Powered By Blogger

Friday, March 21, 2008

Advantages of selling property online

The market of real estate is quite a complicated one, no matter in which part of the world you may refer to. One of the most important reasons for this complication is its erratic nature, which makes it very dynamic. The Internet has become a new marketplace for almost all kinds of businesses and real estate is certainly not an exception to this. The comfort and time saving advantages that are rendered by it has made many people addicted to it, for both entertainment and business purposes. Some of the advantages of selling property online are:

1. Though it may not be free, but taking advantage of property listings online is quite an inexpensive option.
2. Online property marketing is easy and quick methods to promote the sale of your property, or even if you are interested to purchase a property.
3. It makes available direct access between the seller and the buyer for the dealings of the concerned property. This is an advanced method of communication than arranging for numerous meetings to decide for the property.
4. The website on the Internet permits the seller to upload around 5 photographs of the property that has to be sold. Also, the quality of the picture can be improved. This makes it a lot better method than newspapers. Besides, there are also specific features that can be highlighted online for the potential homebuyers to analyze your property well. This is also helpful to homebuyers that do not belong to your local area as they need more in-depth information.
5. Unlike newspapers, another big advantage is that you do not have to take the hassles of listings your property frequently or may be after every week and also pay extra fee for that. A property once included on a real estate listings online, it will remain there until it is sold.
6. The wider reach of the Internet helps you cater to the potential homebuyers all over the world, rather than confine to a specific geographical area of a country or a state.
7. Browsing for the house that best meets your requirements is quite an easy task as there are filters available on a real estate website than do not list properties which do not cater to your necessities, which saves a lot of time and efforts.
8. The fee of real estate agent is also dissolved when you make real estate dealings online.

Because of the listed few advantages, the popularity of selling property online has increased tremendously. There are over 5 million people who flock to the Internet each month for the purpose of real estate dealings that are conducted online. Also, in case you want to just browse through the property rates generally, you no longer have to approach your real estate agent as everything is available at the click of a mouse. Hence, analyzing the above mentioned advantages, there is nothing that can be called a better medium for property dealings than the Internet. For more information on selling property online, you can log on to www.propertycup.com.

Source: http://www.upublish.info

Do You Live Overseas But Want To Invest In Dubai

Do You Live Overseas But Want To Invest In Dubai
Many might think they are unable to get onto the Dubai freehold property market due to not living in the Emirate, but this is not the case. In fact it's now becoming a lot easier for oversea buyers to purchase their ideal home here. With being such a popular tourist destination many foreigners are taking advantage of the great investment opportunities that Dubai property can offer. As well as a holiday home for your trips here, it can also be great in terms of rental income that can be generated. For those of you thinking of buying in Dubai there are a few things that you should know before buying.

Firstly make sure you come to Dubai and see what it has to offer. Reading other views and looking at pictures can only get you so far. To truly get the feel for a place you need to see it for yourself. This also gives you a good understanding of the different areas and what living here is like. So think about booking that trip to Dubai before purchasing here, and you will be all the better for it. And who really needs an excuse to book a holiday here!

Another important issue is that of mortgages. It is still possible to get a mortgage for your Dubai home without being a resident, and sorting all the finance details can be done through a bank back in your home country if you wish. There are a number of multinational banks here including HSBC and Barclays who can offer a range of services at competitive rates, but always be sure to check out all the applicable restrictions. The mortgage situation here in Dubai has improved a lot of the past few years, and should pose no problems for property buyers.

A note for those thinking of buying in order to rent out their property. Emaar have recently started enforcing a ban on short term property lets on their properties, so as to minimize trouble and disruption in their developments. This applies only to rental periods of less than 6 months, and only to Emaar properties, so wont effect properties from other developers. Rentals here offer a great way to make money, so if you are perhaps looking at going down this route avoid Emaars developments.

So if you want to make an investment here in Dubai property not let not living here put you off, it really is straight forward to buy, and offers a great investment, so why wait!


Source: http://www.upublish.info

Friday, March 14, 2008

Self Publish or Perish: The New Age of Book Writing

In this new age of the Internet, information is everywhere and people are hungry to find it. If they have a question about ANYTHING in life, they are apt to jump online, go to a search engine and trust whatever they find. So how do you compete among trillions of pages of Internet content? The answer is simple: you write a book (or hire a ghostwriter to do it for you!).

In doing so, write a book with the intention of publishing it with a commercial publisher. This attitude will elevate your standards and create a high platform on which to perch. Quality is king. This book will speak for you forever; it will either speak poorly for you, or it will dynamically change lives. That being said, don't let the traditional publishing industry push you around and force you to wait. People are relying on your information. If you invest in writing an exceptional book, you deserve to reap the rewards more quickly than traditional publishing allows (their process is as long as a year or more to get your book into bookstores), so partner your desire to create something outstanding with your ability to self publish and get your book out there into the hands of the people who need it most!

In life and in business, there are few things that bring the respect, the admiration, the financial reward, and the emotional gratification that writing a book does. The media will refer to you as an expert, your customers will look at you with newfound respect, and, most importantly, you'll look at yourself differently, with so much more confidence and a crystallized understanding of what you offer your customers!

Remember when I said the answer was simple? Well, it was, but implementing it will require a bit more work. You need to take your expertise and create a unique, even remarkable delivery system for it. You and/or your ghostwriter are going to write a book — but not just any book; it will be YOUR book! This is an endeavor that should take no less than six months to write, writing at least an hour a day, every day. It could possibly take as long as a year or more (and that doesn't mean three months on and six months off!) to write a great book. Writing an exceptional manuscript worthy of worldwide distribution is a creative process that requires tremendous focus and the dedication of a brilliant team of people: ghostwriter, focus group participants, professional analysts, structure professionals, proofreaders, formatters, and more!

Now what is most important? Starting to write a book today, because time is of the essence! Consider this: in a world of instant gratification, the publishing industry has not yet caught up to our need for speed. Commercial publishers still take 9 to 18 months to get a book from manuscript to the bookstores, which comes after contract negotiations (two to three months) and finding the right agent and publisher (probably six months to a year). Who has this kind of patience anymore?

This is where self publishing comes in! Mind you, my recommendation is to still go through the process of creating something truly remarkable, investing your time and your money to write a book or hire a ghostwriter to write a book worthy of commercial publication, but do NOT let the slow speed of commercial publishing deter you from getting your message out quicker. Self Publish! Hire your ghostwriter to write a book and then while you are submitting to agents and publishers, self publish it through one of the many vanity presses available.

In addition to your time, this alternative will require investing a bit of capital, probably around $5,000 to $7,500 for 2,000 copies of your book, including the price to format it, acquire your ISBN number and get it listed on Amazon. But realize this: when you write a book and then you self publish, you make so much more of the money. When you sell those 2,000 books, your income can be anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000, versus a much smaller royalty from a traditional publisher.

