Exchange Traded Funds Vie For Mutual Fund Territory

By Peggy Black

Owning mutual funds can be expensive when you consider the 1.5% average charge for advisory fees that go to the broker or financial planner that helps you select the funds. Exchange traded funds (ETF) can be your answer to greater flexibility at a lower cost.

Bi-yearly, mutual funds are required to inform investors of their holdings. For the most part, mutual fund purchasers are not aware of what they own.

The history of Exchange Traded Funds goes back to the first such instrument created, the S&P Depository Receipt known as SPDR. The shorthand symbol is SPY and is composed of the 500 companies that make up the S&P 500.

What makes ETFs unique is that they stay very close to their net asset value. The price of the ETF stock cannot drift too far above or below its actual value because professional traders will push it back in line quickly if they see disparity.

Just like a stock, one can place loss protection in the form of stop-loss and limit order. You are able to see quotes on a real-time basis.

The management fees for EFTs dwarf those of mutual funds. SPY, for instance, SPY has an annualized net expense of 0.09 percent.

When you own an ETF you know exactly what you have invested in. There is no surprise in regards to anything mysterious. There is complete transparency.

Many feel that EFT's beat mutual funds by a large margin. Mutual funds have shortcomings that glare into the face of any serious investor. Unless one has complete faith in the fund manager for this type of "hands-off" negotiation one may get in trouble. - 23196

About the Author:

For insights and articles on ETFs and investments of any sort, read the WallStreetJournal (WSJ). It is the paper of students and professional alike for breaking investment news and new ideas that will affect the financial future. Get free delivery of the WallStreetJournal (WSJ) for 80% off news stand price at WallStreetJournal (WSJ) Subscription

How to make money in the Forex Market by using a Forex Robot.

By Elliot Miner

You may have heard of forex trading but are wondering just what you have to do in order to make money from it. The truth is that forex trading, though it inevitably carries some risk, can be an extremely profitable endeavour if you know what to look for in your investments.

There is now a huge market around the development of trading strategies which can help all levels of experience gain from trading the forex market.

There is now a huge market around the development of trading strategies which can help all levels of experience gain from trading the forex market.

There is now a huge market around the development of trading strategies which can help all levels of experience gain from trading the forex market.

Check these tools out before starting, making sure you will have all the up-to-date knowledge at your fingertips. The more you know about the state of the market the more chance you will have of making money through forex trading.

It is all too tempting to rush in with the hope of making money right away, but the truth is that taking time to learn about forex trading really will increase your chances of making some money.

It is all too tempting to rush in with the hope of making money right away, but the truth is that taking time to learn about forex trading really will increase your chances of making some money. - 23196

About the Author:

You can find out more information regarding the Forex Phantom robot system right here through the official Forex Phantom website.

Free Signals for the forex market

By Volodq Christoff

There are very few forex trading signals providers that are genuinely consistently profitable month after month. There are many that claim to be and have impressive looking performance records but very often it transpires that they massage their numbers, and use hypothetical figures in their calculations, rather than trade their signals themselves.

I've come across many different forex signals providers in my time. It's hard not to as the internet's full of them. Nearly all of them have turned out to be a waste of time. I thought I'd found a great site a while back in the shape of Forex Live Pro, but after having several highly profitable months, even they ended up going on a losing streak and have since closed down.

That's why there's only one company that I'm more than happy to recommend and that's ForexManuals.com

It's basically a managed forex trading account where you're in complete control over which signal providers you use, and all trading is completely automated.

I'm not sure how common the Smoothed Repulse indicator actually is but it's one that I've recently discovered hidden away in ProRealTime, the excellent charting software, and I have to say I'm quite impressed by it so far. - 23196

About the Author:

It is always handy to have good free signals forex. I use them all the time and it makes a big difference in the outcome of my free forex trading signals trades

Forex Made Easy Tips

By Chan Boldene

Forex Made Easy is not always easy. Before we delve into figuring out this whole Forex business (and it is a business), I thought I'd share some simple yet important Forex Made Easy tips. I will be going back to this periodically because they're important not just because you're learning to trade 4x but because they are good sound principles to live by.

If you've been around any length of time, you've heard or read how the basketfuls of money we can make from Forex Trading (or FX Trading), so what are the tips and rules and strategies we can incorporate to make money from 4X Trading? Below are the seven Forex Made Easy Tips that the staff and management of Forex Made Easy (me) came up with to help make you money in this crazy but rewarding field of 4X Trading.

Tip #1: Don't get greedy.

Wow. This is too simple. When you're on a hot winning streak, it's easy to think you can't lose. This is dangerous thinking. 4x Trading is easy but you can lose your shirt too. Be careful. Greed can deplete your account faster than you can say "that's not what they taught me in that Forex Made Easy blog!" Greed can be devastating.

Forex Made Easy Tip #2:Get Educated

You don't have to be a market genius to make money in Forex. The Forex Made Easy blog is here to help you with that. Anyone can learn how to trade and anyone can make money. You don't need to spend long getting educated either, but having experience trading will be invaluable to you. Make sure you have a trading rules and a trading plan.

