FOREX TEMPLATE FOR GRAB

I am thinking of uploading my system to the internet so that it will be available for everyone. It will only be the basic system. The rest you have to figure out yourself.

Can anyone tell me where is the best place to upload and share files. I intend to upload a MT4 template and a text document explaining how it works.

FOREX

Have you ever been lost in Forex? Some of you might be thinking, how do i get lost in forex?? Let me ask another question. Have you ever open a trade in one direction, after some time open a trade in the opposite direction?

Im sure that happens to all of us, myself included :). That is lost in Forex, where we are unsure of direction of trade. Some people even hedge in the situation.

I have a few tips when you are lost in Forex.

1. If you are lost and dont know which direction to trade, the most important thing is to stop trading and do something else. Go plant a tree or play games. Dont even look at the charts anymore to avoid confusion.

2. Is to take a trading system and put it on multiple time frame. I trade using the same system on 3 timeframe. 15m, 1h, daily. When all three is pointing at the same direction then I trade. If 2 timeframe is pointing at the same direction then i scalp.

3. After sometime, your brain will start to imprint patterns of Forex. Forex has the same pattern over and over again. In our mind, that pattern has been imprinted and it influence our decision making subconsciously. Once you reach that state you will rarely get lost in Forex. You will know the exact time to trade or to get lost (do something else).

I will try to update this blog. Been so long and so busy with new place. As for Forex, USD pairs are going nowhere at the moment with a high probability to go down further. Good luck on your hunt for pi

ITS NOT PIPS BUT PROFIT IN FOREX

You can actually tell if someone is new in Forex by the way they count their pips or profit. When people starts forex they count pips. They can have hundreds of pips a day and yet their profit is low. This is due to the low risk reward ratio they have taken.

Once you are older in Forex, you will see the ratio. No point of taking hundreds of pips when the profit is low. So you start to take high risk high return trade. These trades do not give you high pips but the profit margin is high.

That is how money is to be made in Forex. You actually manage your risk and take profit from it. For today as of now, I already taken 3 trades. 2 profit trades and 1 lost trade. My account grows 37%. Not bad for a slow Monday.

THE ENDING IS NEAR

1,447 days ago I started to step in the world of Forex. 6th May 2006 is the day I registered my 1st demo account and its a Saturday. Through out my journey in Forex, there are no actual manual, text or books that I can really refer to. Its like an unexplored land with no maps what so ever. There are only guides available online with no one giving specific answer.

Though hard it may be I started to develop my own system and continue to improve on that system. No matter how I try to improve it, there is still something missing. After a long and hard work I finally got the answer. It is an answer that I wasn't willing to accept. So I disappeared for almost 1 year though my part of moving places only took 1 month to settle.

FOREX 4TH ANNIVERSARY

Today marks the end of 4th year I am in Forex and I am still here. Most of the friends that I know trade has already stop. It must mean something to stay here for so long when most people quit. Its either I am really stubborn or I am not losing money. Which one you think?

After 3 days of demo trading I got over 25k of profit from 10k max lot trading. Its over 250pip net profit. Not bad for a part time trader and a 7th place so far. I dont think I can be number 1 coz of limited time I trade. Its a good progress, it shows where I am after 4 years. How about you?

FOREX 4TH ANNIVERSARY

Today marks the end of 4th year I am in Forex and I am still here. Most of the friends that I know trade has already stop. It must mean something to stay here for so long when most people quit. Its either I am really stubborn or I am not losing money. Which one you think?

After 3 days of demo trading I got over 25k of profit from 10k max lot trading. Its over 250pip net profit. Not bad for a part time trader and a 7th place so far. I dont think I can be number 1 coz of limited time I trade. Its a good progress, it shows where I am after 4 years. How about you?

FOREX IS AN ART

When you say trading, people will say trading is an art. Look at all the books that has been published on the subject. They will say the art of trading forex.

In that sense, we must take forex as an art and not a science. I know, some people may not agree with me and all the post that is in this blog. I don't blame them coz I was actually in the same place as they were when I started trading. Trying to find the answer to forex using every logical explanation.

This is the answer that you have been looking for. I am going to give it to you straight away. Let see if your mind can accept it.

OVERCOMPLICATED TRADING

Human tends to over-complicate things. It is in our nature to try and improve what we have but most of the time we overcomplicated things and forget about the simple solution.

