trading and business

How Top Traders Think

2011-02-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

You cannot be a successful trader if you are not willing to have both profits and losses… “It’s like only wanting to breathe in and not wanting to breathe out.” Both are a significant part of the trading process… The other half of the equation is also important (and equally puzzling). You can’t put too much importance in gains. People who value profits too highly, tend to take them quickly. Why? Because if they don’t take them, they are afraid they will get away.
this quate you have to always remember to b a good trader

It’s true that if you continue to work hard on the market, you’d eventually achieve constant survival that you dream of.
Last week, my GBPJPYUSDCAD Hedging strategy experienced some tolerable drawdown – something that would be recovered soon. In addition, I saw about 7 gap trading setups on Monday and I traded accordingly. On Friday, I closed all open positions with roughly 500-pip profit. Yes my clients’ appetite is being whetted in advanced, since they’re ready to become beneficiaries of this effective trading methodology.
Last week, I was again invited by another former trainee of mine. As a financial expert, he served in the federal civil service for 35 years. After retirement, he dabbled into agriculture without expert knowledge – only to lose a lot of money. Can you now see that trading isn’t the only business that entails serious challenges? However, he was lucky enough to have started Forex training on the right path. He practiced rigorously for almost 3 years before deciding to play the market with real money.
When I saw the account he was managing, I was amazed. He’d made over 2600 pips in 4 months! I saw 500+ pips as open profits and they increased to almost 700 pips before I left. I was extremely glad that he’d stuck to the risk management parameters I recommended to him. He was able to survive December and January as well, plus he suffered occasional drawdowns which were recovered eventually. If you feel that 26% returns in 4 months are a small profit, then it’s high time you did something else.
He and the engineer I visited earlier had something in common. This thing would soon be revealed to my clients. Yes my trainees and clients are the direct beneficiaries of my trading methodologies.
How Top Traders Think

Top traders believe in their trading systems (systems that have positive expectancy) and their own ability to remain calm whatever happens on the market. They know that trading is a game of probabilities.
They know that all trading strategies in the world would have periods of losses each, and therefore survival is all about limiting your risk and giving away as little portion of a trading portfolio as possible. Whenever a strategy experiences a drawdown, they know it’s just part of the game – for the strategy would recover in due course. It’s only a matter of time. They know that they don’t need to expect every trade they take to win: what they need to do is trading according to their entry criteria and managing each trade according to their predefined rules. They don’t ignore a trading signal merely out of fear, nor do they increase their risk because of overconfidence. Their main goal is to be more effective in trading, not struggling to force out higher hit rates.
Dr. Van, quoted above, says further: “Most people… want to be right all the time. They want to make money on every trade. Yet that will not happen because losses are a part of the trading process. When you understand the relationship, however, you can come to terms with losses and make them okay. A natural part of the trading process is to have a point at which you must unload a position or trade at a loss in order to preserve your capital. Those losses will happen to most people about half of the time or more. And you must make them okay or neutral. If a loss is not okay, you will not take it. When you’re not willing to take a loss, it usually gets a little bigger. When it rains, it pours. As a result, it becomes even harder to take—much more painful. If you didn’t take it the first time, as it becomes bigger you will be even less likely to take it. What’s likely to happen? It probably will become even bigger. The cycle typically continues until the loss becomes so big that you have to take it. This typically occurs when you get a margin call from your broker.”

For certain people, it may take many years to develop a normal trading mindset; for others, they speed up their personal evolution as traders and survive their learning curve more quickly than imagined. If you can cultivate the kind of the mindset discussed here, you’ll soon see the seed of trading genius germinating within you. The team here at Fxinstructor.com is doing everything in their capacity to help you become the best trader you can be. You’ll do yourself a great favor by capitalizing on the services they offer.

FOREX-Dlr/yen spikes on intervention talk, euro jumps

2010-09-24T05:10:00.000-07:00

* Dollar/yen jumps above 85 yen then retreats

* Traders cite intervention talk but no confirmation

* Euro rises on IFO, resilient to sovereign debt problems

(updates prices)

By Anirban Nag

LONDON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The dollar spiked above 85.00 yen on Friday on talk of intervention by Japanese authorities keen to stem the yen's recent gains, but quickly retreated as doubts emerged about whether they had taken action.

That left investors nervous about more intervention and, with risk aversion hitting markets, traders said the Bank of Japan's task of weakening the yen was becoming even tougher.

The dollar rose as high as 85.40 yen JPY= from about 84.55 before talk of intervention emerged, climbing more than one yen from 84.34 yen. It later retreated to 84.26 yen, a one-week low and down 0.1 percent for the day.

"The price action certainly suggested that the Japanese intervened, but one can't be sure," said Kenneth Broux, markets strategist at Lloyds TSB Financial Markets.

"With stock markets retreating and a general pullback in risk appetite, the yen and the Swiss franc will be supported, making the BoJ's job harder."

Japanese officials stayed silent on whether they had intervened. Top currency diplomat Rintaro Tamaki declined to comment, Jiji news agency reported, and the Bank of Japan and the government also had no comment. [ID:nTKU106266].

Japan intervened for the first time in six years last week in repeated action that pushed the yen down from a 15-year high of 82.87 per dollar and shunted it above 85.

The dollar stayed above 85.00 yen until the Federal Reserve signalled this week that it might take more quantitative easing steps, putting widespread selling pressure on the greenback and casting doubt over how effective solo intervention can be.

"At these levels, one can expect the Japanese to intervene," said Lee Hardman, currency economist at BTM-UFJ. "Certainly the stronger fundamentals support a stronger yen, but I guess the Japanese authorities will be keen to draw a line in the sand .