So write a book worthy of commercial publishing, and then self publish to test the content, and build up a stockpile of cash that you can use to market and publicize the book when it hits the bookstores. Heck, if you can sell 30,000 units on your own, a commercial publisher will pick you up based on that alone!

You must be strategic in this day and age to survive! Think about what you are doing today and what you'll need tomorrow. Today you need to start writing (or find your ghostwriter), so you can self publish tomorrow, and commercially publish down the road. Without the writing, there is neither the self publishing opportunity nor the commercial publishing chance. So start your writing, or hire your ghostwriter immediately (check out my article: 10 Questions You Must Ask Before You Hire a Ghostwriter)!

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Earn A Good Income By Investing In Real Estate

by Jacques Coquerel

You might have noticed lately that the television and the Internet are full of promotions that tell you that you can earn an income in real estate. You might be asking yourselves, what are the ways that I can make money in this business? Real estate investing is really not that far from any other forms of investment: you buy a property to sell and make profit.

For example, when you purchase stocks today, you can sell it later to make profit when its value has already risen. Like stocks, you purchase real estate property today to appreciate in value so that you can sell it at a higher price later to make profit.

Your success in real estate investing depends on the strategy you use to purchase a property as low-priced as possible and sell it as high-priced as possible. Seasoned investors have found various strategies to achieve this. These different strategies are what they’re offering to people to help them earn income in real estate, too.

One strategy is to buy property that’s priced below its market value then resell it at a higher price. The difficulty comes in finding houses that are priced low. Even if you’re able to negotiate a lower purchase price, you might only make a few thousand dollars in profit, tops. If you’re investing in real estate just to make a living, then this isn’t a bad strategy. However, if you’re investing for riches, you need a strategy that will yield more than a few thousand dollars in profit.

One profitable strategy in real estate investing is to buy foreclosed properties because most of the time, these properties are priced well below its market value. If you can find properties in which the owners have contributed a great amount of equity to it, you’re sure to get a property at a very, very low price. Especially if the property requires very little repairs, your profit could shoot up even higher.

Another strategy to make money in real estate is with tax lien certificate. If property owners cannot meet their property tax obligation, the government will issue a tax lien certificates for those properties, which an investor could buy for profit. It is a win-win solution for all three parties: the property owner, the government, and the investor.

In a sense the government receives its property tax from the buyer of the certificate - the investor - but the property owner is still going to pay for his tax but he’s given an extended period to do so. While the investor on the other hand, is given two ways to gain from his investment.

For the investors, buying a tax lien certificate is one of the most secure ways to earn profit in two ways. The government will pay the investor fixed interest rate - comparatively larger rate than other investments - and this is mandated by law so that you’re sure you get your money at the end of the period. But if the property owner cannot pay his obligation, the investor has the chance to buy the property at a very, very discounted price.

Knowledge in other forms of investment is a good start when you want to try real estate investment - although it’s not necessary. Real estate investment is not as difficult as people might think; it closely resembles other forms of investment. All you need is the basics of investing and the rest you need to learn will follow when you’re doing the actual investing.

Raise Your Property Value Sky High


by Ashley Lichty

You house is more than a home and shelter for you and yours - it’s a guarantee of security. A home is an investment, one that you may need to count on later, so taking steps to increase your property value over time is ALWAYS a good bet. You never know when some emergency may strike and you have a need for large sums of money - which owning a home can provide.

Of course, the higher your property value, the better off you’ll be should such a situation arise. If you are a homeowner desiring a secure future, it is all the more important that you take steps to maintain and increase your property value in the long run. Even if that tragedy never strikes, should you decide to sell your home, you’ll be more than happy that you’ve kept your value up.

To start pushing up your property value, pay attention to your curb appeal. The nicer the outside looks, the higher the perceived value tends to be - and you’d be surprised at what that can do to your actual value! Not to mention, great curb appeal leads to a speedier sale!

A good landscaping job can add up to 20% to your property value and can even wind up saving you up to 25% in heating and cooling bills. It’s important not to mess up your curb appeal and do a haphazard job by not planning out your landscaping. In the end, if you’re not willing to do in-depth research and really commit to following through, it’s best just to hire a professional.

Painting or re-siding your home, as well as cleaning up the gutters can help your property value grow a bit. Also, look into fencing in your yard, as secure yards tend to be in higher demand - and get some good outdoor lights to give the property a more secure feel. Another area to consider is parking - make sure areas are clean and clear and be sure to fix any potholes!

Improvements to the inside of your home can also help raise your property value. For one, homes with central air conditioning are almost always preferred. Kitchens are another biggie - most buyers want spacious kitchens. Even if your kitchen is a bit small, you can give the illusion of space by using shelves and hanging racks and keeping it clear of clutter.

Most important of all when it comes to maintaining your property value is MAINTENANCE. Don’t let things fall into disrepair, keep all major areas in working order, replace window screens, water fixtures, light fixtures, etc. on an as needed basis. Remember that cosmetic repairs (new paint, carpets, etc.) have a neutral affect on property value since it’s all a matter of opinion.

As always, do your own research before jumping right into home improvements. Treat your property value like your credit score - check on it on a regular basis and slowly but surely do things to improve it. By putting some of these tips into practice, you can easily increase your property value throughout the years.

3 Phenomenal Ways To Make Your Property Value Soar

by Ashley Lichty

Let’s face it - your home is an investment, and in order to keep that investment profitable, you need to maintain and increase your property value through the years. Your house is a stable source of cash as well as a place to shelter your family and lay your head down at night. A house is an asset, and while not an extremely liquid one, it’s at least a bankable cash source available to you should a major emergency ever strike.

If an emergency situation like that arises, you’ll be much better off if your property value has increased quickly from the price of purchase. Taking steps now to increase your property’s value can go a long way to securing your future. Even if the need never arises to use your home for money, you’ll be happy you’ve kept your value up should you ever decide to sell.

To start pushing up your property value, pay attention to your curb appeal. The nicer the outside looks, the higher the perceived value tends to be - and you’d be surprised at what that can do to your actual value! Not to mention, great curb appeal leads to a speedier sale!

Not only that, but a good landscape design can add as much as 20% to your property value and even save you money on heating and cooling costs. However, many homeowners bungle landscaping efforts by not seriously planning the improvements. To take full advantage of what landscaping can do for your property value, either hirer a professional or at least do some MAJOR research.

Other outdoor improvements that can increase your property value include painting or re-siding the home and making sure all gutters and clean and in working condition. Fencing in a yard can often create a larger demand for a property and good outdoor lighting adds a feel of security. Make sure the parking areas are clear and clean, no muddy puddles, and that potholes are filled in.