In my previous post, I posted a chart of a basic system. It consist of candle stick chart, moving average and macd. Only 3 indicators and it is a very simple system rite?

The answer is, it is not so simple actually. Candle stick alone tell you 4 things that is, open, close, high and low price. MA tells you direction of trend, entry point, start and end of trend. Macd tell you trend, entry point, reversal point.

From only 3 indicators there are actually 11 information cramp into that small chart. Too much info and decision making is a hard job. Though i filter comments, no one has actually ask about the amount of information on chart. It seems people can accept 11 information at once. Can you manage 11 input at once and make a decision out of it??

Trading is actually much simpler. It is actually possible to make profit with only 1 information. Believe it or not??

FOREX WITH PEACE OF MIND

Hi everyone,

I hope all of you are doing fine and have lots of pips to enjoy. Just got back from a vacation. 6 days there and I got bored and get back home. Leave my wife and kids there to do their shopping. It seems that I like it better at home than to stay at hotels. Maybe I'm getting old :)

Been a while since I have updated this blog. Been thinking of deleting or selling this blog to anyone who wants it.

Met a friend while on vacation. It seems he is making 15k average per month without even knowing how to trade. Talk about forex with peace of mind. You guys wanna know how he did it? Let me tell you his story.

He wanted to learn from me how to trade but I am reluctant to teach him since this is not something I can teach. I can tell you how I did it but I cant guarantee you can do it the same way I did. Its not pure technical or skill. There are some form of mind control involve. I cant change your mind. You have to do it your self. Free your mind.

He kept asking me how to make money in forex. I gave him a way that is a bit risky but with care everyone can do it. I told him to find a trader that is looking for investors. Lots of new traders around with good skills but low capital. These traders are looking for a way to maximize their income, so they take in few accounts to manage. They trade their own account and at the same time execute the exact same trade on their managed accounts. They take profit from their own account and take commission on manage accounts.

Turns out after 1 year my friend manage to get 15k average monthly income and he knows nothing bout trading. There are few rules to follow if you want to do the exact same way.

1. Study the trader records. At least 3 months maintain profit.
2. Open a trading account with your name tied to your banking account. (dont ever hand him your money)
3. Get the trader details just in case he decide to make a run for it.
4. Ready to accept trading losses. If its a trading loss, accept it and release him from his burden. Trading is already hard enuf. Now you know why I dont manage accounts.
5. Give him your trading account details and leave him alone.
6. Take him out for dinner at the end of the months. Dont ask, let him tell you bout the trading.

Hope that is clear enuf. Those steps are minimal. Extra precaution is always welcome but dont put pressure on the trader. We dont want to send him to a mental hospital or something.

Good luck everyone and happy trading. Im not going to give any trade setup since its all based on situation. If its there, then i trade. Ifs its not there, then I just watch and play with my RC helicopter. My new hobby is RC helicopter btw, a very expensive hobby.... oou

Forex Trading

There are different forex strategies, which focus on profit targets and individual trader needs. A trader has the choice to hold on investments, buy or sell the currencies. They may lead the trader to win or may lead him to lose but the most important part is that the trader never loses more than what he has won. So, forex strategic appears quite helpful.



Simple Forex Trading Strategies


Trade is a game of mind. If the trader deals intelligently and patiently there are a lot more chances of winning than losing the deals. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that, Forex trading strategies outmatch the number of forex traders. There are certain Forex trading strategies, which help a lot in presuming the market possibilities by critical observation of market trends, financial information and similar features. By looking and adopting these strategies one can surely earn more profit. There are also fewer probabilities of loss.
Prioritizing Business

For a trader to determine the right Forex trading technique, the trader must drive his targets in Forex business. The first and the basic step for a trader is to set his goals and prioritize his business targets. Setting the goals in the right direction is one of the most vital and leading steps towards gaining profit.

Another important step for all traders, who want to trade Forex is to specify a certain amount which they can risk without doing much damage to their trade. A good trader always aims at his profit, so the traders should determine the net profit they are aiming at.

As trade is the name of risk. Therefore, the Forex trading strategies are best adapted on the money the trader wishes to invest.
Day Trading

Day Trading

Day trading involves Forex trading strategies for short term traders who wish to get more profit in a very short time. These traders are mostly new traders and neophyte players. In case of the day trading the whole focus is on investments in which winning seems mandatory. Most of the market analysts believe that it’s the long term investment that leads to apex. This is because, according to them the price volatility, which the day traders take advantage of, are somewhat difficult to predict.

