all"> <div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-69161704744399382462014-04-01T16:47:00.001-07:002014-04-01T16:47:55.312-07:00Customers may be spared from keeping minimum balance in savings accounts Read more at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/33064811.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst<div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Bank customers may no longer have to maintain a minimum balance in their savings account as the Reserve Bank of India has directed banks to do away with the practice of levying penalty on account holders who don't do so. While this spells good news for account holders, some bankers said this would increase their costs and they might start charging for some of the services they were offering free. </span><br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">"I think what they are saying is, if you don't charge on maintaining minimum balance then .. </span><br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> Read more at:<br style="background-color:transparent;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/33064811.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst" style="background-color:transparent;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(2,77,153);text-decoration:none">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/33064811.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst</a></div> <div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-19654090196348625112014-03-28T20:23:00.001-07:002014-03-28T20:23:42.590-07:00Weekly Gold<div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"><strong><u>June Gold settles 1294.8, down $39.90 for the week ended Friday March 28<sup>th</sup></u></strong></p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Gold futures remained below $1,300 an ounce on Friday, unable to trim this week's significant losses despite a slightly weaker U.S. dollar. June gold fell 50 cents to settle at $1,294.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The front-month contract was down more than 3 percent this week. The precious metal lost its luster last week when Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen suggested that hikes may be in the cards about a year from now. Today's encouraging U.S. consumer spending data may give the Fed's more hawkish members further reason to advocate for tightening monetary policy sooner than expected. New government figures showed consumer spending rose 0.3 percent in February, suggesting that the mid-winter slowdown was weather-related and temporary.</p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Looking ahead to economic news next week, analysts said they'll keep an eye out for the European Central Bank meeting on Thursday and Friday's March nonfarm payrolls report from the U.S. Labor Department. Currency analysts said there's been some discussion in the markets that the ECB will act in some dovish way, given that ECB President Mario Draghi has expressed concern that the recent strength in the euro is becoming a risk to growth and the inflation targets. Worries about deflation cropping up in the European Union increased after weak consumer price index readings in Spain, although German CPI data came in about as expected. Spanish retail sales were soft and France reported a fall in consumer spending. Friday the U.S. Labor Department is slated to release its March nonfarm payrolls report, which will keep gold-market traders on alert. Pre report trade estimates are looking for a gain of 195,000 jobs with the unemployment rate falling to 6.6 percent. Technicals for next week come in as follows for June Gold and May Silver. For June Gold, support sits at 1275.4 and below here at 1256.0. Support sits up at 1324.9 and above there at 1355.0. For May Silver support is down first at 19.47, and below there at 19.15. Resistance is up at 20.21 and above there at 21.05.</p> <div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-15381942322799112052014-03-25T07:07:00.001-07:002014-03-25T07:07:40.353-07:00SIP vs Lumpsum... Which One Works Better in Mutual Fund Investment?<div dir="ltr"><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">SIP is one of the most advocated way of investing in<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2013/01/best-indian-mutual-funds-for-2013/" title="Best Indian Mutual Funds" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)"> mutual funds</a>. Without doubt SIP is a good tool for systematically accumulating a corpus by investing with market-linked investments for <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/how-to-secure-your-childs-future/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">future</a> goals. In this article we look at why or under what circumstances is SIP is a better way to invest. We will be illustrating our thoughts with numbers.</p> <h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">Firstly what is SIP?</h2><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> SIP stands for <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/7-good-reasons-to-invest-in-sips/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">Systematic</a> Investment Plan, a mode of investing in<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2013/01/best-indian-mutual-funds-for-2013/" title="Best Indian Mutual Funds" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)"> mutual funds</a> that allows one to invest fixed amounts in a specific mutual fund scheme for <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/monthly-income-plans-of-mutual-funds-do-not-assure-a-regular-income/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">regular</a> periods. It makes regular investment convenient with the auto debit facility, and affordable with a low minimum investment requirement. SIP doesn’t incur any additional charges.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">However if we were to compare both lump sum and SIP mode of investments, one should understand that the performance of the particular investment will depend on the market conditions at that time and if it is invested for long term or short term in case of lump sum and cost averaging in case of SIP. Cost averaging results in an investment being purchased at an average cost spread over a period of time instead of one cost on a single day, which could be higher than or lower than the average.</p> <h3 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;font-weight:normal;font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">Here is a demonstration of how these two factors could affect your investments –</h3> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><img alt="" src="http://www.images.investmentkit.com/plog-content/images/2014/2014/chart_1.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"></p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Disclaimer: Above chart is for illustrative purpose only.</strong><br style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> SIP does not assure a profit or guarantee protection against <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/are-you-in-loss-holding-shares/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">loss</a> in a declining market and should not be construed as a promise, guarantee on or a forecast of any minimum returns.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Thus investing in SIP generally one would get fewer units when price is high and more units when price is low.<br style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> However the table above also makes it obvious that the game would favour lump sum investment had it been made when the unit price was lowest (generally when the equity market is down). In such a case the investments would look like this, all else remaining the same.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><img alt="" src="http://www.images.investmentkit.com/plog-content/images/2014/2014/chart_2.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"></p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Disclaimer: Above chart is for illustrative purpose only.</strong><br style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> SIP does not assure a profit or guarantee protection against loss in a declining market and should not be construed as a promise, guarantee on or a forecast of any minimum returns.</p><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> Lump sum has the potential to outshine SIP. However one should remember that <strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">SIP offers an averaged out return thus generally insulates against worst returns.</strong></p><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"> <img alt="" src="http://www.images.investmentkit.com/plog-content/images/2014/2014/chart_3.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"></p><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> <strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Disclaimer: Above chart is for illustrative purpose only.</strong><br style="padding:0px;margin:0px">SIP does not assure a profit or guarantee protection against loss in a declining market and should not be construed as a promise, guarantee on or a forecast of any minimum returns.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">As the numbers above show, SIP works better than lump sum investment in volatile periods. Since no one can predict market movements accurately it is extremely risky to make bets on what time to buy units or sell them.</p> <h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">One brownie point for SIP</h2> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">From a practical <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/how-valuable-are-reward-points-of-your-credit-card/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">point</a> of view SIP is the preferred route of mutual fund investments as investing through SIP’s inculcates the discipline of saving & investing. It is best to align the frequency of investments with that of earning income. If you are salaried employee, you could go for<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/best-mip-mutual-fund-schemes-you-must-know/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">monthly</a> SIP to regularize your savings. Most of our bills have a monthly cycle so viewing SIP as a monthly ‘expense’ helps in the investing habit formation.</p> <h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">So what should it be? Lump sum or SIP?</h2> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">In our view, as stated above, SIP helps you inculcate the habit of investing, and as salaries come in monthly so should investments be. However do not <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/10-rules-to-select-right-mutual-fund/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">rule</a> lump sum investing out, in case you get your annual bonus or an <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/02/inheritance-and-tax/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">inheritance</a> it is best to invest that money wisely in a suitable mutual fund. Thus to conclude, for investing in mutual funds we believe one could opt for SIP mode, unless you have a lump sum amount to invest for long term (more than 5 – 7 yrs). However we strongly suggest you to consult with your financial <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/11/hire-the-right-financial-advisor/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">advisor</a> before proceeding with any investment decision.</p> <div align="center" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"><center style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" id="AutoNumber1" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;border-collapse:collapse"><tbody style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><tr style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><td width="100%" style="padding:0px"> <p align="right" style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em"><ins class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"><ins style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-table;border:none;height:280px;width:336px;background-color:transparent"></ins></ins></p> </td></tr></tbody></table></center></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-55625390628250780342014-03-22T04:36:00.001-07:002014-03-22T04:36:47.437-07:00weekly gold<div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The potential conflict in the Ukraine has stabilized as Russian President Putin has not advanced further on the Ukraine territories. The debut by Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen had put tightening on the calendar which is also negative for Gold. The European Union (EU) is considering modifying the 400 ton a year selling boundry on the Gold which may unleash more massive selling. China may experience a increase in economic expansion. The fundamentals in Gold point to negative action in the Gold market, yet one cannot ignore the technicals. The April Gold chart has an extremely Gold formation suggesting we could see an advance on the Gold next week. This is in contrast to most analysts right now. The range may still hold between $1320.00 to $1393.00. The net longs according to the CFTC COT report was 123,007 contracts as of March 11th. According to the World Gold Council, in 2013 the Gold demand increased 21 % to 3,756 tons. Global demand for jewelry was up 17 % to 2,209 tons. Demand in the technology sector was 405 tons. The outflows from ETF's was 881 tons. Chinese and Indian Gold bar purchases was up 38 %. The need for Gold in India has outstrip its import duties. Smuggling has increased due to the approximate 11 % import tax. India began imposing the import taxes in an attempt to control the deficit along with increased inflation and their devalued rupee. The physical metal is still sought after due to the safe-haven aspects and as a hedge against inflation. </span><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> This week Yellen’s potential tightening in as little as six months may have been misspoken but cannot be taken back. After all, this was a stimulus fed market and we have heard many times that tapering is not tightening. Of course, the market can shrug this off. The sentiment of this market seems to be no news is good news, but unexpected news can be startling. Factory orders and car sales may increase, but the energy prices may help to determine how much the cost of production may be. President Obama had released some of the Crude Oil reserves to begin the sanctions on Russia as they produce the energy products. OPEC came back with a reduction in their production. Then Iraq advanced their production, so that may be key in determining the success of the recovery. The US may also boost their shale production to offset any energy coming from Russia. The market had been supported by strong housing data and Russian President Putin calming the fears of the investors by clarifying his intent for the Ukraine. The Housing Permits for February were 1.018 million while the previous reading was 0.937 million an increase of 7.7 %. This is the bright spot for increased employment in the housing sector. Vladimir Putin announced that he is not intent on splitting up the Ukraine. The vote of Sunday was in favor of Crimea to secede and ask the Russian Federation for Membership. Crimea had belonged to Russia back in the 1954 until Nikita Khrushchev had given the Black Sea region to the Ukraine. Russian President Putin defends his right to send troops to the Ukraine on behalf of the Russian citizens residing there. He actually stayed within the treaty limit of 25,000 troops. Global leaders still regard Russia’s action as grabbing a country for benefits perhaps derived from the resources of the region. World leaders are intent on watching Putin to be sure his “annexing’ stops at Crimea! British Prime Minister David Cameron regarded this action as a breach of international law. Sanctions may be imposed on Russia still yet regarding this action. US sanctions have already stopped the Visa and MasterCard services at the Bank Rossiya in St. Petersburg. Sanctions on parties in Putin’s inner circle have been targeted. The sanctions have already had an impact on Russia as Fitch’s credit rating agency has cut the outlook to BBB negative along with Standard & Poors. Loans have been called in and gold reserves have fallen to $493.2 billion as of March 14th. The G-8 said that they will suspend the G-8 Summit in Sochi this year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has spoken of revoking Russia’s entrance into the organization. Asset blockades, financial and trade sanctions have all been suggested. Putin may pay about $3 billion ++ costs to annex Crimea. The problem seems to be a history of violating international boundaries for the Russian President. Putin retorts that the US and NATO have come close to the Russian borders. For the moment, the market is taking Putin’s words as peaceful! If or when sanctions are imposed by other countries, will the environment remain peaceful or could another cold war escalate? For now, Putin seems to be concentrating on the completion the annexing of Crimea. Russia and the US had fought on the same side during WWI and WWII yet tensions still run very deep. Russian troops seized the Crimean port of Sevastopol raising their flag. Russia’s take-over of Crimea will perhaps consist of pension adjustments up to the Russian pensions, raises, infrastructure upgrades such as quite possibly a bridge and a tunnel.