Inside improvements can also help to increase your property value. For example, homes with central air conditioning are almost always in demand. Also, spacious kitchens are in high demand - even if your kitchen is small by most standards, shelves and hanging racks can help open it up.

Maintenance is probably the #1 way to keep your property value up. Don’t leave things damaged or broken and be sure to replace fixtures as needed - whether it’s window screens, lights or water fixtures. Keep in mind that cosmetic changes like new paint and carpets are a matter of opinion and therefore have little to no affect on property value.

Your property value should be like your credit score - you find out what it is regularly and take steps to constantly improve it. Make sure you research improvements before actually starting them to make sure they’re worth it. You can increase your property value slowly but surely by keeping up with these tips over the years.

How Should People Look At The Slump In The Housing Market?

by Jacques Coquerel

People are always taught to apply the clich A glass of water is always best viewed half-full and not half-empty. It could not be more appropriate to apply this line of thought now that the housing market is experiencing its low episode. Not only people buying a home can rejoice during these times but aspiring and seasoned real estate investors, too, should rejoice in the midst of swooping house prices.

For home buyers, this is the time when you can finally buy the home that you wanted but could not get before because the price is over the roof for you. Foreclosures are everywhere in the country and buying a dream house is finally within people’s reached. In fact, if you are a home buyer, do not make a mistake of buying the first property you saw on the block. Give it another try to look around the corner because houses at bargain prices are everywhere.

At times like these when for sale houses litters across the country, wannabe real estate investors are given the opportunity of a lifetime. It is not very often when someone enters into real estate investing and confronted with low-priced houses corner after corner. All an aspiring real estate investor needs to do is get pass his fears of the slowing down housing market because it will bounce back.

The real estate have proven track record for the last 85 years making it one of the top industries in America. This downtrend in the housing market right now is only temporary; it is normal for industries to experience a cycle.

It is only a matter of time before this industry can get back on its feet like what studying the real estate history would tell us. When this happens, prices will slowly rise up again and you would not want to be caught unprepared when this happens.

Experienced investors know that this is the time to make property acquisitions to position in the real estate market. In fact, shrewd real estate investors should go out there and hunt for the best properties at bargain prices. When the market is already down, there is no way but up after that. You should expect the next period to be opposite - rising property prices.

It could not be more timely to position yourself in the market when owners are forced to sell their houses at a bargain price to avoid ballooning mortgage payment. Use your years of experience to judge how many properties you should buy at what prices considering all factors that are involved in buying properties. Trust me when I say that you would not regret having to position yourself ready for the next boom in this industry.

But remember that the people selling their house to you at a bargain price are most likely forced only forced to do so. Be tactful when making your offer and be sensitive about the feeling of the person or the family who is about to lose their home. Although you can not help them with their problem; but do not add to their dismay by being indifferent.

Advice for Sellers in a slow Real Estate Market

Whether you like it or not, the real estate market has ground to a slow trot. Selling a home can be difficult and requires you to return to the time-tested basics of selling a home. Here are some keys to remember and use.

1. Make your home available. It would probably help to just accept that your home is in the public domain from 9 A.M until 9 P.M. daily until it’s sold.

2. It is important to remember that a home can only support the value of homes around it. When making home upgrades, make sure you do not spend more than you will recover when you sell it.

3. An attractive brochure can help you sell your home. A brochure that looks like a home featured in a magazine does the usual “memory jog” for people who have toured the house, but it also “adds value”.

4. When selling your home, be realistic about your asking price. You can check public record at the courthouse, or in many cases on-line, for the amounts of recent sales in your neighborhood.

5. When analyzing homes for sale in an area, it is important to focus on the correct numbers. Typically, you want to throw out any home that has a distinctly higher or lower price than the other homes unless there is something unique about it.

6. Many people try to sell real estate with an “as is” qualifier. The idea is this protects them from any claims the failed to disclose problems with the property. This assumption is incorrect. If you sell a home with problems, you must disclose them.

7. When showing your home, you need to have a friend watch your pet. You also need to go through the home and remove all pet odors, hair and so on. Once you sell the property, you can buy another one with a bigger yard for your little one.

8. If your home has been on the market for several months and has not sold, you can bet it is for one of 3 reasons. It is priced too high, it doesn’t show well, or you haven’t brought it to the attention of enough buyers.

9. The true price of a home is the market price. The market price is not the asking price, the appraised price and so on. It is what the seller and buyer agree it is. If you are selling, do not hamstring yourself with anything other than that.

10. Many people work so hard to get an offer on their home that they do not know what to do once they get one. Your choices are to accept it, reject it or make a counter offer.

The funny thing about the real estate market is it is always active. If you listen to the news, you would swear not a single home was being sold these days. In truth, hundreds of thousands of them are and yours will be next if you follow the above advice.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Top 7 Tips For Writing Your Marketing Plan

Top 7 Tips For Writing Your Marketing Plan

A lot of people are at a loss when it comes to deciding how to approach the marketing plan process and how to stay within time and budget constraints. To make for a less stressful marketing plan process, keep these 7 tips in mind:

Think Strategy First

An overall marketing strategy drives many decisions. If you first identify general goals, choosing appropriate marketing programs for a small business plan becomes much easier.

Decide Format

Putting together a general outline and deciding how you will publish the plan can help you better visualize steps you need to take. Examples are (a) a full, detailed report including Executive Summary, the plan itself, and back-up data, (b) a single summary sheet, or (c) something in between. Size and structure of the small business can help determine the scope of the plan.

Set Aside Time

A good, strategic marketing plan requires a certain amount of analysis. Early stages in the process go smoother with minimal interruptions. Make it easier for those working on the plan to concentrate by setting aside "closed" time during early planning stages. In a busy, small business environment, this can be accomplished by working during off hours or putting aside a short time - 30 minutes to an hour - each day.

Brainstorm

New, creative ideas flow more freely when people are not inhibited by preconceptions. Hold a brainstorming session, with two rules: (a) there are no bad ideas and (b) everyone's ideas carry equal weight.

Shorten The List

Implementation suffers severely when there is an overload of marketing projects, especially in small businesses with a small or one-person marketing department.. The list of potential projects generated in the brainstorming session can be shortened by concentrating on those likely to be the most profitable and those that take advantage of the company's internal strengths.

Make The Plan Flexible

Business does not operate in a vacuum, so your plan needn't exist in one. For example, the business environment may change during the year or additional marketing opportunities may arise. Building in flexibility to adjust throughout the year can avoid the pitfall of continuing down an unproductive path.

Have Measurements In Place

Knowing if and how well a program works can help you identify opportunities for improvement. In your marketing plan or in back-up documents, set explicit goals and measurements.