It is important for all the traders who want to trade Forex to ascertain an amount which they can risk without doing much damage to their trade.
Forex Experts

All the forex experts and strategy makers recommend a Forex trading strategy that would make use of the technical analyses and market trends. Political and economic crises have influenced trading a lot. The whole world is facing economic and financial crises, and a good trader should have sharp eyes on these factors. A trader has his own priorities and adopting Forex trading strategy won’t pay off, unless the trader knows the best forex strategy that would suit his priorities.

Forex strategies actually help the trader to broaden his mind and look into varies strategies, which will lead to profitable ways. These strategies given by the experts are to the direction to the trader. It is on the trader to look to the most feasible strategy.

Simple Forex Trading Strategies

There are different forex strategies, which focus on profit targets and individual trader needs. A trader has the choice to hold on investments, buy or sell the currencies. They may lead the trader to win or may lead him to lose but the most important part is that the trader never loses more than what he has won. So, forex strategic appears quite helpful.

Simple Forex Trading Strategies


Trade is a game of mind. If the trader deals intelligently and patiently there are a lot more chances of winning than losing the deals. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that, Forex trading strategies outmatch the number of forex traders. There are certain Forex trading strategies, which help a lot in presuming the market possibilities by critical observation of market trends, financial information and similar features. By looking and adopting these strategies one can surely earn more profit. There are also fewer probabilities of loss.
Prioritizing Business

For a trader to determine the right Forex trading technique, the trader must drive his targets in Forex business. The first and the basic step for a trader is to set his goals and prioritize his business targets. Setting the goals in the right direction is one of the most vital and leading steps towards gaining profit.

Another important step for all traders, who want to trade Forex is to specify a certain amount which they can risk without doing much damage to their trade. A good trader always aims at his profit, so the traders should determine the net profit they are aiming at.

As trade is the name of risk. Therefore, the Forex trading strategies are best adapted on the money the trader wishes to invest.
Day Trading

Day Trading

Day trading involves Forex trading strategies for short term traders who wish to get more profit in a very short time. These traders are mostly new traders and neophyte players. In case of the day trading the whole focus is on investments in which winning seems mandatory. Most of the market analysts believe that it’s the long term investment that leads to apex. This is because, according to them the price volatility, which the day traders take advantage of, are somewhat difficult to predict.

It is important for all the traders who want to trade Forex to ascertain an amount which they can risk without doing much damage to their trade.
Forex Experts

All the forex experts and strategy makers recommend a Forex trading strategy that would make use of the technical analyses and market trends. Political and economic crises have influenced trading a lot. The whole world is facing economic and financial crises, and a good trader should have sharp eyes on these factors. A trader has his own priorities and adopting Forex trading strategy won’t pay off, unless the trader knows the best forex strategy that would suit his priorities.

Forex strategies actually help the trader to broaden his mind and look into varies strategies, which will lead to profitable ways. These strategies given by the experts are to the direction to the trader. It is on the trader to look to the most feasible strategy.

DOJ files brief in support of health care reform law

[JURIST] The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] on Friday filed a brief [text, PDF] with the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit [official website], arguing that the health care reform law [HR 3590; JURIST news archive] is constitutional. In January, a judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida struck down the law [JURIST report] as a violation of the Commerce Clause [Cornell LII backgrounder] of the US Constitution. In its brief, the DOJ argued that the interstate health market can be regulated by Congress because it is fundamentally different from other markets due to the pervasive government involvement in health care spending. It also argued that the minimum coverage provision, which is the focus of the litigation, is constitutional because it regulates only economic activity, disputing the lower court's finding that failure to purchase health insurance could not be regulated as interstate commerce. Citing to the US Supreme Court case of Gonzales v. Raich [JURIST report], the brief argued that there only needed to be a rational basis [Cornell LII backgrounder] for Congress to believe that the regulated conduct substantially affects interstate commerce, which was met here.