</p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The Atlanta Fed Business Inflation Expectations for March was 1.8 % while the previous reading was 2.0 %. The Initial Jobless Claims for the week of March 15th were up 5,000 to 320,000 while the previous reading had been 315,000. The continuing claims were up 41,000 to 2.889 million. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for March were -29.0 while the previous reading had been -27.6. The Philadelphia Fed Survey General Business Conditions for March was 9.0 while the previous reading was -6.3. The Existing Home Sales was -0.4 % to 4.600 million while the previous reading had been 4.62 million. The Leading Indicators for February were 0.5 % while the previous reading was 0.3 %. The Fed Balance Sheet of Total Assets for the week of March 19th was $40.7 billion while the previous reading was $9.6 billion. The Reserve Bank Credit was $39.1 billion while the previous reading had been $11.2 billion. The Money Supply for the week of March 10th was $23.7 billion while the previous reading was -$13.9 billion. The MBA Purchase Applications Composite Index for the week of March 15th was -1.2 % while the previous reading was -2.1 %. The Purchase Index was -1.0 % unchanged from the previous reading. The Refinance Index was -1.0 % while the previous reading was -3.0 %. The Current Account was -$81.1 billion while the previous reading was -$94.8 billion. The Federal Open Market Committee Announcement kept the Fed Funds Rate at 0 to 0.25 % unchanged. The Feds plans to taper remains intact where April will have another $10 billion reduction on the monthly bond purchases known as quantitative easing. The Fed also gave the country a tightening condition where perhaps 2015 could allow for an interest rate hike. he ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of March 15th was 0.7 % while the previous reading was 1.3 %. The Redbook Sales was at 2.8 % while the previous reading was 2.5 %. Housing Starts for February were 0.907 million while the previous reading was 0.880 million. The Housing Permits for February were 1.018 million while the previous reading was 0.937 million. The Consumer Price Index for February was 0.1 % unchanged. The CPI excluding food and energy was 0.1 % unchanged. Treasury International Capital Foreign Demand for Long-Term US Securities for January was $7.3 billion while the previous reading was -$45.9 billion. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey of General Business Conditions Index for March was at 5.61 while the previous reading had been 4.48. Industrial Production for February was 0.6 % while the previous reading was -0.3 %. The Capacity Utilization Rate was 78.8 % while the previous reading was 78.5 %. The Manufacturing portion was 0.8 % while the previous reading was -0.8 %. The Housing Market Index for March was 47 while the previous reading was 46. The last Nonfarm Payrolls for February was a whopping 175,000 while the previous reading was 113,000. The Unemployment Rate was increased to 6.7 % while the previous reading was 6.6 %. The Average Hourly Earnings were 0.4 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. The Average Workweek was 34.2 hours while the previous reading was 34.4 hours. The Private Payrolls was 162,000 while the previous reading was 142,000. Next week, we have data on the Gross Domestic Product, durable goods and housing due out! </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The Gold (April) contract is in sell mode if it stays below $1388.50. It could retrace to $1320.00 or back up to $1388.50 depending on the Ukraine situation and the economy. Anything can happen. The options may give a trader the right to control a futures position at a specific price or to simply profit/loss on the premium itself. It is suggested to consult your broker without delving into options if you are unfamiliar with them. </p> <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_3_21.jpg" border="0" width="650" height="440"></p></span><div> <br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-9015825404267586792014-03-15T08:07:00.001-07:002014-03-15T08:07:49.362-07:00foecast of currency & gold<div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> </p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"><a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/usd/2014/03/15/US_Dollar_Looks_to_Fear_FOMC_to_Set_Off_Lasting_Bull_Trend.html" class="" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)"><span class="" style="font-weight:bold">US Dollar Looks to Fear, FOMC to Set Off Lasting Bull Trend</span></a></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <span class="">What will move the <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/usd" title="US dollar" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)">US dollar</a> in the week ahead? </span><span class="">We are awash in major fundamental catalysts – the type that can generate meaningful trends and not just short-lived bouts of volatility.</span></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/eur/2014/03/15/ECBs-Draghi-Warns-on-Euro-Strength-Will-it-Keep-Rising.html?CMP=SFS-70160000000NbUGAA0" class="" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)"><span class="" style="font-weight:bold">ECB's Draghi Warns on Euro Strength - Will it Keep Rising?</span></a></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <span class="">The European Central Bank is losing credibility as it flip-flops a week after its rate decision: will or will not the Euro's elevated exchange rate prompt action? Not yet, not when the <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/eur-usd" title="EURUSD" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)">EURUSD</a> is only trading near $1.4000.</span></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/jpy/2014/03/14/Forex_Australian_Dollar_Facing_Conflicting_Domestic_External_Forces.html" class="" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)"><span class="" style="font-weight:bold">Japanese Yen Surge May Offer Attractive Selling Opportunity</span></a></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <span class="">The <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/jpy" title="Japanese Yen" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)">Japanese Yen</a> rallied sharply versus the </span><a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/usd" class="" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)"><span class="">US Dollar</span></a><span class=""> and other major counterparts as the highly-correlated Nikkei 225 posted its worst weekly performance in 9 months.</span></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/chf/2014/03/15/Gold_on_6_Week_Streak_1400_within_Striking_Distance_Ahead_of_FOMC.html" class="" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)"><span class="" style="font-weight:bold">Gold on 6 Week Streak- $1400 within Striking Distance Ahead of FOMC</span></a></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <span class=""><a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/gold-price" title="Gold" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)">Gold</a> rallied for a sixth consecutive week with the precious metal advancing 2.8% to trade at $1378 ahead of the New York close on Friday.</span></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/aud/2014/03/15/Forex-Australian-Dollar-Eyeing-FOMC-Outcome-Geopolitical-Risks.html?CMP=SFS-70160000000NbTwAAK" class="" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)"><span class="" style="font-weight:bold">Australian Dollar Eyeing FOMC Outcome, Geopolitical Risks</span></a></p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> The <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/aud" title="Australian Dollar" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)">Australian Dollar</a> is likely to be preoccupied with macro-level forces in the week ahead as the <a href="http://www.dailyfx.com/fomc" title="FOMC" style="color:rgb(0,150,213)">FOMC</a>policy meeting and geopolitical factors take the spotlight.</p> <p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> </p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><img class="" src="https://media.dailyfx.com/illustrations/2014/03/15/Forex_Weekly_Trading_Forecasts_Volatility_to_Prevail_Amid_FOMC_Decision_Geopolitical_Tension_body_Picture_5.png" alt="Forex_Weekly_Trading_Forecasts_Volatility_to_Prevail_Amid_FOMC_Decision_Geopolitical_Tension_body_Picture_5.png, Forex Weekly Trading Forecasts: Volatility to Prevail Amid FOMC Decision, Geopolitical Tension" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; text-align: justify; background-color: rgb(240, 240, 244);"><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"> </p><p class="" style="margin:0px;padding:4px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:16.799999237060547px;text-align:justify;background-color:rgb(240,240,244)"></p><div> <br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-9898243477108641022014-03-15T08:06:00.001-07:002014-03-15T08:06:32.211-07:00Weekly Gold<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The potential conflict in the Ukraine and the slowdown in China may be the perfect storm for Gold! The possible deflation fears in the Euro Zone may add to the fear factor. Holdings in the large Gold SPDR Trust increased yesterday to 813.3 metric tons yesterday. . For the week ending March 4th, the net-long Gold futures and options expanded to 118,241 positions. The US Mint sold about 4,000 ounces of the Gold Eagle Coins last week. The demand for Gold in China to date is believed to be around 418 tons. Anticipated demand going into 2015 is about 550 metric tons. The safe-haven aspects of the Gold may just appeal more than many paper assets with the fear factor out there. China typically likes to buy the Gold at lower levels, but certainly should the fear factor increase, the allocations should find the Gold more appealing. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Sunday is vote in the Ukraine on the referendum where it will be decided if Crimea region would be annexed to Russia. Russia had actually given Crimea to the Ukraine in 1954. Russia actually has been going thru military exercises near the border of the Ukraine showing its stance to have the right to protect its citizens residing in the Black Sea region. The conflict has heated up in the eastern Ukraine area where one person was killed yesterday. G-7 leaders may act on any referendum to annex Crimean Peninsula. While showing the opposition to Russia, the world leaders still hope Russia to remain cooperative in the Iran talks regarding nuclear policies. The market is nervous about any potential “cold war” with Russia concerning the Ukraine. Uncertainty is what pauses this market. The uncertainty comes from two sources: The potential Russian conflict over Crimea and the data possibly coming out of China. These two areas are strong enough fear factors to move the market even with the US in a solid recovery. Russian President Vladimir Putin had petitioned his troops that were on the Ukraine border confirming that his intensions were not to invade Crimea! He sent 19,000 military to the Crimea region. The small Black Sea region of Crimea is quite valuable in terms of resources. The Ukraine has been in political turmoil leaving itself open and vulnerable to other countries. The Ukraine Interior Minister Arsen Avakov discussed how the country may be prepared to send 20,000 of its militia to the borders for protection. The US had offered loans to the Ukraine totaling about $1 billion via financial institutions to aid with the struggling economy. Viktor Yanukovych had been an ally to Putin and after becoming cast out from the Ukraine as President may have solicited aid from Putin. The US had put together sanctions to penalize Russia for any overtures and the Ukraine is struggling to hold Crimea. Crimea is vital as an access route thru the Black Sea Ports. Now Crimea parliament votes whether to join Russia. US President Barack Obama has warned Russia along with the G-7 about potential sanctions that may be imposed. To further the point, the President has released holdings of reserve crude stock oil supplies from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This brought down the price of Crude Oil which could potentially hurt Russia as a producer. OPEC then came back with a vow to reduce production by 1.1 million barrels a day. Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended his rights to infiltrate Ukraine borders to protect Russian citizens. The European Union has condemned any action in Crimea as illegal. The March 16th referendum may be considered to violate international law. The uncertainty resulting in the Russian Presidents intentions for Crimea weigh on the market and any potential conflict with Russia would change history forever. The G-8 said that they will suspend the G-8 Summit in Sochi this year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has spoken of revoking Russia’s entrance into the organization. Asset blockades, financial and trade sanctions have all been suggested. Russian President Putin defends his right to send troops to the Ukraine on behalf of the Russian citizens residing there. China’s industrial output was at an 8.6 % rate, retail sales data came in weaker today at 11.8 %. Their initial growth target as of last week was 7.5 %, but today that had to come down to 7.3 %. Copper typically is seen as a leading indicator for China’s growth which consumes about 45 % of the global demand. The Copper has been in a severe downtrend. As a world leader, China is front and center when it comes to global recovery and how it is perceived. China’s exports have dropped 18.1 % in February. The Shanghai Composite Index has decreased by 2.9 %. China had also succumbed to a bond default as Shanghai Chaori Solar Energy Science and Technology Co. had missed an interest payment. The US wants to uphold its voting rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where they may hold more weight with global issues. The voting rights give more power to control thru the vote, but the US owes still from a 2010 commitment which US President Obama wishes to settle. The European Central Bank kept their interest rates unchanged at 0.25 % possibly due to stronger inflation and increased productivity! The European Union has promised $1.6 billion euros to the Ukraine in emergency aid. The euro has strengthened on ECB President Draghi’s optimism regarding the Euro Zone activity. He regards the deflation risks as easing for the moment. Their recovery is regarded as moderate. The next US policy meeting takes place March 18th and 19th. Yellen is known as one of the architects of the quantitative easing program that was instituted by the previous Chairman Ben Bernanke. If the Ukraine situation should heat up and/or the Chinese data show weakness, we may look for some profit-taking next week. In February, 175,000 new jobs were created giving a boost to the marketplace as analysts were expecting 150,000. The recovery looks to be on track even with the inclement weather conditions sustained over the last few months. The data had been mixed leaving traders to ponder whether this was true weakness or a temporary weather driven theme. A potential retracement target long-term may be $1794.50. If $1825.50 is not penetrated, the market may return back at the highs. The two factors weighing on the market are the sluggish Chinese data and the potential conflict in the Ukraine. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s PPI-FD was -0.1 % while the previous reading was 0.2%. The PPI-FD excluding food and energy was -0.2 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. PPI-FD excluding food, energy and trade services was unchanged. PPI-FD Goods was unchanged at 0.4 %. PPI-FD Services was -0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.1 %. Consumer Sentiment for March was 79.9 while the previous reading was 81.6. The Initial Jobless Claims for the week of March 8th was down 9,000 to 315,000. Continuing Claims were down 48,000 to 2.855 million. Retail Sales for February were 0.3 % while the previous reading was -0.4 %. The Retail Sales excluding automobiles was 0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.0 %. The Retail Sales excluding gasoline and automobiles was 0.3 % while the previous reading was -0.2 %. The Export Prices for February were 0.6 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. The Import Prices were 0.9 % while the previous reading was 0.1 %. Business Inventories for January were 0.4 % while the previous reading was 0.5 %. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for March was -27.6 while the previous reading was -28.5. The MBA Purchase Applications Composite Index for the week of March 7th was -2.1 % while the previous reading was 9.4 %. The Purchase Index was -1.0 % while the previous reading was 9.0 %. The Refinance Index was -3.0 % while the previous reading was 10.0 %. The Wholesale Trade Inventories for January were 0.6 % while the previous reading was 0.3 %. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of March 8th were 1.3 % while the previous reading was 0.3 %. The Redbook Store Sales were at 2.5 % while the previous reading was 2.9 %. The JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) for January was 3.974 million while the previous reading was 3.990 million. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for February was 91.4 while the previous reading was 94.1. The TD Ameritrade IMX for February was 5.74 while the previous reading was 5.66. The Nonfarm Payrolls for February was a whopping 175,000 while the previous reading was 113,000. The Unemployment Rate was increased to 6.7 % while the previous reading was 6.6 %. The Average Hourly Earnings were 0.4 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. The Average Workweek was 34.2 hours while the previous reading was 34.4 hours. The Private Payrolls was 162,000 while the previous reading was 142,000. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The Gold (April) contract is in buy mode if it stays above $1329.40. It could retrace to $1290.00 or back up to $1550.00 depending on the Ukraine situation and the Chinese economy. Anything can happen. The options may give a trader the right to control a futures position at a specific price or to simply profit/loss on the premium itself. It is suggested to consult your broker without delving into options if you are unfamiliar with them. </p> <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_Chart_3_14.jpg" border="0"> </p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> </p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> </p></span></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br> <a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br>Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-52030856529342597202014-03-10T07:20:00.001-07:002014-03-10T07:20:30.284-07:00Five reasons why rupee may not appreciate much Read more at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/31781213.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">NEW DELHI: The Indian rupee, which has over the past few days has strengthened substantially on the back of record foreign investment in equities and a drastic dip in the current account deficit, may not appreciate much more. </span><br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"> <br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The rupee has been largely resilient, following its drastic depreciation last year. A slew of measures by the Reserve bank of India and steps to contain current account deficit by the government have helped check the slide. </span><br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"> <br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">However global and domestic ma</span><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">y act as deterrents in the currency's bid to appreciate substantially from current levels. </span><em style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px">We take a look at five factors that may play the part pooper in rupee's rally:</em><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> </span><br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"> <br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"><strong style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Growth concerns:</strong><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> India's economic growth has been dwindling below the 5% mark and many economists are of the opinion that the economy will undergo a painful phase of slow economic recovery. This may weigh on the rupee's chances of rallying. </span><br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"> <br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Sugandha Sachdeva, AVP & Incharge- Metals </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Energy & Currency Research, Religare Securities has said, "In spite of a flurry of positive factors in the current environment, there are still growth concerns. Further uptick in domestic currency seems implausible unless the level of 61 (spot)is convincingly breached ,as it has been acting as a stiff hurdle restricting further appreciation of rupee since last 5 months." </span><br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Commenting on the level where the rupee is headed, Sachdeva is of the view that rupee is expected to march toward </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">61 mark in spot market and may stabilize around the same in near term. </span><br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><strong style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Demand for dollar:</strong><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Higher demand for dollars from importers and rise in the greenback after strong non-farm payrolls data in the US last week will also put a halt to rupee's appreciation in the near-term, say bankers and experts. </span><br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">"The rupee is at the 61 level, and at this level we will see lot of buying coming in from importers," said KN Reghunathan, treasurer at the state-run Union Bank o .. </span><br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> Read more at:<br style="background-color:transparent;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/31781213.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst" style="background-color:transparent;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(2,77,153);text-decoration:none">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/31781213.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst</a></div> <br style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> <br></div> <br style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"><div style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"> <br></div><div style="vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12px;background-color:transparent;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px"><br></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br> <a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br>Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="144ac5a059f154e0_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-36054713664001174322014-03-09T22:07:00.001-07:002014-03-09T22:07:51.061-07:00What should you do when Markets hit a record high?<div dir="ltr"><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The S&P BSE <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/major-support-levels-of-sensex-nifty/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">Sensex</a> surged to an all-time intraday high of 21,960.89 and then went on to make a historical closing high of 21,919 up 405.92 <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/how-valuable-are-reward-points-of-your-credit-card/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">points</a> on 7th March, 2014.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The ups and downs of the financial markets are always in the news. The market can plunge or rise like a phoenix at any time. Volatility seems to have become the norm for the markets now. It is therefore natural for investors to worry about their investments in these uncertain markets. The reality is that market swings happen often and when they do, it can be disturbing for many investors like us.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Now that the markets are at record high, an expected reaction to this might be to redeeming all your holdings in equities. But disciplined investors just do the opposite. They don’t panic or get overwhelmed when the market swings and keep holding onto their investments. They avoid taking any short term measures which could damage their <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/how-many-mf-schemes-you-should-have-in-your-portfolio/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">portfolio</a> in the long run.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Market movements cannot be predicted, but here are some <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/11/tips-for-maximising-benefits-and-returns-in-ppf/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">tips</a> may help you to make sensible investment decisions:</p> <h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">Set your investment strategy</h2> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Surviving in market volatility is lot easier when you have a firm investment strategy. To create a sound investment strategy, you should understand several crucial factors, which are:</p> <div style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><div style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> • <strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Your investment goals:</strong> You should set your financial goals for which you want to invest</div><div style="padding:0px;margin:0px">• <strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Your time horizon for investments:</strong> The time period for which you want to invest depending on your investments goals.</div> <div style="padding:0px;margin:0px">• <strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Your tolerance for <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/5-ways-to-measure-mutual-fund-risk/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">risk</a>:</strong> You should also gauge your risk appetite i.e. the amount of risk you are ready to take.</div> </div><h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">Have a financial plan</h2> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Having a financial plan helps you deal with a volatile market in a much better way. A financial plan includes the following steps:</p> <div style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><div style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> • Set and prioritize your life goals.</div><div style="padding:0px;margin:0px">• Check your existing investments and the role they will play in meeting your goals and also whether the current set of investments are the<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/rights-of-a-loan-defaulter/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">right</a> ones for you.</div> <div style="padding:0px;margin:0px">• Identify the right investment instruments including how much insurance and a emergency reserve should you have to take care of your dependents.</div><div style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> • Track and review your investments.</div></div><h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify"> Do not time the market</h2><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> It is advised to stay invested in the scheme and not redeem during the market crash and again invest when the markets go up because keeping track of the market and individual <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/8-key-ratios-while-buying-stocks/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">stocks</a> is very a difficult job as it requires a lot of time, research and financial expertise to time the market correctly. Not all people are blessed with these abilities and face a high probability to face losses. It may happen that sometime you become over confident and take too many risks and lose your money or become overcautious and miss an opportunity.</p> <h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">Diversify</h2><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> Your focus should be on diversifying your portfolio to <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/how-to-protect-your-money-when-investing-in-stock-market/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">protect</a> yourself from market volatility and market downturns. Diversification is spreading your investments across the three asset classes i.e. equity, debt and gold. Then, to help offset risk even more, <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/make-gold-etfs-a-part-of-portfolio-to-diversify-risks/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">diversify</a> the investments within each asset class. Keep in mind, however, that diversification doesn’t ensure a profit or guarantee against <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/are-you-in-loss-holding-shares/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">loss</a>.</p> <h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">Invest through SIP</h2><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> A <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/7-good-reasons-to-invest-in-sips/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">Systematic</a> Investment Plan (SIP) is a vehicle offered by<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2013/01/best-indian-mutual-funds-for-2013/" title="Best Indian Mutual Funds" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)"> mutual funds </a>to help investors save <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/invest-regularly-for-better-returns-in-long-term/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">regularly</a>. Systematic Investment Plans are recommended as the best way for investments in the volatile markets. With the power of “Rupee Cost Averaging”, SIPs have the potential to minimize losses and generate returns. An SIP may ensure disciplined investment irrespective of the market movement. You can invest in equities through<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2013/01/best-indian-mutual-funds-for-2013/" title="Best Indian Mutual Funds" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)"> mutual funds</a> for as low as Rs 500 a month. That is the wonder of Systematic Investment Plans – Invest big through <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/invest-in-small-mid-cap-funds-for-long-term-investments/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">small</a>savings. Investing through the SIP route helps you make <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/monthly-income-plans-of-mutual-funds-do-not-assure-a-regular-income/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">regular</a> investments at regular intervals and can help you gain from the benefit of compounding.</p> <h2 style="padding:0px;margin:1.833em 0px 0.611em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-size:1.286em;line-height:1.222em;font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:justify">Rebalance your portfolio</h2> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">At times when the market is volatile, its best to review your portfolio i.e. to check the performance of the funds in your portfolio and their exposure to risk. Be sure that you are not too over exposed to one particular sector. Some small adjustments in your portfolio might help you to give you long term profits.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">You can survive the volatile markets if you are on track to meet your investment goals. Therefore, it is advised not to flow with the negative sentiments of the market during a market fluctuation and rather than focusing on the instability of the market you should focus more on how to develop a sound financial plan which will help you fight against the market volatility. However we strongly suggest you to consult with your financial <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/11/hire-the-right-financial-advisor/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">advisor</a> before proceeding with any investment decision.