About the Author

Bobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network

How To Make BIG Money With Google Adwords

Google AdWords ads connect you with new customers at the precise moment when they're looking for your products or services. Google AdWords is a pay-per-click online advertisement service that lets advertisers post text ads for their sites targeted for specific keywords. The initial rollout will happen across the AdWords network, and publishers will have the option of choosing if they want image ads or not.

The Adwords model charges the advertiser depending on how successful the ads are, with underperforming ads removed from the system. Unlike other sites selling banner ad space and pay-per-ranking, AdWords provides advertisers with highly effective text ads that are displayed with the search results. Position preference lets you tell Google where you would prefer your ad to show among all the AdWords ads on a given page. And, your AdWords ads can be continually altered and refined to drive even better results. And, should you need to advertise internationally, AdWords lets you target your ads in about 40 different languages, throughout more than 190 countries.

With AdWords ads, your customers will see your ad next to relevant search results they have requested. Unlike other advertising, you can do more than just put your AdWords ads out there, cross your fingers, and hold your breath. Not a great strategy and AdWords self-corrects because ads will be dropped if their display-to-click ratio goes too low. This ensures that AdWords ads are being seen by an even larger number of people. The way Google Adwords positions your ads is also another great advantage of the program. Showing ads by country and language Google AdWords Google allows you to choose your country and language by selecting them in a dropdown box.

While Google AdWords should not be your only advertising campaign, but should be a significant part of your campaign. It is gone.Another way to save money on your Adwords advertising campaign is to wait for the end of the month. You may find it easier to start a new Adwords campaign. Creating an AdWords campaign involves several steps and one of the most important steps is research. Google AdWords is integrated into the existing AdWords campaign management interface and is available to all advertisers. If you are looking to capitalize on the profitable world of internet marketing, consider hiring BuildTraffic to manage your Adwords campaign. track, tweak, and improve your adwords campaign s more...

It's always a good idea to check keyphrases you are to use in Google AdWords campaign for their efficiency and popularity. The management information with Adwords is very useful so set time aside each week to log-in and check how your campaign is performing. You could perform quite well in Google organic listings and run an effective campaign with Adwords. One overlooked key is how to organize your AdWords campaign so you keep you sanity. I have found that unless a program converts at 3 or 4% it's not going to be successful as an adwords campaign... And it may save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars by showing you how to run a smarter AdWords advertising campaign. If you are starting an AdWords campaign, you will want to include many of primary keywords that your prospects search for.

i set up an adwords account yesterday for my site. Many amateur AdWords users will set up an account for ease of use. And find people who are essentially searching for the same keywords the advertiser specifies in the AdWords account manager. Designed especially for large AdWords accounts, it allows you to make changes to your account with greater ease and flexibility. My best advice to those who are having problems is to contact AdWords support, and ask them to take a look at the account. Starter Edition lets users create an AdWords account with a single ad, using a one-page signup form. · Adwords permits you to make up to a hundred ad groups per each account. If your AdWords account is set to a wider audience than that, consider tightening it up. Promotional credit must be applied to the new Google AdWords account within 14 days of creation of such new account.

Google AdWords provide an inexpensive advertising venue for businesses to advertise products or services to a targeted audience. Google AdWords are helping to reinvigorate the online advertising world. Google AdWords provides a simple way to purchase highly targeted advertising, regardless of your budget. One of the big advantages of Google AdWords over Overture is that you are not revealing your advertising spend to competitors. Google AdWords advertising programme is perhaps the very best online marketing process that is available to any business right now. Google Adwords is advertising model that works on the principle of pay per click advertising.

In order to get the most out of Adwords, you must have a list of great keyword and phrases. Unlike pure pay-per-click engines such as Overture, Google's AdWords' ranking system isn't based solely on the amount of money you bid on the keyword. Precede each keyword with a dash; the preceding "-" indicates to the Google AdWords system that the keyword to follow is a negative keyword. Google's AdWords set up has a keyword suggestion option that will work for you and Yahoo! I still probably won't use Adwords' keyword suggestion tool - I'm always interested in more detailed, lower traffic suggestions that it doesn't provide. The less a web page is related to the keyword, the more you have to pay to get an AdWords listing for that keyword.

There are a few super advantages to the AdWords program. not every affiliate program converts well with adwords... Perhaps this was grandfathered in under the old AdWords referral program where the referrer earned $20 after the advertiser spent $20. Don't launch a Google AdWords program until you've read the tips, strategies and techniques in this booklet. In 2005, Google launched the a program to certify individuals and companies who have completed AdWords training and passed an exam. Google Adwords program works on an auction model similar to a second-price auction. However, this success story can help you set a range of expectations with management about what your in-house Adwords program might cost and achieve.

Google AdWords is the single most significant development in online software marketing since the growth of the internet. It helps if you have years of experience in playing the chess game of targeted marketing through Google AdWords and other reliable online channels. By hiring BuildTraffic for Adwords management, you are relieving yourself of the burden of marketing and can focus on running your company. Google AdWords is an ideal marketing tool for small and medium sized businesses. Google AdWords is the ideal marketing tool for small to medium businesses. When I started reading this book I was struck by the depth with which author presents all aspects of AdWords marketing. There has never been a direct marketing tool that is as effective and profitable as Google Adwords. Marketing books with Adwords or Overture is unique in that you only pay if you get a serious bite. http://www.adwords-make-money.com/

Article Source: http://www.kokkada.com

Ways To Attract More Orders For your Business

There are certain well recognized ways to attract more business orders for you....
Some of these have been stated below:

1. Create a free ebook directory on a specific topicat your web site. People will visit your web site toread the free ebooks and may see your product ad.

2. Turn part of your web site into a members onlyweb site. Instead of charging for access, use it asa free bonus for one of your products.

3. Add a free classified ad section to your web site. You could then trade banner ads with other websites that have free classified ad sections.

4. Create two versions of your e-zine so peoplecan choose if they want ads included with it or not. This'll attract the people who hate ads to subscribe.

5. Publish your e-zine only on your web site. Have people subscribe to a "new issue" e-mail reminder.This could really increase your traffic and sales.

6. Sell advertising space in your product package.You could sell inserts, flyers, brochures, booklets,and digital ads for electronic products.

7. Offer daily or weekly visitor bonuses. This willincrease your repeat traffic and sales because yourvisitors will visit regularly to get the visitor bonuses.

8. Allow people to download software or e-booksfrom your web site at no cost. Just ask your visitorsin return if they'll refer their friends to your web site.

9. Build up the number of people that join your freeaffiliate program quickly by temporally offering yourproduct for free to the people that sign up.