Tip #3: The Best Proven Systems are Simple

This Forex Made Easy tip is perhaps the most difficult to conquer because we like gadgets and systems and indicators and tools. Use the KISS method: Keep it Simple Stupid. The phrase is completely overused but it fits. Keep it simple, use a few indicators, and support and resistance. Don't get complicated. Simple trading "systems" are far more robust than complicated ones.

Forex Made Easy Tip #4:Make sure you have Risk and Money Management Rules

This Forex Made Easy tip is boring. Success in this business is built on risk management and money. Not risking more than 10% of your account on any one trade will take you far. No more than five percent is even better.

Forex Made Easy Tip #5: Discipline- Set the Rules and Stick to THEM

No matter how good of a trader you think you are (and you're probably not all that...sorry), you will pile up losses. Even after you search this Forex Made Easy site for nuggets of insight and wisdom, you will still need disciple. So, let me repeat that, you will have losses; you will lose occasionally. But you need to have discipline to ride out the losses and come back. Know YOUR rules. Stick to them. Keep your emotions in check when trading. Leave nothing up to your emotions. Write your instructions down and follow them. I can't emphasize this point enough, because if you don't follow what you created when there was no pressure at all, then you probably will lose money.

Forex Made Easy Tip #6: Have Fun

Trading Forex can be challenging and rewarding. It can also be exciting as you "win" more and more. Don't take your gains OR your losses so seriously. Don't spend your entire day in front of the computer screen. Go outside. Relax. Spend some quality time with your family. Watch a sunrise. Go treat your kids to an amusement park. Go on a second or third or eleven honeymoon with your spouse. The markets will always be there tomorrow.

Forex Made Easy Tip #7: Paper Trade Until You "Make Money"

Practice Practice Practice. There are software programs out there (and some that we at Forex Made Easy will recommend) to help you so that you won't lose money quickly. You can test strategies, theories, and win a million dollars - all with no money changing hands! You need to do this.

We at Forex Made Easy believe that anyone can make money trading Forex . Anyone. The effort you need to put in (with the help of this Forex Made Easy blog) will be well rewarded. So don't forget the rule that simplicity rules. Simple, steady, and well executed strategies will make you the a lot of money from Trading 4X . That's the Forex Made Easy way. - 23196

About the Author:

Chan Boldene is a freelance technical writer and has penned many articles on the Forex markets. Join him at Forex Tips for a few key pointers. Visit also Forex Rumors.

Don't fear $4 gas hike, even though gas prices surge 9%

By Jonathan Summers

Gas prices have surged nearly 9% over the past two weeks, but analysts say a revisitation of last summer's record highs of $4 a gallon is not on the horizon. Gasoline prices have risen about 18 cents during the past 13 days, with the national average hitting $2.226 a gallon on Monday, according to a survey by motorist group AAA. While prices have been on a tear, they are still some 46% lower from the all-time high of $4.114 a gallon hit last July

It's not surprising that prices have been moving higher as they typically increase ahead of the Memorial Day holiday, the unofficial intro to the peak summer driving season. "A bump-up is to be expected this time of year but we're not on the way to another spike," said AAA spokesperson Troy Green. He said would be "surprised" to see prices reach $3.50 a gallon, barring unexpected supply disruptions such as a hurricane, and he would be "shocked" to see $3.75 a gallon this summer.

Many analysts expect gas prices to continue climbing over the next few weeks, largely because of rising crude oil prices, the main ingredient in gasoline. "Gas prices have trended higher in lockstep with crude prices," said Chris Lafakis, economist at Moody's Economy.com. "Crude is the biggest input in the price of gasoline." Oil prices have rallied some 73% over the past three months as signs the economy is headed for a recovery have raised bets that demand for oil and gas will rebound sooner rather than later. Oil prices edged lower Monday after closing at their highest level of the year Friday.

Despite the recent rises in oil prices, the fundamental backdrop for crude market does not support higher prices, analysts said. In addition, that may help keep gasoline prices in line. "There's some irrational optimism about the future," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service. "People are looking at the bright side and not the actual data points for supply and demand." Demand for oil is at its weakest level since 1995 and the nation's supplies of crude are at their highest since 1990, according to the Department of Energy. While there are some likelihood that demand for gas is firming up and that drivers are gradually increasing the number of miles they drive each month, the lousy economy is expected to keep a lid on gas prices.

For drivers, income is the number one issue when it comes to how far and how often they drive, Lafakis said. With unemployment at 8.9% and rising, consumers are likely to remain frugal, keeping downward pressure on gas prices. "In an environment where income growth is very weak or has declined, you're not going to get the kind of demand that is necessary to push gas prices to $2.50 or $3.00 a gallon," he said. "That won't happen this summer because the macro economic environment is putting a ceiling on gas prices. - 23196

About the Author:

Jonathan Summers is working with a Credit Recovery Agency that helps with Bad Debt Collecting