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Source: Quantum AMC</p><div align="center" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"> <center style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" id="AutoNumber1" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;border-collapse:collapse"><tbody style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><tr style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> <td width="100%" style="padding:0px"><p align="right" style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em"><ins class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"><ins style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-table;border:none;height:280px;width:336px;background-color:transparent"></ins></ins></p> </td></tr></tbody></table></center></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-79217538127634571262014-03-07T18:28:00.001-08:002014-03-07T18:28:44.236-08:00Weekly Gold<div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The Ukraine situation had brought out the safe-haven properties of the Gold as the Gold backed ETF's increased by 6.9 metric tons to 1,752.2 tons yesterday. Still analysts are looking for a lower trade in the Gold next week and possibly longer-term. The US Mint decreased sales by 66 % in February to 31,000 ounces. Bullion demand has reached about $522 million so far this year. The thing about the metals is you don't buy them for a fast day-trade or turn-around. The metals are for the uncertainty, conflict, poor data and devaluation of the US Dollar. It is for these reasons that the Gold market may lose it's luster for a time, but will shine when it is needed. The safe haven properties remain intact as the political conflict in the Ukraine supported the Gold. The inflows of ETF Gold holdings are up 4.5 tons in February so far. Now the physical side of Gold may be weakened by the Chinese buyers standing aside as the price of Gold increases. With the slack data out of China showing a bit of a slowdown, they may be absent from the Gold market for a period of time. They are bargain hunters looking for lower price action. There is hope that the Indian tariffs on Gold imports will lift soon but for now 10 % duties remain. China became the biggest buyer of Gold in 2013 consuming about 1,066 tons according to the World Gold Council. Gold imports from Hong Kong by China were about 83.6 metric tons in January. The increase in the futures prices may have impeded the physical bullion sales this month. Gold dipped in 2013 increasing the demand to 3,756.1 tons or about $170 billion US. Of this, about 386.6 tons of Gold were purchased by the central banks. Last year only seven of the top forty central banks had replenished their reserves. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">In February, 175,000 new jobs were created giving a boost to the marketplace as analysts were expecting 150,000. The recovery looks to be on track even with the inclement weather conditions sustained over the last few months. The data had been mixed leaving traders to ponder whether this was true weakness or a temporary weather driven theme. Today confirmed that the Fed should stay on target with the tapering plans. The self-sustaining growth of the US is supportive to the US Dollar and the Stock Indexes. The uncertainty comes from two sources: The potential Russian conflict over Crimea and the data possibly coming out of China. These two areas are strong enough fear factors to move the market even with the US in a solid recovery. Russian President Vladimir Putin had petitioned his troops that were on the Ukraine border to return to their military installations by the end of the week confirming that his intensions were not to invade Crimea! He sent 16,000 military to the Crimea region. The small Black Sea region of Crimea is quite valuable in terms of resources. Russia had actually given Crimea to the Ukraine in 1954. The Ukraine has been in political turmoil leaving itself open and vulnerable to other countries. The US had offered loans to the Ukraine totaling about $1 billion via financial institutions to aid with the struggling economy. Viktor Yanukovych had been an ally to Putin and after becoming cast out from the Ukraine as President may have solicited aid from Putin. The US had put together sanctions to penalize Russia for any overtures yesterday and the Ukraine is struggling to hold Crimea. Crimea is vital as an access route thru the Black Sea Ports. Now Crimea parliament votes whether to join Russia. The European Union has condemned any action in Crimea as illegal. The March 16th referendum may be considered to violate international law. The US wants to uphold its voting rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where they may hold more weight with global issues. The voting rights give more power to control thru the vote, but the US owes still from a 2010 commitment which US President Obama wishes to settle. The European Central Bank kept their interest rates unchanged at 0.25 % possibly due to stronger inflation and increased productivity! The European Union has promised $1.6 billion euros to the Ukraine in emergency aid. The euro has strengthened on ECB President Draghi’s optimism regarding the Euro Zone activity. He regards the deflation risks as easing for the moment. Their recovery is regarded as moderate. US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen states that it may take months to truly evaluate the data to determine the true strength/weakness of the US economy. Her comments may have been construed to prepare for a potential pause on the tapering progress. So far, we have reduced the $85 billion monthly Bond purchases to $65 billion. Her accommodative stance may have to evaluate the true nature of the employment data. These reports are primarily surveys and may not reflect the jobless individuals that simply may have given up and retired or the younger individuals that may have moved back home and gone back to school. Yellen states that “The recovery in the labor market is far from complete”! What could possibly weaken this market more than anything could be slack data from China as the huge economy is often regarded as the leader in the global recovery. China has seen a contraction in manufacturing with about $4.8 trillion in shadow banking debt to address. The Trade Balance for China is forecast to contract to half of January’s for the month of February. Australia looks to the Chinese economy as the trade relations remain strong between the two countries. Actually, the trade relationships across the globe give the global economy a fragility much like a snowball effect. China is still viewed as a major power, but weakness can still impact the marketplace when assumed strength declines. For now, the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang projects a growth target of 7.5 %. The next policy meeting takes place March 18th and 19th. Yellen is known as one of the architects of the quantitative easing program that was instituted by the previous Chairman Ben Bernanke. If the Ukraine situation should heat up and/or the Chinese data show weakness, we may look for a bounce in the Gold market. Traders got used to selling the bounces recently. In conflict situations or global concerns over economy, we would not sell the bounces but rather range-trade taking smaller positions. Traders using Gold as a safe-haven element in their portfolio are averaging down with much different goals. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s Nonfarm Payrolls for February was a whopping 175,000 while the previous reading was 113,000. The Unemployment Rate was increased to 6.7 % while the previous reading was 6.6 %. The Average Hourly Earnings were 0.4 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. The Average Workweek was 34.2 hours while the previous reading was 34.4 hours. The Private Payrolls was 162,000 while the previous reading was 142,000. International Trade Balance Level for January was -$39.1 billion while the previous reading was -$38.7 billion. Consumer Credit for January was $13.7 billion while the previous reading was $18.8 billion. The US Initial Jobless Claims for the week of March 1st was down 26,000 to 323,000 while the previous reading was 348,000. The Continuing Claims were down 8,000 to 2.907 million. The Challenger Job-cut Report for February of announced layoffs was 41,835 while the previous reading was 45,107. The Gallup US Payroll to Population for February was at 43.1 while the previous reading was 42.0. Nonfarm Productivity for the Q4r:13 was 1.8 % while the previous reading was 3.2 %. The Unit Labor Costs were -0.1 % while the previous reading was -1.6 %. Factory Orders for January was -0.7 % while the previous reading was -1.5 %. Chain Store Sales for February came in fairly strong considering the harsh weather conditions that kept the US or part of it in a deep freeze for an extensive time frame. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for March was -28.5 while the previous reading was -28.6. The ADP Employment Report for February came in at 139,000 while the previous reading was 175,000. The PMI Services Index for February was 53.3 while the previous reading was 56.7. The ISM Non-Manufacturing Index for February came in at 51.6 while the previous reading was 54.0. The Gallup US Job Creation Index for February was 21 while the previous reading was 19. The MBA Purchase Applications for the week of February 28th Composite Index was 9.4 % while the previous reading was -8.5 %. The Purchase Index was 9.0 % while the previous reading was -4.0 %. The Refinance Index was 10.0 % while the previous reading was -11.0 %. The Beige Book was out today revealing the general condition of the twelve Fed districts of the US. It reports that eight out of the twelve districts showed modest to moderate improvement. Retail Sales was weakened due to the weather with auto sales decreased activity. Gradual growth showed in housing and manufacturing alike. Any weakness was simply attributed to the inclement weather conditions. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of March 1st was 0.3 % while the previous reading was -0.6 %. The Redbook Sales were at 2.9 % unchanged from the previous reading. The Gallup US ECI was -16 unchanged from the previous reading. The Markit’s PMI Manufacturing Index level for February was 57.1 while the previous reading was 53.7. The ISM Manufacturing Index for February was 53.2 while the previous reading was 51.3. Construction Spending for January was 0.1 % unchanged from the previous reading. Domestic Motor Vehicle Sales for February was 12.2 million while the previous reading was 12.1 million. The Total Vehicle Sales for February was 15.3 million while the previous reading was 15.2 million. Personal Income for January was 0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.0 %. Consumer Spending for January was 0.4 % while the previous reading was unchanged. The PCE Price Index was 0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. The Core PCE Price Index for January was 0.1 % while the previous reading was unchanged. The Gallup US Consumer Spending Measure level for February was $87 average while the previous reading was 78. The Gross Domestic Product for Q4p:2013 Real GDP change was 2.4 % while the previous reading was 3.3 %. The GDP Price Index was 1.6 % while the previous reading was 1.3 %. The Chicago PMI for February was 59.8 while the previous reading was 59.6. US Pending Home Sales for January was 95.0 up 0.1 % while the previous reading was down -8.7 % to 92.4. The Consumer Sentiment for February was 81.6 while the previous reading was 81.2. The US Jobless Claims for the week of February 22nd were up 14,000 to 348,000 while the previous reading was 336,000. The Continuing Claims were up 8,000 to 2.964 million. The Durable Goods New Orders for January were -1.0 % while the previous reading was -4.3 %. The Durable Goods Orders excluding transportation were 1.1 % while the previous reading was -1.6 %. The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index for February was 4 while the previous reading was 5. Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for February was -28.6 while the previous reading was -30.6. The New Home Sales for January level was 468,000 while the previous reading was 414,000. The New Home Sales seem to gain traction while the existing home sales remain slack. Definitely a bright outlook for home builders. The MBA Purchase Applications for the week of February 21st Composite was -8.5 % while the previous reading was -4.1 %. The Purchase Index was -4.0 % while the previous reading was -6.0 %. The Refinance Index was -11.0 % while the previous reading was -3.0 %. The Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index Level change for February was -6 while the previous reading was 12. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of February 22nd was -0.6 % while the previous reading was 2.5 %. The Redbook Store Sales for the week of February 22nd was 2.9 % while the previous reading was 3.2 %. The FHFA House Price Index for December was 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.1 %. The S&P Case-Shiller HPI for November 20-city SA was 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.9 %. The 20-city NSA was -0.1 % while the previous reading was -0.1 % unchanged. The Consumer Confidence for February was 78.1 while the previous reading was 80.7. The State Street Investor Confidence Index for February was 123.0 while the previous reading was 114.4. The PMI Services Flash for February was 52.7 while the previous reading was 56.6. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for January was -0.39 while the previous reading was 0.16. The Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey Business Activity Index for February was 0.3 while the previous reading was 3.8. The Production Index was 10.8 while the previous reading was 7.1. <br> <br> <br>The Gold (April) contract is in sell mode if it stays below $1355.00. It could retrace to $1290.00 depending on the Ukraine situation and the Chinese economy. </p><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_3_7.jpg" border="0"> </p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> </p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p></span><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </p><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-87884219988291750832014-03-07T18:22:00.001-08:002014-03-07T18:22:30.350-08:00Dial ’1063′ for any telecom complaints<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> Telecom subscribers across the country can now register <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/11/channels-to-resolve-your-grievances-against-insurance-companies/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">complaints</a> by dialling a special toll free number '1063′.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">A note circulated by the Department of Telecom (DoT) said a short code '1063′ has been activated by the Public Grievances Cell in the DoT headquarters in New Delhi as a telecom consumer grievances helpline.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The new number will bring subscriber grievances into the notice of DoT.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">A subscriber, at present, needs to call customer care centre of the service provider to register a complaint.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Customers can go to nodal officers and then to the appellate authority in case of unsatisfactory reply.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">More often than not subscribers fail to get satisfactory resolution of their grievances.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px">Earlier this month, DoT had had said that "District Consumer Forums are competent to deal with the disputes between individual telecom consumers and telecom service providers."</p> <div align="center" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"><center style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> </center></div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-87981356263822541422014-03-07T18:21:00.001-08:002014-03-07T18:21:22.946-08:00Lok Sabha elections to be held in 9 phases from April 7 to May 12, counting on May 16<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"><span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Lok Sabha elections to be held in 9 phases from April 7 to May 12, counting on May 16</span></span>, <span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px">10.0</span> out of <span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px">10</span> based on <span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px">2</span> ratings<span class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px"></span></span></span><div class="" style="padding:0px;margin:4px 0px;font-size:12px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:21.993999481201172px"> <div class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px"></div><div class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;float:left"><div id="article_rater_15593" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;width:240px"><div class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;height:24px"> <div class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;height:24px;width:240px;background-image:url(http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/stars/oxygen/stars24.png);background-repeat:repeat no-repeat"> <div id="gdr_vote_a15593" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;height:24px;width:240px;background-image:url(http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/stars/oxygen/stars24.png);background-repeat:repeat no-repeat"> </div><div id="gdr_stars_a15593" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><a id="gdsrX15593X10X0XaXarticle_rater_15593Xarticle_loader_15593X44X24" title="10 / 10" class="" rel="nofollow" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161);height:24px;display:block;width:240px;border:0px!important;background-image:none!important"></a><a id="gdsrX15593X9X0XaXarticle_rater_15593Xarticle_loader_15593X44X24" title="9 / 10" class="" rel="nofollow" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161);height:24px;display:block;width:216px;border:0px!important;background-image:none!important"></a><a id="gdsrX15593X8X0XaXarticle_rater_15593Xarticle_loader_15593X44X24" title="8 / 10" class="" rel="nofollow" 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id="gdsrX15593X4X0XaXarticle_rater_15593Xarticle_loader_15593X44X24" title="4 / 10" class="" rel="nofollow" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161);height:24px;display:block;width:96px;border:0px!important;background-image:none!important"></a><a id="gdsrX15593X3X0XaXarticle_rater_15593Xarticle_loader_15593X44X24" title="3 / 10" class="" rel="nofollow" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161);height:24px;display:block;width:72px;border:0px!important;background-image:none!important"></a><a id="gdsrX15593X2X0XaXarticle_rater_15593Xarticle_loader_15593X44X24" title="2 / 10" class="" rel="nofollow" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161);height:24px;display:block;width:48px;border:0px!important;background-image:none!important"></a><a id="gdsrX15593X1X0XaXarticle_rater_15593Xarticle_loader_15593X44X24" title="1 / 10" class="" rel="nofollow" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161);height:24px;display:block;width:24px;border:0px!important;background-image:none!important"></a></div> </div></div></div></div><div class="" style="padding:0px 0px 2px;margin:0px 0px 2px"><div id="gdr_text_a15593" style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Rating: 10.0/<strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">10</strong> (2 votes cast)</div> </div></div><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><img alt="" src="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Parliament-Houss-india.