Futures Rise Slightly Before Durable Goods Data

2010-09-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

There's No Business Like FOX Business
Stock futures pointed to a slightly-positive open on Friday as Wall Street waits for durable goods and new home sales data out this morning.
As of 7:30 a.m. in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 38 points, or 0.36%, to 10644, the S&P 500 futures rose 4.6 points to 1125.00 and the Nasdaq 100 futures rose 10.75 points to 1992.25.
U.S. investors will get durable goods data at 8:30 a.m. ET followed by new homes sales shortly after the market open at 10 a.m. ET.
Economists are looking for durable goods orders to drop 1.4% for the August report, according to Thomson Reuters, compared with the 0.4% rise reported for July.
New home sales are expected to bounce off the multi-year low of 276,000 annualized units that was reported in the July data and rise to 291,000 units.
Gold remains in rally mode, striking $1,300 a troy ounce earlier this morning before backing off some. Oil was up 0.3% to $75.41 a barrel.
On Thursday, the Dow sank 76.89 points, or 0.72%, to 10662.42, the Standard & Poor's 500 fell 9.45 points, or 0.83%, to 1124.83 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 7.47 points, or 0.32%, to 2327.08. The FOX 50 dropped 6.40 points, or 0.78%, to 813.71.

Forex Exchange Morning Report

2010-09-19T18:52:00.001-07:00

Forex Exchange Morning Report

US equities closed on Friday little changed (S&P500 +0.1%), giving up early gains in the fi rst hour of trading. Solid earnings from Oracle (second largest software producer in the world) contributed to the early boost, a weak US consumer confi dence report and Irish sovereign credit concerns responsible fro the turnaround. The Irish Finance Minister and the IMF both quashed rumours sweeping the market the country may need to seek IMF assistance, while some former Portugese fi nance ministers opined their country was likely to. Government bond yields (10yr) for Ireland rose 26bp to a post-1997 high of 6.29%, and Portugal they rose 13bp, compared to a 5bp fall for Germany. Commodities were modestly higher, oil (-1.2%) a notable exception. US 10yr treasury yields were 2bp at the close

The US dollar index moved inversely with US equities, closing modestly fi rmer. EUR fell from an early session peak of 1.3159 to 1.3020. Safe-haven Swiss franc outperformed, USD/CHF falling from 1.0180 to 1.0070. USD/JPY consolidated between 85.65 and 85.90.

AUD peaked during early Europe at 0.9466 (a fresh high), closing near the low of 0.9354.

NZD similarly peaked at 0.7333 and closed at 0.7251. AUD/NZD drifted off the 1.2955 session peak to 1.2900.

US core CPI fl at in Aug. This is the fourth month of eight so far this year that the core CPI has been fl at or falling – further evidence that very accommodative monetary policy has thus far not aggravated infl ationary pressures. The headline rate rose 0.3% in Aug, mainly due to a 2.3% rise in the energy component; food prices were up just 0.1%. Annual infl ation is 1.1% yr headline and 0.9% yr core.

US UoM consumer sentiment index falls from 68.9 to 66.6 in the preliminary Sep report. The fall to the lowest level for the year so far was driven entirely by the outlook component; the current conditions index edged up marginally.

Euroland current account defi cit €3.8bn in Jul. With the trade balance now in defi cit too, current account defi cits are likely to persist for a while yet. Other data included a fl at producer price index in Germany in Aug, for a 3.2% yr annual pace (down from 3.7% yr in Jul, its fi rst decline since last year).

Buyside uses technology to reconnect with clients

2010-09-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Institutional investors that have embraced the electronic revolution in the financial markets over the past decade are being forced to rely more than ever on technology to find the best returns in the face of a slump in trading volumes.

Despite a surge of activity in May, when equities worth €1.2 trillion were traded in Europe, volumes have fallen for three consecutive months – to €979bn in June, €846bn in July and €763bn last month, according to data provider Thomson Reuters. These figures are well short of the pre-crisis heights of January 2008, when volumes reached €1.5 trillion.

The outlook is grim too. The annual value of trading in UK equities relative to the size of the market is set to hit its lowest level for eight years, according to a report last month by share registrar Equiniti.

This depressed level of trading has brought with it more volatility, making it increasingly important for investors to seek out liquidity from the automated trading venues that have proliferated in Europe.

Rob Goldstein, managing director at asset manager BlackRock, and head of its technology division, BlackRock Solutions, said: “The amount of demand from the buyside for risk and investment platforms is at the greatest I’ve ever known it.

This is largely driven by a much greater awareness among firms that these platforms are incredibly complex to build, expensive to maintain and need to rapidly evolve with market changes.”

By 2006, 96% of buyside firms had adopted front-office trading technology, which includes systems to help execute a deal as opposed to portfolio management or compliance tools, according to a report published by consultancy Tabb Group in May. This figure is expected to reach 100% by the end of this year.

With such a high uptake of automated trading systems, it is not surprising that buyside firms are looking to use this technology more effectively in the face of thinner markets.

Chris Sims, head of investment operations at asset manager Gartmore, said: “We are not currently looking to radically invest in or change our trading technology, but are instead focusing on using the systems that we do have in a more efficient way.”

According to Sébastien Jaouen, head of trading community services in the trading solutions group of technology firm Orange Business Services, this focus on technology is putting pressure on vendors to be more innovative.

He said: “The combination of lower trading volumes and the impact of the financial crisis has resulted in less assets under management at hedge funds and other asset managers. As a result, our customers are looking for solutions that are not off-the-shelf, and that they can easily and quickly integrate with their existing systems.”

