Sunday, September 4, 2011

How to bring unemployment down.

There is no doubt that unemployment is one of the most popular topics in the media at the current moment. No wonder, as unemployment remains at high level since the stock market crash in 2008. Whatever the Government does (actually they have done nothing), nothing seems to reduce the number of people without work. If the Government expects that the corporation start opening working places (at least that is their explanation why the corporation should not be taxed) then I could only say THEY ARE WRONG or they think that the people are stupid. A corporation does not need extra expenses, and there is no stimulus for them to open working places in the USA until it is more profitable for them to do it oversea. That is why majority of them moved their customer support to India and China, that is why more and more "made in China" and "made in India" and less and less "made in USA" could be seen on the shelves in our stores. To tell us that if we do not tax the corporation they will have more money (they already have billions) and they will think about expansion and creating work for Americans is keeping us for idiots. We have to tax them and the taxes should be strict.

My proposal - pass it to those who you voted for if you like it:

1. If  more than 20% of corporation's expenses are over-sea's expenses (whatever the expenses are: supplies, customer support, development, etc) than this corporation  has to pay additional 15% tax not from the profit but from the overall over-sea's expenses.

This will make the corporation to think where to expend their business and will make small and medium businesses stronger and more competitive to the big corporations.

2. The exemption from the p.1 are  the companies that has more than 50% of profit coming from export (companies that deal with natural resources, oil, mining and other companies should not be covered by this exemption).

We need to balance import/export and we need t protect those who export.

3. A company that show grows in the number of employees (not over-sea's employees) that worked more than 1 year in this company is entitled for the tax deduction (max 5%)The companies that deal with natural resources, oil, mining and other companies should not be covered by this exemption).

It should definitely attract the companies, small and big to open new working places and make it easier for them to invest the money they have into the company’s expansions.

4. VERY IMPORTANT - The companies which are involved into the extraction of natural resources (oil, gas, lumber, mining, and etc) should pay extra 5% of taxes. The 5% should be calculated from the average yearly market value of extracted resources.

This is very important. The natural resources are not eternal. Sooner or later they will be gone. The natural resources that are on the American territory belong to the Americans and should not be taken for granted. As an example:, If average yearly price of one gallon of oil is $1 on the stock market and the oil company extracted 1 billion gallons of oil over the year, then this company has to pay additional $50 millions (5% from 1 billion times $1) for the extracted natural resources.

I could add more points, but I think it is enough for you to start thinking.

Do you think if we would have such policies it would increase the revenue, it would help with trade balance and it would reduce the unemployment?

If your answer is yes, and you like it then 


SHARE IT
and Pass it to those who you voted for and those who you are going to vote for

Saturday, July 23, 2011

optionsXpress Bonus

Are you looking for an online broker?
Are you researching on how to start trading?
Not sure whether you should trade?

Most novice traders are confused with volume of the information about online trading and investing and in many cases you have to pay for that. The advice is go and GET THE INFO FROM a BROKER. You can get all the information needed for your stock market research for free and you can even get paid $100.

optionsXpress is a good place to start. With optionsXpress you will get access to virtual trading, tools for fundamental analysis and technical analysis, streaming quotes, streaming real-time charts with most popular technical indicators and much more. You will get all these FOR FREE - and even get $100 deposited to your online trading account.  You do not have to trade, as long as you have some funds on your account, your optionsXpress account will remain opened and you may use all fundamental and technical analysis tools available with optionsXpress.

This is a great opportunity for a novice trader to learn about trading for free (and get $100).

Get promotional invitation from optionsXpress

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Unemployment

Consumer confidence dropped to the seven's month low while the consumer spending has hit ten months high. I was always under impression that consumers supposed to spend less when they are less confident, and they usually spend more when they more confident.

I would say that overall we have good economic reports. Almost all current bad economic data (excluding unemployment) are narrowed to the point that they are actually positive and are better than before, yet the press tells us that investors would be happier if economic reports would be better. So far, we do not see any points to the dramatic bankruptcies of stock market giants which suggest that overall stock market is quite healthy.