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; float: left;">Chief election commissioner VS Sampath announced the dates in a press conference. The two election commissioners HS Brahma and SNA Zaidi were also present.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The counting of votes to be held on May 16 and will be over in a day, Sampath told reporters.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The first date of poll shall be on April 7, 2014 which will be held in two states and six parliamentary constituencies will be covered. The second phase of poll on April 9 will cover seven constituencies in five states. The third phase on April 10 to cover 92 constituencies in 14 states and the fourth day of poll on April 12 to cover three states and five constituencies.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The fifth will be on April 17 which will cover 13 states and UTs and 122 constituencies and sixth phase will be on April 24, covering 12 states and 117 constituencies.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The seventh phase will be held on April 30 to cover nine states and 89 constituencies, eighth phase on May 7 will cover seven states and 64 constituencies and the last and ninth phase on will be on May 12 and cover 3 states and 41 constituencies.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">He said that the model code of conduct has come into immediate effect. It prevents the government from making any decisions that can be seen as influencing voters. It also prohibits political parties from making unsubstantiated allegations against opponents.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">He said that the total number of electorate this year stands at 81.4 crore and has increased by 10 crore as compared to the last parliamentary elections in 2009.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The chief election commissioner also said there has been a 12% increase in the number of polling stations in the country with 9,30,000 stations this year. There were 8.3 lakh stations in the last elections.</p> <div align="center" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"><center style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" id="AutoNumber1" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;border-collapse:collapse"><tbody style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><tr style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><td width="100%" style="padding:0px"> <p align="right" style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em"><ins class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"><ins style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-table;border:none;height:280px;width:336px;background-color:transparent"></ins></ins></p> </td></tr></tbody></table></center></div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-75728833763129598192014-03-05T22:04:00.001-08:002014-03-05T22:04:08.240-08:00post office<div dir="ltr"><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">A day ahead of Lok Sabha polls announcement, the government on Tuesday decided to hike interest rates on<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/how-to-sell-your-nsc-mutual-funds-shares-fixed-depsoits/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">fixed deposit </a>schemes offered by post offices by up to 0.2 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The interest rate on popular <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/category/public-provident-fund-ppf/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">PPF</a> (public provident fund) has, however, been kept unchanged at 8.7 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">New interest rates on <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/invest-in-small-mid-cap-funds-for-long-term-investments/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">small</a> savings schemes will come into effect from April 1, an official release said. The Finance Ministry’s decision comes on the eve of the announcement of general elections schedule by the Election Commission. The model code of conduct comes into play after Lok Sabha elections announcement.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The interest rate on fixed deposits for one and two years has been increased to 8.4 per cent from the present 8.2 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Fixed deposits of three and five years will earn 0.1 percent higher rate at 8.4 percent and 8.5 per cent, respectively.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Also, the interest rate on five-year <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/advanced-online-calculator-for-rd-scheme-of-post-office/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">recurring</a> deposits will be 8.4 percent, up from 8.3 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The annual investment ceiling in PPF savings is unchanged at Rs one lakh.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The rate on National Savings Scheme (<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/how-to-sell-your-nsc-mutual-funds-shares-fixed-depsoits/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">NSC</a>) with 5 and 10 year maturities also remain unchanged at 8.5 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The rate on five-year <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/best-mip-mutual-fund-schemes-you-must-know/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">Monthly</a> Income Scheme (MIS) remains the same at 8.4 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The savings deposit rates are kept unchanged at 4 per cent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The decision to hike interest rates, which is in line with the recommendations of Shyamala Gopinath Committee, will make small savings schemes more attractive and returns would be in sync with market rates. In line with the committee’s suggestions, the government also decided to align rate ofinterest on small savings schemes with G-Sec rates of similar maturity, with a spread of 25 basis <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/how-valuable-are-reward-points-of-your-credit-card/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">points</a> (bps) with two exceptions. As per the recommendations, the interest rate is revised every financial year and notified before April 1.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"></p><div align="center" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"> <center style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">A day ahead of Lok Sabha polls announcement, the government on Tuesday decided to hike interest rates on<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/how-to-sell-your-nsc-mutual-funds-shares-fixed-depsoits/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">fixed deposit </a>schemes offered by post offices by up to 0.2 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">The interest rate on popular <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/category/public-provident-fund-ppf/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">PPF</a> (public provident fund) has, however, been kept unchanged at 8.7 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">New interest rates on <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/invest-in-small-mid-cap-funds-for-long-term-investments/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">small</a> savings schemes will come into effect from April 1, an official release said. The Finance Ministry’s decision comes on the eve of the announcement of general elections schedule by the Election Commission. The model code of conduct comes into play after Lok Sabha elections announcement.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">The interest rate on fixed deposits for one and two years has been increased to 8.4 per cent from the present 8.2 percent.</p><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify"> Fixed deposits of three and five years will earn 0.1 percent higher rate at 8.4 percent and 8.5 per cent, respectively.</p><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">Also, the interest rate on five-year <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/advanced-online-calculator-for-rd-scheme-of-post-office/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">recurring</a> deposits will be 8.4 percent, up from 8.3 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">The annual investment ceiling in PPF savings is unchanged at Rs one lakh.</p><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">The rate on National Savings Scheme (<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/10/how-to-sell-your-nsc-mutual-funds-shares-fixed-depsoits/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">NSC</a>) with 5 and 10 year maturities also remain unchanged at 8.5 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">The rate on five-year <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/best-mip-mutual-fund-schemes-you-must-know/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">Monthly</a> Income Scheme (MIS) remains the same at 8.4 percent.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">The savings deposit rates are kept unchanged at 4 per cent.</p><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;text-align:justify">The decision to hike interest rates, which is in line with the recommendations of Shyamala Gopinath Committee, will make small savings schemes more attractive and returns would be in sync with market rates. In line with the committee’s suggestions, the government also decided to align rate ofinterest on small savings schemes with G-Sec rates of similar maturity, with a spread of 25 basis <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/how-valuable-are-reward-points-of-your-credit-card/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">points</a> (bps) with two exceptions. As per the recommendations, the interest rate is revised every financial year and notified before April </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" id="AutoNumber1" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;border-collapse:collapse"><tbody style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><tr style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><td width="100%" style="padding:0px"> <p align="right" style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em"><ins class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"><ins style="padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline-table;border:none;height:280px;width:336px;background-color:transparent"></ins></ins></p> </td></tr></tbody></table></center></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-85850822890689296412014-03-05T21:57:00.001-08:002014-03-05T21:57:18.427-08:007 Benefits of Buying Traditional Pension Plans<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> Retirement is an inevitable phase of life. One of the many products<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/09/list-of-life-insurance-companies-of-india-contact-details/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)"> life insurance companies </a>offer people for retirement planning is pension. Pension is aimed at securing your post retirement life, be it related to financial security, pursuing a hobby or planning a legacy. There are many reasons why one needs to plan well for retirement – increase in life expectancy, inadequate employer funded pension, change of social structures, absence of social security system, desire to remain a contributor or rest and relaxation.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">Pension products can be offered either on ULIP (market linked) or Traditional (non linked) platforms. Given the nature of these products, ideally one would want to de-<a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/5-ways-to-measure-mutual-fund-risk/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">risk</a> his/her retirement plan from market volatility. That’s where traditional Pension products have an edge and have been quite popular among customers. Traditional retirement solutions are of 2 types:</p> <ol style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> <strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Participating </strong>- These plans <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/invest-in-the-best-funds-to-participate-in-stock-markets/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">participate</a> in profits of the fund. 90% of the profits get distributed to the policyholders as bonuses. Hence, these are also referred to as ‘with profits’ plan.</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Non Participating </strong>- These plans do state a rate of return at outset and are not linked to the market or any index. They offer guaranteed returns.</li> </ol><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">How does a Pension Product work?</strong></p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">An illustrative representation of how the plans works is as below:</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"><img alt="" src="http://www.images.investmentkit.com/plog-content/images/2014/2014/pension-traditional.png" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"></p> </div>-- <span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">You save</span><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> </span><a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/invest-regularly-for-better-returns-in-long-term/" title="" class="" style="font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify;padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">regularly</a><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> </span><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">till you reach your retirement or do it using a lump sum as per the availability of funds. On maturity, the benefits are mandated by regulations to be reinvested, in order to generate a</span><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> </span><a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/monthly-income-plans-of-mutual-funds-do-not-assure-a-regular-income/" title="" class="" style="font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify;padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">regular</a><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> </span><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">income stream, which is referred to as annuity. This feature is what makes pension plans a good fit for retirement planning.</span><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> Key advantages of buying traditional pension plans:</p><ol style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Secure Returns:</strong> Traditional pension plans offer secured and guaranteed returns. For participating plans, the secured returns are in the form of bonuses. Once declared, bonuses are guaranteed to be paid at maturity or <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/09/what-will-your-wife-do-tomorrow-if-you-die-today/" title="What will your wife do tomorrow if you die today?" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">death</a>. For non-participating plans, the secured returns are in the form of additions. These additions are fixed percentages of the sum assured that are added every year or on maturity. Today in addition to the above, traditional pension plans also have a minimum guaranteed benefit at maturity and on death.