Congress's findings and the legislative record leave no doubt that the minimum coverage provision—which regulates the way people pay for services in the interstate health care market—is a valid exercise of the commerce power under the standards established by the Supreme Court. It regulates activity that is commercial and economic in nature, and that substantially affects interstate commerce. First, Congress found that people who consume health care without insurance shift billions of dollars of costs annually to other participants in the interstate health care market. Second, Congress found that the minimum coverage provision is key to the viability of the Act's regulation of medical underwriting, which guarantees that everyone will be insurable regardless of illnesses or accidents.

The DOJ also argued that the law was constitutional as an exercise of Congress's taxing power, and that plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the suit in the first place. The Eleventh Circuit denied the petition for initial hearing en banc [JURIST report] in the appeal. The order confirmed that the appeal will nonetheless be expedited. Oral arguments are currently scheduled for June 8 before a randomly-selected three-judge panel. The identities of the panel members will not be disclosed until at least 14 days before the arguments. Last month, the Obama administration filed a brief with the court contesting the plaintiff states' request [JURIST report] to have the appeal heard by an en banc court. Last month, Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli filed a petition for a writ of certiorari [JURIST report] with the US Supreme Court asking the court to rule on the constitutionality of the law on an expedited basis, before the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rules on the issue, but the Obama administration opposes the petition [JURIST report]. In January, a judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Virginia dismissed a lawsuit [JURIST report] challenging a provision of the health care reform law. In October, a federal judge in Michigan ruled that the law is constitutional [JURIST report] under the Commerce Clause as it addresses the economic effects of health care decisions, and that it does not represent an unconstitutional direct ta

Health Care’s Strain on Environment Could Be Less

A new study suggests health IT systems can help reduce negative impacts on the environment. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Norbert Kaiser

A Kaiser Permanente study into the use of health information technology concludes that electronic health records could lower carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 1.7 million tons if used across the whole U.S. population.
Health care-related activities contribute as much as 8 percent of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, but the study suggests this can be curtailed with greater adoption of technology within the healthcare system.
READ: Health Care Reform’s Eco Impact
The study also went in depth on Kaiser Permanente’s existing health IT systems. It found that the health insurance company saved 1,044 tons of paper for medical charts; reduced toxic chemicals by 33.3 tons from X-ray machines by digitizing and archiving scans; and saved up to 92,000 tons of CO2 emissions by replacing face-to-face patient visits with virtual ones.
In 2004, President Bush signed an executive order to establish this kind of technology in hospitals, not only for the environmental benefits, but also for the improved efficiency and economic value. A RAND Health study found that widespread adoption of health information technology could save the U.S. healthcare system $81 billion annually.
But until recently, adoption numbers have been low.
Last year, the top five medical groups, including Kaiser Permanente, banded together to create a patient information exchange consisting entirely of electronic health records.
Obama administration incentives, up to $44,000 per physician, may have helped spur the endeavor, but health information technology has a long way to go before all of the potential benefits are see

Canucks Vs. Predators, Game 4: Ryan Kesler Becomes The Hero In Vancouver's 4-2 Victory

Ryan Kesler hadn't scored in the playoffs before heading to Nashville. The land of honky-tonk bars and neon dreams has served Kesler well as he has three goals in two games including two game winning goals for the Canucks. His second game winning goal in two nights have given the Canucks a 4-2 victory in Game 4 and a 3-1 series lead over the Predators.
Nashville's Cody Franson scored his first career playoff goal early in the third on a puck that couldn't even be seen by the television cameras. David Legwand set the play up behind the net and found Cody Franson at the blue line. Franson wound up and shot the puck which went in the net, but was lost by Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo and all of the television cameras in the building.
Vancouver regained the lead off of a Ryan Kesler goal at the 7:28 mark of the third period on a Ryan Kesler goal. Kesler entered the zone on the powerplay and powered his way past two Nashville defensemen and found a open spot to beat Pekka Rinne. It is Kesler's second game winning goal, his first of the playoffs coming on the powerplay in Game 3. The Canucks sealed the deal with an empty net goal late in the third period.
The Canucks offense outshot the Predators 28-21 in the game and winning goaltender Roberto Luongo made 19 saves in the win. In the loss, Pekka Rinne made 25 saves.

Royal in a thriller

In a match that swung vigorously from side to side , Royal pulled off a hard fought 11 points (1 try and 2 penalties) to 10 (2 tries) win over Isipathana to regain the Major Milroy Fernando Memorial Trophy at the Royal Sports Complex grounds yesterday.