These solutions range from systems that allow multi-asset class capability, to algorithmic trading capability, as well as improved information management tools, all in bid to home in on venues offering the most liquidity, the narrowest spreads and the best prices.

Rob McGrath, global head of trading at asset manager Schroders, said: “Whether it is identifying ‘problem’ trades or sectors within a programme, or working out the best venue and way to trade a block, the more information traders have at their disposal the better.”

It is not just market forces that are causing buyside institutions to take stock of their technological capabilities. Firms will also have new legislation to contend with, as the European Commission seeks to overhaul its equity trading rulebook later this year.

The changes are set to include the introduction of a consolidated data feed showing prices across all of Europe’s venues, as well as limits on the amount of activity that can be conducted on dark pools, venues that allow orders to be matched anonymously.

Financial News looks at three areas of trading technology that are capturing the attention of buyside institutions: algorithmic trading, transaction cost analysis, and multi-asset class platforms.

Algorithmic trading

The way in which buyside institutions look to execute their trades is becoming an increasingly pertinent issue, particularly as what little liquidity there is left is fragmented across several venues.

For many, the solution lies in the use of tech-savvy systems that allow orders to be conducted with the click of a mouse.

Miranda Mizen, a principal at Tabb Group, said: “The buyside have turned heavily towards algorithmic trading strategies, and have invested in the time and technology to give them this capability.”

Algorithmic trading is a process whereby computer programmes automatically enter orders on to a venue, within parameters defined by the investor, and these often determine certain aspects of the trade including timing, price and quantity, in a bid to secure the best deal.

It is a method that is particularly favoured by the buyside, as it allows larger orders to be broken down into smaller units to help manage the impact of a trade on the market.

Sims said: “We’ve seen a gradual increase in the use of algorithmic trading strategies and I would imagine that a substantial and growing proportion of our trades are now conducted in this way.”

Goldstein said: “Algorithmic trading is on the up, largely as a result of an increase in the number of automised trading venues and less dealerisation.”

However, not all buyside institutions share the view that algorithmic trading is the only answer, particularly with equity volumes being so thin.

McGrath said that while the use of algorithmic trading techniques was increasing, the rate of adoption was slowing, as firms weighed the costs of different execution methods and lower volumes made certain types of algorithms less effective.

He said: “The rate of change is slowing as the blend between algorithmic trading and traditional broking finds its balance. In this environment the value of blocks increases, both in terms of speed of execution and reduced market impact.”

Block trades allow an institution to quickly and efficiently move into, or out of, a large position, and offer an alternative to breaking up an order into smaller sizes, but anonymity is important when trading in this way.

If a large block is placed on an exchange, negative signals may be sent to the wider market, for example that an asset manager is looking to sell, causing a downward spiral in prices, as traders observe a significant increase in the supply of a stock.

The ability of large institutions to trade large orders, or blocks, has improved with the advent of anonymous electronic trading venues such as Liquidnet and Posit, which aim to directly match corresponding orders away from lit exchanges, preventing adverse price movements.

Jim Conway, head of trading at asset manager Standard Life Investments, agreed that these venues were proving more valuable in the current climate.

Conway said: “Over the past three months we have been using our execution management system less, using capital commitment more and using crossing networks, such as Liquidnet and Posit, whenever possible.”

Transaction cost analysis

The use of technology is also gaining favour among the buyside for its analytical virtues, particularly as investors try to better judge the performance of their brokers.

McGrath said: “With electronic trading the ability to access the market quickly has increased dramatically, but one area where there has been a gap is with the integration of the tools that allow the trader to analyse the trade and therefore make their trading decisions.”

A process known as transaction cost analysis, or TCA, aims to close that void and Conway said it was becoming more important and high-profile across the industry.

TCA is essentially a reconciliation of the difference between two amounts – the first being the value at which a transaction could be executed at the moment a portfolio manager makes a decision to trade, without any additional costs, and the second being the amount realised.

The transaction costs that buyside institutions incur come from several sources. They include commissions from brokers and the fees and taxes paid to exchanges and regulators, as well as expenses that are less easy to define, such as market impact, which is determined by the forces of supply and demand.

The result is that TCA has become integral to the buyside’s trading process, allowing firms to achieve best execution, control trading costs and bring greater efficiencies to their operations.

Sims said: “We’re spending a lot more time on TCA, looking very closely at execution data and having conversations with our brokers in an effort to ensure we’re achieving the best deals.”

This view was shared by Goldstein, who said it was becoming a more effective tool as the quality of data improved. He said: “We are aggressively leveraging our TCA systems across different asset classes.

The quality of these systems is dependent on the quality of data, and with trading becoming more standardised and electronic, we have been able to improve our analysis.”

The popularity of TCA has risen in parallel with an increasing demand for execution data from regulators, according to Sims. He said: “I think it is also going to become increasingly important that we keep hold of transaction data, as this is something that will soon be required of us by regulators.”

Multi-asset class capability

As volumes in equities markets have remained thin, investors are seeking to diversify their portfolios into other asset classes, and technology is developing to meet this demand.

Goldstein said: “If we look at the trends across the last few months, we’re spending much more time developing technology solutions by sharing ideas across asset classes – we believe that the market structure evolution seen in equities over the past decade provides a significant amount of intelligence for how fixed income will evolve over the next few years.”

He said algorithmic trading was moving into new products such as foreign exchange and fixed income.

Other asset classes already account for a substantial portion of electronic volume. According to Tabb Group, 53% of buyside firms now trade financial products other than equities through their trading platforms.

Of this group, 29% said they traded futures and options electronically, and 16% of firms said they traded foreign exchange low-touch. Some 12% of firms said they exchanged their fixed-income trades on electronic platforms.