Unemployment is an another story. With growing technology it is obvious that on many working places functions and procedures previously performed by humans are now performed by robots and computers. 2008 recession has pushed many companies to lay off employees and many of these companies have found that they could achieve the same productivity with less human resources. Keep in min that company will always prefer to have more robotus and computerized technologies which means less expenses, less trouble with unions, etc. Because of that, we should expect to see unemployment at the same level for a while (on mine opinion). The public companies and stock market will be "ok" with it.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Case-Shriller Index

The Standard & Poor's Case-Shriller U.S. National Home Price Index is updated on the monthly basis on the last Tuesday of each month at 9:00 AM ET and is a composite of single-family home price indices for the nine U.S. Census divisions. The Case-Shriller consists of 20 metropolitan area indices and two composite indices. The index is based on single-family home re-sales ( co-ops and condominiums are exempted as is new construction) with two or more sales transactions and is used to measure changes in existing home prices. The Case-Shriller index is normalized to have a value of 100 in January 2000.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Financial Analysis

Analysis of the financial reports has become quite popular among intraday traders. The fact that in many cases we may see increased volatility on the indexes (S&P 500, Russell 2000, Nasdaq 100, DJI, and etc) has attracted futures and options traders. Simple trading strategy of placing options spreads bet before an economic report release helps to achieve desired result.

In order to properly make a call (place a trade) a trader needs several things: a) history of the index behavior during previous similar economic reports; b) expected economic data for coming reports; c: real time index charts with volume. You need to watch volume on the indexes as increase in volume would confirm volatile trading in response on report's release.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

GDP Reports

Key economic data for the last week of May 2010 starting May 24th, 2010.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
05/24/10 10:00 AMExisting Home SalesApr5.65M5.4M
05/25/10 9:00 AMCase-Shiller 20-city IndexMar2.8%0.6%
05/25/10 10:00 AMConsumer ConfidenceMay58.357.9
05/25/10 10:00 AMFHFA Housing Price IndexMarNA-0.2%
05/26/10 8:30 AMDurable OrdersApr1.4%-0.3%
05/26/10 8:30 AMDurable Orders ex TransportationApr0.5%3.5%
05/26/10 10:00 AMNew Home SalesApr425411
05/26/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories05/22NA0.162M
05/27/10 8:30 AMGDP - Second EstimateQ13.3%3.2%
05/27/10 8:30 AMGDP Deflator - Second EstimateQ10.9%0.9%
05/27/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims05/22455KNA
05/27/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims05/224600KNA
05/28/10 8:30 AMPersonal IncomeApr0.4%0.3%
05/28/10 8:30 AMPersonal SpendingApr0.3%0.6%
05/28/10 8:30 AMPCE Prices - CoreApr0.1%0.1%
05/28/10 9:45 AMChicago PMIMay60.063.8
05/28/10 9:55 AMU. Michigan Consumer SentimentMay73.773.3

Calendar key:
Actual refers to the actual figures after t

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Options Expiration

Key economic data for the third week of May 2010 starting April 17th, 2010. The coming week is an options expiration week. As a rule, during options expiration higher volatility could be expected.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
05/17/10 9:00 AMNet Long-Term TIC FlowsFeb40.047.1
05/18/10 8:30 AMBuilding PermitsApr680K680K
05/18/10 8:30 AMCore PPIApr0.1%0.1%
05/18/10 8:30 AMHousing StartsApr656K626K
05/18/10 8:30 AMPPIApr0.1%0.7%
05/19/10 8:30 AMCore CPIApr0.0%0.0%
05/19/10 8:30 AMCPIApr0.1%0.1%
05/19/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories05/15NA1.95M
05/20/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims05/154600K4627K
05/20/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims05/15440K444K
05/20/10 10:00 AMLeading IndicatorsApr0.2%1.4%
05/20/10 10:00 AMPhiladelphia FedMay21.320.2

Calendar key:
Actual refers to the actual figures after their release.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Export/Import

Key economic data for the second week of May 2010 starting May 11th, 2010. There are no economic reports on Monday May 10, 2010

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
05/11/10 10:00 AMWholesale InventoriesMar0.5%0.6%
05/12/10 2:00 PMTreasury BudgetApr-$20.0B-$20.9B
05/12/10 8:30 AMTrade BalanceMar-$40.0B-$39.7B
05/12/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories05/08NA2.75M
05/13/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims05/084590K4594K
05/13/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims05/08440K444K
05/13/10 8:30 AMExport Prices ex-ag.AprNA0.6%
05/13/10 8:30 AMImport Prices ex-oilAprNA0.2%
05/14/10 8:30 AMRetail SalesApr0.2%1.9%
05/14/10 8:30 AMRetail Sales ex-autoApr0.5%0.9%
05/14/10 9:15 AMCapacity UtilizationApr73.8%73.2%
05/14/10 9:15 AMIndustrial ProductionApr0.6%0.1%
05/14/10 9:55 AMMich SentimentMay73.572.2
05/14/10 10:00 AMBusiness InventoriesMar0.4%0.5%