Royal captain and Number 8 Shehan Pathirana tries to break off from a tackle by a Isipathana player. An incident in the Royal-Isipathana school rugby encounter which Royal won 11-10 to regain the Milroy Fernando Trophy at the Royal Sports Complex grounds yesterday. Pic: Kavindra Perera

Royal almost handed over the game on a platter to their opponents when in the second half while working their three quarter line a Royal player dropped the ball and a Isipathana player booted the loose ball into the Royal territory and Mekalanka Pramod fell over a to score a unconverted try.
With the score reading 11-10 in favour of Royal , Isipathana had their last chance to push for a win but the last minute penalty was missed by Prashan Attanayake.
Isipathana ran the ball and made full use of possession at every opportunity and at times poor ball handling at crucial moments deprived them from scoring.
Royal played with their forwards, but could not make much headway due to some effective tackling by Isipathana. During the major part of the first half Royal defence looked fragile but Isipathana could not really capitalise on it.
Isipathana missed their first scoring opportunity when skipper Prasad Devinda missed a relatively easy thirty five meter penalty. Then Mekalanka Pramod covered good ground to touch down claiming a try, but referee Pradeep Fernando disallowed it due to knocking on.
Arshad Jamaldeen missed an easy 25 meter penalty for Royal and both teams were trying hard to break the dead lock.
Finally Isipathana managed to draw first blood through their winger Mekalanka Pramod who touched down for an unconverted try and Isipathana led 5-0. Isipathana should have added another three points to their tally not for skipper Prasad Devinda failing to put over a penalty. Arshad Jamaldeen reduced the deficit 3-5 by firing over a penalty.
Isipathana led 5-3 at the breather.
On resumption Jamaldeen put over another penalty for Royal to take the lead 6-5.
Royal playing with better cohesion scored their first try when Arshad Jamaldeen's cross kick was followed by the winger and skipper Shehan Pathirana who gave the finishing touches falling over. Jamaldeen missed a difficult conversion.
During the mid second half Royal made a costly mistake when their three quarters dropped the ball near their goal line and a Isipathana player Mekalanka Pramod booted the ball and fell over.
Play was held up in semi darkness due to a section of the crowd throwing objects at the side referee soon after a Isipathana player was sent off the field.
When play resumed Isipathana was awarded a penalty and their last chance of winning faded away when Attanayake fluffed with the kick.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Destroy Celtics Down the Stretch to Help Heat Take 2-0 Series Lead

IAMI -- With seven minutes left in the Celtics' Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Miami Heat, they had a clean slate and a chance to steal a difficult road win from the South Beach behemoth.
It was 80-80. After all the minor injuries, all the scoreless stretches and all the explosions of athleticism and scoring from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, it was even-steven. All the Celtics needed was one last push to pull off a comeback win, tie the series 1-1, and head home with a chance to pull away.

Instead, they watched the Heat go off for a 14-0 run, and they're headed back to Boston with their tail between their legs, down 2-0.

"They scored and we couldn't score," Doc Rivers said. "Honestly, let's just simplify it.

"I always say that if we can't score down the stretch, that's always on me. I've got to do something different. I've got to go to Paul [Pierce] more. I've got to get Ray [Allen] more shots. But I've got to tell you, for me today was tough, because I didn't know who the hell was healthy."

That's pretty much where the Celtics stand right now -- aside from being defeated twice in Miami on the scoreboard, they're also looking defeated physically. Rajon Rondo battled back pain on Tuesday night, Pierce left early with a strained foot, and Allen revealed postgame that he needed medical attention Tuesday night after taking a hard elbow from James and feeling short of breath. Not to mention a certain 39-year-old Hall of Fame-bound big man.

The C's had been through a lot in 41 minutes on Tuesday night. They just didn't have enough left in the tank for the final seven.

Between the 7:09 and 3:19 marks in the fourth quarter, the Celtics went without a single point. They tried to get the ball inside, but at a certain point it just wasn't happening for them. They started settling for jumpers, they kept missing, and the discouragement just kept building.

Meanwhile, LeBron and Wade were slicing and dicing the Celtics' defense, cruising late to a 102-91 win. This much has been proven -- if the game is reduced to a battle of individual scorers, then you might as well anoint the Heat now.