Jaouen said traders “want to be able to trade a whole range of products and trade globally and the onus is on vendors like us to develop these sort of systems”.

James Davies, head of sales and client services at Trayport, a company providing connections to commodities exchanges and which has buyside firms among its clients, said the demand in other asset classes was in its infancy.

“We’re experiencing increased demand and pressure from hedge funds that want to be able to automate their commodities trading.

“Commodities are not quite as developed as the equities market yet in terms of electronic trading, but it’s going down the same road and we very much see it as a market with a big potential for growth,” he said

Govt To Stay Vigilant On Forex: Noda

2010-09-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Tokyo will maintain a firm stance against foreign exchange market volatility, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Wednesday after the government and Bank of Japan intervened in the market to weaken the yen.

"(Japanese authorities) will continue to closely watch forex market trends," Noda said during a press conference at the ministry building. "We will take decisive steps, including market intervention, when necessary."

As for communication with U.S. and other overseas financial authorities, "The Japanese government is in close contact with relevant and necessary parties," Noda said.

But Noda declined to comment on how authorities overseas reacted to Japan's unilateral intervention.

Noda said he himself decided to intervene in the market, as such a measure is exclusively under the Finance Ministry's oversight. He told Prime Minister Naoto Kan about the unilateral move beforehand.

At 10:30 a.m., the ministry urged the Bank of Japan to conduct yen-selling, dollar-buying operations.

"I think the central bank had intervened in the market by 10:35 a.m.," Noda said.

Noda said the size of the intervention would be announced later, "once the intervention is complete."

A strong yen weakens the competitiveness of Japanese exporters' products overseas and erodes the exporters' earnings when they are repatriated.

World markets rise as double-dip fears ease

2010-09-07T03:15:00.000-07:00

LONDON — World stock markets advanced modestly Monday as investors rode momentum from Friday, when an upbeat U.S. jobs report eased fears that the global economy could slip back into recession.

With Wall Street closed for a holiday, however, trading was expected to remain light.

Markets took heart after official data last week showed private employers in the U.S. added 67,000 jobs in August, more than analysts expected.

The figure bolstered optimism that the U.S. will maintain a slow but steady recovery from last year's recession and avoid another economic contraction later this year.

By mid-afternoon in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 index was up 0.3 percent at 5,446.17, Germany's DAX was 0.3 percent higher at 6,153.31 and France's CAC-40 was up 0.3 percent at 3,684.20. Asian indexes closed higher and trading on Wall Street was to remain shut for Labor Day weekend after closing higher on Friday.

With most major governments reining in economic stimulus measures and many pushing through austerity spending cuts to reduce deficits, investors worry the global economy would be pushed into a double dip recession, particularly as the U.S. slows down quickly.

Because the U.S. economy is the world's largest and consumer spending there accounts for a fifth of global economic activity, the stronger-than-expected jobs data on Friday helped calm investors' frayed nerves after weeks of worrying indicators.

"The renewed flight to safety we have witnessed over the past month is overdone and risks an equally large reversal when the worries over a double dip subside," analysts from Rabobank said in a report.

"As the unexciting, steady and below-trend global recovery continues, it's important not to confuse it with a double dip recession."

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index climbed 2.1 percent, or 187.19, to 9,301.32 and South Korea's Kospi rose 0.7 percent to 1,792.42.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 1.8 percent to 21,355.77. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.8 percent at 4,575.50. Markets in mainland China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and Singapore were also higher.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 1.2 percent to close at 10,447.93 on Friday. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 1.3 percent to 1,104.51.

Shares in the U.S. ended the week in the positive, the first time that has happened in a month. The early gains in September mark a stark turnaround from August trade, when shares fell on doubts about the global economic recovery.

The dollar fell to 84.24 yen from 84.27 yen on Friday. The euro was slightly lower at $1.2880 from $1.2895.

Benchmark oil for October delivery was down 40 cents at $74.20 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 42 cents to settle at $74.60 on Friday.

Noteworthy | Bats Global Markets had a record U.S. market share for August Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/06/2203445/noteworthy-bats-global-markets.html#ixzz0ypySKXgE

2010-09-07T03:14:00.000-07:00

Bats Global Markets, a Lenexa-based electronic trading exchange, said it had a record U.S. market share for August of 10.6 percent and a high of 5.8 percent in Europe. The share of U.S. market trading for August dipped slightly from its 11 percent slice for July.

Done deal

Epiq Systems, which provides software for lawyers handling bankruptcy, litigation and other financial and regulatory matters, said it had successfully completed a nearly $30 million stock buyback. The company said it had repurchased roughly 2.3 million shares at an average price of $12.83.

Freaky speaker

“Freakonomics” co-author Stephen Dubner will be the featured speaker at Park University’s Xerox Global Business Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Folly Theater. “Freakonomics,” written by Dubner and Steven Levitt, was published in 2005 and became a best-seller and cultural phenomenon with more than 4 million copies sold. The two later teamed on a sequel, ”Superfreakonomics.” Tickets for the lecture are $10 each and can be purchased at the Folly box office at 1020 Central

Crude Oil Falls for a Second Day on Speculation U.S. Fuel Demand Will Drop

2010-09-07T03:12:00.002-07:00

Oil declined to trade near a four- day low, as falling equity markets reinforced doubts about the global economic recovery while the end of the U.S. summer peak consumption season signaled lower demand from refiners.

Yesterday’s U.S. Labor Day holiday marked the end of the driving season. Refiners often idle units for maintenance in September and October as gasoline demand drops and before heating-oil use increases. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fell as much as 0.7 percent. Asian stocks also declined, with the benchmark MSCI Asia Pacific Index snapping four days of gains.