10. Negotiate with e-zine publishers to get free ordiscounted ads by letting them join your affiliateprogram and earn commissions on the ad you run.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Discover Your Real Estate Investing Essentials!

So you are contemplating of jumping on the wagon of real estate investing because you are finally convinced that there is some serious money to be made in real estate. But you are wondering how you could start when you only have few hundred bucks in your bank account and a struggling credit rating. Well, I'm going to borrow my answer to you from a rather common - but utterly true - maxim that says if there is a will there is a way.

The three basic things you need to be successful in real estate investing can be grouped into three. The first is money, next is the right people, and the last one is your business skills. The hotly contested among these three is the money so that we are going to save the best for last, lets talk about the last two first.

The people, the right people! Your real estate investing career is much easier accomplished when you have the right people to help you. Especially if you're new to this income-earning strategy, you need the right people to show you around. There's a lot you need to learn from choosing properties, making deals, rehabilitation and the like, and of course, you also need to learn your different exit strategy.

Your learning is quickened if your mentors are competent people in the business. Now you need to be careful in choosing who to trust in this business since there are those that want your money more than help you get more money. You can meet wonderful, legitimate people by simply joining real estate conventions near you so don't hesitate to register for the next available gathering.

Another thing you need when you invest in real estate is your entrepreneurial skills. Real estate investing is a business in every sense of the word. Your entrepreneurial skills are what will take your business into the next level. You need some degree of business know-how when you enter real estate investing - at least you should know how to trace your expenses and factor in cost to your selling price. But the rest you can acquire as you do the actual investing - experience is your best teacher.

The issue on money when you enter real estate investing is the most controversial. Especially if you grow thinking that you need money to generate more money. But why are some people saying that you can invest in real estate with no money down. Let's take a look at this issue and bring out the truth about this matter.

You do need money to generate more money in real estate investing. But the good news is that you can use the power of leverage to fund your investment. This involves you putting in some small amount and borrowing the rest from willing lenders. This is just one way to acquire your first property.

In fact, the lesser of your own money you spent on investing, the higher your Return On Investment is going to be. Leveraging works by putting your own small amount of money to be match by a larger amount usually by a mortgage lender. Now you're given a chance to own a property that is out of your budget's reach before and a chance to double your possible profit.

Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/

The Three Essential Lessons for Real Estate Investors

A more seasoned real estate investor is in the position to differentiate real estate investment from other forms of investment; there's a subtle difference between the two. The number one difference they'll tell you is that real estate investors are in charge of increasing the value of their investments compared to, say, investments in stocks.

No matter what form of investment you want to try, however, learning the basic lessons is essential for success. Learning the basics in investing is true to all forms of investment.

How to Discover Properties


The one thing you can't absolutely do without in real estate investment is, of course, the property itself. Without a property to sell, you have no profit to make. Bear in mind that real estate investment success lies behind your skills to find high-earner properties and not just flimflam.

Just because you see a property for sale doesn't mean it's a good real estate investment. You'll need to find out more information about each potential deal before you can say with certainty if it's a good investment deal or not. One obvious thing you need to check is the structural integrity of the house. Of course, buying different investments, for example a tax lien certificate, has another set of consideration involved about them.

How to Negotiate Deals

Your real estate investment success rest on your skills to make deals that works to your advantage. You must nail your deals or else you risk making only pennies or worse, you'll end up with zero profit or a loss.

To avoid making tragic deals, make some effort to read books or write ups about real estate investing. The best thing you can do, however, is to ask help from seasoned investors to coach you; they can take you in one of their deals so that you can observe first hand how it's done. You only need to learn the basics to make your first deal that results to favorable terms for both parties, but always stay on the long end of the stick.

How to Invest

At the core of all investments, people spend money to earn more money. There are tons of options how you can do the core in investing in the real estate investment business. Fix-and-flips, foreclosures, distressed properties are among the favorite choices.

Before you go out and invest, be sure you have a clear idea of which investment strategy to use. Study each strategy and know the property owner, your goal on investing, and how much you can afford for each acquisition. Your investing will be much easier if you know each strategy at your disposal.

Note also that you should weave different exit strategies for each property acquisition; your exit strategy will depend on your goal of investing. When you want to receive extra monthly income from your investment for example, you can choose to rent your property. There is also a different strategy you can use if you want to build wealth for example; you can buy properties that have short turn-around so that you can buy and sell as much as you can for a given year.

You can start investing in real estate as soon as you learn these very basic skills in real estate investing. There are lots of materials you can get to educate yourself about these strategies; books, magazines, and even the Internet provide wealth of information. Get as much education as you can as it is better to enter in this business prepared.

Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

Making Money in Real Estate Investing

If you've been paying any attention lately, you've surely seen television and Internet advertisements about making money in real estate investing. But how exactly is that done? Well, investing in real estate is similar to most other kinds of investments. You purchase real estate, and then sell for a profit.

As you can already tell, real estate investing isn't that much different from stock investing. You put your money into a product, let it appreciate in value, and then sell it at a higher price.

Your success in real estate investing depends on the strategy you use to purchase a property as low-priced as possible and sell it as high-priced as possible. Seasoned investors have found various strategies to achieve this. These different strategies are what they're offering to people to help them earn income in real estate, too.

A sure way to earn an income is to scout for properties that are priced much lower than its market value and sell it at a much higher price by doing some job on the property. But it's a challenge to scout for these properties and even if you do find one, chances are your income is still not enough to make you very rich in the future. If you want to accumulate wealth, there are other ways you can use to achieve your goal.

Joining auctions for foreclosed properties is another winning strategy to bring maximum profit in real estate investing. More often than not, these properties are sold at bargain price; this is particularly true in properties wherein the owners have paid enough equity to it. If you hit the jackpot, you can even get properties that require very minimal rehabilitation; giving you even more chance to earn huge income.

Owning a tax lien certificate is also a kept secret to earn considerable income in real estate. A tax lien certificate, which an investor can buy as an investment, is issued when a property owner fails to pay his property tax to the government. The asset owner, the investor, and the government all win in this arrangement.

The property owner is allowed an extended period to pay his obligation and the government gets its tax from the investors money. The investor on the other hand has two ways to make money from his investment.

The tax lien certificate gives the investor the right to earn a much higher interest rate compared to other investments; this interest rate is mandated by law. But the most exciting thing about it is that if the property tax will not be paid during the grace period given to the owner, the investor is given the chance to purchase the property at a bargain price.

Investing in real estate isn't as complex as you might think. If you know how to invest at all, then you can learn how to invest in real estate. Once you learn the basics of real estate investing and how it's possible to make money from it, you can learn more creative strategies for building wealth through your investments.

Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Notebook/Laptop/Note Pad Features and Capabilities

Computers have now become best friends of man. This magical technologically advanced device provides us with those facilities which otherwise would have been possible only in our dreams.

Computers come in two forms: desktop and laptop/notebook. The second type is a more stylish, handy, and slick form of the first type. It is also known as notebook computer or simply notebook. It is considered as a small mobile computer. Its weight is somewhat around 1-6 kilograms (2-18 pounds), which varies with size materials and other factors. They are also available in different beautiful colors.

Apart from being stylish and slick it is also portable as it is much smaller in size than a desktop. Unlike desktops a notebook more often than not operates on a single main battery and with the help of an external AC/DC adapter, which assists in charging up the battery along with sourcing power to the laptop computer itself.

Both a desktop and a laptop perform the same tasks as personal computers. They possess all the components of a desktop in a miniature format (the components are-modem, CD-ROM drive, speakers, etc) and are optimized for mobile use. They have efficient power consumption facilities. Initially laptops were priced higher than desktops but now they are almost equally priced.

Most of the Notebook computers have liquid crystal display and make use of different memory modules intended for their RAM (Random Access Memory). Contrasting desktops laptops exploit a built-in keypad, touch-pad or a pointing stick although external keyboard and a mouse can also be put together.

Before this polished and stylized portable computers were introduced, the world`s first commercially on hand portable computer known as Osborne 1, came out in the year 1981, which made use of CP/M operating system. Unlike today`s laptop it was a bit heavy with a small monitor. Nonetheless, debatably the first true notebook was known to be GriD Compass premeditated by Bill Moggridge in the year 1979-1980, which was launched in the year 1982. It had plasma display and bubble memory. In the year 1983 Compaq introduced their first Compaq portable and eventually with the improvement in technology others came forward with their produce, which provided us with our familiar notebooks in their present form.

Nevertheless laptops have certain disadvantages also:

Laptops are more complex than desktops and other electronics as some parts may cause some difficulties in their replacement or repair function.

Compatibility is another issue here. In many cases it has been seen that most of the internal parts produced by notebook producers are not interchangeable with other manufacturers and it is so because the manufacturers want the customer to buy the same manufacturers component for their laptops.

Upgradeability of laptops is very much limited both in terms of technical and economic reasons.

Also, it has also been found through studies that laptops can be harmful and injurious to health. It is said that it can raise the temperature of the scrotum, possibly putting sperm count at jeopardy.

However Notebooks have advantages also: notebooks are versatile and convenient; they have more clear and high-tech digital monitor display; they are stylish and trendy; notebook computers are easy to keep, as they don`t take much space because unlike the desktops many of its components are built-in.

Following are some of the most notable brands and manufacturer of a notebook: Acer- Aspire, Apple-MacBook, Compaq- Presario, Lenovo- IBM, ThinkPad, Panasonic- Tougkbook, Sony-VAIO, Toshiba-Dynabook, Hewlett-Packeard- HP Pavillion, LG, Hyundai, HCL, BenQ, Falcon Northwest and many others.

Following are some of the categories or subtypes of notebook computers: UMPCS (Ultra-Mobile PC`S), Ultraportables, Thin-and-lights, Mainstream, Desktop replacement Computers Transportable, Tablets (shaped like slates).

With so many varieties of notebooks available in the market the user is surely spoilt or choice!

Source: http://www.uberarticles.com

Why High Laptop Memory Capacity is Crucial

Memory is very much essential in the laptop, as more is the memory, better the system will work. Some parts like memory and hard drives are the items that are interchangeable or up gradation of memory can be done according to the need of the person. The restrictions are there in case of memory that can be installed into a system.

Most commonly used memory is as follows:

Minimum - 500 and 12 MB,
Recommended - One GB,
Optimum - Two GB and the Best - More than Two GB.

These ranges are generally used for most common computing tasks. To make a final decision it is required to check the future software. The memory slots given are not precise as they vary from many operating systems as more memory is used by some people.

Many laptop users use graphic controllers which occupy a certain portion of general memory for the graphics. This will automatically reduce the memory capacity in the system. To compensate on this, it is better to opt for laptop with more memory. RAM is known as Random Access Memory and it is the primary working memory in the system used to store temporary programs and data's which can be accessed directly and also personalized or modified.

There are different types of memory and they have their own specifications or conditions. Mostly DDR Two memory specification is used in new systems nowadays, but some laptops do come with older DDR type memory. This won't be for a long term, as now the next model of system which has been started with DDR Three type memory. Not only the memory type determines the system level, but also the speeds of memory play a vital role in this part. Before buying a laptop check and make sure with the speed of the memory also. There are two ways that the memory speeds can be chosen; the first is by memory type and clock rating and second is by listing the type of memory.

Laptop in general has two slots of memory modules compared to four or more in the desktop system. There are some systems available in the markets which do not have the facility of changing the size of memory this is known as Memory Restrictions. So check with that before the purchase.

Most important aspect to be considered at the time of purchase of laptop is to know the maximum amount of its memory and this is almost specified by all the manufacturers. This will help to know the upgrading potential of the system and next is to know about the memory configuration of the system. The system with single memory module will allow for a better upgrade potential, so that by adding some more modules the system can gain more memory as well as the current memory will exist.

Nowadays most of the laptops have a small opening on the underside with access to the memory module slots, which will help the user to just purchase and install a memory up gradation. To increase the overall performance of the laptop it is better to upgrade the memory.

Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

Monday, March 3, 2008

Amazon Kindle - Top 10 Things You Need to Know

If you have just heard about the entire latest buzz surrounding the e-book reader Kindle from Amazon, you need to know more. Here are the top 10 aspects about Kindle almost everyone needs to know!

i. MP3 playing
The Kindle device from Amazon has the amazing ability to play all the MP3 songs which you would have downloaded into the internal storage mechanism. Capacities of the internal storage are around 180 MB in space. You could also store these MP3 songs in the allocated SD card slot. You can play the songs in random shuffle and choose to listen to songs in the background while you read the e-book!

ii. DRM support
The Kindle comes with DRM support by means of support for file types of extensions .AZW. It also is compatible with Mobipocket books of the unprotected varieties. Therefore file types like .MOBI, .TXT, .PRC, Word as well as .HTML are all supported by the Kindle. You can transfer files via USB or via email. No more need to print!

iii. Kindle Now Now
This is a new feature introduced by Kindle which enables a powerful search mechanism. By means of a query mechanism you can search for almost anything you wish for absolutely free of cost! This search facility is powered with the help of Mechanical Turn from Amazon which is a distributed system of work.

iv. Blog subscription
You can avail blog subscriptions by paying a meager 2 dollars every month! Besides this, you also get access to a 14 day trial period. For no additional cost, you get to browse the blogs directly via the ‘Basic Web’ which is a browser provided for free. You only pay for access to the RSS feeds but not for surfing the web.