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Auto and Truck Sales Report on Monday

Key economic data for the First week of May 2010 starting may 3rd, 2010.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
05/03/10 2:00 PMAuto SalesApr4.2M4.3M
05/03/10 2:00 PMTruck SalesApr4.6M4.8M
05/03/10 8:30 AMPersonal IncomeMar0.3%0.0%
05/03/10 8:30 AMPersonal SpendingMar0.6%0.3%
05/03/10 10:00 AMConstruction SpendingMar-0.3%-1.3%
05/03/10 10:00 AMISM IndexApr60.059.6
05/04/10 10:00 AMFactory OrdersMar-0.2%0.6%
05/04/10 10:00 AMPending Home SalesMar5.0%8.2%
05/05/10 8:15 AMADP Employment ChangeApr30K-23K
05/05/10 10:00 AMISM ServicesApr56.155.4
05/05/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories05/01NA1.96M
05/06/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims05/014600K4645K
05/06/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims05/01440K448K
05/06/10 8:30 AMProductivity-PrelQ12.4%6.9%
05/07/10 3:00 PMConsumer CreditMar-$3.9B-$11.5B
05/07/10 8:30 AMUnemployment RateApr9.7%9.7%
05/07/10 8:30 AMNonfarm PayrollsApr187K162K
05/07/10 8:30 AMAverage WorkweekApr34.034.0
05/07/10 8:30 AMHourly EarningsApr0.1%-0.1%

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Consumer Confidence

Key economic data for the last week of April 2010 starting April 27th, 2010. There are no economic reports on April 26th, 2010.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
04/27/10 9:00 AMCase-Shiller 20-city Index (y/y)Feb1.1%-0.7%
04/27/10 10:00 AMConsumer ConfidenceApr53.752.5
04/28/10 2:15 PMFOMC Rate Decision4/280.25%0.25%
04/28/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories04/24NA1.89M
04/29/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims04/174625K4646K
04/29/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims04/24440K456K
04/30/10 8:30 AMGDP-Adv.Q13.2%5.6%
04/30/10 8:30 AMChain Deflator-Adv.Q10.9%0.5%
04/30/10 8:30 AMEmployment Cost IndexQ10.5%0.5%
04/30/10 9:45 AMChicago PMIApr59.858.8
04/30/10 9:55 AMMich SentimentApr71.569.5

Saturday, April 17, 2010

New Home Sales

Key economic data for the third week of April 2010 starting April 19th, 2010. The coming week is not rich on economic reports.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
04/19/10 10:00 AMLeading IndicatorsMar1.0%0.1%
04/21/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories04/17NA-2.20M
04/22/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims04/17455K484K
04/22/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims04/104600K4639K
04/22/10 8:30 AMPPIMar0.5%-0.6%
04/22/10 8:30 AMCore PPIMar0.1%0.1%
04/22/10 10:00 AMExisting Home SalesMar5.30M5.02M
04/22/10 10:00 AMFHFA Home Price IndexFeb-0.2%-0.6%
04/23/10 8:30 AMDurable OrdersMar0.2%0.9%
04/23/10 8:30 AMDurable Orders ex autoMar0.6%1.4%
04/23/10 10:00 AMNew Home SalesMar325K308K