“Weak Asian markets and the weak start in Europe are pushing oil lower,” Gerrit Zambo, a trader with Bayerische Landesbank, said from Munich.

Crude for October delivery dropped as much as $1.39, or 1.9 percent, to $73.21 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $73.29 at 10:06 a.m. London time. Yesterday’s transactions will be booked with today’s trades for settlement purposes, as there was no floor trading on Labor Day.

Brent crude for October settlement declined 89 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $75.98 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe Exchange in London.

Crude also dropped as the dollar gained for a second day against the 16-nation euro, reducing the appeal of commodities as an alternative investment. The U.S. currency was at $1.2769 to the European currency, up from $1.2876 yesterday in New York.

“Equities are weaker and the dollar is stronger, so for the next few days we’re likely to move in a $70-$75 range,” Frank Schallenberger, head of commodities research at Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg, said from Stuttgart.

Rising crude oil inventories in the U.S., the world’s biggest oil consumer, are also weighing on petroleum prices, Schallenberger said. U.S. stockpiles of crude are currently about 5 percent higher than a year ago.

Commodities: Oil retreats in subdued trading

2010-09-07T03:12:00.000-07:00

LONDON (SHARECAST) - Crude oil futures fell on Monday with trading mostly subdued due to the US Labor Day holiday.

While there was no floor trading during Monday’s holiday crude for October delivery fell 58 to $74.02 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Concern about declining demand for oil drove prices lower, as the US driving season comes to an end. Monday’s Labor Day officially marked the end of the summer driving season.

Unease about the struggling US economy and an oversupplied oil market is also weighing on oil demand. Crude inventory levels are now at the highest level since June, according to last week’s figures from the Energy Department.

Traders will also be keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Hermine, which reached the Gulf of Mexico Monday evening US time.

Gold for December delivery was little changed at $1,251.20 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Floor trading was closed Monday for the US holiday.

The ad that uses YouTube brilliantly

2010-09-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

There is a strange and troubling rumor that YouTube is actually beginning to make money. (No, this is not merely because of the millions who continue to enjoy JK's supremely inventive wedding dance.)
Indeed, Google CEO Eric Schmidt was quoted by The New York Times as saying, "YouTube is a big component of our display revenue, and display is our next big business."
There is even talk that YouTube will earn $450 million this year. But it's hard to remember too many great ads that have graced YouTube's often prosaic surface.
However, I am grateful to MediaBeat for bringing to my attention this lovely ad for the Liquid Paper-like product Tipp-Ex--an ad clearly constructed specifically to take advantage of YouTube's many physical dimensions.
(The ad does include a few injudiciously excitable phrases, so I'll put on the seat belt sign: NSFW--not safe for work.)

As you enjoy watching the hunter in this home-video-like ad avail himself of the Tipp-Ex--which is conveniently displayed next to the bogus home video in what would otherwise be a conventional and boring little YouTube ad box--please also enjoy some of the possibilities the ad gives you, once you realize the bear might not die. (In this respect, the ad may well have been influenced by Burger King's "subservient chicken" of several years ago, not to mention the more recent Old Spice campaign.)
There will be those who will enter difficult words like "kissing" in the space the Tipp-Ex creates in the title of the "home video." Inserting the word "kissing" is actually a good place to start. You will see that the creators are blessed with a fine sense of the absurd.
There was a day when it was the ads--especially in countries like the U.K.--that elevated the style level of TV. Now, perhaps, the lovable mess that is YouTube might be considerably lifted by more ads of this quality.

2010-08-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Salaries Offered to Pharmacy Technicians

Pharmacy technicians are people trained in pharmacy handling. They have all the skills necessary to handle a
pharmacy but do not have the educational qualifications to become a pharmacist. They workwith pharmacists and customers, handling prescriptions, patient records, and medication. A pharmacy technician fills out prescriptions by weighing, counting, and measuring medications as required.

Most pharmacy technicians spend their time behind the counter of a pharmacy, standing through the day to meet customer's requirements. Often, they are also expected to carry-in or move heavy boxes, ladders, and other containers that are delivered to the pharmacy. A pharmacy technician can be a single employee in a small pharmacy or part of a team of technicians in larger pharmacies.

Pharmacy technicians are often expected to maintain odd-hours, especially if the pharmacy is a 24-hour one. They might also be required to work night shifts and weekends. Their duties can vary depending on the pharmacy and range from simple medication dispensing and customer interaction to answer phone calls and operating the cash counter.

A pharmacy technician's salary mostly depends on his experience and qualifications. Many technicians do not have any formal qualification and have learnt the pharmacy trade on-the-job under a pharmacist. Such pharmacists generally receive lower salaries than those with a formal diploma or certificate in pharmacy handling.

The overall work experience of a pharmacy technician is also an important deciding criterion in his salary. Pharmacy technician salary for new or trainee level technicians usually ranges around $25,000 per annum for the first couple of years of work.

Once they have learnt the trade and have gathered some experience, they can expect a hike to around $30,000 per annum.

This can increase steadily with experience and a 10-year experienced pharmacy technician's salary can be as high as $40,000 annually. The average annual starting salary for pharmacy technicians as listed by the American Medical Association is $19,000.

If we consider the pharmacy technician salary in terms of hourly wages, then you can expect to draw anything between $10 and $17 per hour. Those in the initial stages of their career usually draw between $9 and $11 per hour, while technicians with several years of experience under their belt can expect and demand up to $17 per hour.

