The Business Matrix

German Economy May Avoid Recession in 2012, Two Institutes Say

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:29:00 +0000

The German economy will probably avoid a recession even as orders from its main euro-area trading partners slump during the debt crisis, two economic institutes that advise Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government said. The Kiel-based IfW institute said economic growth will slow to 0.5 percent in 2012 from 2.9 percent this year while the RWI in Essen said in a separate report today that the expansion will decelerate to 0.6 percent from 3 percent. Both institutes cut their outlook for next year from earlier predictions.

“Negative impetus should come from foreign trade because production in important trading partner countries in the euro region will decrease noticeably in some cases,” the Kiel institute said in an e-mailed report. “But the German economy will not end up in a recession.”

Unemployment in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is at a two-decade low of 6.9 percent, supporting consumer spending and helping to limit the impact of the euro-region turmoil. Business confidence unexpectedly rose for a second month in December, the Ifo economic institute said today.

“The continuing clouding-over of the foreign trade environment” is the main reason for its lowered forecast, said the RWI institute, which three months ago predicted growth of 1 percent for next year. “The fact that domestic demand is still pointing upward has a stabilizing effect.”

Consumer confidence will hold its gains in January as falling unemployment boosts the economic outlook even as Europe’s debt crisis worsens, market research company GfK SE (GFK) said today, forecasting that its consumer-sentiment index, based on a survey of about 2,000 people, will remain at 5.6 next month after three straight increases.

German unemployment dropped more than economists forecast in November, with the number of people out of work falling a seasonally adjusted 20,000 to 2.91 million and the adjusted jobless rate dropping to 6.9 percent. Economists forecast a decline of 5,000, the median of 33 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey showed.

“Leading indicators suggest that economic output will stagnate in the winter half” of the year, the RWI said. “The economy will recover somewhat in the course of 2012.”

German industrial production rose more than economists forecast and factory orders surged the most in 19 months in October after three straight declines. Ifo’s business climate index rose to 107.2 from 106.6 in November. Economists expected a drop to 106, the median forecast of 36 economists in a Bloomberg News survey showed.

The Bundesbank said yesterday that German economic growth will slow to 0.6 percent in 2012 from 3 percent this year before improving to 1.8 percent in 2013. The Kiel institute said 2013 growth will be 1.7 percent.

Europe Rescue Fund to Remove Clause on Euro Breakup

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:55:00 +0000

(REUTERS) Europe's EFSF temporary rescue fund will remove a provision providing for the break up of the euro from initial drafts of its latest bond prospectus, a source at the fund said on Friday, a move that underlines the growing sensitivity of the issue for EU officials.The Financial Times reported on Thursday that the draft prospectus included explicit warnings to investors that the euro could break apart or even cease to be a "lawful currency" entirely.

A source at the fund told Reuters the clause had been inserted by lawyers drawing up documentation but had not been approved by management and would not feature in the final version.

"The sentence warning about the risk of euro zone break up was in square brackets in the draft and it will be removed," the source said.

Same-sex marriage: US-based Nigerians condemn Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:59:00 +0000

By Punch On The Web

States-based Nigerians, many of whom voted for President Barack Obama, have risen in stout defence of the recently passed Nigerian Senate bill banning same-sex marriage. The Nigerian are concerned that while President Obama and the US government are opposing the same-sex ban in Nigeria, majority of states in the US have yet to recognise same-sex marriage.
A Detroit-based Human Rights Attorney, Kayode Oladele, said, "When you consider the issue of same- sex marriage in the US, it is not as if all the states recognise it even though they may not criminalise it as Nigeria has proposed."

He added, "There are 50 states in the US, a strong federal system, out of which only about six, namely, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington, D.C. currently grant same-sex marriage licences.

"Even in some states like California, where same-sex marriage was recognised, a later amendment to the state constitution changed it, saying, ‘only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California’."

Another Nigerian- American, Dr. Baba Adam, who is a university administrator and former US-PRONACO leader said, "We think Obama is trying to get the votes of the gay community in the upcoming elections."

Adam added that it was wrong for the US government to "coarse other nations to accept same-sex marriage when within the USA there is no consensus on the issue."

Adam, who actively campaigned for Obama in the last US presidential elections, recalled that even in President Obama’s US home state of Hawaii, gay marriage had long been an issue.

Also, a leading US-based Nigerian female professional, Dr. Mercy Obamogie, who is a practising medical doctor and qualified US lawyer, said banning same-sex marriage had nothing to do with human rights violation.

She said, "US should not meddle with the internal affairs of Nigeria especially when it comes to passage of laws that affect her citizens. Nigeria is right in banning such marriages for cultural reasons."

Wary European CEOs Move Cash to Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:49:00 +0000

By Bloomberge

Grupo Gowex (GOW), a Spanish provider of Wi-Fi wireless services, is moving funds to Germany because it expects Spain to exit the euro. German machinery maker GEA Group AG is setting maximum amounts held at any one bank.“I don’t trust Spain will remain in the euro zone,” said Jenaro Garcia, founder and chief executive officer of Madrid- based Grupo Gowex, which provides Wi-Fi access in 15 countries. “We moved our cash and deposits to Germany because Spain will come back to the peseta.”

European companies spent billions preparing for the euro when it was introduced in 2000 by 11 countries. Contingency planning for an unraveling of the currency involves cutting investment, moving money to Germany, transferring headquarters to northern Europe from southern, and even going out of business, according to interviews with more than 20 executives.

The Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank, registered capital inflows of 11.3 billion euros ($15 billion) from non-banks in September, according to the breakdown of its current account published Nov. 9. That helped transform a deficit of 47.3 billion euros in Germany’s balance of other capital flows in August to a surplus of 700 million euros in September.

In another bid to end the debt crisis, European leaders added 200 billion euros to their warchest and tightened anti- deficit rules in what they called a “fiscal compact” at a meeting in Brussels. European stocks dropped and the euro was little changed as the plan disappointed some investors.

From Greece to Italy

“How do you control an explosion in a controlled way?” Fiat SpA (F) Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne told reporters in Brussels on Dec. 2. “That’s a contradiction in terms. This will be an implosion of some size with potentially disastrous consequences.”

Companies switched gears from preparing for a possible exit by Greece to some sort of currency breakdown after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government collapsed and 10-year Italian bond yields rose past 7 percent in November.

“A couple of weeks ago I would never have thought about having conversations on the probability of the euro disappearing, but now there is more speculation on such a scenario,”Wolters Kluwer NV (WKL) CEO Nancy McKinstry said in a Nov. 29 interview at the company’s headquarters outside Amsterdam.

The board of Wolters Kluwer, Europe’s largest tax and legal publisher with offices in Frankfurt, Milan, London and Phoenix, has spent more time on scenario planning, she said.
Tapping Reserves

“We obviously have plans in place if something happens,” ABB Ltd. (ABBN) CEO Joe Hogan said in Zurich on Dec. 1. “They can never be as robust as you’d want them to be but we certainly are prepared if there is a crisis.”

The Swiss engineering company “updated what we would do” in the past few weeks, Hogan said. “We just keep updating and making our plan more and more detailed.’

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world’s largest maker of luxury cars, has honed its plans developed following the 2009 financial crisis and is prepared to act if markets dive, Chief Financial Officer Friedrich Eichiner said in November.

The Munich-based carmaker’s response would include reducing production by as much as 30 percent and using its banking unit to directly tap central bank reserves. The company also has reduced its leasing portfolio to manage risks in case used car values decline.

Companies outside the euro region are doing just as much preparation as those inside. U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said yesterday he’s seen studies suggesting a collapse of the euro would lead to a “very significant” drop in U.K. economic output.
Spreading the Risk

Kingfisher Plc (KGF), Europe’s largest home-improvement retailer, has considered plans for the possibility of a collapse of the euro region and will focus on cash generation to account for that possibility, Chief Executive Officer Ian Cheshire said.

The London-based company would start with a focus on working capital and making sure planned capital-spending projects reflect the level of uncertainty, Cheshire said in an interview on Dec. 1. It would probably also stop chasing unprofitable sales or market share with promotions, and focus on cash margins instead.

Top of the list of concerns among companies is the collapse of one or more financial institutions in Europe. Executives say they’re already moving money around to avert that risk.
‘Survival Mode’

“We are more careful about investment decisions,” said Juerg Oleas, CEO of GEA, a machinery maker based in Dusseldorf. “We have internally defined maximum amounts that we place with a single bank.”

K+S AG, Europe’s biggest potash supplier, said the company is assessing the counter-party risk of the banks it works with and, should they reach predetermined thresholds, stop the flow of any new funds into that institution.

“We spread our risk by defining maximum amounts that we allocate to individual bank or issuers of commercial paper and spread our funds broadly among many different parties,” said K+S spokesman Michael Wudonig.

Juan Jose Nieto, chairman of Service Point Solutions SA (SPS), a Barcelona-based document-management company, said he would move the company’s headquarters to the U.K. or Scandinavia in the event of a euro breakup.

“We’ve had to reinvent our business in the last few years because of the crisis,” he said in an interview. “We’re in survival mode. What’s happening in Greece and Italy not only affects banks but also companies like us.”

Cameron Blamed For EU Treaty Deal Collapse

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:56:00 +0000

By: Sky News

David Cameron is being blamed for the failure of the European Union to agree a new treaty to solve the economic crisis in the eurozone.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Prime Minister's demands for concessions to protect Britain's financial sector were "unacceptable".
Mr Cameron's defiant stance drew support from eurosceptic Tory MPs who said he had succeeded in protecting the interests of the City of London but critics said it would leave Britain isolated within Europe.

At least 23 of the 27 member states are now going ahead with their own treaty to bring in tougher economic sanctions and restore single market credibility and stability.

Only the UK and Hungary are certain to stay out of the new grouping, with Sweden and the Czech Republic consulting their parliaments before deciding.

Mr Cameron had wanted a treaty change agreed by all 27 member states, with the necessary UK safeguards to ensure crucial decisions were not taken with full UK involvement.

However, tense discussions that went on through the night at a summit in Brussels ended without an agreement to which the British PM felt he could sign up.

Mr Cameron said: "I had to pursue very doggedly what was in Britain's interests, which is very difficult in a room where people are pressing you to sign up to things because they say it is in all our interests."

