http://www.blochure.com/hypo-venture-capital-switzerland-seizing-opportunities-in-tough-economic-times-2529/
Here at Hypo Venture Capital Zurich we are committed to offering our clients access to the latest and broadest range of financial services and products on the market. We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs.
Many of us have concerns about staying on track in these uncertain economic times. Mounting layoffs, plunging home values and declining stock prices all have a way of generating fear and uncertainty.
"Even though things look bad sometimes, you need to remain focused on opportunities," says Andrew Bradley, HVC’s chief investment officer. "We like to say there's opportunity in every market."
Today's investors face unprecedented challenges
2009 got off to a rough start, with the economy and financial markets still reeling from last year's credit market meltdown and resulting financial crisis. The markets traded down in a painful, correlated fashion, while economic activity plunged.
But since the end of the first quarter, signs of improvement have emerged. The equity market has enjoyed a meaningful rally since mid-March, led by the financial and consumer discretionary sectors. There is still have a long way to go before things get considerably better and before the economic picture brightens considerably but overall the worst may be behind us.
The housing market remains a major thorn in the side of economic growth. Part of the problem is too much supply relative to demand. We are starting to see housing prices fall to the point where buyers are attracted into the market and transactions are occurring.
These imbalances go beyond housing to a worldwide perspective. For example, the United States consumes too much and saves too little, whereas developed and emerging Asian countries save too much and consume too little. We should see the impact of these imbalances play out in the coming months, as countries around the world tackle the mounting challenges.
A return to growth is on the horizon
We believe economic growth may resume in the fourth quarter of 2009. That doesn't necessarily mean things are going to rocket up in the markets, but it means we're setting the stage for better times ahead.
The federal government's stimulus package along with the Federal Reserve’s extraordinary expansion of its balance sheet will begin to show results.
Although the amount of federal stimulus is record-breaking, it's been necessary to combat the significant deflationary pressures triggered by the financial crisis. Once deflation takes hold, it's extremely difficult to counteract. In an environment in which consumers and businesses expect prices to fall, they begin to defer consumption, believing they will be able to make their purchases at a cheaper price down the road. Therefore, the government is doing everything it can to ward off deflation, even as it risks promoting inflation.
Opportunity is within your reach
As troubling as recent market events have been, it's important not to get consumed by the daily ups and downs. Instead, focus on factors that promote long-term financial success.
These factors are most evident when examining the philosophy and practices of those who have achieved financial comfort — people who possess the ability to tackle any tough financial situation and the insight to capitalize on opportunity. Author and TV commentator Jean Chatzky calls this phenomenon "the difference." "Whatever the economy, these are the people who have the skills and attributes necessary to move into lasting financial comfort and wealth."
What makes a financial difference
Recent research on American attitudes toward money and personal finances found that financially successful people exhibit several common factors, including happiness/optimism, resilience, connectedness and habitual saving.
These are the people who know the difference.
How you can stay on track
Based on the characteristics and experiences of financially successful Americans, there are several actions and strategies to help people stay on track, focus on saving and protect loved ones during good and bad economic times.
People who have goals for the short, medium and long term, research has shown, actually achieved their goals more often than people who don't plan. "Why? Because when you’re running a race, it helps to know where you're going.
Consider rebalancing your portfolio
As far as investment strategies go, in today's environment, consider rebalancing your portfolio with an emphasis on the bond market. The bond market — particularly investment-grade bonds and high-yield credit — is very attractive versus its historical pricing.
Build savings and cash reserves
As for savings, if you have a job and a steady income stream right now, you need to be saving, because you don't know when the tide may turn. For women, saving is even more important. A woman still earns on average only 80 cents for every dollar that a man earns, and they possibly take breaks from the workforce to care for children and older parents, which means that when they get to retirement, their account balances are substantially smaller. Plus, women generally need their retirement accounts to last longer because they live an average of seven years longer than men.
Building cash reserves is essential, too. In 'normal' times, you should have about six months of emergency expenses set aside in cash, given times are more difficult, and especially if you're two to three years away from retirement, we think you should have up to two years of expenses set aside in cash.
Have a solid protection plan
Protection planning doesn't end with cash reserves. It's also critical to have a will naming guardians for minor children, a health care proxy (someone to make your health care decisions if you are unable), a living will and a durable power of attorney for finances.
Everyone should also have life insurance — especially those who have dependents — as well as disability income insurance, homeowners or renters insurance, and personal liability insurance. Why? So that a disaster, a big one or a small one, can't come along and take everything you've built away from you.
It's also important to protect against taxation, with strategies designed to generate tax advantages for your financial future.
Avoid common investment mistakes
Staying on track also means avoiding some common investment mistakes. For example, it's critical to not focus on one or two investments, but to stay diversified instead. And people should also resist the urge to raid a retirement account when changing jobs because the tax implications could be significant, potentially derailing a long-term strategy.
Another common mistake, is attempting to time the markets. People don't know how to time markets. Professional investors have a hard time timing markets, so you can't possibly succeed by trying to figure out the right time to get into the market and the right time to get out. It's highly likely you’re going to miss a significant day in the market. And, as we all know, if you miss the 50 best trading days over a multiple-year period, you cut your returns by as much as one-third. Instead, we suggests implementing a dollar-cost-averaging strategy to remain committed to the market and maintain a long-term investment plan.