</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Easy Issuance:</strong> Pension Plans are the true over the counter plans. They do not require any medical tests and hence can be purchased without much of a hassle. This feature makes a pension plan possible for all, irrespective of their <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/11/assess-costs-before-you-go-for-higher-health-cover/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">health</a> condition.</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Guaranteed Income for Life:</strong> On maturity of the pension plan, one needs to purchase an annuity. This annuity is a guaranteed income stream for a lifetime. This helps in meeting post-retirement needs.</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Tax Benefits:</strong> Premiums paid in traditional pension plans are eligible for tax benefit u/s 80CCC of IT Act. This is subject to the prevailing tax laws.</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Health Care Needs in Old Age:</strong> Health expenses are a major concern during old age. With improved life expectancy and increased medical expenditure, it’s imperative that health care expenses are kept in mind while doing retirement planning, more so because during old age, the eligibility for a health assurance or life assurance have their own limitations. By investing in Pension plans one can easily create a fund for any contingency.</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">No Limitation on Maximum Premium:</strong> You can invest as much as you need into these plans. Investing higher amounts means you have a higher chance of better fund creation and consequently better income post retirement.</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Death Benefit:</strong> Though the primary objective of any pension plan is to build a corpus for post retirement expenses, it also brings with it benefits on death of the life assured. The <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/dont-forget-to-add-nominee-name-in-your-savings/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">nominee</a> then can either choose to take the complete death benefit or can invest the same in an annuity plan that will offer a guaranteed income for life.</li> </ol><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><strong style="padding:0px;margin:0px">An individual should always keep the following in mind while planning their retirement:</strong></p> <ol style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify"><li style="padding:0px;margin:0px"> Maximum duration for the investment horizon in order to build adequate corpus</li><li style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Starting <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/starting-early-the-best-gift-for-your-child/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">early</a> to gain from the effects of compounding</li> <li style="padding:0px;margin:0px">Investing as much as you need</li></ol><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px"> Source: HDFC Life insurance</p><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-10429382466765504102014-03-04T20:57:00.001-08:002014-03-04T20:57:08.130-08:00Deadline for exchanging pre 2005 notes extended<div dir="ltr"><p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The Reserve Bank of India has extended the date for exchanging the pre-2005 banknotes to January 01, 2015. The central bank has asked banks to facilitate the exchange of these notes for full value without causing any inconvenience to the public.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The RBI has clarified that the “public can continue to freely use the pre-2005 notes for any transaction and can unhesitatingly receive these notes in payment”. The RBI had earlier said that it would withdraw pre-2005 notes from April 1, 2014.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">A majority of pre-2005 notes have already been withdrawn through the banks and only a limited number of notes remain with the public, the central bank said in a <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/02/understanding-credit-card-statement/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">statement</a>.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan had said the withdrawal of pre-2005 notes is not intended to check black money but to prevent counterfeiting. Dr Rajan said that the notes issued before 2005 had fewer security features and is standard international practice to withdraw old series notes.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">The opposition parties had called the RBI’s move “anti-poor”. “People with <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/12/invest-in-small-mid-cap-funds-for-long-term-investments/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">small</a> savings and no bank <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2010/11/how-to-open-a-ppf-account-at-sbi-bank/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">accounts</a> will be targeted. The present scheme does nothing to remove black money from circulation,” BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said.</p> <p style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 1.571em;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21.993999481201172px;text-align:justify">How to identify notes issued before 2005: You can easily distinguish the currency notes issued before 2005 as these currencies do not have the year of printing on <a href="http://www.investmentkit.com/articles/2011/01/reverse-mortgage-for-senior-citizens/" title="" class="" style="padding:0px;margin:0px;color:rgb(35,97,161)">reverse</a> side. The year of printing is visible at the middle of the bottom row in notes issued after 2005.</p> <div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-20180362897251471412014-03-02T06:37:00.001-08:002014-03-02T06:37:30.006-08:00Finance ministry allows EPFO to become stock exchange member<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="" style="margin:0px;padding:3px 0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-weight:normal;font-family:Unna,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:36px;line-height:40px;letter-spacing:-1px;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> Finance ministry allows EPFO to become stock exchange member</h1><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 3px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:Unna,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:18px;color:rgb(111,106,47);line-height:22px;letter-spacing:-0.5px"> The finance ministry has been pitching for EPFO funds to be invested in the equity markets to maximise their yields</div><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 3px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:Unna,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:18px;color:rgb(111,106,47);line-height:22px;letter-spacing:-0.5px"> <br></div><div class="" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 3px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:Unna,'Times New Roman',Times,serif;font-size:18px;color:rgb(111,106,47);line-height:22px;letter-spacing:-0.5px"> <div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 17px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,'sans serif';font-size:14px;letter-spacing:normal"><b style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent">New Delhi:</b> The finance ministry has allowed retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to become a member of a stock exchange although its trustees oppose parking even a part of its over Rs5 lakh crore corpus in equities.</div> <div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 17px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,'sans serif';font-size:14px;letter-spacing:normal">The department of economic affairs has issued a notification under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules Act 1957, permitting the EPFO to become a member of a recognised stock exchange, according to a release.</div> <div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 17px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,'sans serif';font-size:14px;letter-spacing:normal">Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had suggested that the government facilitate the flow of EPFO funds to equity-linked mutual funds to boost the market. The main recognised exchanges in the country are the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).</div> <div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 17px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,'sans serif';font-size:14px;letter-spacing:normal">The finance ministry has been pitching for EPFO funds to be invested in the equity markets to maximise their yields. However, following strong opposition from unions in view of the volatile nature of stocks, the EPFO did not opt for equity investment.</div> <div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 17px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,'sans serif';font-size:14px;letter-spacing:normal">The finance ministry had allowed the EPFO to invest up to 5% of its funds in equity in 2005 and enhanced the limit to 15% in 2008. A recent notification by the labour ministry allows the EPFO to invest up to 5% of its funds in money market instruments, including units of mutual funds and equity-linked schemes regulated by the Sebi.</div> <div class="" style="margin:0px 0px 17px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,'sans serif';font-size:14px;letter-spacing:normal">The EPFO has more than 5 crore subscribers across the country. It provided interest of 8.5% on PF deposits in 2012-13. The EPFO trustees have decided to pay interest of 8.75% in this financial year. <b style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent">PTI</b></div> </div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-66871945343626973242014-02-28T18:47:00.001-08:002014-02-28T18:47:31.436-08:00weekly gold<div dir="ltr"><div><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The safe haven properties remain intact as the recent weak data and the political conflict in the Ukraine supported the Gold. The inflows of ETF Gold holdings are up 4.5 tons in February so far. Now the physical side of Gold may be weakened by the Chinese buyers standing aside as the price of Gold increases. With the slack data out of China showing a bit of a slowdown, they may be absent from the Gold market for a period of time. They are bargain hunters looking for lower price action. There is hope that the Indian tariffs on Gold imports will lift soon but for now 10 % duties remain. China became the biggest buyer of Gold in 2013 consuming about 1,066 tons according to the World Gold Council. Gold imports from Hong Kong by China were about 83.6 metric tons in January. The increase in the futures prices may have impeded the physical bullion sales this month. The US Mint reported that 24,500 ounces have been sold this month compared to 91,500 ounces in January. Gold dipped in 2013 increasing the demand to 3,756.1 tons or about $170 billion US. Of this, about 386.6 tons of Gold were purchased by the central banks. Last year only seven of the top forty central banks had replenished their reserves. The appetite for Gold has not waned and as a safe-haven product, the shift in allocations to the metal may be sooner than we think. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The GDP report today showed the US expansion at 2.4 % annual rate while the last one had been 3.2%, but the market sentiment responded well again viewing the harsh weather conditions across the US. The inclement weather conditions have blanketed the US with unusually cold weather patterns that kept consumers homebound. This affected car sales, retail sales, home sales and the labor conditions in general. The weakened data is regarded temporary to date, but when the conditions clear, the true state of the economy will be reflected. Consumer spending which makes up about 70 % of the GDP has been weak, yet US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen attributes the recent weak data to the inclement weather conditions covering the US. US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen states that it may take months to truly evaluate the data to determine the true strength/weakness of the US economy. Her comments may have been construed to prepare for a potential pause on the tapering progress. So far, we have reduced the $85 billion monthly Bond purchases to $65 billion. Her accommodative stance may have to evaluate the true nature of the employment data. These reports are primarily surveys and may not reflect the jobless individuals that simply may have given up and retired or the younger individuals that may have moved back home and go back to school. Yellen states that “The recovery in the labor market is far from complete”! What could possibly weaken this market more than anything could be slack data from China as the huge economy is often regarded as the leader in the global recovery. China has seen a contraction in manufacturing with about $4.8 trillion in shadow banking debt to address. Australia looks to the Chinese economy as the trade relations remain strong between the two countries. Actually, the trade relationships across the globe give the global economy a fragility much like a snowball effect. China is still viewed as a major power, but weakness can still impact the marketplace when assumed strength declines. The next policy meeting takes place March 18th and 19th. Yellen is known as one of the architects of the quantitative easing program that was instituted by the previous Chairman Ben Bernanke. The January Unemployment Report came in under expectations at 113,000 again attributing the harsh weather conditions for the shortfall! The December jobs report only produced 74,000 new jobs, so really the increase shows some recovery. Slow and steady may be the pace and this marketplace wants to see “WOW” numbers. If next month’s Employment Report shows any substantial decrease, then perhaps the Fed may reconsider the tapering plans. For now, it looks as though the Fed will remain on course with plans to taper the quantitative easing program by $10 billion each month for about the next consecutive months. The US is in expansion or a growth phase regardless of the size. While reducing the stimulus, the market sentiment will remain vulnerable to tapering too quickly with a soft economy. We have the US Employment numbers out the following Friday, so the Fed should keep busy with their evaluations. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s Gross Domestic Product for Q4p:2013 Real GDP change was 2.4 % while the previous reading was 3.3 %. The GDP Price Index was 1.6 % while the previous reading was 1.3 %. The Chicago PMI for February was 59.8 while the previous reading was 59.6. US Pending Home Sales for January was 95.0 up 0.1 % while the previous reading was down -8.7 % to 92.4. The Consumer Sentiment for February was 81.6 while the previous reading was 81.2. The US Jobless Claims for the week of February 22nd were up 14,000 to 348,000 while the previous reading was 336,000. The Continuing Claims were up 8,000 to 2.964 million. The Durable Goods New Orders for January were -1.0 % while the previous reading was -4.3 %. The Durable Goods Orders excluding transportation were 1.1 % while the previous reading was -1.6 %. The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index for February was 4 while the previous reading was 5. Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for February was -28.6 while the previous reading was -30.6. The New Home Sales for January level was 468,000 while the previous reading was 414,000. The New Home Sales seem to gain traction while the existing home sales remain slack. Definitely a bright outlook for home builders. The MBA Purchase Applications for the week of February 21st Composite was -8.5 % while the previous reading was -4.1 %. The Purchase Index was -4.0 % while the previous reading was -6.0 %. The Refinance Index was -11.0 % while the previous reading was -3.0 %. The Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index Level change for February was -6 while the previous reading was 12. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of February 22nd was -0.6 % while the previous reading was 2.5 %. The Redbook Store Sales for the week of February 22nd was 2.9 % while the previous reading was 3.2 %. The FHFA House Price Index for December was 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.1 %. The S&P Case-Shiller HPI for November 20-city SA was 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.9 %. The 20-city NSA was -0.1 % while the previous reading was -0.1 % unchanged. The Consumer Confidence for February was 78.1 while the previous reading was 80.7. The State Street Investor Confidence Index for February was 123.0 while the previous reading was 114.4. The PMI Services Flash for February was 52.7 while the previous reading was 56.6. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for January was -0.39 while the previous reading was 0.16. The Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey Business Activity Index for February was 0.3 while the previous reading was 3.8. The Production Index was 10.8 while the previous reading was 7.1. The last US Unemployment came in a meager 113,000 new jobs created for the month of January while the previous reading was 74,000. Traders again managed to blame the light numbers on freezing weather conditions sweeping across the US. The Unemployment Rate came in at 6.6 % while the previous reading was 6.7 %. The Manufacturing Payrolls were 21,000 while the previous reading was 9,000. The Private Sector Payrolls were 142,000 while the previous reading was 87,000. The Government Payrolls was -29,000 while the previous reading was -13,000. The Federal Government Payrolls was -12,000 while the previous reading was -2,000. The Service Sector Payrolls was 66,000 while the previous reading was 77,000. Temporary help agencies increased by 8,100. The Average Hourly Earnings was $24.21 + 6 cents. The Average Work Week Hours was 34.4 unchanged. Next Friday, we look forward to the next Employment Report.<br> <br>The Gold (April) contract must remain above $1316.20 to maintain the uptrend. Next week looks to be a potential retracement time for the Gold market. We could potentially retrace to $1250.00. It seems as though traders have gotten into the pattern of shorting the Gold on the rallies which may keep it capped for the short-term. Longer-term projections are extremely positive. The recovery is fragile and the Fed may have used their last bullet. Should they run out of poor weather excuses they may go back to the stimulus, cease the tapering or simply watch the slackened data which is all positive for Gold. </p> <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_2_28.jpg" border="0"> </p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p></span><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </p></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr"> Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-50108693716300835382014-02-28T18:44:00.001-08:002014-02-28T18:44:36.397-08:00weekly gold<div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The safe haven properties remain intact as the recent weak data and the political conflict in the Ukraine supported the Gold. The inflows of ETF Gold holdings are up 4.5 tons in February so far. Now the physical side of Gold may be weakened by the Chinese buyers standing aside as the price of Gold increases. With the slack data out of China showing a bit of a slowdown, they may be absent from the Gold market for a period of time. They are bargain hunters looking for lower price action. There is hope that the Indian tariffs on Gold imports will lift soon but for now 10 % duties remain. China became the biggest buyer of Gold in 2013 consuming about 1,066 tons according to the World Gold Council. Gold imports from Hong Kong by China were about 83.6 metric tons in January. The increase in the futures prices may have impeded the physical bullion sales this month. The US Mint reported that 24,500 ounces have been sold this month compared to 91,500 ounces in January. Gold dipped in 2013 increasing the demand to 3,756.1 tons or about $170 billion US. Of this, about 386.6 tons of Gold were purchased by the central banks. Last year only seven of the top forty central banks had replenished their reserves. The appetite for Gold has not waned and as a safe-haven product, the shift in allocations to the metal may be sooner than we think. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The GDP report today showed the US expansion at 2.4 % annual rate while the last one had been 3.2%, but the market sentiment responded well again viewing the harsh weather conditions across the US. The inclement weather conditions have blanketed the US with unusually cold weather patterns that kept consumers homebound. This affected car sales, retail sales, home sales and the labor conditions in general. The weakened data is regarded temporary to date, but when the conditions clear, the true state of the economy will be reflected. Consumer spending which makes up about 70 % of the GDP has been weak, yet US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen attributes the recent weak data to the inclement weather conditions covering the US. US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen states that it may take months to truly evaluate the data to determine the true strength/weakness of the US economy. Her comments may have been construed to prepare for a potential pause on the tapering progress. So far, we have reduced the $85 billion monthly Bond purchases to $65 billion. Her accommodative stance may have to evaluate the true nature of the employment data. These reports are primarily surveys and may not reflect the jobless individuals that simply may have given up and retired or the younger individuals that may have moved back home and go back to school. Yellen states that “The recovery in the labor market is far from complete”! What could possibly weaken this market more than anything could be slack data from China as the huge economy is often regarded as the leader in the global recovery. China has seen a contraction in manufacturing with about $4.8 trillion in shadow banking debt to address. Australia looks to the Chinese economy as the trade relations remain strong between the two countries. Actually, the trade relationships across the globe give the global economy a fragility much like a snowball effect. China is still viewed as a major power, but weakness can still impact the marketplace when assumed strength declines. The next policy meeting takes place March 18th and 19th. Yellen is known as one of the architects of the quantitative easing program that was instituted by the previous Chairman Ben Bernanke. The January Unemployment Report came in under expectations at 113,000 again attributing the harsh weather conditions for the shortfall! The December jobs report only produced 74,000 new jobs, so really the increase shows some recovery. Slow and steady may be the pace and this marketplace wants to see “WOW” numbers. If next month’s Employment Report shows any substantial decrease, then perhaps the Fed may reconsider the tapering plans. For now, it looks as though the Fed will remain on course with plans to taper the quantitative easing program by $10 billion each month for about the next consecutive months. The US is in expansion or a growth phase regardless of the size. While reducing the stimulus, the market sentiment will remain vulnerable to tapering too quickly with a soft economy. We have the US Employment numbers out the following Friday, so the Fed should keep busy with their evaluations. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s Gross Domestic Product for Q4p:2013 Real GDP change was 2.4 % while the previous reading was 3.3 %. The GDP Price Index was 1.6 % while the previous reading was 1.3 %. The Chicago PMI for February was 59.8 while the previous reading was 59.6. US Pending Home Sales for January was 95.0 up 0.1 % while the previous reading was down -8.7 % to 92.4. The Consumer Sentiment for February was 81.6 while the previous reading was 81.2. The US Jobless Claims for the week of February 22nd were up 14,000 to 348,000 while the previous reading was 336,000. The Continuing Claims were up 8,000 to 2.964 million. The Durable Goods New Orders for January were -1.0 % while the previous reading was -4.3 %. The Durable Goods Orders excluding transportation were 1.1 % while the previous reading was -1.6 %. The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index for February was 4 while the previous reading was 5. Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for February was -28.6 while the previous reading was -30.6. The New Home Sales for January level was 468,000 while the previous reading was 414,000. The New Home Sales seem to gain traction while the existing home sales remain slack. Definitely a bright outlook for home builders. The MBA Purchase Applications for the week of February 21st Composite was -8.5 % while the previous reading was -4.1 %. The Purchase Index was -4.0 % while the previous reading was -6.0 %. The Refinance Index was -11.0 % while the previous reading was -3.0 %. The Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index Level change for February was -6 while the previous reading was 12. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of February 22nd was -0.6 % while the previous reading was 2.5 %. The Redbook Store Sales for the week of February 22nd was 2.9 % while the previous reading was 3.2 %. The FHFA House Price Index for December was 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.1 %. The S&P Case-Shiller HPI for November 20-city SA was 0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.9 %. The 20-city NSA was -0.1 % while the previous reading was -0.1 % unchanged. The Consumer Confidence for February was 78.1 while the previous reading was 80.7. The State Street Investor Confidence Index for February was 123.0 while the previous reading was 114.4. The PMI Services Flash for February was 52.7 while the previous reading was 56.6. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for January was -0.39 while the previous reading was 0.16. The Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey Business Activity Index for February was 0.3 while the previous reading was 3.8. The Production Index was 10.8 while the previous reading was 7.1. The last US Unemployment came in a meager 113,000 new jobs created for the month of January while the previous reading was 74,000. Traders again managed to blame the light numbers on freezing weather conditions sweeping across the US. The Unemployment Rate came in at 6.6 % while the previous reading was 6.7 %. The Manufacturing Payrolls were 21,000 while the previous reading was 9,000. The Private Sector Payrolls were 142,000 while the previous reading was 87,000. The Government Payrolls was -29,000 while the previous reading was -13,000. The Federal Government Payrolls was -12,000 while the previous reading was -2,000. The Service Sector Payrolls was 66,000 while the previous reading was 77,000. Temporary help agencies increased by 8,100. The Average Hourly Earnings was $24.21 + 6 cents. The Average Work Week Hours was 34.4 unchanged. Next Friday, we look forward to the next Employment Report.<br> <br>The Gold (April) contract must remain above $1316.20 to maintain the uptrend. Next week looks to be a potential retracement time for the Gold market. We could potentially retrace to $1250.00. It seems as though traders have gotten into the pattern of shorting the Gold on the rallies which may keep it capped for the short-term. Longer-term projections are extremely positive. The recovery is fragile and the Fed may have used their last bullet. Should they run out of poor weather excuses they may go back to the stimulus, cease the tapering or simply watch the slackened data which is all positive for Gold. </p> <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_2_28.jpg" border="0"> </p></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p></span><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </p><div><br></div>-- <br> <div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-45686341697002222112014-02-22T00:11:00.001-08:002014-02-22T00:11:50.736-08:00The weekly gold<div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Gold got a boost today on the disappointing housing numbers! The worse the economy, the better for Gold. The harsh weather conditions have been the scapegoat again for the lackluster data. This has been just the perfect storm with Gold as the Governments come in to devalue currencies and change their policies favoring some more than others. The G-20 meets this weekend to discuss the global economy and the threats from contagion fears, Fed action, increased debt and inflation to name some topics. Treasury yields may also affect the Gold as the correlations kick in. US Federal Chairman Janet Yellen maintains the accommodative stance with the dual mandate of full employment and returning inflation. Gold thrives on inflation, so her attempts to achieve a degree of stability should include an increase in inflation. China, with an increased usage of 32 % has risen to 1,065.8 tons of Gold, has surpassed India with usage up 13 % to 974.8 tons of Gold according to the World Gold Council! The import tax imposed by the Indian government has taken its toll on the inflow of the metal to India. The jewelry in 2013 was up to 2,209 tons globally. The total demand for Gold bullion bars and coins increased to 1,654 tons in 2013. The central banks increased their Gold reserves in the fourth quarter by 61 tons. Investor outflows of the ETP's last year equaled 869.1 tons. The US Mint sold about 13,000 ounces of the American Eagle Gold coins in February while January there were sales totaling 91,500 ounces. </span><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> The National Association of Realtors reported that home sales slackened by 5.1 % to an annual rate of 4.62 million units in January! The soft numbers again were rationalized as again due to the freezing weather conditions covering the US last month. The NAR had also reported the average price of used homes up 10.7 % to $188,900 in January. This could be due to reduced inventories on the market. Credit is still tight and mortgage rates have increased again discouraging the buyer from pursuing home search. The inventory was up a bit from the previous month 2.2 %. When spring does pop, housing is expected to really make a come-back. It is just too early to tell just how promising it may be from this vantage point. This is so far regarded temporary and expectations for expansion still override the sentiment. The Fed minutes were read this week and traders still were looking for signs of Fed action on the rather weak data that has the global marketplace wondering. The tapering seems to be on course as stated regardless of the soft data. The International Monetary Fund states that the global recovery is weak “and significant downside risks remain”. The G-20 meets February 22nd and 23rd in Sydney, Australia. It is anticipated that the Fed may have to defend the stimulus interjections and then again the “tapering” perhaps as well. The IMF has concerns regarding deflation with both stimulus and tapering creating erratic market conditions. The IMF also regards volatility as a possible threat to the economic recovery. The trick question is how much of the weak data was really caused by the freezing temperatures? Once the weather conditions can no longer be held accountable for the poor numbers, we will again look to the Fed for their “accommodative policy”. The modest expectations allow any meager positive earnings to be viewed optimistically. The US has been told the same thing continuously by the Federal Reserve about the double mandate of Labor and Inflation and Fed Chairman Janet Yellen re-iterated those same words and the market responded positively to the stable consistent outlook. She spoke in her first semi-annual monetary policy testimony before the House Financial Services Committee in Washington this week. She wishes to continue the current monetary policy to taper in measured steps but with no pre-set course but rather contingent on labor and inflation. She has found unemployment to be elevated but considers the harsh weather conditions that have blanketed the US as a negative factor. She must really look at next month’s unemployment report to really be able to determine if it is a true case or impacted by temporary conditions. The Fed will remain accommodative and the market should continue to rally on the stability. It seems that the marketplace will anticipate a pause in the tapering if the numbers remain soft past the harsh weather conditions. The next policy meeting takes place March 18th and 19th. She is known as one of the architects of the quantitative easing program that was instituted by the previous Chairman Ben Bernanke. The January Unemployment Report came in under expectations at 113,000 again attributing the harsh weather conditions for the shortfall! The December jobs report only produced 74,000 new jobs, so really the increase shows some recovery. Slow and steady may be the pace and this marketplace wants to see “WOW” numbers. If next month’s Unemployment Report shows any substantial decrease, then perhaps the Fed will reconsider the tapering plans. For now, it looks as though the Fed will remain on course with plans to taper the quantitative easing program by $10 billion each month for about the next consecutive six months. The US is in expansion or a growth phase regardless of the size. The Senate had not been able to come up with the vote for a bill to renew expired benefits for the long-term unemployed which may be a setback for the economy as a whole. It is thought that over 1.3 million US citizens lost their benefits and more may add to the figure as time passes. It is thought that many baby boomers have simply backed away from the jobs scene to retire. The Trade Gap had expanded 12 % to about $38.7 billion perhaps attributed to decreased exports. Lawmakers vote to suspend raising the debt ceiling until March 2015 for the $16.7 trillion cap on borrowing. It is thought that a US default could lead to a severe economic downturn. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner has suggested that while raising the debt limit that the jobs and economy should also be dealt with. The budget deficit according to the Congressional Budget Office is projected at about $514 billion. Projections continue that the debt should continue to fall further in the future years. The forecast for the US economy may still be bumpy for the next few years. There is also debate whether to raise the minimum wage which would take about 900,000 people above the poverty level, but would annihilate about 500,000 jobs by 2016. While reducing the stimulus, the market sentiment will remain vulnerable to tapering too quickly with a soft economy.</p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">The Existing Home Sales for January were 4.62 million down 5.1 % while the previous reading was 4.870 million. US Jobless Claims for the week of February 15th were down 3,000 to 336,000 while the previous reading was 339,000. The Continued Claims were up 37,000 to 2.981 million with a one-week lag time. The Consumer Price Index for January was 0.1 % while the previous reading was 0.3 %. The CPI excluding food and energy was 0.1 % while the previous reading was unchanged. The PMI Manufacturing Index Flash for February was 56.7 while the previous reading was 53.7. The Philadelphia Fed Survey for February was -6.3 while the previous reading was 9.4. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index for February was -30.6 while the previous reading was -30.7. The Leading Indicators for January were 0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.1 %. The Fed Balance Sheet for the week of February 19th was $29.8 billion Total Assets while the previous reading was $10.2 billion. The Reserve Bank Credit was $35.5 billion while the previous reading was $10.5 billion. The Money Supply for the week of February 10th was $41.3 billion while the previous reading was $14.9 billion. US Housing Starts for January were at 0.880 million while the previous reading was 0.999 million. The Housing Permits for January were 0.937 million while the previous reading was 0.986 million. The MBA Purchase Applications Composite for the week of February 14th was -4.1 % while the previous reading was -2.0 %. The Purchase Index was -6.0 % while the previous reading was -5.0 %. The Refinance Index was -3.0 % while the previous reading was -0.2 %. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales for the week of February 15th were 2.5 % while the previous reading was -0.3 %. The Redbook Store Sales for the week of February 15th was 3.2 % while the previous reading was 2.8 %. The FOMC minutes came out citing the debate on tapering but still quite vague regarding employment. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey General Business Conditions Level for February was 4.48 while the previous reading was 12.51. The Treasury International Capital Foreign Demand for Long-Term US Securities for December was -$45.9 billion while the previous reading was -$29.3 billion. The Housing Market Index for February was 46 while the previous reading was 56. The E-Commerce Retail Sales for Q4:2013 was 3.4 % while the previous reading was 3.6 %. Industrial Production for December was -0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.3 %. The Capacity Utilization Rate was 78.5 % while the previous reading was 79.2 %. The Manufacturing was -0.8 % while the previous reading was 0.4 %. Export Prices for January were 0.2 % while the previous reading was 0.4 %. The Import Prices were 0.1 % while the previous reading was 0.0 %. Consumer Sentiment Index for February was 81.2 while the previous reading was unchanged. The US Unemployment came in a meager 113,000 new jobs created for the month of January while the previous reading was 74,000. Traders again managed to blame the light numbers on freezing weather conditions sweeping across the US. The Unemployment Rate came in at 6.6 % while the previous reading was 6.7 %. The Manufacturing Payrolls were 21,000 while the previous reading was 9,000. The Private Sector Payrolls were 142,000 while the previous reading was 87,000. The Government Payrolls was -29,000 while the previous reading was -13,000. The Federal Government Payrolls was -12,000 while the previous reading was -2,000. The Service Sector Payrolls was 66,000 while the previous reading was 77,000. Temporary help agencies increased by 8,100. The Average Hourly Earnings was $24.21 + 6 cents. The Average Work Week Hours was 34.4 unchanged. <br> </p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">We trended higher this week as soft data just spurred the allocations toward the Gold! If the April Gold contract can stay above $1280.30, we have support. $1360.50 may be a near-term target. This could be another ploy to excite traders about the bullish sentiment, but traders may began to sell at $1360.50 and/or $1390.50. We may remain cautiously bullish for the moment. One must be cautious as traders have found that they love to sell a bounce. Any possible moves to the upside may be temporary. <br> </p><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span><strong style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> Gold Chart</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Footlight MT Light',serif;font-size:14pt"><p><img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold_2_21.jpg" border="0"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </span></p> </span><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> </p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> <strong><em>Take a close look and feel free to call in and talk to me in greater detail. It would be my pleasure. Good trading!</em></strong></p><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br> <a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br>Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427308588289996223.post-80023727800432002582014-02-08T03:42:00.001-08:002014-02-08T03:42:51.574-08:00The Weekly Gold<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Gold got a boost today on the disappointing jobs numbers! The worse the economy, the better for Gold. The harsh weather conditions have been the scapegoat again for the lackluster data. This has been just the perfect storm with Gold as the Governments come in to devalue currencies and change their policies favoring some more than others. Treasury yields may also affect the Gold as the correlations kick in. The Chinese data that perhaps was the trigger for this recent move up in Gold may have been the Flash Markit/HSBC Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) which decreased to 49.6. Readings under 50 point to contraction. The Chinese have been major buyers of the Gold and this may even increase the interest in buying the physical metal. The Chinese New Year began today which may also affect the Gold sales in China. Everything virtually comes to a halt at this time. China has surpassed India as buyers of Gold jewelry in 2013. India's Government has imposed restrictions to impede Gold imports and encourage currency purchases to strengthen the Rupee. As of 2013, China purchased about 1,158 tons of Gold from Hong Kong. The lower the price for Gold, the more the demand in China. The reduction in mining may help boost the Gold. The UK’s Royal Mint has increased demand on the Sovereign Gold coins to where there were waiting lists for inventory. The US Mint sold 91,500 ounces last month. The physical metal remains in strong demand, but there is a separation there. The paper Gold products remain under some pressure as previous market action dictates caution and vigilance in determining the Fed’s actions. The worst the economy, the better for Gold. The ETF's have had outflows of about 900 tons of Gold backed products. During this economic cycle, inflation may come to pass giving Gold some major support. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s January Unemployment Report came in again under expectations at 113,000 blaming the harsh weather conditions for the shortfall! The December jobs report only produced 74,000 new jobs, so really the increase shows some recovery. Slow and steady may be the pace and this marketplace wants to see “WOW” numbers. If next month’s Unemployment Report shows any substantial decrease, then perhaps the Fed will reconsider the tapering plans. For now, it looks as though the Fed will remain on course with plans to taper the quantitative easing program by $10 billion each month for about the next consecutive six months. The US is in expansion or a growth phase regardless of the size. Manufacturing came in weak and consumer spending could be better. The weather conditions sweeping over the US have been to blame for some of the poor data and earnings. The Senate had not been able to come up with the vote for a bill to renew expired benefits for the long-term unemployed which may be a setback for the economy as a whole. It is thought that over 1.3 million US citizens lost their benefits and more may add to the figure as time passes. The Trade Gap had expanded 12 % to about $38.7 billion perhaps attributed to decreased exports. The next shoe to drop could potentially be the debt ceiling $16.7 trillion cap on borrowing which had been previously postponed until today. It is thought that a US default could lead to a severe economic downturn. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner has suggested that while raising the debt limit that the jobs and economy should also be dealt with. The budget deficit according to the Congressional Budget Office is projected at about $514 billion. Projections continue that the debt should continue to fall further in the future years. The forecast for the US economy may still be bumpy for the next few years. This is the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday where the volume simply may be light. When the volume is thinner, it takes less to move the market. China and Russia are experiencing slowdowns. The Equities and the VIX may also have an inverse relationship. This will be a matter of how far the bulls may go to defend their positioning. The US economy still has strength, but it is tested by the data and the earnings reported. The pick-up in demand boosted exports and investments. The Euro Zone banks are still paying back the loans accumulated during this crisis period. The European Central Bank is expected to keep rates unchanged when they meet Thursday. The Euro FX has enjoyed the safe-haven status as of late keeping the currency fairly stable. The strength in the US Dollar may keep the Euro FX capped. The European Central Bank President (ECB) Mario Draghi states that he will support the economy giving the Euro FX some traction. He may wish to address the issue of interest rates next month when he has more data. Some major analysts have predictions regarding the valuation of the currencies in the long-term. It is true that the US and others have printed their currency to stabilize the economies, but for time being the US Dollar should remain stable. The contagion risks that began at the onset of this crisis remain and could still affect the marketplace.</p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Today’s US Unemployment came in a meager 113,000 new jobs created for the month of January while the previous reading was 74,000. Traders again managed to blame the light numbers on freezing weather conditions sweeping across the US. The Unemployment Rate came in at 6.6 % while the previous reading was 6.7 %. The Manufacturing Payrolls were 21,000 while the previous reading was 9,000. The Private Sector Payrolls were 142,000 while the previous reading was 87,000. The Government Payrolls was -29,000 while the previous reading was -13,000. The Federal Government Payrolls was -12,000 while the previous reading was -2,000. The Service Sector Payrolls was 66,000 while the previous reading was 77,000. Temporary help agencies increased by 8,100. The Average Hourly Earnings was $24.21 + 6 cents. The Average Work Week Hours was 34.4 unchanged. Consumer Credit for December was $18.8 billion to $3.1 trillion while the previous reading was $12.3 billion. The Revolving Credit (credit cards…) increased by $5 billion. The Non-Revolving Credit (student loans, auto loans…) increased by $13.8 billion. The US Initial Jobless Claims for the week of February 1st was down 20,000 to 331,000. Continuing Claims were increased 15,000 to 2.964 million. The Challenger Job-cut Report for announced layoffs in January was 45,107 while the previous reading was 30,623. The Gallup US Payroll to Population for January was 42.0 while the previous reading was 42.9. Productivity in the Non-farm sector was 3.2 % while the previous reading was 3.0 %. The Unit Labor and Costs was -1.6 % while the previous reading was -1.4 %. Chain Store Sales are showing significant weakness compared to Decembers. The International Trade Balance Level for December was -$36.7 billion while the previous reading was -$34.3 billion. The Bloomberg Consumer Confidence Index Level for February was -33.1 while the previous reading was -31.8. The ADP Employment Report for January was 175,000 while the previous reading was 238,000. The Gallup US Job Creation Index was 19 while the previous reading was unchanged. The ISM Non-Manufacturing Composite Index for January was 54.0 while the previous reading was 53.0. Any number over 50 points to expansion. The MBA Purchase Applications for the week of January 31st Composite Index was 0.4 % while the previous reading was -0.2 %. The Purchase Index was -4.0 % while the previous reading was 2.0 %. The Refinance Index was 3.0 % while the previous reading was -2.0 %. The Factory Orders for December were -1.5 % while the previous reading was 1.8 %. Redbook Store Sales for the week of February 1st was 2.7 % while the previous reading was 3.2 %. The ICSC-Goldman Store Sales were 0.3 % while the previous reading was 0.2 %. The Gallup US Economic Confidence Index (ECI) for January was - 16 while the previous reading had been -19. The ISM Manufacturing Index for January was 51.3 while the previous reading was 57.0. The PMI Manufacturing Index for January was 53.7 while the previous reading was 55.0. Construction Spending for December was 0.1 % while the previous reading was 1.0 %. The Gallup US Consumer Spending Measure for February 3rd was $78 while the previous reading was $96. Motor Vehicle Sales for January for was down 3.1 % to 1,011,188. Bad weather was again held as the culprit for the decreased sales. Ford Motor sales decreased 7.1 % to 154,644 units. Ford increased incentives by 14.6 % from last year according to TruCar. GM sales decreased 11.9 % to 171,486 units. Chrysler increased 8 % to 127,183 units. <br> </p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px">If the April Gold contract can penetrate $1275.20, it may have a short-term trend higher. Support should be maintained at $1235.50. $1330.00 may be a near-term target. We may remain cautiously bullish for the moment. One must be cautious as traders have found that they love to sell a bounce. Any possible moves to the upside may be temporary. </p> <p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> <strong> Gold Chart</strong> </p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> <img src="http://media.barchart.com/cm/users/5839/Gold%20Chart.png" border="0"></p><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Bitstream Vera Sans',arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> <strong><em>Take a close look and feel free to call in and talk to me in greater detail. It would be my pleasure. Good trading!</em></strong></p> </div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br>P.Sudeesh Kumar<br><a href="mailto:p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">p.sudeeshkumar@gmail.com</a> <br><a href="http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://sudeeshbubbby7.blogspot.in</a><br> Linked in profile : <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/" title="View public profile" name="SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_SafeHtmlFilter_webProfileURL" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 19px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:11px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(102,102,102);line-height:13.1875px;display:inline-block;zoom:1;background-image:url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v7.png);background-color:rgb(246,246,246);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat" target="_blank">n.linkedin.com/pub/sudeesh-kumar/27/3a9/307/</a><br> Follow me on twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/Sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">Sudeeshbubby</a><br><div>Follow me on Facebook<br><a href="http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/sudeeshbubby</a><br> Join<br><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/niligiris</a></div><div>Sms channel</div><div><a href="http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby" target="_blank">http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/sudeeshbubby</a><br> </div></div> </div> Sudees Kumar (Nilgrian )http://www.blogger.com/profile/16967025802780908986noreply@blogger.com0