Pharmacy technician salary is also dependent on the type and size of pharmacy they are employed with. Pharmacies attached with big clinics or hospitals often have better pay scales than neighborhood pharmacies. Small, single-person pharmacies cannot afford to match the pay rates of these bigger institutions.

Technicians who are certified can expect higher salary scales, though it might not be much higher than the rates mentioned above. An increase in pharmacy technician salary usually happens once a year and then too, the decision is totally based on the discretion of the pharmacist.

It is true that many pharmacy technician jobs can be limited in what they can offer in the way of career advancement options unless the technician also has good educational qualifications or are willing to enroll in higher programs such as that for becoming a pharmacist.

The maximum promotion a pharmacy technician can expect in his career is to a supervisor position at the pharmacy. A supervisory position is possible if the pharmacist is employed with a multi-technician pharmacy and has accrued as much as seven years experience.

The yearly pharmacy technician salary for a supervisor can be between $40,000 and $50,000 depending on the pharmacy and your ability on the job.

September calendar

2010-08-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

01 WEDNESDAY
Dickerson Park Zoo, 1401 W. Norton Road, www.dickersonpark zoo.org or 833-1570: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Guests may stay one hour after the admission gate closes. Admission: $8 for adults; $5 for ages 3-12 and seniors ages 60 and older; free for ages 2 and younger and Friends of the Zoo members.Discovery Center, 438 St. Louis St. Features 11 galleries and more than 100 hands-on exhibits focusing on science. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday. General admission: $9; $8 seniors; $7 for ages 3-15; free for ages 2 and younger. Visit www.discovery center.org or call 862-9910.
Fair Grove Farmers' Market, 3:30-7 p.m. Wednesdays, Missouri 125 and Main Street, Fair Grove. Call 459-9734 or visit www.fair grovefarmersmarket.com.
First Wednesday Noon Concert Series featuring Janice Fulbright, noon University Heights Chapel, 12:10-12:50 p.m., 1010 S. National Ave. The concert features a selection of Psalms, songs of Jesus and spiritual songs. Free. Call 862-0789; www.uhbc.org.
"Made in Springfield: When Industry and Agriculture Reigned" exhibit continues through Nov. 13 at the History Museum for Springfield Greene County, 830 N. Boonville Ave. Hours: 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. the second Saturday of the month. Free; accepting donations. Call 864-1976; www.springfieldhistorymuseum.org.
Reading Pals, 3:30 p.m., Republic Branch Library, 921 N. Lindsey St. Practice your reading skills with pets from Pet Therapy of the Ozarks. Grades K-5. Free. 732-7284.
Silver Dollar City, 399 Silver Dollar City Pkwy, Branson. The Southern Gospel Picnic featuring the entertainers in Southern Gospel music, runs daily through Sept. 6. The park is closed Sept. 7-10, then the National Harvest Festival begins Sept. 11 and continues through Oct. 30. One-day ticket prices (tax not included): $53; $43 ages 4-11; $51 for ages 62 and older; free for ages 3 and younger. Call 800-831-4386 or visit www.silverdollarcity.com.

Pilot Pen Tennis Saturday Mens Tennis Results

2010-08-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Pilot Pen Tennis

ATP WORLD TOUR 250 $663,750 ($750,000 Total Financial Commitment)
New Haven, U.S.A. (-4 hours GMT)
22-28 August, 2010 Surface: Hard www.ATPWorldTour.com

RESULTS - SATURDAY, 28 AUGUST, 2010

Singles - Final
[9] S Stakhovsky (UKR) d [15] D Istomin (UZB) 36 63 64

Doubles - Final
R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) d R Bopanna (IND) / A Qureshi (PAK) 64 75
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Stakhovsky: “I have no idea [why I have a perfect record in finals]. I'm really happy to keep the score this way, to be able to be the winner of this match today. As I believe everybody saw, it was really more playing on nerves. There were a lot of unforced errors. There were really a lot of good rallies, and I hope it was really enjoyable tennis we played. I have to say it definitely wasn't our best tennis from both of us. But we were trying as hard as we could. Definitely we were fighting for everything.

"It was really an exhausting week for me. A lot of three sets. A lot of tie-breaks. Just a lot of time on court. Just now I have to get myself together and get ready for the US Open. I'm really glad to win this title. It pushed me to another level again. But I just need to think forward again and get ready.”

Istomin: "I'm so happy to be in the final for the first time. I'm like little bit waiting for my first win. But also it's not [going to be] my last final. I hope soon in the future I can be the winner.

"For the US Open I feel like I'm in good form. I'll try do my best there. I don't have an easy draw... but I feel like I can play good, show the good tennis."

Lindstedt: “Since we started in March, we’ve had our ups and downs. It's tough getting started because both me and Horia, we have a pretty strong will, we like to see our tennis in a certain way. I think we're both learning to give up part of our own way of looking at tennis in order to help out each other. When we connect like that, play well, we're a very dangerous team. We play very aggressive and quick doubles."

Tecau: “I think it's two very important things: trust and confidence. We learned how to trust each other, how to be confident in each other's game. We practise well together and we managed to find a good relationship on court, like a good attitude and a good way to be on court. That made a big difference for us to play good matches and lose or win those tough matches."

Thailand’s SSI to buy UK plant mothballed by Corus

2010-08-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

A man steers a kite buggy on the beach in front of Corus's mothballed steelworks at Redcar in north-east England. Photo: AP

Teesside Cast Products was partially closed down in February after a consortium of international investors pulled out of a legally-binding 10-year contract. More than 1,000 workers lost their jobs and fears were growing that hundreds more people would be made redundant if the plant was not sold.