He said that any new 27-nation treaty would have had to guarantee the UK's voice in crucial policy issues on the single market and the financial services sector - vital for the City of London - would not be diminished.

When it became clear this would not be the case he withdrew the UK's support, prompting Germany and France to lead the move to set up a separate treaty to achieve their aims.

Mr Cameron insisted the decision to create a new, separate treaty instead of being able to forge a "treaty within a treaty" did not leave Britain isolated.

However, it raises the risk of a powerful "inner core" of countries effectively excluding the UK from crucial finance-related discussions and decisions in future which could affect the City of London.

The problem for the 17 is that the use of the EU institutions - particularly the European Commission - to implement their decisions, would require the unanimous agreement of all 27 countries.

It means Mr Cameron still has some cards to play in seeking to safeguard Britain's role, particularly over single market and financial services issues in future decision-making.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso he regretted that unanimity on treaty change had not been possible.

"Those that have today approved this new fiscal compact have stated that they want to put it as soon as possible into a new fully-fledged treaty, after revision of the current treaties," he said.

"Having seen it was not possible to get unanimity, it was the proper decision to go ahead at least with those ready to commit immediately. That includes all 17 in the eurozone, plus some who are not in the euro area but want to take part in this fiscal compact."

He insisted EU lawyers had already stated that it would be possible for the EU institutions to take a full part in policy issues involving the treaty changes.

France Vows Powerful Summit Deal, Germany Downbeat

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:12:00 +0000

By Reuters
Pessimistic comments from EU paymaster Germany and new figures exposing growing stress among Europe's banks took the shine off financial market hopes of a turning point in the euro zone debt crisis at a summit this week.
President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel will lay out a plan to amend the EU treaty to anchor stricter budget discipline in the euro area, aiming to restore market trust and prevent the sovereign debt crisis spiralling out of control.

A French minister said the leaders of France and Germany would not leave Friday's European Union summit until a "powerful" deal is reached to arrest the crisis.

But while Paris voiced determination, a senior German official gave a deliberately downbeat assessment of prospects for an agreement in an apparent effort to jolt partners into accepting Berlin's terms and restrictions.

"I have to say today, on Wednesday, that I am more pessimistic than last week about reaching an overall deal ... A lot of protagonists still have not understood how serious the situation is," the official told a pre-summit briefing.

"My pessimism stems from the overall picture that I see at this point, in which institutions and member states will have to move on many points to make possible the new treaty rules that we are aiming for," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The euro slipped, European share prices turned negative and safe-haven German bond futures rose after the official dented investors' hopes of a comprehensive solution.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, whose fourth trip to Europe in as many months speaks of the alarm in Washington at the damage the debt crisis could wreak on the U.S. economy, backed the Franco-German plan to impose mandatory penalties on euro states that exceed deficit targets and bring forward a permanent rescue fund.

"I have a lot of confidence in what the president of France and the minister are doing, working with Germany to build a stronger Europe," Geithner told reporters after talks with French Finance Minister Francois Baroin.

"Neither Nicolas Sarkozy nor Angela Merkel will leave the negotiating table of this summit until there is a powerful deal," Baroin told Canal+ television.

Figures released on Wednesday showed just how urgently some European banks need help. Italian banks had to borrow 153.2 billion euros in emergency liquidity from the ECB in November, up from 111.3 billion euros at the end of October, Bank of Italy data showed, another big leap in reliance on the central bank which has almost quadrupled since June, when Italian lenders took 41.3 billion euros.

Euro zone banks took more than $50 billion in the ECB's first dollar funding operation since the world's leading central banks agreed last week to cut their cost, five times the $10 billion forecast in a Reuters poll of money market traders.

And Germany is set to reactivate a bank rescue fund created at the height of the 2008 financial crisis at next week's cabinet meeting, a government official said.

Fly Me to the Gloom

The ECB's governing council holds a crucial meeting on Thursday, before the EU summit, at which most economists expect it to cut interest rates to 1.0 percent from 1.25 percent, introduce longer-term liquidity tenders for banks and widen the collateral they can use to borrow from it.

ECB President Mario Draghi, who met Geithner on Tuesday in Frankfurt, has signalled that a euro zone "fiscal compact" could encourage the ECB to act more forcefully.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's heightened the sense of crisis this week by warning it could cut credit ratings across the 17-nation currency bloc, including for its EFSF rescue fund, a move that would fundamentally weaken it.

A Reuters poll of 13 economists found 11 expect France to lose its top-notch AAA credit rating within three months, a potential blow to Sarkozy's re-election bid.

Two days before the summit, new ideas bubbled about how to boost the euro zone's crisis capabilities. EU officials said leaders could decide to raise the combined lending limit of the temporary EFSF rescue fund [ Loading... () ]and its successor, the permanent European Stability Mechanism, which France and Germany want introduced a year early, in 2012.

But the German official said he could not foresee running the two funds simultaneously.
He also objected to talk of issuing common euro zone bonds as a longer-term solution.

A Franco-German letter sent to European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who will chair the meeting of 27 EU leaders, went beyond the treaty change proposal announced on Monday.

Merkel and Sarkozy called for a new EU fast track for progress on creating a common corporate tax base, a financial transaction tax and labour market regulations — ideas that are anathema to EU members such as Britain and Ireland.

"A new common legal framework, fully consistent with the internal market, should be established to allowing for faster progress in specific areas," the letter said.

The framework should also cover financial regulation, growth supporting policies and more efficient use of European funds in the euro area, it said.

With much of Europe facing a relapse into recession in the coming months, airlines worldwide face severe losses next year unless Europe's politicians get to grips with the region's debt crisis, the industry's leading trade group warned.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) shaved its main forecast for industry profits to $3.5 billion for 2012, and said the industry could plunge to an $8.3 billion loss with no region of the world exempt if Europe's debt woes precipitate a new banking crisis.

Cost to Germany Rising Van Rompuy has proposed giving the permanent euro zone rescue mechanism the status of a bank that would allow it to access ECB funding, but Germany has opposed the move, saying it would breach a ban on the ECB financing governments.

Another German government source said Germany's net new borrowing could rise beyond the 26.1 billion euros planned for next year if euro zone leaders move forward the permanent European Stability Mechanism to 2012.

Sarkozy and Merkel want treaty changes to be agreed in March and ratified before the end of 2012. If some countries block treaty change for all 27 EU members, the 17 euro states could proceed with an agreement on their own.

Van Rompuy says tighter budget oversight sought by Paris and Berlin for the euro area could be achieved quickly with only minor tweaks to the EU treaty, which might not require full ratification procedures in many countries.

Stocks Flat as Banks Offset EU Summit Jitters

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:58:00 +0000

By: JeeYeon Park
CNBC.com Writer
Stocks erased their early losses and struggled to turn higher in thin trading Wednesday but gains were limited as investors remained cautious ahead of a key EU summit at the end of the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged higher, after finishing higher in the previous session. Caterpillar [CAT 94.10 -1.86 (-1.94%) ] slipped on the blue-chip index, while JPMorgan [JPM 33.71 0.48 (+1.44%) ] gained.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also shaved their losses. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, climbed above 28.

Among key S&P sectors, energy slipped, while financials gained.

“This is still a headline-driven market and when confidence is shook, borrowers will continue to sit on the sidelines,” said Kevin Brungardt, chairman of RoundPoint Financial Group. “Europe is driving this market and if they are unable to contain the contagion, then that hampers our ability to diminish the unemployment rate and diminish our ability to grow.”

Brungardt said he expect the economy to continue in a “slow crawling” pace and the housing market will start to see an influx by early 2013.

Stocks opened lower following a statement from a German official that dashed investor hopes for a new boost to EU's bailout mechanism.

Geithner is due to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy before flying to the southern French port of Marseille for discussions with incoming Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Details of reform proposals to the European Union's treaty were due to be presented on Wednesday in a letter to European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who will chair the meeting of 27 EU leaders due to start Thursday evening.

Energy stocks dragged on the market as oil dipped below $100 a barrel after a bearish weekly oil inventory report. Peabody Energy [BTU 36.785 -1.455 (-3.8%) ] and Halliburton [HAL 33.6976 -1.8724 (-5.26%) ] were the biggest sector laggards.

Investors seemed to have mostly digested S&P's downgrade warnings. However, the agency added it could also cut credit ratings for several U.S. regional banks, including US Bancorp [USB 26.10 -0.11 (-0.42%) ], PNC Financial Services [PNC 55.31 0.34 (+0.62%) ], and BB&T [BBT 23.6101 0.0701 (+0.3%) ] in an ongoing move to apply new grading criteria announced last month.

Also among banks, Citigroup [C 29.26 -0.49 (-1.65%) ] declined after the banking giant announced that it would cut almost 4,500 jobs worldwide, almost 2 percent of its workforce.

India suspended plans to open its $450 billion supermarket sector to foreign groups such as Wal-Mart [WMT 58.80 0.39 (+0.67%) ] Stores, backtracking on one of the government's boldest reforms in years in the face of a huge political backlash.

MidAmerican Energy, part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway [BRK.A 116348.00 -1077.00 (-0.92%) ], is to buy First Solar's [FSLR 49.222 3.112 (+6.75%) ] 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farm power plant in California, a source familiar with the transaction said.

Apple [AAPL 388.32 -2.63 (-0.67%) ] will be in the spotlight after HTC said it has no plans to change fourth-quarter sales guidance, as shares in the world's No.4 smartphone maker fell over 5 percent on concern its sales decline may not moderate from a 30 percent drop in November.

General Motors [GM 21.90 0.22 (+1.01%) ] is closing in on a package of proposed fixes for the Chevrolet Volt battery pack that engineers believe would eliminate the risk of a fire being triggered days after a crash, two people with knowledge of the situation said.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia [MSO 4.031 0.911 (+29.2%) ] surged after news JC Penney [JCP 33.372 0.072 (+0.22%) ] may be buying a 16.6 percent stake in the diversified media and merchandising company for $38.5 million, according to the New York Times.

Talbots [TLB 2.55 0.99 (+63.46%) ] skyrocketed after the women's clothing retailer said the private-equity firm run by retail veteran Stefan Kaluzny offered a $212.1 million buyout. Meanwhile, Nomura raised its price target on the firm to $3 from $2 and Wedbush boosted its rating on the firm to "neutral" from "underperform."