"We're not winning that way," Rivers said. "I told you that before the series started. We're not a one-on-one basketball team. I think Paul may be the only one, really, that can beat guys on his own. But they're going to send help, usually with Rondo's guy, making it difficult for him to do that. That's just not who we are."

The Celtics' 2-0 deficit is no fluke. Through two games, they've been the far inferior team. They went into enemy territory and got outplayed by two fantastic players thriving in front of their home crowd. Wade had 38 points in Game 1, James had 35 in Game 2. They haven't just been hot, right now, they're just better.

The C's have never been down 2-0 in the Big Three era. The last time Boston trailed a postseason series after two games, it was the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2004, against the Pacers. Back before Jermaine O'Neal was a Celtic, James Jones was on the Heat and Reggie Miller was on TNT, they teamed up to sweep Boston in the playoffs.

For this group? This is a totally new situation. And it's one that they'll have to stew in for the next three days.

"I've learned over the course of my life and my career that the adversity that we face is ultimately what makes us who we are," Allen said. "That's why we're all here. Being down 2-0 doesn't scare any of us. It doesn't make us nervous. It's just an opportunity to come out and shine. We have an opportunity to go home and play in front of our crowd and put some good basketball out there."

The layoff -- Game 3 isn't until 8 p.m. Saturday -- couldn't possibly come at a better time. The Celtics need a few days to erase the effects of these first two games, both physically and mentally, and as luck would have it those days are on the schedule.

The Celtics are down. Soon, they might be out. But they have some time to refresh themselves and refocus for what's ahead.

"The rest is good," Rivers said. "It's very good for us, because we are a little banged up. Tomorrow I told them to go golfing, go do whatever they want to do. Stay away from each other, stay away from film, and just stay away from basketball. Just relax. Then we'll get right back at it on the next day and build up until Game 3. Game 3 will be in Boston, and we like being in Bosto

BP to Pay $25 Million as Penalty for Alaskan Oil Pipeline Spill in 2006

On May 3, BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. made an agreement to pay $25 million as a penalty to Alaska.  This penalty came to BP as a result of spilling more than 5,000 barrels of crude oil from its pipelines on Alaska’s North Slope in 2006. About $20 million of the fee that BP is required to pay will go to Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, and the remaining amount will be put into the US Treasury.
The cause of the spill was corrosion of BP’s pipeline.  The Alaskan government filed suit against BP in Anchorage federal court in March 2009 for inadequate maintenance.
Representation for BP was given by Randal Buckendorf, chief counsel, as well as outside counsel Carol Dinkins, who is from Vinsen & Elkins Houston office.
According to Ignacia Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, “This penalty should serve as a wake-up call to all pipeline operators that they will be held accountable for the safety of their operations…”
It has already cost BP $200 million to replace the leaky pipelines, and according to the settlement yesterday, it is now required to develop a program that is system-wide to manage the integrity of its 1,600 miles of pipeline on the North Slope of Alaska, which will cost about $60 million more.
Since the spill in 2006, BP also paid a criminal fine of $20 million after pleading guilty in 2007 to a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act.

European Central Bank Keeps Interest Rate Unchanged At 1.25%

The European Central Bank just keeps the key interest rate at 1.25%, in-line with expectation.  Just as Jean-Claude Trichet suggested, the rate hike last month wasn’t the start of a series of rate hikes.  As a reminder, the ECB raised interest rate by 25 basis points last month as inflation risk increases.

For the ECB, the key concern is, of course, inflation, as price stability is their only mandate.  The flash estimate of inflation in the Euro area rose to 2.8%, so inflation is rising in the Europe as a whole.  However, I have repeatedly stressed that parts of the Eurozone countries have significantly lower inflation (or even still under threat of deflation), while some peripheral countries with debt crisis have high inflation. 

To me, that’s just another manifestation of the absurdity of Euro area.  It is as absurd as the gold standard, which encouraged inflow of gold into the United States in the run-up of the Great Depression.  Going forward, inflation will still be a great concern for the European Central Bank, and the market was expecting two more rate hikes for the year.  That will be bad for the peripheral countries.