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Beige Book

Key economic data for the second week of April 2010 starting April 12th, 2010. The coming week is not rich on economic reports. Next week is an options expiration week.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
04/12/10 2:00 PMTreasury BudgetMar$67.5B-$191.6B
04/13/10 8:30 AMExport Prices ex-ag.MarNA-0.2%
04/13/10 8:30 AMImport Prices ex-oilMarNA0.2%
04/13/10 8:30 AMTrade BalanceFeb-$39.0B-$37.3B
04/14/10 2:00 PMFed's Beige BookAprNANA
04/14/10 8:30 AMCPIMar0.1%0.0%
04/14/10 8:30 AMCore CPIMar0.1%0.1%
04/14/10 8:30 AMRetail SalesMar1.1%0.3%
04/14/10 8:30 AMRetail Sales ex-autoMar0.5%0.8%
04/14/10 10:00 AMBusiness InventoriesFeb0.3%0.0%
04/14/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories04/10NA1.98M
04/15/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims04/034600K4550K
04/15/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims04/10440K460K
04/15/10 9:00 AMNet Long-Term TIC FlowsJanNA$19.1B
04/15/10 9:15 AMCapacity UtilizationMar73.3%72.7%
04/15/10 9:15 AMIndustrial ProductionMar0.7%0.1%
04/15/10 10:00 AMPhiladelphia FedApr20.018.9
04/16/10 8:30 AMBuilding PermitsMar626K637K
04/16/10 8:30 AMHousing StartsMar610K575K
04/16/10 9:55 AMMich SentimentApr75.073.6

Friday, April 2, 2010

FOMC Meeting

Key economic data for the first week week of April 2010 starting April 5th, 2010. The coming week is not rich on economic reports.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
04/05/10 10:00 AMISM ServicesMar53.650.0
04/05/10 10:00 AMPending Home SalesFeb-1.0%-7.6%
04/06/10 2:00 PMMinutes of FOMC Meeting
04/07/10 3:00 PMConsumer CreditFeb$1.6B$5.0B
04/07/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories04/03NA2.93M
04/08/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims03/27NA4662K
04/08/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims04/03433K439K
04/09/10 10:00 AMWholesale InventoriesFeb0.3%-0.1%

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Income, Emplyment and consumer Confidence

Key economic data for the last week of March and first week of April 2010 starting March 29th, 2010.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
03/29/10 8:30 AMPersonal IncomeFeb0.1%0.1%
03/29/10 8:30 AMPersonal SpendingFeb0.3%0.5%
03/29/10 8:30 AMPCE Prices - CoreFeb0.1%0.0%
03/30/10 9:00 AMCase-Shiller 20-city IndexJan-0.6%-3.1%
03/30/10 10:00 AMConsumer ConfidenceMar50.046.0
03/31/10 8:15 AMADP Employment ChangeMar40K-20K
03/31/10 9:45 AMChicago PMIMar61.062.6
03/31/10 10:00 AMFactory OrdersFeb0.5%1.7%
03/31/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories03/27NA7.25M
04/01/10 2:00 PMAuto SalesMarNA3.7M
04/01/10 2:00 PMTruck SalesMarNA4.2M
04/01/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims03/204600K4648K
04/01/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims03/27440K442K
04/01/10 10:00 AMConstruction SpendingFeb-1.0%-0.6%
04/01/10 10:00 AMISM IndexMar57.056.5
04/02/10 8:30 AMNonfarm PayrollsMar190K-36K
04/02/10 8:30 AMUnemployment RateMar9.7%9.7%
04/02/10 8:30 AMAverage WorkweekMar33.933.8
04/02/10 8:30 AMHourly EarningsMar0.2%0.1%

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Home Sales

Key economic data for the forth week of March 2010 starting March 23rd, 2010. There are no economic news on Monday March 22nd, 2010.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
03/23/10 10:00 AM Existing Home SalesFeb5.00M5.05M
03/23/10 10:00 AMFHFA Home Price IndexJan-0.9%-1.6%
03/24/10 8:30 AMDurable OrdersFeb0.5%2.6%
03/24/10 8:30 AMDurable Orders ex AutoFeb0.5%-1.0%
03/24/10 10:00 AM New Home SalesFeb315K309K
03/24/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories03/20NA1.01M
03/25/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims03/134560K4579K
03/25/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims03/20450K457K
03/26/10 8:30 AMGDP - Third EstimateQ45.9%5.9
03/26/10 8:30 AMGDP Deflator - Third EstimateQ40.4%0.4%
03/26/10 9:55 AMMichigan Sentiment - FinalMar73.072.5

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Philadelphia Fed Index

Philadelphia Fed Index is tracked by the Philadelphia Federal-Reserve Bank (headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and is based on the survey of voluntary participants regarding the direction of change in their overall business activities. This is a regional survey and it covers the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware regions. The survey measures regional manufacturing growth and covers answer on such questions as employment, new orders, shipments, inventories, prices paid, etc.