Thai steel company SSI has now signed a memorandum of understanding with Corus to buy the plant for $500m (£320m), which would see it export 3.5m tonnes of steel to Thailand. The deal, if completed, would safeguard 700 jobs and create “hundreds” more roles at the plant.

However, it is unclear whether SSI is looking for some form of government support to see the deal through. Win Viriyaprapaikit, SSI president, said he would be meeting with ministers in coming weeks to gain regulatory approval, but could not say whether he was seeking financial input.

Kirby Adams, chief executive of Corus, said the announcement was “extremely good news” for Teesside, adding he was “convinced” the sale would go ahead. He attacked critics who doubted Corus would find a buyer. “It has been the chief objective of myself, of Corus and [owners] Tata Steel to find a viable long-term future for steel-making on Teesside,” he said.

He added Corus would continue to pursue its legal case against the consortium who pulled out of its contract.

PNE employee taken to hospital after drinking poisoned water

2010-08-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

A PNE employee became ill and was taken to hospital Thursday after buying and drinking a bottle of Dasani water at Hunky Bill's and Barnacle Bill's concession stand. Authorities are investigating.

A Pacific National Exhibition employee was taken to hospital Thursday night after buying and drinking a bottle of water at the fair poisoned with what is thought to be ammonium chloride.

Just after 11 p.m., the PNE employee experienced dizziness and muscle weakness and was taken to hospital 30 minutes after drinking a bottle of water from Hunky Bill's & Barnacle Bill's concession stand inside the fair, Vancouver police spokeswoman Const. Jana McGuinness said in a press release.

Upon later inspection, it was apparent that the bottle of Dasani water contained small holes where a syringe had apparently been inserted and the chemical injected in what PNE spokeswoman Laura Ballance called a single isolated incident.

The Vancouver police department is investigating the incident and, according to Vancouver Coastal Health spokeswoman Anna Marie D'Angelo, there have been no other reports of similar illnesses to Vancouver Coastal Health.

"Thousands of bottles of this type of water were sold at the PNE yesterday with no other reports of illness and Vancouver Coastal Health is supporting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in their investigation," D'Angelo said.

Ammonium chloride is a chemical irritant that, when ingested, can cause nausea, vomiting and sore throat, according to the International Programme on Chemical Safety.

D'Angelo said the employee was released from hospital shortly after being admitted and is expected to make a full recovery.

Ballance said PNE staff inspected their entire inventory of 30,000 bottles of Dasani water Friday and did not find any further problems.

VPD investigators inspected every bottle of water in the Hunky Bill's concession stand and the stand had reopened Friday, McGuinness said. She added that the water bottle in question had been delivered to the concession stand early Thursday morning.

"The health department went through the whole inventory," said Mark Konyk, manager of Hunky Bill's & Barnacle Bill's. "Between Coke [the makers of Dasani] and the PNE, they took it all out and they got us product back in so we're all good to go."

It remains unclear at what point the tainted bottle was injected with the chemical, Ballance said.

Mark Clarke, a spokesman for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said Friday that CFIA inspectors were at the fair trying to determine where in the water's processing and distribution stage it became tainted.

Clarke said that if the water was tainted in the manufacturing stage, the investigation would be solely in the CFIA's jurisdiction, but if it was determined that the poisoning happened post-production, then the VPD would take the lead on the investigation.

"We're not a hundred per cent sure if somebody sabotaged the bottle or if this was something that happened at the plant," said Clarke. "Right now it's looking like it was sabotaged, but we just have to do our due diligence to be sure."

The VPD was still testing the substance in the bottle Friday and gathering forensic evidence from the outside of the bottle, McGuinness said.

Spending abroad raises travel deficit

2010-08-28T04:12:00.001-07:00

Canadians travelling to other countries pushed the international travel deficit to a record level.

A jump in spending by Canadians travelling outside the country pushed the international travel deficit to a record $3.5 billion in the second quarter of this year, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

The deficit was up from $464 million in the previous quarter and reached the highest level since the federal agency began keeping records in 1972.

Canadians spent $7.5 billion abroad between April and June, up 5.9 per cent from the first quarter -- the biggest increase since the fourth quarter of 2007.

"In contrast, spending by foreign travellers in Canada decreased 1.1 per cent to $4 billion from the first quarter, when Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics," the agency said.

Spending by Canadian travellers to the U.S. jumped 5.7 per cent in the quarter, to $4.5 billion, as Canadians took five million overnight trips south of the border -- an increase of 3.2 per cent.

Americans did not return the favour: Spending by U.S. travellers dropped 1.6 per cent from the first quarter to $1.7 billion -- the lowest spending level since the third quarter of 1997, the agency said, and the sixth consecutive quarter where American spending in Canada was under $1.8 billion. Americans also made fewer trips to Canada in the second quarter, down 2.1 per cent to 2.8 million.

Canada's travel deficit with overseas countries grew by $194 million to $781 million in the second quarter, the agency said.

Spending abroad raises travel deficit

2010-08-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Canadians travelling to other countries pushed the international travel deficit to a record level.

A jump in spending by Canadians travelling outside the country pushed the international travel deficit to a record $3.5 billion in the second quarter of this year, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

The deficit was up from $464 million in the previous quarter and reached the highest level since the federal agency began keeping records in 1972.

Canadians spent $7.5 billion abroad between April and June, up 5.9 per cent from the first quarter -- the biggest increase since the fourth quarter of 2007.

"In contrast, spending by foreign travellers in Canada decreased 1.1 per cent to $4 billion from the first quarter, when Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics," the agency said.

Spending by Canadian travellers to the U.S. jumped 5.7 per cent in the quarter, to $4.5 billion, as Canadians took five million overnight trips south of the border -- an increase of 3.2 per cent.