And Men's Wearhouse [MW 31.86 4.67 (+17.18%) ] jumped after the apparel retailer posted earnings that topped estimates.

On the economic front, weekly mortgage applications jumped last week as interest rates continued to decline, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Meanwhile, China's annual rate of export growth slowed in November versus October, vice commerce minister Chong Quan told reporters after an official media briefing.

—Follow JeeYeon Park on Twitter: twitter.com/JeeYeonParkCNBC—

On Tap This Week:

WEDNESDAY: Consumer credit
THURSDAY: BoE announcement, ECB announcement, McDonald's sales report, jobless claims, wholesale trade, AT&T CEO speaks; Earnings from Costco, Smithfield Foods
FRIDAY: International trade, consumer sentiment, Greek short selling ban expires, EU summit

Decision time for EU, with euro's future at stake

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:09:00 +0000

(Reuters) - The euro faces a decisive week as European Union leaders, urged on anxiously by the United States, seek agreement on the definitive rescue plan that has eluded them for two years.
Despite short-term market optimism about a possible deal to tackle Europe's sovereign debt crisis and ensure the survival of the single currency, the outcome is far from certain as the EU gears up for a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

"This week, the stable future of the euro and thus the economic recovery in Europe and employment are at stake," EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn told Reuters. "This calls for a convincing package of measures from the European Council (summit)."

Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho went further.
"We have to find a response" to the crisis, he said in an interview with daily Publico. "If we don't, clearly that could represent the end of the European Union."

If all goes according to plans being hatched in Berlin and Paris, the EU will have taken a step towards fiscal union by Friday night, agreeing on a treaty change to anchor coercive budget discipline for the 17-nation currency area.

The European Central Bank will have cut interest rates on Thursday to counter a looming recession and taken new measures to provide longer-term funding for Europe's teetering banks.

And new prime ministers in Italy, Greece and Spain will have demonstrated their commitment to tough austerity measures and structural economic reforms to tackle their debt problems and restore investor confidence.

World financial markets rallied last week on the prospect of such a masterplan after ECB chief Mario Draghi signaled that in response to a new "fiscal compact" in the euro zone, the central bank could act more decisively to fight the crisis.

A convincing show of political determination to stand behind the euro and surmount the crisis through closer euro zone integration could prompt the ECB to do more to support Italian and Spanish bonds, cementing that reversal of market sentiment.

"It all comes down to what the ECB does, and whether political leaders produce a sufficiently convincing plan to give the ECB a basis to intervene," a senior EU government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity to respect the independence of the central bank.

However, if the 27-nation EU is unable to agree, or settles for another half-measure after months of dithering, the flight from euro zone bond markets may accelerate, confidence may ebb further and the crisis could become acute in January, when Italy has to start a massive refinancing campaign.

MERKEL PERMISSIVE?

Underlining Washington's vital interest in averting a euro zone meltdown, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will visit Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Marseille and Milan from Tuesday to urge key European officials to take decisive action.

Sources close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel say she is prepared -- despite hostility from the German Bundesbank -- to see the ECB step up buying of troubled states' bonds as a short-term bridging measure until stricter euro zone budget controls take hold.

But things may not go entirely according to plan.
Merkel visits French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Monday to outline joint proposals on economic governance, but Berlin and Paris still have significant differences about how the euro zone would control national budgets.

Merkel wants to empower the executive European Commission to veto national budget plans that breach EU limits before they go to parliament, with automatic sanctions for deficit sinners and the possibility to take serial offenders to the European Court of Justice for punishment.

Sarkozy, struggling to win re-election next May, wants euro zone leaders to have the final say, with no new supranational powers for EU institutions.

Several other governments, notably Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands, do not want treaty change at all because of the domestic political risks. Some fear it would be hard to win public backing in referendums.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who chairs the crucial end-of-week summit in Brussels, will present options for stricter budget control without touching the treaty, as well as steps that would require amendments, aides said.

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek warned last Friday that treaty change could be divisive and "dangerous." But diplomats say it is a political must for Merkel.

For British Prime Minister David Cameron, the choice is between enraging eurosceptics at home by allowing treaty change to go ahead without winning a return of key powers to London, or seeing the 17 euro zone states reach a separate agreement outside the treaty that could cement a two-speed Europe.

SHORT-CIRCUIT
Germany and France want to short-circuit the complex treaty amendment procedure by wrapping the new budget procedures into a single amended protocol 14 on the euro zone. They hope to avoid a parliamentary convention and spare most, if not all, countries the need for a referendum on ratification.

That has caused outrage among some lawmakers who say the EU's main powers are trying to sideline national parliamentary budget sovereignty without any democratic accountability.

In their defense, Paris and Berlin argue the debt crisis is an emergency that requires swift executive action to avert disaster, and that member states already signed up to the budget rules in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty.

While Sarkozy and Merkel put forward their plan, new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti will be unveiling rigorous austerity measures and economic reforms designed to save Rome from requiring the next international bailout. And bailed-out Ireland will be presenting an eye-watering 2012 austerity budget.

Italy has become the centre of the debt crisis since yields on its 10-year bonds shot up above 7 percent, levels at which Greece, Ireland and Portugal were forced to seek EU/IMF help.

Government sources familiar with Monti's plan say the mix of cuts and tax rises will total 20-25 billion euros ($27-34 billion) over two years. About half will go to reduce the budget deficit and help balance the budget by 2013, despite an economic downturn and rising borrowing costs.

The rest will free up resources to try to regenerate Italy's recession-bound economy.
On Tuesday, the Greek parliament is due to give final approval to a draconian 2012 austerity budget that is a condition for a second bailout package still under negotiation with private creditors, euro zone governments and the IMF.

On Wednesday and Thursday, centre-right leaders who control most EU governments meet in Marseille, France. That will provide the platform for incoming Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to outline his commitment to radical budget cuts and economic reforms to restore Madrid's parlous public finances.

It will also give "Merkozy" -- as the Franco-German leadership team has become known -- a last chance to lobby reticent partners, with Geithner in the wings, to accept treaty change as a crucial part of the long-term plan to secure the euro before the summit starts with a dinner on Thursday evening. ($1 = 0.7446 euros)

Expelled Iran diplomats arrive home in Tehran

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:49:00 +0000

A group of Iranian diplomats who were expelled from Britain have arrived back in Tehran.

A group of supporters chanting slogans such as "Death to Britain" were at the airport to greet them but the diplomats were hustled away by back corridors. The 25 diplomats were expelled after hundreds of protesters attacked the UK embassy in Tehran on Tuesday. British officials have said it is likely the attack had the tacit support of Iran's leaders. France is withdrawing some of its staff from its embassy in Tehran as a precautionary measure, the French Foreign Ministry has announced. In what was described as a temporary measure, it's pulling out an unspecified number of diplomats and their families for security reasons.

Those being flown back to France in the next two or three days will be mainly administrative staff and teachers from the French school in Tehran, says the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris.

Financial sanctions

The attack on the UK embassy came after Britain levied new sanctions on Iran, banning financial transactions with Iran's financial sector, including its central bank. The US and Canada adopted similar measures at the same time.

The EU has also tightened its Iran sanctions following a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog that said Iran had carried out tests "relevant to the development of a nuclear device". Iran denies the accusations, saying its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.

The Iranian diplomats flew out of Heathrow on Friday on a chartered Iran Air flight. Dominick Chilcott, British ambassador to Iran: "This was a state-supported activity" Their expulsion was ordered by Foreign Secretary William Hague after the British embassy in Tehran was stormed on Tuesday.

Iran said it regretted the incident, which it described as "unacceptable behaviour by a small number of protesters". But Dominick Chilcott, the UK's newly appointed ambassador to Iran, told the BBC Iran was a country in which an attack on an embassy was conducted only "with the acquiescence and the support of the state".

Mr Hague said there had been "some degree of regime consent" in the attacks on the embassy and on another UK diplomatic compound in Tehran. He also said all UK diplomatic staff in Tehran had been evacuated and the embassy closed.

The foreign secretary said relations between the UK and Iran were now at their lowest level, but the UK was not severing relations with Tehran entirely.

Germany, France and the Netherlands announced on Wednesday that they were recalling their ambassadors to Tehran for consultation, and Norway said it was temporarily closing its embassy there as a precaution.

The US, EU and UN Security Council also condemned the attacks. Iran described those who attacked the British embassy as students, but Mr Hague said the majority of those who took part were members of a regime-backed Basij militia group.

ECB open-sesame

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:33:00 +0000

The battle for the euro zone’s survival hinges on finding a way to unlock the European Central Bank’s firepower. Even if countries such as Italy and Spain implement necessary reforms, they may not be able to borrow at reasonable rates.

The ECB can prop up markets by buying bonds in the secondary market, but is forbidden by European Union treaties and its own statutes from financing countries directly. One idea doing the rounds is to use the International Monetary Fund to circumvent the rules.

There’s some legal basis to such a scheme. European council regulation 3603/93 exempts ECB loans to the IMF from the prohibitions on government funding. Article 23 in the ECB’s own statutes allows it to transact with international organisations.
Such loopholes aren’t legally watertight; neither clause was ever intended to fast-track massive bailouts. However, using the IMF would bring other advantages that could make the case for ECB intervention more robust.

Firstly, the IMF lends under strict conditionality. That would remove the decision to lend from the ECB’s governing council, potentially assuaging critics who view interventions – including the current policy of buying bonds in the secondary market – as compromising the central bank’s independence. It would also keep the pressure on bailed-out countries, easing fears of moral hazard.

Also, the IMF lends under a gentleman’s agreement that it will get its money back before other creditors. Unlike its secondary market purchases, that would reduce the ECB’s financial risks.
Putting the IMF and ECB at the front of the queue could spook bond markets by subordinating existing investors. However, that would be offset by the benefits of cheap funding.

The biggest obstacles to an ECB/IMF programme are probably political, not legal. The euro zone will not like the idea of transferring control of its destiny, while IMF member states won’t be keen on the fund underwriting massive euro zone risks.

One possible way to reduce this would be to set up a specific facility where any potential losses are passed through to the ECB.
Funding the IMF through the ECB may sound unorthodox, but no less so than the current policy of secondary market purchases. It is worth a closer look.