The Fed report is one of the most watched reports and one of the most respected of all the regional purchasing manager reports. The Philadelphia Fed Index above zero indicates factory-sector growth, and the Philadelphia Fed Index below zero indicates contraction.

The Philadelphia Fed Index  (also known as the "Business Outlook Survey") is published on monthly basis on the third Thursday of the month and it is considered to be a good barometer of general business conditions.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Triple Witching Week

Key economic data for the third  week of March 2010 starting March 15th, 2010. On Friday March 19, 2010 we have expiration of options. This week know as Triple Witching week, as options, index options and futures will expire during this week.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
03/15/10 8:30 AMEmpire Manufacturing SurveyMar21.4524.91
03/15/10 9:00 AMNet Long-Term TIC FlowsDec$50.0B$63.3B
03/15/10 9:15 AMCapacity UtilizationFeb72.6%72.6%
03/15/10 9:15 AMIndustrial ProductionFeb0.0%0.9%
03/16/10 2:15 PMFOMC Rate DecisionMar 160.25%0.25%
03/16/10 8:30 AMBuilding PermitsFeb602K622K
03/16/10 8:30 AMHousing StartsFeb570K591K
03/16/10 8:30 AMImport Prices ex-oilFebNA0.4%
03/16/10 8:30 AMExport Prices ex-ag.FebNA0.7%
03/17/10 8:30 AMCore PPIFeb0.1%0.3%
03/17/10 8:30 AMPPIFeb-0.2%1.4%
03/17/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories03/13NA1.43M
03/18/10 8:30 AMCore CPIFeb0.1%-0.1%
03/18/10 8:30 AMCPIFeb0.1%0.2%
03/18/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims03/13450K462K
03/18/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims03/64500K4558K
03/18/10 8:30 AMCurrent Account BalanceQ4-$120.0B-$108.0B
03/18/10 10:00 AMLeading IndicatorsFeb0.1%0.3%
03/18/10 10:00 AMPhiladelphia FedMar18.017.6

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Retail Sales

The Census Bureau releases the Retail Sales data that measure the merchandise sold by companies. The Retailed Sales report is published on monthly basis and is considered as an indicator of the U.S. economy. It includes all retail operations (for cash or credit at retail or wholesale) in the nation, from Wal-Mart to the local bookstore.

The Retail Sales Data measures the amount of goods being sold by establishments primarily engaged in retail trade each month in the United States. It does not include sales at retail by manufacturers, wholesalers, service establishments, and others whose primary activity is other than retail trade.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Treasury Budget

Key economic data for the second week of March 2010 starting March 8th, 2010. The coming week is not rich on economic reports.

Economic Calendar key:
Consensus represents the market consensus estimate for each indicator.
Prior represents the last actual for each indicator.

DateReleaseForConsensusPrior
03/10/10 2:00 PMTreasury BudgetFeb-$210.0B-$42.6B
03/10/10 10:00 AMWholesale InventoriesJan0.2%-0.8%
03/10/10 10:30 AMCrude Inventories03/06NA4.03M
03/11/10 8:30 AMContinuing Claims2/274495K4500K
03/11/10 8:30 AMInitial Claims03/06460K469K
03/11/10 8:30 AMTrade BalanceJan-$41.0B-$40.2B
03/12/10 8:30 AMRetail SalesFeb0.2%0.5%
03/12/10 8:30 AMRetail Sales ex-autoFeb0.0%0.6%
03/12/10 9:55 AM Mich SentimentMar73.873.6
03/12/10 10:00 AMBusiness InventoriesJan0.2%-0.2%

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Pending Home Sale

In January 2005, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) introduced a new series of reports to overcome the lagging effect of the existing home sales definition. The new report is called Pending Home Sales and is published on monthly basis (first week of the month). The Pending Home Sales data are based on sales of existing homes where the contract has been signed (house was sold on paper) but the transaction has not been closed, which could be considered roughly equivalent to the new home sales. When a home sale contract is sign a broker considers it as a sale and reports it as a sale. However, until transaction is not closed this sale is considered as pending and not closed. Taking into account that some sales contracts are never consummated, pending contract cannot be considered as existing home sale.

The pending Home Sales data are are expressed as an index and were recalculated back to 2001 where the the index has been set to equal 100.0. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) is considered as leading indicator of the activity in the housing market and this index is used to predict Existing Home Sales (Pending becomes Existing in several months) as well as predict actual home sales activity.