Canada's travel deficit with overseas countries grew by $194 million to $781 million in the second quarter, the agency said.

Nokia N8 gets unboxed, rumored 26 August UK release too

2010-08-26T03:37:00.000-07:00

I know I wrote about hesitations of getting a Nokia N8 here before, but forget all about that since I will be getting one for sure. I want to get an orange one, but would buy a blue or green one too so it just depends on what becomes available and where. I just read over on The Handheld Blog that they had a chance to unbox a Nokia N8 retail package at an event in India. It looks like Nokia is using that great slim, low profile packaging that we saw with the N900 and other recent devices. I also like seeing the HDMI converter and USB-to-go cable so that people can get up and running right out of the box.

There are rumors of 26 August UK release date and if that is the case I may be able to buy one in the UK when I go back to Nokia World in mid-September. I just purchased my flight tickets late last week and am taking my wife and oldest daughter along too. I imagine that we will see more hardware announcements at Nokia World given that the N8 should be launching before Q3 ends and I am hoping I can cover the event with the assistance of a Nokia N8 too.

Viacom B N Vt Whitney Cummings Shoots And Scores In The World | USA NEWS UPDATE

2010-08-23T01:32:00.000-07:00

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PNE Parade 2010 Vancouver

2010-08-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

PNE Parade Vancouver. 100th Anniversary of the Pacific National Exhibition parade in Vancouver on 20 August, 2010 on Beach Ave. Part 1of 3. Camera: GoPro Hero HD helmet cam on a mono-pod (not in its casing) in order to capture sound. Shot in r2 mode (720p) .

Vedder River Photowalk

2010-08-23T00:26:00.000-07:00

The other day, fresh out of ideas for activities, we explored the Vedder River Rotary Trail in Chilliwack. This 15km network of gravel pathways for walking and biking is a vibrant farm-country oasis.

With tributary ponds and creeks, this is a natural Sockeye and Coho salmon habitat and home to make other little creatures and forms of wildlife.

When you can find a spot that isn’t too deep or the current has slowed down through an oxbow, you can walk out onto dusty beaches or dip your feet for a quick hop to a rocky island.

The river stones are bright orange, purple, white, or marbled. You can spot a few however, that look as though they’ve had a touch of human pizazz added to their natural colour.

With rusty-coloured leaves making their way down from nearby branches, there are signs of summer’s end everywhere along the trail.

Chilliwack, BC is located roughly 100km East of Vancouver along Highway 1. The Vedder River loops through the country from Glacier-fed Chilliwack Lake.

The Vedder River trail network is another reminder that there’s far more to do enjoy in Chilliwack than Cultus Lake waterslides and roadside corn stands.

PNE 2010 Concerts and Entertainment Lineup

2010-08-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

This morning the PNE announced its unprecedented entertainment lineup for the fair’s 100th year. The acts are huge to celebrate this monumental milestone for the Pacific National Exhibition. Check out who’s on the bill so far:

Kevin Costner and Modern West
Terri Clark
Michael Bolton
Loverboy
Huey Lewis and the News
Wayne Newton
Joan Jett
Mariana’s Trench
Spirit of the West
John Hiatt and The Combo / Los Lobos
Jesse Cook
Little River Band
Cyndi Lauper
Steven Page
The Road Hammers
Trooper

All of these nightly concerts are entirely FREE with your fair admission.

There will be the “100 Years of Fun Parade” once daily including a cast of 50 performers and 12 giant balloons (think Macy’s Thanksgiving Day paradae). There’s also the Kaboom! fireworks show nightly, and performances from the Metro Vancouver Naval 2010 Centennial Tattoo, the U.S. Marine Corps Band, the Seaforth Highlanders and the Vancouver Police Pipe Band.

Everyone’s favourites will also be back again this year as well — the Superdogs, Logger Sports, and the legendary Dal Richards with his orchestra.

This landmark season of the PNE will run Saturday, August 21 to Sunday, September 6, 2010.

Getting a Domain Name and Registering One

2010-08-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Your first step in your online business is to select a name for your website.OFC it is the address of your business in the web . though the name is label of your website, And when you think carefully, you'll find it is not only your own authority over your domain online but also represents your own business :D .
that's in brief .. you can ask me for more details if u were interested .. bbye

Getting a Domain and Hosting

2010-08-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Small Business – Getting a Domain and Hosting

These days, many people and businesses have websites. If you want to have a website too, there will be two parts to this. 1st : register your domain name, and 2nd : build your website. If you don’t know how to make it , don’t worry. That is one of the reasons why many domain registering sites also create websites for clients.

Look around and you will find that there are many different businesses that do domain registration and web hosting. There are many options for you,so u can save money ;) , you likely will want to have one company do the domain registration but have a different company take care of your needs or actually your hosting needs.

By splitting up the services in this way, you can take advantage of the best price for each service offered by any company.

Sometimes, convenience is more important than cost. If you are looking for things to be easy, but don’t care about the budget, go ahead and get a package deal where all of your website business needs are taken care of by one company.

By doing this, you cut the paperwork and hassle in half. You have only one company to deal with for any problems your website may experience.

Plus, there is only one bill. That’s a lot easier, when you can send in one payment to one company, instead of two or more.

Comparison shopping is critical, though. If you don’t compare prices, you can end up overpaying by a substantial margin. There’s no regulation for how much companies can charge for services and products related to domain registry and web hosting.

If you look at your options, you can compare prices on each component. You should find out how much server space costs, and what the charges are for domain registration and hosting. Why pay more for the same service, just because you didn’t do your homework?

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