General Motors Earnings Cheat Sheet: Fifth Straight Profitable Quarter

eneral Motors Company (NASDAQ:GM) reported its results for the first quarter.
Don’t Miss: Wall St. Cheat Sheet’s newest Feature Trades of the Month!
General Motors Company Earnings Cheat Sheet for the First Quarter
Results: Net income for the company rose to $3.2 billion ($1.77/share) vs. $0.9 billion ($0.55 cents/share) the year earlier. A more than three-fold rise.
Revenue: Rose to $36.2 billion from $31.5 billion a year ago.
Actual vs. Wall St. Expectations: GM beat the mean analyst estimate of 93 cents/share. Estimates ranged from 64 cents per share to $1.29 per share.
Quoting Management: “We are on plan,” said Dan Akerson, chairman and CEO. “GM has delivered five consecutive profitable quarters, thanks to strong customer demand for our new fuel-efficient vehicles and a competitive cost structure that allows us to leverage our strong brands around the world and focus on driving profitable automotive growth.”
Competitors to Watch: Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM), HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. (NYSE:HMC), Daimler AG (DDAIF), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NSANY), Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Volkswagen AG (VLKAY), Tata Motors Limited (NYSE:TTM), Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPAR), and Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE:FSS)
Stock Performance: Shares of GM are trading at $32.13 as of May 5, 2011 at 9:55 AM ET, down 2.75% from the previous close.


Don’t Miss Wall St. Cheat Sheet’s newest Feature Trades of the Month!
Your Investment Guide is Here: Click here for your FREE Special Report: Stocks & Bonds Outlook 2011 >>

Samsung Infuse 4G: A $200 Android Smartphone Coming to AT&T on May 15, 2011

Samsung Infuse 4G Android superphone is coming to AT&T on May 15th for $200, with a two-year contract, announched the company on Thursday May 5.

"Unlike AT&T's other "4G" devices such as the Motorola Atrix 4G, the Infuse 4G is the first that supports HSDPA Category 14, which'll provide downstream speeds of up to 21 Mbps over AT&T's network."
The Infuse 4G packs a huge 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display. Due to the immense size of the device, Samsung has managed to slim it down to just 8.9mm at the thinnest point, while still managing to pack a 1.2 GHz Hummingbird processor (single-core), 8 MP rear camera with 720p video support and a 1.3 MP front facing camera.
And, Infuse 4G will come with a pre-loaded version Angry Birds that features an exclusive hidden level especially for Infuse 4G buyers. Also note, the device will be loaded with Samsung's TouchWiz UI from the Galaxy S 1 & 2, with Samsung providing $25 credit with the device to purchase content from the included Media Hub.

HTC Sensation up for pre-order at Vodafone UK, delivery promised by May 19th

HTC couldn't let Samsung and Motorola have all the dual-core fun in the UK and it's now let Vodafone detail the earliest known availability of its mighty Sensation. That 1.2GHz, aluminum-clad handset has gone up for pre-order today, with Vodafone aiming to deliver "by the 19th of May." Not exactly the firmest of promises here, but it's good to know that in a couple of weeks we'll have yet another contender in the dual-core Android wars. We suspect other European markets will be joining the UK at about the same time, and T-Mobile in the US shouldn't be too far behind either.

