New Forex Trading Strategy

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Would A $40,00 Volt Save The General

By Dino Delellis

Amongst GM employees, aside from the fear of getting a pink paper next week ( or the week after ) speculation is high as to whether the concept vehicle, being called the Volt, is going to be as revolutionary as the hype suggests.

After the disastrous shelving of the original working EV1 a few years back and taking incredible heat for being one of the BIG 3 engaged in fighting California in a bruising battle of who has the largest team of Lawyers, GM has gone back to square one ( perhaps a little unrepentant ) and is once again making an electric car.

Yep, sold the patents to a MIT. Just kidding. If the patents had been sold to MIT, the car would have been rebuilt and the Toyota Prius hybrid would never have been created. Whoever bought the patents wasn't interested in building an electric car. There is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest the battery patents were purchased by Texaco who has done tremendous work with them since ( NOT ).

Balancing the books, one might claim. Lots of Research and Development costs, nothing to show for it, so sell the technology. It wasn't an objective decision. After an acrimonious battle with the state of California, GM management couldn't get rid of the technology fast enough. A billion dollars later, GM executives didn't stop to think that perhaps core elements could play a critical roll in future transportation technology. They had to wait for the Japanese to prove that similar technology could and would be a huge element in the future of transportation.

So much for the history lesson, this week, we are back at square one watching a video interview with GM's Chief Designer as he discusses the new GM Chevy Volt.

The Volt is probably GM's last, best hope for the future and certainly its most significant upcoming vehicle. Saddled with dwindling market share, credit-strapped consumers, and a lingering reputation as a purveyor of gas-thirsty vehicles, GM executives need the Volt to become an iconic product, like Apple's (AAPL) 1998 iMac or even Chrysler's 1980s K-car before. The Volt has to affirm the company's ability to innovate and, eventually, create a financial foothold from which the battered automaker can begin to turn itself around.

GM's response to public outcry shortly after co-jointly winning the lawsuit against California on the grounds that only the federal government had the right to determine zero emission, was to go on a publicity campaign extolling the virtues of their own version of Zero emissions - Hydrogen gas by 2010. Which probably prompted BMW to wake up and create a wonderful Hydrogen Gas vehicle which is already 4-5 years old and in its fourth or fifth refinement. So zip forward to 2008 and GM has backtracked on its Hydrogen promises and is now attempting to leap frog the Toyota Prius with technology that will get a commuter 40 miles of gas free driving on a nightly electrical charge.

According to GM research, many drivers will not need to switch to the gas engine because simply recharging the vehicle via a regular outlet at home overnight will satisfy most of their driving needs. When I first heard this, I thought - What a useless car. Who wants a car that does only 40 miles per charge, but in truth, the car simply switches to the small gas engine at that point and continues its merry way.

On the surface, unless you have significant shareholder shares in an oil company, we all want a Volt. The dream of being able to cross Europe or United States basically on plain cheap electricity without having to pay between 3 and 5 dollars a gallon for gas is a like a dream come true.

So back to the question can the Volt save GM?

I suppose it might be presumptuous but perhaps we should first ask - Does the General really need saving?

BusinessWeek estimated GM's Liquidity position to be 45 Billion in May of 2005 with a burn rate this year of over a Billion a month here in 2008 ( Boston Herald ). Estimated reserves now stand at about 25 Billion and analysts say that even with the 10 Billion in future cost cutting, GM may need another 10-12 Billion in cash to see their way through to 2010.

According to an article in Detroit News Oct 14th 2008

GM had access to about $21 billion cash and $5 billion in available credit at the end of June and is in the midst of cutting $10 billion in costs by the end of 2009 and raising $5 billion through asset sales and borrowing.

Cost-cutting associated with the aforementioned 10 Billion in cuts, intensified when GM announced it was closing plants in Grand Rapids and Janesville, Wis. 2500 workers are affected by these measures in plants that produce sport-utility vehicles and parts for pickups/SUVs.