v. Font types supported
Kindle primarily supports two kinds of fonts namely the Neue Helvetica and the Caecilia. These are provided by Linotype. Book texts are all provided in the default Caecilia font. However, other than reading, you can select from 6 font types.

vi. Ergonomics
While the Kindle may not have great aesthetics what with a no-so-great looking color, the shape of the device is very ergonomically designed.

vii. No scroll keys
If you wish to navigate to the next page or further below, there are no scroll down keys provided in the Kindle. To move across content or even scrolling on the web pages you will need to use the page forward keys and the back button for this.

viii. Audible e-books
You can use the Kindle from Amazon to play out audible e-books. However the ‘whispernet’ service provided by means of the EVDO internet connection does not support downloads of such audible e-books on air. You will need to leverage the Audible Manager for downloading and subsequently copy the file to Kindle via USB port on the PC. This eliminates the need for printing altogether.

ix. Text file download
Kindle allows you to easily download text files for future use. All it takes is just 45 seconds to download even massive text files!

x. Files not supported
The Kindle does not ensure compatibility with Mobipocket files which have been DRMed. Also the Kindle will not support PDF file types – not even after you convert the file!

Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Currency Exchange Rates and Spreads

Currency exchange rates are determined by the currency exchange market. (The currency exchange market is described further below.) A currency exchange rate is always quoted for a currency pair using ISO code abbreviations. For example, EUR/USD refers to the two currencies Euro (the European currency) and U.S. Dollar. The first is referred to as the base currency, while the second as the quote currency. The EUR/USD exchange rate specifies how many US Dollars you have to pay to buy one Euro, or conversely how many US Dollars you obtain when you sell one Euro. More generally, if buying, an exchange rate specifies how much you have to pay in the quote currency to obtain one unit of the base currency, and if selling, the exchange rate specifies how much you get in the quote currency when selling one unit of the base currency.

A currency exchange rate is typically given as a pair consisting of a bid price and an ask price. The ask price applies when buying a currency pair and represents what has to be paid in the quote currency to obtain one unit of the base currency. The bid price applies when selling and represents what will be obtained in the quote currency when selling one unit of the base currency. The bid price is always lower than the ask price.

In the currency market, the following abbreviation for the currency exchange rate pair is used:

0.8423/28

The first component (before the slash) refers to the bid price (what you obtain in USD when you sell EUR), and in this case includes four digits after the decimal point. The second component (after the slash) is used to obtain the ask price (what you have to pay in USD if you buy EUR). The ask price is obtained by increasing the first component until the last two decimal places are equal to the digits in the second component. In this example, the ask price is 0.8428. As another example, 0.8498/03 refers to a bid price of 0.8498 and an ask price of 0.8503. (Note that for some exchange rates it is customary to quote rates in units of 100, as is the case with USD/JPY.)

The difference between the bid and the ask price is referred to as the spread. When trading large amounts of $1M or higher, the spread obtained in a quote is typically 5 basis points or PIPs, with each basis point referring to 0.0001 (or 0.01 when, say, the Yen is involved). In the example above, the spread is 0.0005 or 5 PIPs. When trading smaller amounts, the spread may be larger; for example, when trading less than $100,000, spreads of 50-200 PIPs are common. Credit card companies typically apply a spread of 200-300 PIPs. Banks and exchange bureaus typically use a spread in the range of 200-1000 PIPs (in addition to charging a commission). For investors and speculators, a lower spread translates into easier profit taking due to movements in exchange rates.

Source: http://fxtrade.oanda.com/currency_trading/intro_currency_exchange.shtml#currency_exchange_rates

TREND TRADING: Accumulation and Distribution

The safe and better way in making some money must be wait for "accumulation" to be over and ride the whole length of advance until "distribution" starts and reverse as the market dictates as a short-term trade for 2-10 days, as the case may be.

Please study 8 hour or 4 hour line charts or candle charts, especially the patterns and 20 MA inside the charts for a few months everyday, and you will discover what I mean by accumulation and distribution for short-term trades in Forex market. Forex market always needs this process, so you can decide what tactics you will use at a given stage.
Source :http://www.global-view.com/forex-education/forex-learning/shanghai_bc.html#BCs_WORDS_OF_WISDOM

Saturday, March 1, 2008

BC's WORDS OF WISDOM

Any market, be it real estate market or forex market, is all about transferring money from the masses to a few lucky ones in the long run. In most real property speculation cases, the masses make money ,a lot of money, but the money stays as paper profit and evaporate before they realize their paper profit into real hard cash. In most forex speculation cases, the masses barely survive a few years thanks to lack of knowledge of the market and the deadly leverage. But both types of speculators all serve their useful purposes in investment food chain contributing their hard earned money to the market in exchange for a dream.

For any prospective traders, hope this is not in anyway a discouragement. Trading is a hard mind game and not everyone is suitable to be engaged in such a hard game. Most have neither frame of mind nor mental fortitude to survive in this hard game. Mastering TAs or numbers or options business are at best a first tentative step into the right direction with no guarantee to any success. Training a right frame of mind is the most difficult but absolutely necessary part for success and most are simply not ready to go through that hard stage of the learning process because it is a very painful process. Trading is essentially about pain-taking-process in the end although most do not realize it. The process of overcoming fear, greed and mastering tranquility of mind in this hard school of speculation. Fwiw.

Every trader should find his/her method/system which suits his/her own situation and personality. And that system/method must be the one that has proven to be able to make some money through trials. So, if Tom, the medium-term trader, revealed his money making method of last three decades, it may not have the same effect for Dick and Harry, the day traders, and vice versa. Agree that most fail for lack of system/method and/or lack of discipline to follow through.

Trading success is all about making as much as one can when one is right and losing as little as possible when one is wrong. That is the essence of this business. So, any theory or system which looks after the above is a good one.

System is a weapon of a soldier in this market. You must have one as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be like fighting well-armed Forex robbers with a handbag. Best one is a self-made one because you can never feel comfy in borrowed shoes although borrowing good ideas from others is a good idea. Good luck.

One cannot make a dime unless follow the herd or trend most of the time. It is just that one has to be cautious when overbought/oversold region is approaching and know how to turn at inflection point for the opposite trend. Following herd needs average intelligence and courage but identifying inflection points and taking a necessary action needs not only intelligence but also a lot of courage. Again, fortune favors the brave.

Money management is where most traders go wrong in almost all cases leaving only a few as the winner at the end of the day. Money management and discipline of mind is what makes or brakes a trader at the end of the day, not the elementary entry and exit method.

Forex/Currency Trading: It is a sentiment game w/ a crowd mentality where even the best players w/ the best forecasts are tricked out of good positions by the magic of price action.