Debt-reduction panel spirals toward failure

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:30:00 +0000

By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON | Sun Nov 20, 2011 5:00pm EST

(Reuters) - After more than two months of talks, the congressional deficit-reduction committee looked set to concede failure, unable to bridge deep partisan differences over taxes and spending going into the 2012 elections. Republican and Democratic lawmakers cast doubt on any possibility of agreement in appearances on Sunday talk shows.
Without some unexpected breakthrough, aides said, the 12-member bipartisan "super committee" will admit defeat on Monday.

Some of the panel members appeared to be stepping up blame as the clock ticked toward an imminent deadline. They must vote on any deal by Wednesday but Monday is the deadline to have legislation written and presented to the entire committee.
"Nobody wants to give up hope. Reality is, to some extent, starting to overtake hope," Representative Jeb Hensarling, the panel's Republican co-chairman, said on "Fox News Sunday."

President Barack Obama, a Democrat seeking re-election in November 2012, has avoided direct involvement in the talks after making his recommendations in September.But a White House spokeswoman urged the panel to make the "tough choices" to complete its task - a package of at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade.

On NBC's "Meet the Press" program, neither Republican Senator Jon Kyl nor Democratic Senator John Kerry gave any indication a deal was near. They stuck to their parties' entrenched positions and blamed the other side for deadlock.If the panel does not reach consensus, automatic spending cuts of $1.2 trillion over a decade are due to start in 2013.

Failure by the committee of six Republicans and six Democrats, created in the wake of the battle over the federal government's debt ceiling last summer, could cement notions of a dysfunctional Washington among voters and investors. Congress has rock-bottom approval ratings of around 10 percent after more than a year of budget fights that saw the government pushed to the brink of a shutdown and then to an unprecedented cut in the U.S. credit rating.

Given unusual powers to tackle the government's budget deficit and debt, which topped $15 trillion on Friday, the committee was seen by many as the best chance in the near term for the United States to get control of its finances.
Some of the 12 panel members were chosen by their parties for deal-making skills and expertise on tax and benefits, while others were chosen for partisan loyalty.

EYE ON 2012

The deadlock comes back to two fundamental differences: Republican opposition to tax increases, particularly on the wealthiest Americans, and Democratic refusal to cut federal retirement and healthcare benefits without such tax increases.
While expectation for a deal was low, with an election year ahead and the ugly debate on the debt ceiling fresh on the minds of many, investors remain concerned about the inability of Congress to compromise.

They fear gridlock may hurt White House efforts to extend a temporary payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed, further harming fragile economic growth.
White House officials were conspicuously absent from the Sunday talk shows. Administration officials see little political fallout for Obama if the panel fails and believe there is still breathing room for a deal in coming months since the automatic cuts would not kick in until early 2013.

Those cuts would be evenly divided between domestic and defense programs. But some Republican members of Congress are talking about dismantling the automatic cuts to protect the Defense Department from deep reductions. Obama has warned Congress he would veto any attempt to block automatic cuts, even though his own defense secretary says the armed forces cannot afford to work with less.

With an eye on the election, many Democrats and Republicans have recently agreed on one thing - no deal is actually better than a bad deal. They would then enter the campaign period without having betrayed any of their parties' core principals and could blame the other side for not being willing to compromise.

Some are already positioning to score political points on the super committee. In a fundraising letter sent on Saturday, Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi said Republicans were thwarting progress on job creation and urged supporters to donate to get more Democrats in office in the 2012 elections.

'THAT LAST DIVIDE'

While many of the super committee members who appeared on Sunday talk shows spoke in the past tense about the talks, the two co-chairs said they had not given up.
"I am ready to work with anybody who can say, that last divide, that they're willing to cross that," Democratic co-chair Senator Patty Murray said on CNN.

Democrats say Republicans will not agree to raise taxes on the wealthy to help bring down soaring budget deficits. Republicans want Democrats to agree to long-term savings in growing costs of federal retirement and healthcare programs.

Murray said Republicans want to extend tax cuts that lowered individual rates - reductions that originated under Republican President George W. Bush. Those tax cuts run out at the end of 2012.
Republicans have pushed for a permanent extension but Democrats want the tax cuts for the rich to expire.

"In Washington, there are folks who will not cut a dollar unless we raise taxes," said Kyl, sparking an exasperated reaction from Kerry who noted that Congress has cut about $1 trillion from the budget this year without any tax hikes.

Business Is All About Positive Mind & Positive Attitude Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Michael, CEO Favoured Group Ltd

When I started my business at a young age; I was very fast to learn something from my lovely Daddy. I observe that doing business and succeeding in it is all about staying positive and doing positive.

Staying positive because as a prospective business owner you will be faced with tough decision processes; your employees will certainly involve processes that will make things unpleasant ===> certainly, it is up to you to to stay positive and make decisions that will make you a great business.
You must stay positive because you will need these positive concept a lot to mould a motivating environment to enhance successful and productive business world.

==>>> Positive mental concept is never something you start now and stop later; you must continue in it: it is a culture you must make part of your business. You need it; when things are going the way you never expected, you will need positive mind culture to keep you up, smiling and focused.

Staying positive minded is not enough; you need to allow your positive mindedness, to influence your attitude.There is this saying that goes this way: you act what you believe. When we dream about a certain greatness in life; it is our responsibility to align what we believe to our actions.

That's why positive thinking plus positive action will help you build a great business.
==>>> Positive action will help you to build any business or dream business you desire; this starts from a lucid or clear cut plans of action. With the help of great but simple plans; you carve out simple steps that will help you promote your business.

I urge you to be very simple when building your plans; in business, it is not how big or unrealistic the business dream is ... but what matters very importantly are your plans of action towards the actualization of these great dreams of yours. I will advise you to pay a close attention to your plan of action rather your dream. The size of your dreams are not important compared to your plan of actions. >>> Your dreams may appear inexpensive and achievable but you find out that by the end of the day you end up living a life below your expected dream

People out of fear, have failed to lead the expected life they desire; this is mostly the fear of failure: failure to living the prosed business successfully or what people might say. What most businesspersons failed to understand is the reality that the same plan it took them to fail is responsible to make them succeed. All you need do is to fine tune your plan of action to simple steps of success and staying positive.

It's quite simple .... you orchestrate your plans of action towards a negative order. You did not believe you can achieve the dream you have and sway your plan of action to achieve that; however, if you believe strongly in your dream, and believe you can achieve them; you will form a strong plan of action to help you achieve this dream.

See you in the next edition.

5 Qualities To Develop Personal Magnetism In Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:02:00 +0000

By Greg L. King

Every individual possesses a certain degree of personal magnetism, but may not appreciate their gift and are not equipped to develop the art of increasing this power. If one attempts to force the art of magnetism, it becomes a repellant rather than an attractant.

Here are 5 qualities to develop personal magnetism.

Develop a Deep Desire To Master The Principles of Human Relationships

Dale Carnegie published in 1937 his best selling book, "How To Win Friends and Influence People." In this book, Carnegie shared some of most relevant secrets to influencing people. Anyone, with practice and application, can develop these principles. Some of them are:

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Six Ways To Make People Like You
How To Win People To Your Way Of Thinking
Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offensive or Arousing Resentment

When I was a young minister, this was one of the first books I read to begin the journey to being able to effectively develop relationships and leadership in myself. I've continued my education and have read many other books by top business and relationship influencers such as Zig Zigglar, Brian Tracy, Earl Nightingale, Tony Robbins, Norman Vincent Peal, and Dennis Waitley.

Develop a P.O.W. Attitude.

When you hear P.O.W. what do you immediately think? Prisoner of War, Power of Women? Prince of Whales? Waitley wrote a book and calls it Psychology of Winning. People are drawn magnetically to those who possess a tenacity and vision and believe that they can and will win, no matter what obstacles present themselves. You'll observe top leaders in sports, business, and politics that have this quality. They have already won the top medal of honor in their endeavor, and that's the medal of self respect and vision for a positive future. Develop this quality in yourself, and others will be drawn to you.

Develop A Desire To Learn Practical and Relevant Information

Some of the most introverted and ineffective influencers of humanity have been highly educated. So I'm not simply suggesting education in and of itself makes one influential. Education that can bless others and lift them to a higher level in business, relationships, and skill is very attractive to people however. When you open your mouth, wisdom and practical knowledge beneficial to your listeners should radiate if you desire the power of personal magnetism.

Develop An Attitude of Serving Others

Selfishness repels. Service attracts. Every person feels deep satisfaction when they do something meaningful for someone else. That's why we are innately drawn to those we observe being of service to others. We want to imitate that quality in ourselves.

If you think about influential men who have demonstrated this quality in history, who comes to mind? Ghandi? He led an entire national revolution by passively serving others and conveying a vision for hope and life as it could be for his followers. Martin Luther King did the same. And of course, Jesus of Nazareth. He said, "I have not come to be served, but to serve." All of these men magnetically drew massive numbers of people to them because they served others rather than allowing themselves to BE served.

Develop Uncompromising Integrity

David Hakala's article on HR World said, "Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so."

Integrity is going back to the store and paying for an item the cashier overlooked at the check out. It's reporting that extra income on your taxes that no one else will discover. It's being honest to admit you are wrong if you said or did something wrong or made a mistake. Have this type of character and people will be drawn to you. Lack it, and you'll be seen as a hypocrite.

If you want the attribute of personal magnetism, you can develop it. Follow these four simple suggestions and you'll be on a path to becoming magnetic!

To your greatest success!

Greg King

Greg King is an internet marketer and spent 25 years as a minister and motivational speaker. He is the president of Global E-Revolution, a company that provides coaching, training and resources for internet marketing and work at home businesses.

You can visit Greg's blog at http://www.gregkingblog.com

If you would like free video training for your internet marketing enterprise, please visit http://www.internetcoaching.biz/articles

The Empowering Law of Attraction and Manifestation

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:57:00 +0000

By Rhodri Jones & Co-Author: Robert N Jones

A new age learning that has gained more attention than anything else, is the law of attraction and manifestation.

I've been aware of this law for a number of years now, but it's only it's been around 3 years or so that I've consciously applying it in my everyday life.

It took me while to get my head around how it all works, but the more and more I started to understand it and then more importantly apply it in my life, did I then realize how incredible powerful this universal law is.

It completely transformed my mindset from one of failure, struggle and negativity to success, accomplishment and infinite positivity.

Overview - Law Of Attraction and Manifestation

This law, alleged to have been hidden by religious edicts of old is said to be the dynamics by which the cosmos functions.

What a person has as a thought, desire, emotion, or dream attracts the very same, to the person's life.

It is the same as saying that who you are right now, your thoughts, your actions, your feelings, your choice of words, is what you can expect to come to you. And these are also what you are about to experience and manifest in your life.

Your life is exactly how it is right now because you have attracted it upon yourself.

Have a look at what's around you, or whatever is on you, for these are what you have made manifest in your life out of your thoughts and beliefs.

Working It's Magic Through Self Discovery

Some say that the law of attraction and manifestation is the key to achieving your ambition and desires.

It's also been said that the reason why this operating law, by which the universe unfolds, has been kept from most for so long, was due to its power to create.

Indeed, in most religious teachings, the beauty and perfection of the universe, is attributed to a Creator whose power is the source of all that is truly positive and good.

Truth to this teaching can never be scrutinized better than finding out yourself.

You, after all, in the context of divinity, are a spark or an extension of the immense divine power that comes from the one who created everything that exists.

Using the law of attraction and manifestation, to achieve your deepest desire and goals in life promises to eliminate some of the struggles and challenges that come with it.

Being able to attract and manifest what you want towards you, using your everyday thoughts, deed, words and perhaps throwing in a little pretence, is an easy route anyone will take.

Steps To The Law Of Attraction And Manifestation

Before you say, this law of attraction and manifestation is a piece of cake, a word of caution.

One very important thing you need to do, before deciding to channel your being towards a desire, a want, or a dream. Check your intention.

The first engagement of the consciousness, which has the power to make the law of attraction and manifestation work for you, is to reflect on your intention.

Your intention is what will fuel or energize your thoughts.

You may have the grandest of all dreams and vision, but in the end, it is the intention that you receive right back at you.

There are clear how to guides, and enumerated steps to make in utilizing this power to create, with the law of attraction and manifestation.

· Intention

· Ask

· Believe

· Receive

It can't get any simpler than these four words.

Identify your intention.

Ask for what you desire.

Believe that whatever it is has been granted.

And receive what you have asked for, even if it hasn't manifested yet.

Pretending that it's already there in your possession is encouraged, and to do so until it fully manifests before you.

The prospects in this law is said to be immense and beyond a successful practitioner's imagination.

But in order to be successful in it, one has to believe that there is a good universal order by which everything turns. And it is this order that one needs to align to, in order to use the law positively.

If it seems so simple and easy then why do so many feel frustrated and wronged by life?

The answer lies in the complex answer of what this life has become conscious of.

The effectiveness of this law is dependent on the use of the conscious and subconscious mind, an untamed territory for most of us.

With the right intentions and, an effort to maintain goodness in and out of yourself, the law of attraction and manifestation, promises to send back goodness, more than you can ever ask for.

Attracting and manifesting whatever it is you want in life can really become your reality. By applying the incredibly powerful law of attraction and manifestation you will transform your life of despair, lack and disappointment into one of unlimited success, happiness and abundance. Discover the secrets to unlock this law so it magically brings you everything you want a lot easier and a lot quicker.

Bob Proctor and the Science of Getting Rich

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:49:00 +0000

By CW Teo

Science is part and parcel of our lives. There is a science of getting rich, and Bob Proctor is the man who writes about the science of getting rich. Bob Proctor is an intelligent man who discusses the science of getting rich in many media including books, ebooks, DVDs, CDs, podcasts, and many other forms. He also holds many seminars all over discussing the science of getting rich helping many people understand the science and get on the road to a wonderful place of financial freedom. Bob Proctor is a great motivational person who helps people all over the world.

However, the science of getting rich is about much more than monetarily success, and recommends finding success in all parts of your life. That is the key to finding financial freedom. You must be successful in every part of your life to make it in your financial life. This philosophy is wonderful and a great resource to have in your life for anyone.

What Is The Relationship Between The Law Of Attraction And Science Of Getting Rich?

The law of attraction is a simple philosophy that suggests you use creativity to get rich and become successful. You should make the most of yourself by applying yourself in your life in all parts to achieve success and financial freedom. You must be efficient to become successful in any part of your life. Being efficient can bring you wealth in anything you want. If you want to become wealthy, you must choose a business that is right for you. You should be thankful for everything you have, and everything you achieve. Being grateful is often underestimated, but it can bring you even more success.

Even though creativity is the key to this science, the power of thought is an amazing thing. This is the law of attraction. You can utilize your willpower to achieve anything you want to in life. Life is something that is up to you. You have the power within your creativity and your thoughts to achieve anything you want in your life. Use your thoughts and actions to become the most successful person you can be.

Positive thinking and actions attract positivity, and negativity attracts negativity - this is what the law of attraction is. This is the science of getting rich.

Who is Bob Proctor?

Bob Proctor is the owner of the successful company, Life Success Productions. Bob Proctor is a certified consultant and life coach who brings people the success they are seeking. However, it is up to each individual to reach for that success they so desire. Bob Proctor has seen success in his own life in many ways. He is an author, counselor, lecturer, entrepreneur, business consultant, and teacher. He has found success in all parts of his life and is bringing his knowledge out in many ways to help others achieve what they want to.

Bob Proctor is inspired by many successors including Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, and Wallace D. Wattles. Bob Proctor takes what these great people taught and takes it up a notch to help various people in today's world. He teaches in a way that anyone from anywhere can understand his teachings and take action as soon as they want to. Proctor says that people must simply recognize their potential and find a way to take action to set life goals and achieve them.

Bob Proctor is a renowned consultant and speaker all over the world. He has helped businesses create effective strategies, find ways to help businesses allow their employees to achieve success, teaches businesses how to adapt to man different situations, and grow within any situation.

How Is Bob Proctor Related To Science Of Getting Rich?

Bob Proctor is a modern teacher of the science of getting rich. He has become successful in many parts of his life with the philosophy of getting rich and becoming successful in life. However, this man does not keep this information to himself. He is an author, a speaker, a consultant, and much more. He helps teach others how to use their creativity and thoughts to bring about each individuals success in their own lives. He teaches people how to take action to thought to creativity to achievements to success. However, he does not just recommend success in financial situations. He recommends success in all parts of life to become the best person you can in all parts of your life. Bob Proctor does not just tell people about how to do this in their lives he lives it too. He is not just a preacher, he lives what he teaches as an example that it can be done.

If anyone knows about The Science of Getting Rich, it's Bob Proctor.

CW Teo is an expert in personal development. For a limited period only, click 1912GettingRichScience.com to download a Free Report: Bob Proctor On Science of Getting Rich.

How To Stay Positive When Life Knocks You Down! 5 Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:40:00 +0000

By Julianne Rowat

There are so many hardships going on in the world today. Our economy is in the worst recession ever. Our dollar is loosing it's value. More people are out of work than ever. There are more homeless families than there has ever been before. And it seems like every time you turn a corner, some one is getting cancer. With all this in life going on, how ever can a person continue to stay positive?

I was one of those, like so many thousands of other people, that was knocked down when the fall of the real estate market came. Everything was lost, so I felt! The only thing that kept me going was to stay positive, no matter how hard it was.

Knock Out The Negative Noise

I had to keep telling myself that this was not the end. That this was NOT how my life was suppose to be. I had to knock out the negative noise that was in my head and focus on only the positive.

Eventually things got a little better, then I got breast cancer. Talk about a blow to positive thinking! You start questioning yourself, "How can this be happening?" "Why Me?", "Is there any thing else you want to throw at me?"

I had to think long and hard about this one. What good would it be to become negative now? There really could be many more things that could go wrong. I learned to put a smile back on my face, be happy and stay positive no matter what. I beat that nasty old breast cancer, and my life is get better and better.

A few tips on keeping that stiff upper lip and staying positive are:

One: When something bad happens, take a deep breath, don't overreact and then think about what the worst outcome could be. Then think of the bright side of what happened. Believe it or not there always is a bright side, whether you think so at the time or not.

Two: Think of an opportunity to turn the bad situation into a good situation. For instance, I never thought of how many job opportunities there are on the internet until I lost all my money in the real estate market. Now I am climbing back to the top with my online home business. Albert Einstein said: "In the middle of every difficulty, lies opportunity.

Three: Realize how bad you feel when you are having negative feelings. Is it really worth it? Now realize how awesome you feel and how beautiful life really looks when you are having positive feelings. It really is hard just to go from feeling bad to feeling good. The best way to change your feelings is to think of something that makes you happy and then go there in your mind.

Four: The worst thing you can ever do, is to watch all the garbage that is going on in the news, whether it is on the television or in the news paper. It's ok to know what is going on in the world, but don't indulge yourself in it, especially when it is negative. All that does is make you feel worse and think that there is never going to be an end to all the bad stuff happening to you. Instead of listening or reading bad news, read a motivational book, or watch a comedy. You will be surprised at how your feelings will change, when you sit there and laugh until you cry at a funny movie.

Five: Most of all stay away from negative people and situations. The last thing you need when you're feeling down is someone else that is down. Get around up beat happy people. When I had to go through my radiation treatments for my breast cancer, the staff was the most inspiring, upbeat, and happy people I have ever come across. What a difference it made having to go have radiation every day.

It really can be hard staying positive in such a negative world. But, really open your eyes and your heart, there is a million to one in positive energy versus negative energy around you, if you let it in!

Julianne Rowat, the author, is an online home business entrepreneur. She writes to energize people and to show them how to create their own financial freedom. Her husband and her travel all around the United States in their motor home while working their online home business. Their mission is to help others all over the world succeed in their own online home business.

To find out more, check out their blog at:
http://www.juliannerowatsblog.com

or their business at:
http://www.ultimatewealthfromhome.com

France draws fire after "alarm bells" warning

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:08:00 +0000

(Reuters) - France came under heavy fire on global markets on Tuesday reflecting fears that the euro zone's second biggest economy is being sucked into a spiraling debt crisis after a warning that Paris's failure to adapt should be "ringing alarm bells".

Nervous markets also showed concern about whether Italy's Mario Monti and new Greek leader Lucas Papademos, unelected European technocrats without a domestic political base, can impose tough austerity measures and economic reform.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi has predicted the 17-nation currency bloc will be in a mild recession by the end of the year, a view underlined by data showing the economy barely grew in the third quarter and faces a sharp downturn.

"The risks of a technical recession have increased and we expect the economy in Germany to shrink at least in one quarter, most likely in the first quarter of next year," said economist Michael Schroeder of German economic research institute ZEW.

On the markets, Italy's 10-year bond yield rocketed back above 7 percent, pushing its borrowing costs to a level widely seen as unsustainable in the long term and which helped trigger the fall of Silvio Berlusconi's government last week.

Spain's Treasury paid yields not seen since 1997 to sell 12- and 18-month treasury bills.

French 10-year bond yields have risen around 50 basis points in the last week, pushing the spread over safe haven German bonds to a euro-era high of 173 basis points.

French banks are among the biggest holders of Italy's 1.8 trillion euro public debt pile.

The urgency of resolving the debt crisis was underscored by a think-tank report saying triple-A rated France should also be "ringing euro zonealarm bells" as it could not make rapid adjustments to its economy.

In New York, U.S. stock index futures fell sharply on Tuesday morning after the rise in European bond yields, the drop caused by fears in the United States that Europe's debt crisis was mushrooming into a wider systemic problem.

"THREAT TO THE WORLD"

President Barack Obama's top economic adviser said the European debt crisis was the leading risk to the U.S. recovery.

"Clearly, Europe is a tremendous concern," Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said.

"It is important they act quickly, because it is a threat not only to Europe and the U.S., but the world as a whole."

But Greek conservatives set themselves on a collision course with the European Commission, refusing its demand to sign a pledge to meet the terms of a bailout designed to save the country from bankruptcy and safeguard the euro zone.

Members of the New Democracy party, a key player in Papademos's new crisis coalition government, said they would not bow to "dictates from Brussels" to give a written guarantee to honor the bailout.

With the survival of the 17-state currency zone in its current form now at risk, EU governments have until a summit on December 9 to come up with a bolder and more convincing strategy, involving some form of massive, visible financial backing.

The debt crisis is likely to make matters worse in the next months with nations such as Italy,Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain forced to adopt politically unpopular cuts to stop the bond market driving them toward default.

Economists say there is no visible growth strategy in place to counter those austerity measures.

After last week's disastrous week for the euro zone's third biggest economy, Italy's Monti appeared to win a key breakthrough on Tuesday when Angelino Alfano, secretary of Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party, emerged from the talks saying moves to form a government would succeed.

With the zone under intense scrutiny, Germany and France posted solid growth in the third quarter, statistics released on Tuesday showed, but euro zone nations on the front line of the debt crisis fared much worse and analysts expect bleaker times ahead in the core economies.

"THIS IS ALL HISTORY"

"The key point is that this is all history," said Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics.

"Forward-looking indicators suggest that the euro-zone economy is likely to drop back into recession in the fourth quarter and beyond," he said.

The entire euro zone economy grew just 0.2 percent in the third quarter from the second, lifted by France and Germany, but economists were resigned to the fact the bloc was almost certainly heading for a recession.

Stagnation in Spain, Belgium and a contraction in the Netherlands and Portugal appeared to signal that the worse was yet to come and a summer growth spurt was temporary.

Monti is racing to secure support from feuding politicians to allow his cabinet of experts to speed up reform of pensions, labor markets and business regulation needed to put Italy's finances on a sustainable footing.

Italy has to refinance some 200 billion euros ($273 billion) of bonds by the end of April, a daunting prospect

Expected to seek a confidence vote by Friday, Monti has said that he aimed to serve until scheduled elections in 2013, not just until reforms had been pushed through.

Far-reaching reforms are seen as crucial if Italy is to end years of stagnant growth, trim a debt mountain equal to 120 percent of gross domestic product and avoid the sort of crisis that forced bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

In Athens, Papademos said late on Monday that Greece had no choice but to stay in the euro zone, telling lawmakers reforms were the only solution.

But conservatives on whom Papademos must rely for support demanded pro-growth policies and rejected any more cuts, fueling fears of a Greek default that may force Athens out of the currency group triggering a euro zone debt meltdown.

GREECE MUST SIGN

Austerity measures had deepened Greece's recession but reforms -- including widening the tax base and fighting rampant tax evasion -- could mitigate the problem, said Papademos, who oversaw Greece's entry to the euro zone in 2002.

But New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras said he would not vote for new austerity measures and he would not sign any pledge about new belt-tightening.

The European Commission issued a stark warning to Greece on Tuesday that it must provide written confirmation to its European partners of its commitment to reforms to bring down its debt, no matter who wins the next elections.

"The Eurogroup as a whole expects Greece, the Greek political forces, to provide a clear and unequivocal commitment to the agreement ... and we expect this in writing. It has to be a letter and signed," Commission spokesman on economic and monetary affairs Amadeu Altafaj told reporters.

Most Greeks hailed Papademos's appointment, but thousands of people angry at more than a year of austerity are expected to rally on Thursday, the anniversary of a 1973 student uprising that helped to bring down the colonels' junta of 1967-74.

Five Steps for Finding an Ideal Mentor

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:02:00 +0000

Looking for a business mentor?

Leslie Rapp feels your pain--and she's in the business of solving it. She's director of training and development at Menttium, a Minneapolis, Minn.-based provider of corporate mentoring services and research metrics on business mentoring. That's right. People pay her to mentor them … on being mentors. We asked for a crash course.

First, think about you, Rapp says. Exactly why do you need a mentor? What do you hope to learn? Then figure out the kind of person who can best inspire you. For example, if you're starting from scratch, look for a mentor who did, too.
Do you actually need a mentor? If you have a specific problem to solve, you may want a consultant. If you're stuck in a rut, a professional coach may be a better choice.
Start with small talk. You meet potential mentors every day (not that they go around introducing themselves that way). Ask about their work and their life, and see where it leads. Rapp likes to ask how someone came to do the work they do. "I never get a straight-line answer," she says, "and the story tells me a lot."
Spell out what you want. Asking "Will you be my mentor?" is a pretty sure way to make potential mentors flee. Instead, say you want to learn more about what they do and that they would be a great resource. Suggest meeting every quarter, or having coffee once a month. Be specific.
The answer may be no, and that's OK. Keep searching, and know that you're a good judge of character. Great mentors don't say yes to things they can't commit to.

Find a Mentor
Sites to help you find a guru

SCORE.org: A nonprofit association of more than 13,000 volunteer counselors who individually mentor aspiring entrepreneurs and small-business owners. It also offers training, advice, workshops and resources dedicated to entrepreneur education.

MicroMentor.org: An initiative of nonprofit humanitarian agency Mercy Corps that offers free online guidance to entrepreneurs, particularly those with low incomes and limited access to business resources, and connects them with a business mentor.

EMSociety.org: Los Angeles-based nonprofit Entrepreneur Mentor Society selects 40 to 45 aspiring entrepreneur applicants each semester from the greater L.A. area to educate, develop and promote them through one-on-one mentorship, networking events, internship opportunities and sessions with successful business owners.

SBA.gov: Ever the small-business resource, the Small Business Administration's Mentor-Protégé program serves firms eligible for its 8(a) Business Development program, an initiative to help socially and economically disadvantaged Americans gain access to economic opportunity.

VA.gov/osdbu: Late last year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched its Mentor-Protégé Program to pair mentoring firms with small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans and other veteran-owned small businesses to create long-term relationships and provide business assistance. --Michelle Juergen

Three Steps to Finding a Business Mentor

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:46:00 +0000

BY DAVID COHEN

Great business mentors can have an enormous impact on early-stage startups. Their connections can open doors that would otherwise be closed and their experiences can save entrepreneurs from suffering from the same start-up mistakes they've already made.

But finding the best mentor for your business isn't as simple as picking a name from a hat. You'll need to be able to recognize what makes a great mentor, know how to approach one and then how to maximize the relationship. At TechStars, the mentorship-driven seed stage investment fund I co-founded in 2006, we've seen all types of mentor relationships, successful and not.

Here are three steps for finding the most experienced mentor to help bring your startup idea to the next level:

1. Recognize what makes a great mentor.
At TechStars, we've found that the best mentors are those who ask a lot of tough questions and challenge you to exceed your goals. In doing so, they should share their own experiences and help you uncover new opportunities.

But the best mentors shouldn't tell you exactly what to do. They understand their role as an advisor and that it's your company to run, not theirs. Those who tell entrepreneurs what to do, and become upset when their instructions aren't followed, often cause more damage than good.

Sometimes a mentor may ask to be compensated for his or her help and advice. But the best mentors will usually never ask for compensation and will be satisfied just by helping out.

2. Find a good fit.
A common mistake we've seen is going straight at the busiest, most well-known, most visible mentors. While this may occasionally work, it's often more productive to analyze your own close network and look locally for mentors whom you respect with relevant experience.

Think about approaching the founders and key executives of companies in your space who you admire. Those people are usually more likely to invest time in your business than those with crushing demand from strangers.

To make that first connection, you might try sending a short email explaining what your startup is doing and why you are reaching out. Avoid "form" emails and always make it relevant and easy for the prospective mentor to help. Take a few minutes to read the person's blog or Twitter account and learn about his or her background so you can personalize your note.

Most of the cold emails I receive from entrepreneurs start off by requesting a meeting over coffee. While this might seem like a good first request, it isn't always. For example, I'm an introvert who doesn't drink coffee. Even if I did, I'd have to leave my office to meet with the person and most busy mentors won't initially have time to meet.

Build up to that first meeting by establishing a rhythm of interesting and thought-provoking email communication. Demonstrate that you're making regular progress on your product and close the feedback loop so the mentor knows you're listening, analyzing and reacting. When you do eventually ask to speak face-to-face, request a 15-minute meeting at his or her office.

Approaching a smaller number of mentors who have an actual connection to your business or your market and making sure they understand that connection early on usually leads to better long-term engagement between the mentor and the mentee.

3. Maximize the mentor relationship.
Once you've established a connection, and there is interest from both sides, it's important to build a relationship over time. One way to do this is to check in regularly by email. Mentors should love to see your progress and take pride in knowing that their input has been helpful. Send a monthly email that reminds them of your past conversations and updates them on your progress.

Ask one new question in these emails to ensure the conversation continues. It's important to keep these check-in emails short and to the point and not ask for too much at a time. For example, requesting a two-hour phone call once a week is probably going to be an unrealistic demand. Getting together at the mentor's office for 30 minutes once a quarter can be an easier request to be fulfilled once you've established a real relationship.

While mentors shouldn't ask for financial compensation, if they are consistently spending a considerable amount of time helping you get going, you might consider granting them a small amount of equity in your company to offer a long-term incentive.

Great founders intuitively understand the importance and role of mentors. They recognize that startups are difficult, but realize that a great team paired with the presence of experienced and engaged mentors can make an enormous difference -- and is often a strong indicator of future success.

Merkel Greek Gambit May Backfire as Euro Exit Routes Mapped

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:48:00 +0000

Germany and France’s drive to force Greece to honor its euro commitments risks backfiring on Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy.

A week after the currency’s guardians declared for the first time that it is possible for the 17-nation bloc to shrink, U.S. stocks tumbled on concern German politicians are already creating exit chutes for the weakest members.

The sell-off suggests Europe’s crisis is spiraling into a new stage as investors bet on which countries are most likely to quit the euro, starting with Greece. The risk is that this will make it harder for debt-laden countries to convince investors they can get their finances in order and for policy makers such as Merkel, Sarkozy and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi to bolster the euro’s defenses.

“This is a dangerous phase,” Neil MacKinnon, global macro strategist at VTB Capital in London and a former U.K. Treasury official, told Bloomberg Television’s “On the Move” with Francine Lacquayesterday. “All of a sudden, we’re talking about the future of monetary union in its current format.”

U.S. stocks dropped late Nov. 9 as news broke that members of Merkel’s ruling Christian Democratic Union party plan to debate a motion next week, allowing countries to leave the euro region. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell as much as 1 percent. In Europe, the Stoxx 600 Index has lost 2.6 percent in the past two sessions.

Igniting Speculation

Stocks rose today as Europe took steps to address its woes with former central banker Lucas Papademos becoming Greece’s interim leader. Italy’s Senate votes today on debt-reduction measures, paving the way for a new government that may be led by former European Union Competition Commissioner Mario Monti.

Merkel and Sarkozy ignited speculation that the euro area could contract near midnight on Nov. 2 in Cannes, France, when they warned outgoing Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou that a planned referendum on his country’s latest bailout must serve as a ballot on whether Greece wants to stay in the euro.

“The referendum will revolve around nothing less than the question: does Greece want to stay in the euro, yes or no?” Merkel said with Sarkozy beside her.

While the ploy worked and Papandreou shelved the referendum, it undermined the message of the euro’s founding treaty that membership was “irrevocable” -- a line Sarkozy and Merkel had stuck to in the two years since the crisis broke out.

No Escape

Sarkozy and Merkel opened a “Pandora’s Box,” said Stephen King, chief economist at HSBC Holdings Plc in London, this week. He was referring to the Greek myth in which the first woman on earth disobeys orders of the gods by opening a jar and unleashing evil around the world, leaving only hope behind.

Countries unable to play by the euro’s rules may now have to leave the bloc, upending the assumption that “once in the euro a country could never escape,” King said in a note to clients. Now “what’s true of Greece may now also be true of Italy.”

Italian 10-year bond yields surged to a euro-era high of 7.46 percent Nov. 9 as investors questioned the ability of its lawmakers to restrain the euro-region’s second-largest debt load after Greece. While the yield slipped to 6.58 percent today, the crisis shows signs of spreading to France. Credit default swaps on the euro region’s second-largest economy rose eight basis points to a record 204 yesterday, CMA prices showed.

Deadly

Some politicians are already working on a plan to push out errant members that can’t get their finances in order. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union may adopt a motion at an annual party congress next week to allow euro members to exit the currency area, Norbert Barthle, the ranking CDU member on the German parliament’s budget committee, said.

The drive was dismissed by other members of Merkel’s party. Germany will resist any attempt to reduce the euro to its strongest members, the parliamentary finance spokesman for the CDU said yesterday. “Such a shrinking process would be deadly for Germany,” Michael Meister said in a telephone interview.

European Bailouts

Any pan-European appetite for a re-drawing of the euro’s boundaries may be on show Dec. 9 when leaders hold another summit, this time to discuss deepening euro-area convergence, tightening fiscal discipline and strengthening economic ties.

“They might be talking about an exit clause for the euro area after Greece,” said Daniel Gros, director of the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels.

It wouldn’t be the first time the strategy of Merkel and Sarkozy has ended up hurting rather than calming markets. Thirteen months ago, they agreed at the French resort of Deauville that private investors must contribute to future European bailouts. The resulting bond-market selloff played a part in Ireland and Portugal subsequently requiring bailouts.

Any change in composition would validate the opinions of academics and investors including Harvard University’s Martin Feldstein and Mohamed El-Erian, chief executive officer of Pacific Investment Management Co.

Feldstein, who warned in a 1998 paper that monetary union would prove an “economic liability,” and El-Erian both say ensuring the euro’s existence may require a smaller, stronger bloc.

Eurogeddon?

A report last month from the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit, titled “After Eurogeddon?,” said any fracturing would likely leave the euro in the hands of a strong northern core featuring Germany, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia and Estonia.

While France would suffer from a likely surge in the new euro, it would remain a member because its monetary union with Germany is fundamental to France’s political and economic interests, the report said. Greece would be first to leave followed eventually by Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus, it said.

“If they push out weaker countries and the euro stays, it would represent a smaller number of countries, so the currency should be stronger,” said Nicola Marinelli, who oversees $153 million at Glendevon King Asset Management in London. “But we don’t know the knock-on effects that could come from a country leaving so there would be a period of great uncertainty and weakness.”

Great Depression

European leaders will still do their utmost to keep the euro-zone in its current form, said Marc Chandler, chief currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in London.

“Rather than break-up, the solution for Europe’s crisis will be more integration,” he said. “European officials, including Germany and France, in word and deed recognize the important of preserving the euro zone as currently constituted.”

A breakup could threaten a repeat of the Great Depression, HSBC’s King said in an analysis last month. For the exiting country, the banking system could face collapse, capital controls would be needed to stop citizens moving savings out of the country and companies would face default. On top of that, inflation would spiral, technical problems such as updating computer codes would be required and the accompanying departure from the European Union would leave it subject to trade tariffs, he said.

Turmoil could also spread to other debt-strapped nations, featuring bank runs “in countries perceived to be at risk of leaving,” Deutsche Bank AG chief economist Thomas Mayer told clients this week.

King says with banks in pain and restricting credit, the ECB would have little option but to inject a vast amount of liquidity and print money to buy potentially unlimited quantities of bonds.

“The seismic shift in European convictions presented in Cannes could come back to haunt its authors,” said Mayer.

Adapted from Bloomberg News

Blog Content - 5 Useful Suggestions for Beginning Bloggers

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:45:00 +0000

By R Conte

If there is an intimidating feeling for the Internet age, it is the moment you decide you are going to start your first blog. There are so many decisions to make -- from which Content Management System (CMS) to use to what to write about - your blog content - and so many technical choices that it is hard to pinpoint exactly what you want to do. Fortunately, a lot of those choices can be saved until later and often discarded altogether.

When you start your first blog, there are only a few things you need to focus on. From deciding what you are going to write about to working out a plan to gain attention and recognition for your blog, your first steps should always be towards accessibility and simplicity. Leave the tough stuff until later, focus on what you like writing about, and use these quick hints to speed up your first few blog posts.

Blog Content Should be Your Main Focus

1. When it comes to a CMS, stick with something simple.

WordPress is a good choice, probably the best, for beginning bloggers. It comes with its own installation process, making uploading and installing your blog and blog content as easy as can be. There is a wealth of documentation out there, as well as tons of forums, making any problems easily solvable. Finally, it is the most customizable blogging platform of all, with thousands of themes, widgets, and plugins available. When you are a beginner, simplicity is best, and WordPress is the best CMS for simple, user-friendly operation.

2. Leave promotion until after you've got blog content worked out.

There is no point promoting a blog that's devoid of content. When you are a beginner, it is easy to get bogged down with dreams of blogging stardom and ultra-popularity. However, focusing on the prize like this takes away from the actions required to get there. Rather than trying to promote your blog straight away, spend the first few months focusing on your blog content. Craft great blog posts, do case studies and in-depth write-ups, and work on promotion after you have built a good content resource.

Use Your Blog Content to Build Relationships

3. Relationships are everything in the blogging world...Form them.

The last thing you want to do as a beginning blogger is burn bridges. From other bloggers to offline presences, starting out negative is never a good way to grow as a blogger. Whenever possible, network with other bloggers and let them know how you can help them. The vast majority of bloggers love reciprocal help, and will help you out in return. Blogger connections can lead to ultra-popular posts, potential collaborations, and sometimes business partnerships.

4. Stick to what you do best.

If you are good at writing about motorcycles, do not publish mega-lengthy blog posts on cloud formations. After you have built an audience, they come to expect certain blog content from you, and when they are thrown a curve ball, it can disrupt things. By all means experiment with different topics and blogging subjects, but stick to your core topics for most of your content.

5. Blog for yourself.

Ignoring people can be great for creative ability. The word "community" gets thrown around a lot online, but sometimes it is best ignored. When you blog for yourself, you develop a voice that's authentic and original. When you blog for other people, your work quickly becomes stale and uninteresting.

Focus on Blog Content First and Foremost

For the beginning blogger focusing on content is the first and only task to consider. Once you've generated a library of blog content for your visitors to appreciate, then you can move on to self-promotion, list building, and even monetization.

R Conte is the owner and principal author at SEO Writer Pro, a brand new website offering high quality, Affordable SEO Article Writing and fresh, well-written Blog Content from a dedicated, professional SEO writer. Click here to discover how you can save money buying relevant, timely, high quality content with our Special Introductory Article Writing Offer.

Motivating Entrepreneurs

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:37:00 +0000

By Jason D Burch

Putting up your own business and being an entrepreneur is the answer to unemployment." This is a quote from a motivational speaker in a business seminar. It matters not how big or small your business concept is as long as you have a basis and motivation to put up your own business they that will be your ticket to becoming successful.

A number of seminars are held every year regarding how to become a small business entrepreneur and trainings on how to expand and grow your business. A somewhat large number of people sign up or register in these seminars and conventions to gather data and ideas on how to grow their business or how to start a business. Read below about several topics a motivational speaker discusses with their guests and audience regarding venturing into a small business.

Turning your plans into reality

A business entrepreneur has plans either written or drawn in paper or in their heads waiting to be visualized and built. Motivational speakers will discuss about how to work on those ideas and concepts and turn them into reality. There is no use for an idea or a concept if it would simply be hidden or tucked away someplace. An idea should be studied and placed in paper in order to add more ideas or corrects some that are most likely not applicable to the concept. These ideas are the basis for a person's starting business and what steps they are willing to take in order to make their business grow.

Act now

Starting out in the business entrepreneur world always has its challenges and downtimes. Motivational speakers greatly encourage their audience to not give up and always push forward in their chosen venture. Acting immediately on your ideas so that they can become real is a must. But first consider studying those concepts and researching the effectiveness of it. After that is to put into action those ideas, simply start out small or within the limits or your capital and you can grow it from there. Never assume that the first time you put up a business it will instantly grow big. Always take into consideration that businesses have its ups and downs so its up to the entrepreneur how to keep their business up.

Learning the A B C's of business

When venturing into business, always remember several things, always do what youlove, be opportunistic, always push through no matter what, be open to new ideas and concepts, and be happy with what you do. These are some of the things an entrepreneur should remember before venturing into their chosen business. On of the most important things motivational speakers should remember is to enjoy and be happy with your business. A person who is unhappy and unsatisfied with the business that they've chosen will most likely fail while those that are more determined and motivated to venture on to the business that they have dreamed about will most likely easily find the success they are looking for.

Learn more things about these motivational speakers by simply logging on to our site at http://www.dobbo.com.au/

Free Software : Can you make money with free softwares?

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:23:00 +0000

Good morning dear readers:

Welcome to yet another successful and fun filled day; hope you are succeeding in your internet business - Today we will be treating an important but controversial issue on internet and home business. Can you make money with free software or services?
Let me start by saying that you can indeed make good money from free software, more especially when you are just starting out newly with home business or internet marketing. There are a lot of free services on the internet that will genuinely help you make part time income on a steady period. Let's start with the basic ones.

Free Website + Free Hosting
Yea! This service is real and a lot of people are making good money out of it. A lot of companies are using this medium to increase their revenue through advert. An example is Google: this company is using their free Blogger platform to feature and sell their adword. When you sign-up with this service, you will have the opportunity to start your blog site like this one; you will also have to open an adsense account to monetise your blog.
The added beauty to this, is the ability of adding lovely template of your choice to make your blog unique (all though not 100% unique) or pay somebody to design a unique template for you (the later is unique). Blogger.com is a perfect choice for this service, more especially if you have limited assets to invest in your business. An example is my blog you are reading; I don't pay money for hosting, or anything on this blog - it is earning me free money.

Blogger.com has come to stay and will not go away; it serve an important role for Google to sell their ad and at the same time you are paid for sharing ideas that will help your readers. Google cannot stop the operations of Blogger because it gives them more platforms to market their adword.
However, it is important to note that Blogger.com is a company's product and as such has a strong culture which you must attain if you desire to make money from it. I therefore urge you to play by the rules governing this product - Google is a highly sophisticated company and has software that monitor every activities you carry out on their blogger platform.

While you are serving as a medium for Google to sell their ads, you are also earning a little percentage as your commission : the smartest way to earn such income is to write enriched articles that will help your audience. By so doing, Google will send ads that march the content of your article through your adsense account.

Finally; in this part of free software; we have treated Blogger.com for your free web and free hosting service. Signing up for an account is very simple once you have a gmail account.
Secondly, I also advise you to open an adsense account to help monetise your blog - when you open your adsense account with an existing gmail account, it will take probably a week or more for them to approve your account by monitoring your activities on your blog: adsense is a very important product for Google, so be careful to play by Google rules if you desire to make money from it.

This topic will come in series; there are a lot of free service I will expose to you which will help you on internet marketing and various ways you can monetise your free blogger site; stay tuned!

P.P.S. Remember that you can move a step further to personalise your Blogger.com site by having your own domain name: http://www.yourdomainname.com. However, this is not very important hence you partner with Google by selling their ads for them and make good money >>>>>> It will be lovely if you do so >>>>> Just $10 per year and up to £7 or £8 per year in Great Britain.

See you in my next blog on this issue.

How to Start a Home Based Business -

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:17:00 +0000

Do you plan on starting a home based business? This article gives some vital information on types of business ideas and opportunities available online and how to start immediately without spending a large amount of money. One of the easiest way is eBay. A amount of money needed to start an eBay business is very minimal and there is an infinite amount of room to grow. You can easily set up your own eBay home business with minimal effort. A great guide on eBay home businesses is written by Danna Fox (a.k.a. The Selling Queen).

Steps

Decide what kind of business you want to have when you start a home business. Keep in mind, there is a huge difference between talents and things you enjoy. Just because you enjoy something does not mean you will be good at it. If you are good with organization and you enjoy helping people, you might want to become some ones personal assistant or personal organizer.
Know your competition. Using the same example as above, if you live in Hollywood where thousands of actors and actresses live, your competition of being a personal assistant will be ridiculous. On the other hand, if you live in a smaller area, you have a better chance of landing that job.
Understand the needs of your area. Listen to what people say they want and need in the area. If something they mention is an interest of yours and you are good at it, you should definitely try it. Many people are good at more than one thing and there is no law that says you can't perform more than one service or skill.
Figure out your profits. To do this you must ask yourself two questions. How much will people pay for your services? Can you make a good income off this? A perfect example of this is if you make specialty cakes and, because of the extreme designs, sizes and amazing flavors, people are willing to pay you $350 per cake. However, due to the work that goes into producing such amazing cakes, you are only able to make one every week which brings your profit to $1400 a month minus the cost of your supplies. Many people see astronomical numbers in their future until they take the time to determine their profits.
Check into legal barriers for your business. Some areas have certain rules and regulations for home based businesses, and you need to check into those at your town's city hall before investing much time or money in your business. Some areas just make home based business owners carry a business license and nothing else.
Visit with your local insurance agent to determine if you are in need of any special insurance for your home based business. When you start a home based business, you immediately start exposing yourself, your family and your home to variety of risks and you want to make sure you are covered before it is too late.
Create a business plan for your home based business. This will help you think of things that had not crossed your mind about your business. The Internet offers templates you can follow on sites like www.myownbusiness.org/s2/. Doing this will also help you determine what kind of start up costs you are looking at.
Invest in your home based business. You will need to advertise and market your business to get customers. Advertise in the local paper and on the radio stations near your home.
Launch your business. Keep in mind, you will not know everything about your business from the start. Entrepreneurs learn as they go!

Business Ideas

Home based business is very easy to start with today’s internet technology that connects millions of people from all over the globe, but also offers you a myriad of opportunities to make money online. You can start your home business on internet, if you intend to earn a good income by just working from your home.
The internet really offers a multitude of home business opportunities. There are a lot of lucrative opportunities waiting for you online. You can find many good home business ideas that require the minimum investment.
Some highly lucrative home business ideas include outsourcing home based business, tutoring, business coaching, marketing consulting, accounting, web designing, interior designing, dance instructing, newsletter service, proofreading service, and resume writing service. These home based business ideas just require your personal skills rather than large investments.
If you are affluent enough and you have ample budget, you can start your online real estate business. Internet real estate business is one of the most lucrative business ideas. You can get into online auctions: sell on eBay and other online auctions. You can also launch your online store to sell your items online.
There are a number of advantages to starting internet home based business. Of course, one of the major advantages is that you are working on your own will, time, and terms, not for someone else, not on someone else’s will, time, and terms. Your home business makes you the boss. It allows you to schedule your time around what is important to you.
Secondly, it is rather easy to market your business online. You don’t need to depend on the traditional marketing techniques, the internet makes things really easy for you. Internet lets you market, promote, advertise, and publicize your home business more interactively, more expressively, and more effectively.
It’s very easy to start an internet business., all you need is a computer with internet connection. Of course, you need to create your website, which helps to connect your business to the whole of the internet business community. And, you need a lot of patience, determination, and hard work, if you are to start a flourishing home based business online.
Certainly, to have success in your home business, you need to learn a number of technicalities of the internet to set up a flourishing business. You must learn the necessary fundamentals, and let your home business take some time to grow. Remember, you can't build a business over night, so, you need to be very patient, while your business takes some time to develop. The key is to stay focused and determined.
You also need to learn about the right tools and techniques to make money online. You must learn the online marketing techniques, which will really help you to advertise and publicize your home based business, using marketing techniques, such as pay per click marketing, e-mail advertising, affiliate marketing and blog marketing.
These internet marketing techniques really help to promote your business online. These techniques help to increase your internet presence. Once your business has a good presence online, it starts getting more and more traffic, which means more potential customers.
There are a lot of skills that you will learn over time, when you start an internet business. One is that, you need not go anywhere else to find your customers, they are right there on the net with you, and having a properly run home based business is the way make money working from your home doing the right things online.
It's vitally important to surround yourself with people who can guide you and help you in your home based business venture. You need the best strategies and tips to stay ahead of the competition. Most of the time, it's always better to learn from those who have already succeeded in working from home.

Tips

Keep your regular job until you are able to make the same amount of money or more consistently. Many people who have a home based business give up their regular job when they have saved a year's income.
When you start thinking about starting a home based business, write down all the things you think you can do with your skills and talents then narrow it down to what you truly want to do.

Warnings

Be sure to set a daily budget for adwords, keep your spending within budget. If you don't, you will regret it.
There are many scams out there that will promise you tons of money and financial stability from home. Do not fall for these ploys. The best home-based business is the one you start with your own mind, heart and hands.
Most home based businesses do not succeed. That is just the truth of the matter. There are a few new home based businesses every year that are really successful, however. All you can do is work hard and try your best.

.

Video Training

noreply@blogger.com (Business Matrx) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:33:00 +0000