So, since 2005 to 2008, GM and it's fat cat, top heavy management burned thru 25 Billion in cash and part of that was during 2 years of strong sales. The rumour is, that GM is eyeing the cash reserves of Chrysler ( estimated 11 Billion ) to help it through to 2010 when the Chevy Volt and Cruz are expected to help effect a rescue

In an interview given to Business week in the last week of Oct 2008, GM says its expecting to sell about 10,000 Chevy Volts at between 30-40,000 USD each in 2010. So, that's about 3-4 Billion dollars in gross sales with a net of about a 800 Million dollars annually at an estimated 20% profit per vehicle ( my own estimate not theirs )

So, is this innovative car of the 2010 year - Volt just a little, just too late?

I leave that answer up to you, but if I had to make a serious bet with odds, I know which way I would be betting. - 23305

About the Author:

Forex Analysis: Which Method Is effective?

By Brad Morgan

Fundamental and technical analysis are the two vital mechanisms used in the foreign exchange market.

1. Fundamental analysis concerns itself with analyzing socio-political and economic forces and concluding their effects on the market.

2. Technical analysis on the contrary , employs graphs and charts to deduce patterns that connote price movement.

How do you pick the superior anaylsis? Research shows that traders have active prediliction for either one. The technical analysts contend that their style is the best for getting an early clue of price movements.

However, those who approve fundamental analysis will maintain that the exclusive drivers of the market prices are socio-political and economic aspects, a fact that has been proven time and again in most of the movements. They demonstrate that any interdependence between the charts and real time movements are completely by chance.

But sensibly this does not necessarily happen. Even though economic changes have a massive significance on the currency markets, it may still be possible to classify patterns in the way that the markets react after a news or in times when there are no major news.

One warning for the technical analysis believers is that there is a chance that they will be caught unprepared should interest rates suddenly change. If the trader does not read the news then there is a big likeliness that they will make a bad trading call. This can end up in a major blunder.

In the end, it is an undeniable fact that economic attributes are behind most, if not all of the chief price movements but it cannot be disbelieved that there are trends that can be predicted by technical analysis for the shorter periods. So picking up these trends while being aware and up to date on current events is the most safe way to envisage direction of future currency rates. Precise prediction is of course how one makes a profit on the FX market.

If we correlate the forex market to an elastic object, it can travel in either direction and periodically, return to the original place. Fundamentals maneuver the market. The size of the movement and its return point is predicted by technical analysis.

So when you want to profit from currency trading it is better not to concede your focus to become fixed on either one. You ought to learn to balance the use of both forms of currency market analysis to make steady profits. - 23305

About the Author:

Mutual Funds Work For Everyone

By Mike Swanson

If you've never really looked at mutual funds before, they can be a bit scary. After all, most people aren't used to the prospect of investors putting their money somewhere it will be placed in multiple areas, and in this climate, they don't want to risk it. However, you'll find a little risk can earn you a lot.

Once you start getting into this option, you'll immediately be looking at purchasing options. Do it directly, or find a broker online or offline. Otherwise, you can work with your bank or another agent. Just make sure you know there are people who will be sure to only take in the best investments.

Once you've made a choice here, there will be plenty of others before you. Fortunately, many of them do a lot of good, as you'll see in these three possibilities. First, with capital appreciation, you sell stocks for more than what you paid and earn money based off of the profit you make.

You can also try dividends if they are available, meaning you get paid as from the portion of a company's earnings given to stockholders. Finally, there are distributions, in which a manager sells a stock and the profit is passed on to you, which you will receive as cash or more stocks to reinvest.

The more you hear about these options, the more you're going to need to know about them. Whatever you do, put your money in as many different things as possible. That way, you might lose some, but you'll still have the rest in other areas, so you'll have to take fewer risks.