Shanghai BC is a highly respected member of the Global-View.com community

Source: http://www.global-view.com/forex-education/forex-learning/shanghai_bc.html#BCs_WORDS_OF_WISDOM

TRADING: A MIND GAME

You must change your mental attitude first from a normal person to that of a speculator. Almost all traders I have met, except a few successful ones who really made millions and billions trading in the market, simply waste all their time trying to learn the easiest part in perfection, like about how to read data and charts, and trying to perfect entry and exit skills, etc. Trading is a mind game and without having a right frame of mind, it is a losing game even before it starts. Training a trader?s mind is the first step for any successful trader but almost all new traders neglect that part and that explains why more than 95% of traders are a failure in the long run.

Acquiring the knowledge of the market is not difficult for anyone with average intelligence after a few years of hard study in the market. But it is neither the level of intelligence nor the knowledge that decides the outcome of the market operations of a trader. It is the decision making process that is so hard for most traders to overcome and that is the main reason for a success or a failure for all the traders. Some find it easy to make decisions and stick to it and most find it so hard to make decisions and stick to it. Unfortunately, any decision making process in trading is a pain-taking process and humans tend to avoid pains and go for pleasures even if for temporary ones. Assuming one has acquired enough market knowledge and acquired one?s proven trading system (this is the second most important element of success in trading, in fact. An edge in any system is based on the quality of info one has, charts being only an info of secondary quality not the best one)

Through studies and research, a trader faces the task of making decisions to put this knowledge and system into practice. Then, how many traders can honestly say they can commit their ranch when the trade is suggested by their own system (given that trading is just a chance game) and let the profit run for weeks and months when their system tells them, and how many can manage to cut the loss as a routine process when the situation arise. It all sounds so easy when saying it but so difficult when doing it affecting real money in the market. I still do not sleep well when I am running position because even if the profits are running into a few hundred dollars and the system is telling you to carry on, there is no guarantee that the profit will turn into a yard or two in a month time, and it may even turn into a loss in a day or two when something unexpected happens. A painstaking process in real sense. The pain is not knowing what will happen in the future and in fear of losing. So at the end of the day, assuming one has decent trading system and market knowledge and decent info, it is ultimately how disciplined and how well that trader can take the pain of making right decisions at the right time that decides the outcome of the trades. Hence I call trading a mind game. When I interview prospective young traders, I always look for disciplined and strong-willed person as my first priority as long as one has decent education, but strangely in many cases, it is some kind of genius or half-genius with lots of brains with no disciplines who turn up for an interview thinking only bright people can make good traders.

In fact, I always try to pyramid while position trading medium-term once I am convinced of a new medium-term trend emerging. Like in USD/JPY position trading 135-132 as an initial position, adding in 132 and 129 areas. Same for AUD/USD and EUR/USD with similar strategies. But sitting on positions and watching the counter-rallies costing truck load of money is not easy job to do and causes lots of pain all the time. Most traders even among experienced ones cannot bear that pain and give up too early. But there is no other way to make a big money and we have to bite the bullet and "sit and accumulate" as long as the medium-term trend is intact. That is why I always believe psychological aspects of trading is far more important than anything else in successful trading. A mind game like those bluffing game of poker.

Entries and exits can never be "irrelevant" for any trader for any purpose. It is just that psychological aspects of trading are much more important than entries and exits, and decisive for the success or failure of a trader in the long run. Perhaps exits are more important than entries because any perfect or near-perfect entries are possible only in hindsight.

Source: http://www.global-view.com/forex-education/forex-learning/shanghai_bc.html

Currency Exchange

What is Currency Exchange?

Currency exchange is the trading of one currency against another. Professionals refer to this as foreign exchange, but may also use the acronyms Forex or FX.

The Need for Currency Exchange

Currency exchange is necessary in numerous circumstances.

Consumers typically come into contact with currency exchange when they travel. They go to a bank or currency exchange bureau to convert one currency (typically, their "home currency") into another (i.e., the currency of the country they intend to travel to) so they can pay for goods and services in the foreign country. Consumers may also purchase goods in a foreign country or via the Internet with their credit card, in which case they will find that the amount they paid in the foreign currency will have been converted to their home currency on their credit card statement. Although each such currency exchange is a relatively small transaction, the aggregate of all such transactions is significant.

Businesses typically have to convert currencies when they conduct business outside their home country. For example, if they export goods to another country and receive payment in the currency of that foreign country, then the payment must often be converted back to the home currency. Similarly, if they have to import goods or services, then businesses will often have to pay in a foreign currency, requiring them to first convert their home currency into the foreign currency. Large companies convert huge amounts of currency each year; for example, a company such as General Electric (GE) converts tens of billions of dollars each year. The timing of when they convert can have a large affect on their balance sheet and "bottom line.

Investors and speculators require currency exchange whenever they trade in any foreign investment, be that equities, bonds, bank deposits, or real estate. For example, when a Swedish investor buys shares in Sun Microsystems on the NASDAQ, she will have to pay for the shares in U.S. Dollars and likely have to convert Swedish Krona to U.S. Dollars. Similarly, a Japanese real estate investor who sells a New York property may well want to convert the proceeds of the sale in U.S. Dollars to Japanese Yen.

Investors and speculators also trade currencies directly in order to benefit from movements in the currency exchange markets. For example, if an American investor believes that the Japanese economy is strengthening and as a result expects the Japanese Yen to appreciate in value (i.e., go up relative to other currencies), then she may want to buy Japanese Yen and take what is referred to as a long position. Similarly, if an American investor believes that the Euro will go down over time, then she may want to sell Euro to take a short position. Interestingly, investors and speculators can profit equally from currencies becoming stronger (by taking a long position) or from currencies becoming weaker (by taking a short position). Speculators are often day traders, trying to take advantage of market movements in very short time periods; buying a currency and then selling it again may happen within hours or even minutes. They are attracted to currency trading for numerous reasons, including (i) the size and daily volatility of the market, which gives them unparalleled excitement, (ii) the almost perfect liquidity of the currency exchange market, (iii) the fact that the currency exchange market is "open" 24 hours a day market, and (vi) the fact that currencies can be traded with no brokerage charges.

Commercial and Investment Banks trade currencies as a service for their commercial banking, deposit and lending customers. These institutions also generally participate in the currency market for hedging and proprietary trading purposes.

Governments and central banks trade currencies to improve trading conditions or to intervene in an attempt to adjust economic or financial imbalances. Although they do not trade for speculative reasons --- they are a non-profit organization --- they often tend to be profitable, since they generally trade on a long-term basis.

Source: http://fxtrade.oanda.com/currency_trading/intro_currency_exchange.shtml