Spotify takes on iTunes with new music downloads store and iPod syncing

Is streaming music service Spotify a direct rival to Apple’s iTunes? If it wasn’t before, it certainly is now. Today, Spotify is launching its own music downloads store, adding iPod syncing to its desktop client, and opening up its mobile apps to users of its free service.
Today’s changes are a lot to take on board at once, but the central theme is going toe to toe with Apple. Spotify wants its desktop client to be the default music player (and store) for its more-than nine million free users, and it wants its mobile app to be the default music player on their handsets.
The new features will be part of updates to Spotify’s desktop and mobile apps, which will start rolling out to users today. Music Ally was given a demonstration by Spotify’s chief product officer Gustav Soderstrom yesterday in London.
First, the desktop application and iPod syncing. When users get the update, it will automatically scan their hard drive for mP3 files and import them, along with iTunes and/or Windows Media Player playlists.
If they then plug in an iPod classic, iPod nano or iPod shuffle, it will appear in a new Devices section on the Spotify sidebar, while automatically transferring across new MP3 files from the computer, rather than requiring users to choose individual tracks and playlists to sync.
What if people own an iPhone, iPod touch or Android device? That’s the second big change today. Until now, Spotify’s iOS and Android apps have been restricted to Premium paying subscribers – they’re a key reason to upgrade from free. Now those free users can sign in too.
They still won’t be able to stream music from Spotify’s catalogue – that remains a Premium feature – but they will be able to sync and play their own MP3 files in the app. The syncing happens wirelessly too, which is still a feature lacking from iTunes.
Soderstrom said Spotify is not worried about Apple’s reaction to the Spotify client’s ability to sync files with iOS devices – the company stresses that it is not reverse-engineering Apple’s technology as companies have done in the past, but rather is simply using the storage capabilities of the devices much like a USB drive.
The third prong of Spotify’s new features – and the most interesting from Music Ally’s perspective – is the new Spotify download store. It’s aimed at those nine million users of the free service, and is being pitched as a way for them to buy the songs in their desktop playlists in order to sync the files with their mobile devices.
Spotify has built the store in-house, rather than work with an external company like 7digital – its previous partner for download sales through the desktop client.
What’s more, Spotify has negotiated new licences with labels and publishers to sell MP3 bundles – 10 tracks cost £7.99 – just under 80p a track – and there are also bundles of 15 tracks (£9.99 – 67p a track), 40 tracks (£25 – 63p) and 100 tracks (£50 – 50p).
“You’ve been able to buy music in Spotify for quite some time, but to be honest it’s been a pretty bad experience,” says Soderstrom. “You could only buy half the catalogue or less, and if you bought a playlist, you had to pay individual track prices for each song, even though you were buying a lot of music.”
Soderstrom says that the store will cover “100% of the catalogue” – meaning the songs available to stream on Spotify’s premium service – with all four major labels, indie licensing body Merlin and other rightsholders all on board.
He also says that Spotify is NOT taking a financial hit on songs bought for 50p a pop in the £50 bundle, as rightsholders have agreed to the “completely new download licensing structure”.
This contrasts with Amazon’s MP3 Store strategy, where it regularly discounts tracks and albums, but pays rightsholders the same royalty, swallowing any financial disparity in the interest of promoting its store. How did Spotify sell labels on the idea, given that they have previously pushed for downloads to be sold for higher prices on iTunes, rather than lower?
“We spent a lot of time licensing a new structure, which takes time,” he says. “Because we have managed to do successful things with our Premium service, we have enough faith from labels that they’re prepared to try something new. The labels are really excited about it. More than 200 million playlists of music that people really like have been created in Spotify. It’s a good idea to give them a seamless [buying] experience, and a good price on that.”
Encouraging its free users to buy their playlists may also provide Spotify with a new incentive to up its game on the music discovery front. Until now, much of the innovation around helping Spotify users to discover new and interesting playlists has come from external developers like ShareMyPlaylists and (recently) BBCify.
“One of our areas to work at is to become better at discovery, both through our own means and through the community of third-party developers that we have started to see,” admits Soderstrom, describing the process as “walking a tightrope” in terms of fostering innovation from developers while also improving its own discovery features.
Spotify was recently making headlines for placing new restrictions on its free service, including a 10-hour monthly listening limit, and individual track-play caps. Those changes were forced on Spotify by some of its major label partners/shareholders, although not all.
Today’s changes can be seen as a more positive sign of Spotify’s determination to make money from its nine million free users with carrots rather than sticks. But we come back to the unashamed challenge to Apple and iTunes as the big news here. Amid all the focus on Apple v Google v Amazon in the cloud locker space, Spotify is making its pitch to unseat iTunes on the desktop.
Apple’s response – as well as that of Spotify’s free users – will be fascinating to watch.
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Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Xperia Mini Pro Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Smartphone Announced

ony Ericsson revealed plans to introduce its second generation with two new Xperia minis: the Xperia Mini and Xperia Mini Pro smartphone.
The new Xperia mini line has two options: the standard version, and the "pro" version which has a slide-out keyboard. In many other respects, however, these devices have undergone quite a bit of change.
In the first place, because they have a bigger 3.0" screen, the Xperia Mini is actually slightly larger than the previous generation. The width and thickness have remained the same across generations, however.

Secondly, the screen resolution has been bumped up from 240 x 320 (QVGA) to 320 x 480 (HVGA), an improvement which coincides with the improved 720p 5 megapixles video camera capability of the device. Sony Ericsson says the Xperia Mini will be the smallest HD-capable Android smartphone available.
Finally, it has been equipped with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
Xperia Mini is a GSM-compatible device, with support for HSPA (900/2100) and GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900) or HSPA (850/1900/2100) and GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900).