You shouldn't expect that there won't be any problems, buy you want to keep these problems to a minimum. Fortunately, with mutual funds, you'll have very little to worry about. Once you start bringing in a profit, you'll see it's okay to trust this market when you know what you're doing. - 23305

About the Author:

Learn Forex Trading-Get Ahead Early

By Zita Von Snyder

You can learn forex trading with some good research and investing in a good forex trading course. Stay ahead of the pack and trade like the pros by studying forex charts, market trends (current and past), know the currency you are trading including the factors that move that currency up or down and the risks involved in forex trading. Putting in the time and research can have big rewards when you learn forex trading.

A forex trading course can be fundamental to learn forex trading.A couple of reasons to look at a forex trading course would be:

A forex trading course can teach you the basics of reading charts that will have indicators that show important factors like trends and volume as well as price action of a particular currency. You can learn forex, the terminology used and the basic steps for trading forex.

A good forex trading course not only provides the technical tools to learn forex but it will also teach you to control your emotions and stress when trading forex. Forex trading demands discipline, which you can get if you will invest in a good forex trading course to learn forex.

A good forex trading course should include the following features so you can best learn forex trading:

*Basics- the course should define and discuss some of the basic terms used in forex trading. It should include such terms as margins, types of orders, how to leverage trades as well as a basic overview of charting and indicators.

*How to analyze Forex Charts- learn forex charting and you will increase your profits while minimizing the risks involved in forex trading. It is important the forex trading course include both fundamental and technical analysis.

*Values-A very important attribute of trading is the ability to manage not only your money but the emotions or psychology of forex trading. To learn forex trading a trader should develop good values such as discipline, patience and commitment.

Along with this outline of a good forex trading course you should also be able to gain experience of real time trading. When choosing a forex trading course it should also include either a demo account, live conference rooms or boards as well as some one-on-one feedback and discussion forums. You can learn forex trading with the right forex trading course.

Give yourself the edge for this fast paced, volatile market, invest in a good forex trading course. Study the basics, learn how to interpret the market conditions,and manage your risks when trading forex.Becoming successful at forex trading involves a good forex trading course, discipline and a commitment to learn forex trading. - 23305

About the Author:

Forex Practice Accounts (Part I)

By Ahmad Hassam

The best way for new traders to get a handle on what currency trading is all about is to open a practice account. Almost every forex broker offers a free practice account to new clients. All you need to do is to sign up with any good forex broker.

Practice accounts give you the great chance to experience the forex market. You can see how the price changes at different times of the day. Practice accounts are funded with virtual money. So you are able to make trades with no real money at stake and gain experience in how margin trading works.

How various currency pairs may differ from each other? How the forex market reacts to new information when major news and economic data is released. You can trade your practice account with real market conditions without any fear of losing money.

You will also learn using different market orders. How to manage an open position? Improve your understanding of how margin trading and leverage works and start analyzing charts and following technical indicators. You can experiment with different trading strategies and see how they work out in the real market conditions with any fear of losing your money.

You can also test drive all the features and functionality of a brokers platform. However, one thing you will never be able to simulate on your practice account is the emotions involved in trading. Emotions will only come into play once you put your real money on the line. Controlling emotions is the thing to become a successful trader. Practice accounts are a great way to experience real forex markets.

There are many ways to pull the trigger in the forex market. Pulling the trigger means how to enter or exit a position. You can trade the current price of the market using the click and deal feature of your brokers platform. You can also use market orders like the limit orders or the one cancels the other orders.

Many traders like the idea of opening a position by trading at the market. Most prefer the certainty of knowing that they are in the market. They dont want to leave an order that may or may not get executed.

You just need to specify the amount that you want to trade. Then click on the buy or sell button to execute the trade. The forex trading platform will respond back within a second or two with a pop-up message either confirming or not confirming that the position was opened. Most forex brokers provide live streaming prices. You can deal with these live price feeds with a simple click of your computer mouse.

Attempts to trade at the market can sometimes fail in very fast moving markets when prices are adjusting quickly like after a data release or break of a key technical level or price point. - 23305

About the Author: