While make up can be a lot of fun most of the time, there are days when a girl just needs her face to rest and take on the “simple” conservative girl look. Or sometimes we just need to show of great skin that Read the rest of this entry »
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If you’ve been keeping up with my blog posts lately you’ll know I’ve come to adding a few news posts from around the web on this subject. I’ve got a couple more today that are new and updated, so let me know what Read the rest of this entry »
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Hey Readers! I’ve been comin across some crazy stuff the past few days from a few different blogs around the web which I just had to share with you. Check em out below…
Madoff investigation identifies a web of players in Ponzi scheme Read the rest of this entry »
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I’ve had some time to do some reading lately and I’ve managed to come across a few really interesting posts that I thought I’d let everyone know about. Check em out and let me know your thoughts on some of the topics Read the rest of this entry »
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After Christmas and New Year celebrations have finished many of us find that we are left feeling tired, drained of energy, and worse still drained of money. The Christmas period can be a very financially demanding Read the rest of this entry »
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The Impact Of A Weak Us Dollar On Your Finances
At a time when the US housing market is contracting, the job market is deteriorating and consumer spending is at risk, the US economy needs a weaker dollar. This is the primary reason why we do not expect the US government and the Federal Reserve to stand in the way of further dollar weakness.
Benefits of a Weaker Dollar
1) Increased Exports – One of the biggest reasons why a weaker dollar will help the US economy is because it increases the competitiveness of US goods. It boosts foreign demand while keeping US consumer demand domestic. Over the medium term, this benefits the sales of US corporations which will eventually translate into more jobs and consumer spending. It also helps to reduce the trade deficit, one of the most criticized aspects of the US economy.
2) Foreign investment – There are three different ways that foreign investment can help the US economy and the US dollar. Over the past few years, foreigners have been big buyers of US real estate. According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, about one in five American real estate agents sold a second home in the year ending April 2007 to a foreign buyer. A third of these buyers come from Europe, a quarter from Asia and 16 percent from Latin America. As the US dollar continues to fall in lockstep with house prices, foreign buyers could provide the support that the US housing market needs to avoid a major crash. The second support would be in the form of value hunting in the US equity markets. If the dollar continues to fall, foreign investors may begin to load up on companies with sound fundamentals that are also less vulnerable to a US economic slowdown. Both of these factors are contingent upon the US dollar showing signs of stabilization. Foreign investors will only swoop in with size when they believe that dollar weakness is nearing an end. The third factor is less contingent upon the outlook for the US dollar. A weaker dollar also makes US corporations more attractive buyout targets. Sovereign wealth funds of countries like China and Dubai are flush with cash and are on the lookout for good investment opportunities.
3) Increased Tourism – Tourism represents a big part of the US economy. It supports employment for over 5.4 million workers and generates over $550 billion in annual revenue. Canadians represent the biggest group of travelers into
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the US. We expect their share to rise even further now that the Canadian dollar is trading at parity with the US dollar. In the beginning of this year, a USD$250 hotel room cost CAD$295, now it only costs CAD$250, which represent savings of over 15 percent. Although the savings for Europeans are not as large, they too will see anywhere between a 5 to 10 percent discount in travel costs. More tourism is always good for an economy.
Disadvantages of a Weaker Dollar
1) Higher Costs for Foreign Goods – The most immediate disadvantage of a weaker dollar is the increased costs for foreign goods. With a trade deficit of $59.2 billion, US consumers import far more than they export. The number one country that the US imports from is Canada, which is why the recent strength of the Canadian dollar is so important. Canadian drugs for example may not be as much of a bargain as they use to be. The same is true for European handbags and other luxury items.
2) Tighter Monetary Policy – Higher costs for foreign goods imports inflation which is why a weaker currency in general is inflationary. With oil prices hovering around $80 a barrel and the dollar falling through the floor, inflation is sure to pick up in the coming months. Martin Wolf of the Financial Times makes a fantastic point when he said that “The resolution of each crisis lays the seeds of the next.” In order to get out of a crisis, the Federal Reserve will usually lower interest rates aggressively. We saw this after the Asian and Russian crises of 1997 and 1998. This eventually led to bubbles in the financial market, forcing the Fed to hike interest rates. Although inflation is not a huge problem at the moment, the threat of inflationary pressures could prevent the Fed from lowering rates as much as they would have otherwise wanted or needed.
3) Foreign Travel Becomes More Expensive – From a consumer level, the weakness of the US dollar makes foreign travel more expensive, particularly to countries like Europe and Australia. Since the beginning of the year, the Australian dollar has appreciated more than 10 percent against the US dollar. Because of nothing other than currency fluctuations, travel to Australia has become 10 percent more expensive. The same is true for travel to Europe except for the fact that the move is smaller on a percentage basis.
Can the US Dollar Fall Further?
The answer is yes. A trend in the currency market can last far longer than many people would otherwise expect. We have seen one way directional moves last for months and in some cases, even years. Interest rate outlooks play a major role in the future direction of currencies so with the market pricing in another 125bp of easing by the end of next year, the US dollar could easily fall to 1.50 against the Euro. This is especially true if the ECB remains nonchalant about the Euro’s move. At some point, the benefits of a weaker dollar such as increased exports and foreign investment will help to turn the US economy around, at which point the dollar will begin to rise once again.
What Does This Mean for Your Investments?
Regardless of whether you are actively involved in the currency market or monitor it at all, the value of the US dollar or currencies does matter. Companies that do a lot of foreign sales will benefit the most because their foreign currency revenue will be higher when repatriated not because they sold more goods, but because their earnings from currency conversion will be larger. The industries with the greatest foreign sales exposure are energy, technology and consumer staples. Companies that produce commodities usually also benefit from dollar weakness while the companies that will be hurt the most are big importers. If you have a view on where the US dollar is headed or want to hedge against some of your stock market exposure, the purest way to do so would be through trading or investing in the US dollar directly in the currency market.
By: Kathy Lien
Article Directory: DailyFX.com, the source of free forex trading analysis and news from FXCM.com, an
A Banging Hangover And A Big Hole In Your Bankroll? Don’t Play Poker When You’re Drunk!
by: Ashley Cotter-Cairns
If you’re a fan of on-line casino or on-line poker, you need to learn to keep your business and pleasure separate. As the good book tells us:
A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. -Ecclesiastes 10:18-20
Having a night on the town? Great. Just go straight to bed (alone or otherwise!) and leave gambling for another day.
If you play poker for a living, count your lucky stars! What a lifestyle you have. So when you have a night off, enjoy it and really, really resist that temptation to ‘just have half an hour’ when you’re in your cups.
If you are not a pro on-line poker player, and you treat poker as relaxation, the rule is the same. When you’re too ‘relaxed’, your poker will suffer.
Otherwise, why bother to build a bankroll and become a better player? On-line casinos are probably more your thing. Just load up some dollars and watch them slowly disappear down the pan.
If you *must* play on-line poker when you’re drunk, sign up for some cheap sit and go tournaments and limit your liability. Who knows, you might get lucky and wake up with more than you started with! (Which is just as likely to happen if you pick up a woman in the wrong kind of nightclub…)
And if you wake up seriously in debt to an on-line casino, you only have yourself to blame.
Be the ‘designated driver’ for your on-line poker bankroll. You’ll thank yourself for it in the long run!
About The Author
Ashley Cotter-Cairns is also known as Father Ashley of the Church of Texas Holdem. Lost in the poker wilderness? Visit http://www.church-of-texas-holdem.com to receive the teachings of the poker gods!
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A Banging Hangover And A Big Hole In Your Bankroll? Don’t Play Poker When You’re Drunk!
by: Ashley Cotter-Cairns
If you’re a fan of on-line casino or on-line poker, you need to learn to keep your business and Read the rest of this entry »
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Avoiding a Wine Hangover
by: Jennifer Marie Jordan
We’ve all been there. Those times in our lives when we swear that alcohol will never again touch our lips. These instances usually happen in the early mornings, with the cracks from the bathroom linoleum digging into our knees and our contact lenses glued to our eyeballs as if holding on for dear life, afraid that the heaves of our stomachs will cause them to fall out.
With alcohol freely flowing – booze oozing out of bottles, people professing their love for each other, glasses of wine practically filling themselves up – it’s easy to forget the hangover that awaits in the coming hours. Lurking in the bathroom, hiding beneath the sink or behind a closed shower curtain, this hangover is sure to pop into ours lives anytime we play the role of the unsuspecting partier, leaving us to swear off drinking for life or longer.
Though everything has a price, and a hangover may very well be the price we pay for a wild night out, drinking wine does not always have to cost you in the form of a hangover. Taking some precautions can mean the difference between feeling fine and shooting a beady eyed glare in the direction of every bottle in your wine cellar.
Drink Water
Alcohol dehydrates you, which is why the next day is met with a headache and the ability to drink three bottles of soda, five liters of water, and a pot of coffee without ever having to pee. The best way to thwart this is to drink a glass of water for every glass of wine you drink. While wine does contain water, the alcohol in the wine trumps the water’s affect, disallowing you to utilize duality and count a glass of wine as both water and alcohol. Drinking a glass of water for every glass of wine will keep you hydrated, decreasing the chances of a rough morning.
Eat Before
Drinking on an empty stomach may seem like a good idea. As the sensation of wine glides down your esophagus, setting up residence by itself in your stomach and making you feel giddier than it would setting up residence next to a five course meal, drinking on empty can cause you to run out of gas in hangover Hell. Eating about an hour before going out drinking, however, helps to absorb the alcohol, keeping you from getting too drunk, too quickly. While you don’t need to eat everything in sight, eating a meal containing bread or pasta is a good way to arm yourself with a hangover deterrent.
Don’t Mix with Prescription Drugs
Several prescription drugs contain a label that says, “This medicine will increase the affects of alcohol.” While some people may look at this and see it as a way to save money at the bars, taking a few pills and generating a virtual two for one deal is probably not the best way to save a buck. Prescription pills and alcohol can be a dangerous combination and when your body is met with a dangerous combination, it fights back, doing all it can to kick any dangerous substances out of your system. This can only lead to wilder than intended night, and a morning full of mourning.
Know When to Say When
Though a saying usually equated with drinking and driving, knowing when to say when is also applicable to drinking in general. Even if you drink plenty of water, eat on a full stomach, and lay off prescription drugs, drinking huge amounts of wine can still cause you to get sick. When wine is flowing smoothly, it’s easy to keep drinking without realizing the amount of alcohol you are actually consuming. Because the human brain has a late reaction to alcohol, you may be getting extremely drunk without immediately feeling inebriated. It’s best to drink slowly, pacing yourself to avoid that one moment where you rise from your chair and realize, three drinks to late, that you’ve consumed far too much. Drink in moderation and remind those around you that friends don’t let friends get hangovers.
Obviously, the full proof way of avoiding a hangover is to not drink at all. But, there’s no fun in that; the fact that the Great Depression was preceded by a decade without alcohol is no coincidence. We all want the ability to eat, drink, and be merry. And we all want a glass of wine to savor. By simply being proactive in your drinking, you should be able to avoid regret the morning after. And you should be able to avoid the realization of why, when it comes down to it, a hangover is really just two four letter words.
About The Author
Jennifer Marie Jordan is the senior editor at www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.
Honda Repair Service In Dallas – Ensuring That You Ride Fast & Safe
Your Honda car represents your status and a significant investment. By properly maintaining and taking care of your Honda, you can preserve its value and extend its life. If you want to keep your Honda well maintained and function efficiently, you have to minutely check the parts to avoid major future repairs at the best Honda Repair service station located in your local area. If you are at Dallas, you can find the best of specialist Honda service at Dallas and Honda repair at Dallas where you can watch the professional efficiently fix the problems in vehicle in jiffy.
If you are venturing on long trips, you can check the dipstick for your Honda’s oil pressure. As the engine will leak or burn oil when it is low, fill the oil without overfilling it. And if you find your Honda engine leaking, rush to your nearest Honda service at Dallas and seal the leak or change to new gaskets. At times, there may be oil burning in your Honda because of worn out seals, valve guides, cylinders or rings. In that situation, you need to perform a leak down test or wet compression test to check whether the rings or valve guides and cylinders of your Honda are worn out. The mechanic at Honda repair of Dallas will replace the worn out parts from your Honda.
You can count on the factory trained technicians of Honda service at Dallas and Honda repair Dallas who can ensure you a wide range of genuine parts as well as service support with the latest technology. With regular maintenance, and right care your Honda can avoid major repairs and vroom ahead with optimizing vigor. The same unarguably ensures fuel efficiency and on-road safety of your car. You can schedule a service or repair appointment online to save time. You can plan an online appointment with the experienced service advisors for all your Hone repair or service needs such as, oil changes, coolant flush, transmission service, maintenance, tire balancing and rotation etc. With the help of the highly trained and dedicated technicians, state of the art equipments and advanced facilities at professional Honda Service centers in Dallas you can continue ride your Honda on the road fast and safely.
By: Editor22
Article Directory: Honda repair Dallas. For further information about Honda service Dallas and Honda repair centers in Dallas you can visit www.europeansautotech.com/
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