Work with a financial advisor
Finally, we cannot stress the importance of getting help. Not only do people who work with advisors reach their goals more often than those who do not, but having one in your circle provides the direction, help, motivation and support that we can all use at times like this.
The markets will continue to be extraordinarily volatile, offering you opportunities to get into the market or monetize trades work with your financial advisor to identify the opportunities most appropriate for you and your portfolio.
Make a difference in your financial situation
Whether the economy is roaring or retreating, you can prosper once you understand the characteristics of financially secure people and implement a series of commonsense strategies. Talk to your HVC financial advisor today about how you can build lasting financial comfort and wealth.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich: INVESTING MONEY FOR 2011 AND BEYOND – BEST INVESTMENT STRATEGY
http://www.moneybuzz.org/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-investing-money-for-2011-and-beyond-best-investment-strategy.html
Here at Hypo Venture Capital we are committed to offering our clients access to the latest and broadest range of financial services and products on the market. We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs.Investing money in 2011 through 2012 may require that most people change their thinking about the best investment strategy. Traditional investing strategy for average folks suggests an asset allocation of over 50% to stock funds, about 40% to bond funds, and the rest to perhaps a precious metals (gold) fund for added diversification.In the world of investing money, times are changing; especially for bonds and gold.In putting together your investment strategy one of the best ways to focus is to consider the flow of money between asset classes over the recent months and years. In the investing world money always goes someplace, and it tends to concentrates in different areas at different times. When money floods an asset class like bonds or gold, prices can rise dramatically. When it makes a grand exit prices can tumble. Extremes in price movements should grab your attention when investing money for 2011 and beyond, especially when you hear mention of the word “bubble”.In the months leading up to 2011, investors both large and small were investing money heavily in bonds and in precious metals like gold. This investment strategy was among the best as prices in both asset classes climbed to record or near record highs. Millions of everyday folks threw money at bond funds and some discovered gold funds. The question going forward: are prices at extremes, and is either investment a bubble waiting to deflate or burst? Let’s look at bonds first.Investors have flooded bond funds with an additional net inflow of hundreds of billions of dollars while pulling money out of stock funds in recent times. The bond funds have then taken this money and bought more bonds, in the process sending bond prices up to extremes. This has pushed bond yields (interest income as a percentage) to near-record lows. Looking back to 1981, the 10-year Treasury note (intermediate-term government bonds) hit a high yield of 14%. Today they’re paying less than 3%, near historical lows. The problem: investing money in bonds and bond funds carries a significant risk today. When interest rates go UP, bond prices (values) will FALL. If there is a bubble here it will deflate as investors rush to pull money out of bonds.The best investment strategy for 2011 in the bond department is to avoid long-term bonds and funds that invest in them because they will get hit the hardest when rates go up. Who wants to get stuck at a low fixed interest rate for 20 or so years when rates are going up? Go with shorter-term funds holding average bond maturities of 7 years or less. DON’T chase bond funds; consider cutting back your holdings. Investing too much money here has too much downside risk associated with it unless you’re willing to speculate that interest rates and our economy will stay depressed well beyond 2011.Now let’s get a perspective on gold prices that recently glittered at an all-time high of over 00 an ounce. In 1999 gold sold for as little as 3. Investing money in 2011 and beyond in gold or gold funds at these prices is as much speculation as it is hedging against disaster. The best investment strategy here is to take some profits if you have them. If you missed the boat in gold, wait for the next one. The price of gold has been unstable at best since the yellow metal resumed trading in the U.S. in the mid-1970s. Don’t view gold as the best growth investment. View it more as a speculative bubble with risk outweighing future profit potential. The price would have to go up 00 an ounce in order to double your money at recent prices. This is not a likely scenario.Now that you’ve cut back on bonds and precious metals, what’s the best investment strategy for the rest of your money? Unless you’re over the age of 80 and/or extremely risk adverse, you need stocks in your investment portfolio. There hasn’t been a real bubble in the stock market since 1999 when the Dow peaked and closed the year at 11,497. In late 2010 that ever-popular stock market barometer was fighting just to get back to its 1999 highs after the shock delivered to it by the financial crisis of 2008.In 2011 and beyond investing money in stock (equity) funds should focus on both those that invest in domestic (U.S.) stocks, and in international funds that invest money abroad as well. You need all of the diversification you can get. Go with funds that invest money in large well established companies with a good record for paying dividends. These are less risky and volatile than growth funds that pay little if any dividends. Plus, good reliable income from either dividends or interest is hard to come by these days.For the rest of your money you need good safe investments that pay interest. Here we face another of today’s extremes: historically low interest rates at the bank and in the money markets. Even though you’re looking at less than 1% a year in interest, you’ve got to go with the flow and continue investing money here because these are truly the best safe investments. The best investment strategy for mutual fund investors: money market funds. When rates go back up your money market fund yields will automatically follow and go up accordingly.The best investment strategy for 2011 and beyond will be to diversify broadly, leaning toward a defensive posture. Investing money across all of the investment classes mentioned is still the key to long term success as an investor. Sometimes like now it’s better to be more conservative when investing, and live to chase opportunity another day.Want to know more?Hypo Venture Capital Zurich, Switzerland is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. Our analytical tools, screening techniques, rigorous research methods and committed staff provide solid information to help our clients make the best possible investment decisions.
Here at Hypo Venture Capital we are committed to offering our clients access to the latest and broadest range of financial services and products on the market. We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs.Investing money in 2011 through 2012 may require that most people change their thinking about the best investment strategy. Traditional investing strategy for average folks suggests an asset allocation of over 50% to stock funds, about 40% to bond funds, and the rest to perhaps a precious metals (gold) fund for added diversification.In the world of investing money, times are changing; especially for bonds and gold.In putting together your investment strategy one of the best ways to focus is to consider the flow of money between asset classes over the recent months and years. In the investing world money always goes someplace, and it tends to concentrates in different areas at different times. When money floods an asset class like bonds or gold, prices can rise dramatically. When it makes a grand exit prices can tumble. Extremes in price movements should grab your attention when investing money for 2011 and beyond, especially when you hear mention of the word “bubble”.In the months leading up to 2011, investors both large and small were investing money heavily in bonds and in precious metals like gold. This investment strategy was among the best as prices in both asset classes climbed to record or near record highs. Millions of everyday folks threw money at bond funds and some discovered gold funds. The question going forward: are prices at extremes, and is either investment a bubble waiting to deflate or burst? Let’s look at bonds first.Investors have flooded bond funds with an additional net inflow of hundreds of billions of dollars while pulling money out of stock funds in recent times. The bond funds have then taken this money and bought more bonds, in the process sending bond prices up to extremes. This has pushed bond yields (interest income as a percentage) to near-record lows. Looking back to 1981, the 10-year Treasury note (intermediate-term government bonds) hit a high yield of 14%. Today they’re paying less than 3%, near historical lows. The problem: investing money in bonds and bond funds carries a significant risk today. When interest rates go UP, bond prices (values) will FALL. If there is a bubble here it will deflate as investors rush to pull money out of bonds.The best investment strategy for 2011 in the bond department is to avoid long-term bonds and funds that invest in them because they will get hit the hardest when rates go up. Who wants to get stuck at a low fixed interest rate for 20 or so years when rates are going up? Go with shorter-term funds holding average bond maturities of 7 years or less. DON’T chase bond funds; consider cutting back your holdings. Investing too much money here has too much downside risk associated with it unless you’re willing to speculate that interest rates and our economy will stay depressed well beyond 2011.Now let’s get a perspective on gold prices that recently glittered at an all-time high of over 00 an ounce. In 1999 gold sold for as little as 3. Investing money in 2011 and beyond in gold or gold funds at these prices is as much speculation as it is hedging against disaster. The best investment strategy here is to take some profits if you have them. If you missed the boat in gold, wait for the next one. The price of gold has been unstable at best since the yellow metal resumed trading in the U.S. in the mid-1970s. Don’t view gold as the best growth investment. View it more as a speculative bubble with risk outweighing future profit potential. The price would have to go up 00 an ounce in order to double your money at recent prices. This is not a likely scenario.Now that you’ve cut back on bonds and precious metals, what’s the best investment strategy for the rest of your money? Unless you’re over the age of 80 and/or extremely risk adverse, you need stocks in your investment portfolio. There hasn’t been a real bubble in the stock market since 1999 when the Dow peaked and closed the year at 11,497. In late 2010 that ever-popular stock market barometer was fighting just to get back to its 1999 highs after the shock delivered to it by the financial crisis of 2008.In 2011 and beyond investing money in stock (equity) funds should focus on both those that invest in domestic (U.S.) stocks, and in international funds that invest money abroad as well. You need all of the diversification you can get. Go with funds that invest money in large well established companies with a good record for paying dividends. These are less risky and volatile than growth funds that pay little if any dividends. Plus, good reliable income from either dividends or interest is hard to come by these days.For the rest of your money you need good safe investments that pay interest. Here we face another of today’s extremes: historically low interest rates at the bank and in the money markets. Even though you’re looking at less than 1% a year in interest, you’ve got to go with the flow and continue investing money here because these are truly the best safe investments. The best investment strategy for mutual fund investors: money market funds. When rates go back up your money market fund yields will automatically follow and go up accordingly.The best investment strategy for 2011 and beyond will be to diversify broadly, leaning toward a defensive posture. Investing money across all of the investment classes mentioned is still the key to long term success as an investor. Sometimes like now it’s better to be more conservative when investing, and live to chase opportunity another day.Want to know more?Hypo Venture Capital Zurich, Switzerland is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. Our analytical tools, screening techniques, rigorous research methods and committed staff provide solid information to help our clients make the best possible investment decisions.
Hypo Venture Capital Investing Money: Good Investments for the Investor Who Feels Clueless
http://www.thegetrichquick.com/hypo-venture-capital-investing-money-good-investments-for-the-investor-who-feels-clueless/
Here at Hypo Venture Capital we are committed to offering our clients access to the latest and broadest range of financial services and products on the market. We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs.
In 2011 and into the future most folks in search of good investments will again turn to mutual funds for investing money, and for good reason. These funds do the money investing for you and try to pick good investments for their (your) portfolio. It’s your money and you pick the funds, so in case you feel clueless, here we take the mystery out of investing for 2011 and beyond by getting back to basics.
In the process of investing money for the future you really only have 4 basic choices. That was true 100 years ago and still applies in 2011 and beyond. There are good safe investments that pay interest, bonds that pay more interest, stocks that grow in value most of the time; and alternative investments like gold & other commodities including real estate that offer growth opportunities sometimes when stocks don’t. Those are your basic choices when investing money unless you bury the stuff, in which case inflation and decomposition can eat away at your underground deposit.
Now let’s look at each of these 4 alternatives for investing money in search of good investments in mutual funds. Cash in the bank is safe and so are money market securities. These don’t look like good investments now because interest rates are near all-time lows. That won’t always be the case, so put some money in money market funds for safety.
Bond funds are a good way for most folks to invest money in bonds and they do pay higher interest income, but they are not really safe investments as most folks have been lead to believe. When today’s record low interest rates start to go up, most bonds and the funds that invest your money in them will be real losers. Memorize this statement: when rates go up bond prices (values) go down. The key to investing money in bond funds for 2011 and beyond is this: put money in short-term and intermediate-term bonds funds while avoiding long-term bond funds. The latter will get crushed if (when) interest rates turn around and go up.
Stocks are our third category, and stock mutual funds are the best way of investing money in them for average and especially clueless investors. The truth is that for 2011 and beyond this is the wild card. High unemployment and slow growth in the economy don’t paint a pretty picture here, but the other choices don’t look great either. Put some money in dividend-paying high-quality diversified stock funds. Avoid riskier growth funds that invest money in stocks that don’t pay dividends.
Investors who overlook other alternatives miss some good investments because of this oversight. Investing money in the likes of gold, oil, real estate and basic materials is greatly simplified by simply investing in specialty stock funds that specialize in these areas. The advantage here: these funds can add additional diversification to your portfolio because they sometimes produce profits when the stock market is weak.
We have covered your 4 basic choices starting with safe investments and getting progressively riskier. Investing money for 2011 and beyond simply amounts to covering all 4 bases, emphasizing the funds that best fit your risk profile. One year’s good investments might not be repeat performers the next year, but with a diversified portfolio of funds working for you you’ve got good odds for success.
Want to know more?
Hypo Venture Capital is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. Our analytical tools, screening techniques, rigorous research methods and committed staff provide solid information to help our clients make the best possible investment decisions. All views, comments, statements and opinions are of the authors. For more information go to http://www.hypovc.com
About the Author
Hypo Venture Capital is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. For more information go to http://www.hypovc.com
Here at Hypo Venture Capital we are committed to offering our clients access to the latest and broadest range of financial services and products on the market. We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs.
In 2011 and into the future most folks in search of good investments will again turn to mutual funds for investing money, and for good reason. These funds do the money investing for you and try to pick good investments for their (your) portfolio. It’s your money and you pick the funds, so in case you feel clueless, here we take the mystery out of investing for 2011 and beyond by getting back to basics.
In the process of investing money for the future you really only have 4 basic choices. That was true 100 years ago and still applies in 2011 and beyond. There are good safe investments that pay interest, bonds that pay more interest, stocks that grow in value most of the time; and alternative investments like gold & other commodities including real estate that offer growth opportunities sometimes when stocks don’t. Those are your basic choices when investing money unless you bury the stuff, in which case inflation and decomposition can eat away at your underground deposit.
Now let’s look at each of these 4 alternatives for investing money in search of good investments in mutual funds. Cash in the bank is safe and so are money market securities. These don’t look like good investments now because interest rates are near all-time lows. That won’t always be the case, so put some money in money market funds for safety.
Bond funds are a good way for most folks to invest money in bonds and they do pay higher interest income, but they are not really safe investments as most folks have been lead to believe. When today’s record low interest rates start to go up, most bonds and the funds that invest your money in them will be real losers. Memorize this statement: when rates go up bond prices (values) go down. The key to investing money in bond funds for 2011 and beyond is this: put money in short-term and intermediate-term bonds funds while avoiding long-term bond funds. The latter will get crushed if (when) interest rates turn around and go up.
Stocks are our third category, and stock mutual funds are the best way of investing money in them for average and especially clueless investors. The truth is that for 2011 and beyond this is the wild card. High unemployment and slow growth in the economy don’t paint a pretty picture here, but the other choices don’t look great either. Put some money in dividend-paying high-quality diversified stock funds. Avoid riskier growth funds that invest money in stocks that don’t pay dividends.
Investors who overlook other alternatives miss some good investments because of this oversight. Investing money in the likes of gold, oil, real estate and basic materials is greatly simplified by simply investing in specialty stock funds that specialize in these areas. The advantage here: these funds can add additional diversification to your portfolio because they sometimes produce profits when the stock market is weak.
We have covered your 4 basic choices starting with safe investments and getting progressively riskier. Investing money for 2011 and beyond simply amounts to covering all 4 bases, emphasizing the funds that best fit your risk profile. One year’s good investments might not be repeat performers the next year, but with a diversified portfolio of funds working for you you’ve got good odds for success.
Want to know more?
Hypo Venture Capital is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. Our analytical tools, screening techniques, rigorous research methods and committed staff provide solid information to help our clients make the best possible investment decisions. All views, comments, statements and opinions are of the authors. For more information go to http://www.hypovc.com
About the Author
Hypo Venture Capital is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. For more information go to http://www.hypovc.com
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:Obama sees China as a partner in Mars mission
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=29
U.S. President Barack Obama views China as a potential partner for an eventual human mission to Mars that would be difficult for any single nation to undertake, a senior White House official told lawmakers.Testifying May 4 before the House Appropriations subcommittee on commerce, justice and science, White House science adviser John Holdren said near-term engagement with China in civil space will help lay the groundwork for any such future endeavor. He prefaced his remarks with the assertion that human exploration of Mars is a long-term proposition and that any discussion of cooperating with Beijing on such an effort is speculative.
“(What) the president has deemed worth discussing with the Chinese and others is that when the time comes for humans to visit Mars, it’s going to be an extremely expensive proposition and the question is whether it will really make sense — at the time that we’re ready to do that — to do it as one nation rather than to do it in concert,” Holdren said in response to a question from Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., a staunch China critic who chairs the powerful subcommittee that oversees NASA spending.
Holdren, who said NASA could also benefit from cooperating with China on detection and tracking of orbital debris, stressed that any U.S. collaboration with Beijing in manned spaceflight would depend on future Sino-U.S. relations.
“But many of us, including the president, including myself, including (NASA Administrator Charles) Bolden, believe that it’s not too soon to have preliminary conversations about what involving China in that sort of cooperation might entail,” Holdren said. “If China is going to be, by 2030, the biggest economy in the world … it could certainly be to our benefit to share the costs of such an expensive venture with them and with others.”
Wolf, who characterizes China’s government as “fundamentally evil,” said it is outrageous that the Obama administration would have close ties with Beijing’s space program, which is believed to be run primarily by the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA.
“When you say you want to work in concert, it’s almost like you’re talking about Norway or England or something like that,” an irate Wolf told Holdren, repeatedly pounding a hand against the table top in front of him. “As long as I have breath in me, we will talk about this, we will deal with this issue, whether it be a Republican administration or a Democrat administration, it is fundamentally immoral.”
“I am instructed, after consultation with counsel, who in turn consulted with appropriate people in the Department of Justice, that that language should not be read as prohibiting actions that are part of the president’s constitutional authority to conduct negotiations,” Holdren said. “At the same time there are obviously a variety of aspects of that prohibition that very much apply and we’ll be looking at that on a case by case basis in (the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy) to be sure we are compliant.”
Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, who joined Wolf last fall in opposing an official visit to Beijing by Bolden, accused Holdren and the White House of plotting to circumvent the law.
“It’s not ambiguous, it’s not confusing, but you just stated to the chairman of this committee that you and the administration have already embarked on a policy to evade and avoid this very specific and unambiguous requirement of law if in your opinion it is in furtherance of negotiation of a treaty,” Culberson said. “That’s exactly what you just said. I don’t want to hear about you not being a lawyer.”
Holdren said a variety of opinions and legal documents indicate the president has exclusive constitutional authority to determine the time, scope and objectives of international negotiations and discussions, as well as the authority to determine the preferred agents who will represent the United States in those exchanges.
Culberson reminded Holdren that the administration’s civil research and development funding flows through Wolf’s subcommittee, and that funding could be choked off if the White House fails to comply with the law.
“Your office cannot participate, nor can NASA, in any way, in any type of policy, program, order or contract of any kind with China or any Chinese-owned company,” Culberson said. “If you or anyone in your office, or anyone at NASA participates, collaborates or coordinates in any way with China or a Chinese-owned company … you’re in violation of this statute, and frankly you’re endangering your funding. You’ve got a huge problem on your hands. Huge.”
U.S. President Barack Obama views China as a potential partner for an eventual human mission to Mars that would be difficult for any single nation to undertake, a senior White House official told lawmakers.Testifying May 4 before the House Appropriations subcommittee on commerce, justice and science, White House science adviser John Holdren said near-term engagement with China in civil space will help lay the groundwork for any such future endeavor. He prefaced his remarks with the assertion that human exploration of Mars is a long-term proposition and that any discussion of cooperating with Beijing on such an effort is speculative.
“(What) the president has deemed worth discussing with the Chinese and others is that when the time comes for humans to visit Mars, it’s going to be an extremely expensive proposition and the question is whether it will really make sense — at the time that we’re ready to do that — to do it as one nation rather than to do it in concert,” Holdren said in response to a question from Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., a staunch China critic who chairs the powerful subcommittee that oversees NASA spending.
Holdren, who said NASA could also benefit from cooperating with China on detection and tracking of orbital debris, stressed that any U.S. collaboration with Beijing in manned spaceflight would depend on future Sino-U.S. relations.
“But many of us, including the president, including myself, including (NASA Administrator Charles) Bolden, believe that it’s not too soon to have preliminary conversations about what involving China in that sort of cooperation might entail,” Holdren said. “If China is going to be, by 2030, the biggest economy in the world … it could certainly be to our benefit to share the costs of such an expensive venture with them and with others.”
Wolf, who characterizes China’s government as “fundamentally evil,” said it is outrageous that the Obama administration would have close ties with Beijing’s space program, which is believed to be run primarily by the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA.
“When you say you want to work in concert, it’s almost like you’re talking about Norway or England or something like that,” an irate Wolf told Holdren, repeatedly pounding a hand against the table top in front of him. “As long as I have breath in me, we will talk about this, we will deal with this issue, whether it be a Republican administration or a Democrat administration, it is fundamentally immoral.”
Holdren said he admired Wolf’s leadership in calling attention to China’s human-rights record, but noted that even when then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan referred to the former Soviet Union as “the evil empire” in the late 1980s, he continued to cooperate with the communist bloc in science and technology if doing so was deemed in the U.S. national interest.
“The efforts we are undertaking to do things together with China in science and technology are very carefully crafted to be efforts that are in our own national interest,” Holdren said. “That does not mean that we admire the Chinese government; that does not mean we are blind to the human rights abuses.”
Holdren said that as White House science adviser, his capacity to influence the president’s diplomatic approach to Beijing is limited.
“I am not the person who’s going to be whispering in the president’s ear on what our stance toward China should be, government to government, except in the domain where I have the responsibility for helping the president judge whether particular activities in science and technology are in our national interest or not,” Holdren said.
Recently enacted legislation prohibits U.S. government collaboration with the Chinese in areas funded by Wolf’s subcommittee, whose jurisdiction also includes the U.S. Commerce and Justice departments, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
When asked how he interpreted the new law, part of a continuing resolution approved in April that funds federal agencies through Sept. 30, Holdren said the administration will live within the terms of the prohibition.“The efforts we are undertaking to do things together with China in science and technology are very carefully crafted to be efforts that are in our own national interest,” Holdren said. “That does not mean that we admire the Chinese government; that does not mean we are blind to the human rights abuses.”
Holdren said that as White House science adviser, his capacity to influence the president’s diplomatic approach to Beijing is limited.
“I am not the person who’s going to be whispering in the president’s ear on what our stance toward China should be, government to government, except in the domain where I have the responsibility for helping the president judge whether particular activities in science and technology are in our national interest or not,” Holdren said.
Recently enacted legislation prohibits U.S. government collaboration with the Chinese in areas funded by Wolf’s subcommittee, whose jurisdiction also includes the U.S. Commerce and Justice departments, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
“I am instructed, after consultation with counsel, who in turn consulted with appropriate people in the Department of Justice, that that language should not be read as prohibiting actions that are part of the president’s constitutional authority to conduct negotiations,” Holdren said. “At the same time there are obviously a variety of aspects of that prohibition that very much apply and we’ll be looking at that on a case by case basis in (the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy) to be sure we are compliant.”
Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, who joined Wolf last fall in opposing an official visit to Beijing by Bolden, accused Holdren and the White House of plotting to circumvent the law.
“It’s not ambiguous, it’s not confusing, but you just stated to the chairman of this committee that you and the administration have already embarked on a policy to evade and avoid this very specific and unambiguous requirement of law if in your opinion it is in furtherance of negotiation of a treaty,” Culberson said. “That’s exactly what you just said. I don’t want to hear about you not being a lawyer.”
Holdren said a variety of opinions and legal documents indicate the president has exclusive constitutional authority to determine the time, scope and objectives of international negotiations and discussions, as well as the authority to determine the preferred agents who will represent the United States in those exchanges.
Culberson reminded Holdren that the administration’s civil research and development funding flows through Wolf’s subcommittee, and that funding could be choked off if the White House fails to comply with the law.
“Your office cannot participate, nor can NASA, in any way, in any type of policy, program, order or contract of any kind with China or any Chinese-owned company,” Culberson said. “If you or anyone in your office, or anyone at NASA participates, collaborates or coordinates in any way with China or a Chinese-owned company … you’re in violation of this statute, and frankly you’re endangering your funding. You’ve got a huge problem on your hands. Huge.”
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:Shortage of independent financial advisers looming
http://hypoventurecapital-research.com/?p=25
Financial advisers who can give independent guidance to New Zealanders will be in short supply when the new financial services regime comes into full effect on July 1, less than two months away.
And at least one industry player is warning it will only worsen the country’s underinsurance problem.
So far the Financial Markets Authority has on its records 4953 registered financial advisers (RFA) and 454 authorised financial advisers (AFA). It expects the numbers to rise to 5000 and 2000 respectively by the regulation deadline, but that is still far less than the numbers the industry originally estimated.
AFAs and RFAs are considered “independents” compared to qualifying financial entity (QFE) advisers who are “locked” into giving advice on products they market. So far, the 63 QFEs on the register have an estimated 20,000 advisers among them.
Fidelity Life chief executive Milton Jennings said the decrease is not good for the insurance industry which is serviced by both RFAs and QFE advisers, and the retail investment industry which is covered by AFAs.
“We’ve got an underinsurance problem in this country. Less people selling insurance will only make the problem worse.”
He said the lack of independent financial advisers tilts the insurance market to favour banks that “are getting far better in insuring people”.
It will split the market with “RFAs on the high-end side of the advice market and banks in the transactional volume end of the market with the simpler type of products”.
Jennings said the Government was expecting 5000 AFAs but “there’s not even 2000 right now” because many advisers stop at the entry RFA level even if they could get to AFA status because of the cost.
“There’s a lot of compliance they have to go through, a lot of costs and unless they’ve got a strong business then they’d find it difficult to make good money,” Jennings said.
When you compare the 2000 AFAs expected by July and the 1.7 million KiwiSaver members, Jennings said it’s like “having one AFA for every 800 to 1000 people” – which is not in balance.
The FMA’s Mel Hewitson said “5000 was never a target, but an estimate made early in the FAA regime planning stages”.
“Not having available basic information like that is one of the problems we’re facing regulating a previously unregulated industry. In the past we’ve never known how many advisers were offering complex AFA-level advice for clients because there’s been no requirement to register or qualify before,” Hewitson said.
Financial advisers who can give independent guidance to New Zealanders will be in short supply when the new financial services regime comes into full effect on July 1, less than two months away.
And at least one industry player is warning it will only worsen the country’s underinsurance problem.
So far the Financial Markets Authority has on its records 4953 registered financial advisers (RFA) and 454 authorised financial advisers (AFA). It expects the numbers to rise to 5000 and 2000 respectively by the regulation deadline, but that is still far less than the numbers the industry originally estimated.
AFAs and RFAs are considered “independents” compared to qualifying financial entity (QFE) advisers who are “locked” into giving advice on products they market. So far, the 63 QFEs on the register have an estimated 20,000 advisers among them.
Fidelity Life chief executive Milton Jennings said the decrease is not good for the insurance industry which is serviced by both RFAs and QFE advisers, and the retail investment industry which is covered by AFAs.
“We’ve got an underinsurance problem in this country. Less people selling insurance will only make the problem worse.”
He said the lack of independent financial advisers tilts the insurance market to favour banks that “are getting far better in insuring people”.
It will split the market with “RFAs on the high-end side of the advice market and banks in the transactional volume end of the market with the simpler type of products”.
Jennings said the Government was expecting 5000 AFAs but “there’s not even 2000 right now” because many advisers stop at the entry RFA level even if they could get to AFA status because of the cost.
“There’s a lot of compliance they have to go through, a lot of costs and unless they’ve got a strong business then they’d find it difficult to make good money,” Jennings said.
When you compare the 2000 AFAs expected by July and the 1.7 million KiwiSaver members, Jennings said it’s like “having one AFA for every 800 to 1000 people” – which is not in balance.
The FMA’s Mel Hewitson said “5000 was never a target, but an estimate made early in the FAA regime planning stages”.
“Not having available basic information like that is one of the problems we’re facing regulating a previously unregulated industry. In the past we’ve never known how many advisers were offering complex AFA-level advice for clients because there’s been no requirement to register or qualify before,” Hewitson said.
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: Bigger Than Boxing- How Pacquiao rose to World No 1
http://hypoventure-capital.com/?p=32
Manny Pacquiao lived on the streets as a child in Manila, fights for a living today, visited President Obama recently and will inevitably upgrade from congressman to presidential candidate in the Philippines in the next 10 years.
His days under cardboard on the streets of the sprawling city, after leaving home when his father allegedly slaughtered and cooked his pet dog, and his improbable rise to the Philippine congress, where he is the architect of new anti-sex slave legislation, make his story one of boxing’s most amazing.
Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organisation welterweight title tonight at the MGM in Las Vegas against the once brilliant but now slightly jaded Shane Mosley. He is unbeaten since 1995 and has added world titles at five weights since his last loss. As a fighter Pacquiao has won world titles at seven different weights and has a truly remarkable back catalogue of startling finishes in brutal fights. His savage series of meetings with Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, the finest Mexicans of this and arguably any generation, and his cold-eyed destructions of Ricky Hatton and Oscar de la Hoya guarantee Pacquiao a special place in boxing’s history books.
Last May he won a seat in the Philippine congress for the province of Sarangani and he has taken his congressional duties so seriously that his trainer, Freddie Roach, was convinced that he would walk away from the sport. “I think we will lose him to politics,” Roach told me last summer. However, Pacquiao is skilled at manipulating time and his entourage, which is a staggering moving, cooking, laughing and singing gang, and now includes his political chief of staff.
At his last fight in November against Antonio Margarito, he hired a 747 and flew in more than 200 people from Manila to Dallas. They disembarked to join his retinue in several plush suites, where Pacquiao always sleeps with a dozen or so close friends. The fighter and his people cook their own food, watch kung fu films and perform endless hours of karaoke in the days and hours before fights. His wife and any other women have their own rooms.
As a child in the Manila slums Pacquiao slept on the floors in gyms with dozens of other homeless and desperate little fighters. His passage from six-stone anonymity, fighting for peanuts in long forgotten Filipino outposts, to the smiling, bilingual boxer with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $70m (£43m) is one of the legends of the boxing business. He had over 30 fights before turning professional, weighed less than 90 pounds and was unbeaten, always winning about $3 and enough rice to feed the other dwellers in the gym’s filthy bunk beds. He was just 16 when he turned professional, having lied about being 18 and he was still undoubtedly malnourished, often having to weigh in with lumps of metal in his socks. The $40 purses he received for his early fights meant he could eat and send money to his mother.
After 24 fights, and still when he was only 19, Pacquiao won and then lost the flyweight world title in bouts against the odds and against hometown favourites in Thailand. He was still well under boxing’s radar even when he won titles at super-bantamweight and reigned without equal for three years. In 2003 he arrived on the true international stage when he ruined Barrera in a non-title fight at featherweight, sending the exceptional Mexican staggering from corner to corner before the brutality ended in round 11.
Mosley will be Pacquiao’s 18th opponent since the night he dismantled Barrera; the list includes De la Hoya, left stunned on his stool at the end of seven rounds and looking like a man who had just glimpsed hell and not really fancied the journey very much. Hatton went down and out in two rounds and the Mexicans succumbed in slugfests that continually wrote and rewrote their way into the pantheon of great fights involving great fighters.
It is the quality of Pacquiao’s opponents over such a long period of time that places him with the modern giants; it is hard to mix talk about present-day and ancient fighters because of the way the sport operated before the 1960s. Pacquiao is one of the best boxers of the last 50 years.
Bob Arum, the promoter who travelled with Muhammad Ali and promotes Pacquiao, is convinced that he is a bigger star. “Ali never had this level of devotion,” Arum said. “In the Philippines he [Pacquiao] is the social welfare system – the best one. He helps everybody”.
The sharing of wealth is called balato and since his congressional victory it has become a lot more serious. The people of Sarangani do not have a hospital so Pacquiao went to see President Benigno Aquino III. “The sick had to travel for hospital care,” said Pacquiao. “I promised a hospital and they will get a hospital.” Pacquiao sat with Aquino and was given $5m to start the build. The ground will be broken in a ceremony when he returns after the Mosley fight. Aquino had pushed through legislation that guaranteed Pacquiao and his family military protection long before the new congressman sat with him and asked for a favour that he simply could not refuse.
“I want to achieve the same in politics that I have in boxing,” said Pacquiao. “I will start with what I know best and what I know needs to change.” He has personally written parts of the anti-human trafficking legislation that he is pushing through the Filipino congress.
At the same time, the 32-year-old has unfinished business inside the ring and is still hoping for a showdown with the evasive American Floyd Mayweather in a fight that would guarantee the pair $50m if it can possibly be made. The partial motivation for fighting Mosley is to try to beat him inside the distance and improve on the points win by Mayweather against Mosley last year. Meanwhile, Mayweather has to answer serious criminal charges in Las Vegas in July. All planned attempts to get them together have sadly faltered, the main stumbling block being the American’s insistence on Olympic-style drug tests before and after the fight. Pacquiao has passed every drug test he has ever taken.
Pacquiao’s road show shifted from Roach’s shabby Los Angeles gym to the opulent plastic-plant wonder of the MGM this week. The entourage was in tow, swiftly setting up music and food areas in his suites. Pacquiao’s latest CD was released last month and reputedly sold out immediately. It is called Sometimes When We Touch and is a compilation of power ballads from the Seventies and includes no fewer than seven versions of the title song. His love of music does not end there – Roach has continually to monitor the time spent by his fighter in the ring and at the microphone belting out Tony Christie numbers – and tonight Survivor’s Jimi Jamison will perform “Eye of the Tiger” live for Pacquiao’s ring walk.
“My heart is in focus,” insists Pacquiao. “I ignore distractions and do what I have to do in boxing and in life.” One thing is certain: the tiny genius with the gloves and the mission will be missed when he quits.
Manny Pacquiao lived on the streets as a child in Manila, fights for a living today, visited President Obama recently and will inevitably upgrade from congressman to presidential candidate in the Philippines in the next 10 years.
His days under cardboard on the streets of the sprawling city, after leaving home when his father allegedly slaughtered and cooked his pet dog, and his improbable rise to the Philippine congress, where he is the architect of new anti-sex slave legislation, make his story one of boxing’s most amazing.
Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organisation welterweight title tonight at the MGM in Las Vegas against the once brilliant but now slightly jaded Shane Mosley. He is unbeaten since 1995 and has added world titles at five weights since his last loss. As a fighter Pacquiao has won world titles at seven different weights and has a truly remarkable back catalogue of startling finishes in brutal fights. His savage series of meetings with Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, the finest Mexicans of this and arguably any generation, and his cold-eyed destructions of Ricky Hatton and Oscar de la Hoya guarantee Pacquiao a special place in boxing’s history books.
Last May he won a seat in the Philippine congress for the province of Sarangani and he has taken his congressional duties so seriously that his trainer, Freddie Roach, was convinced that he would walk away from the sport. “I think we will lose him to politics,” Roach told me last summer. However, Pacquiao is skilled at manipulating time and his entourage, which is a staggering moving, cooking, laughing and singing gang, and now includes his political chief of staff.
At his last fight in November against Antonio Margarito, he hired a 747 and flew in more than 200 people from Manila to Dallas. They disembarked to join his retinue in several plush suites, where Pacquiao always sleeps with a dozen or so close friends. The fighter and his people cook their own food, watch kung fu films and perform endless hours of karaoke in the days and hours before fights. His wife and any other women have their own rooms.
As a child in the Manila slums Pacquiao slept on the floors in gyms with dozens of other homeless and desperate little fighters. His passage from six-stone anonymity, fighting for peanuts in long forgotten Filipino outposts, to the smiling, bilingual boxer with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $70m (£43m) is one of the legends of the boxing business. He had over 30 fights before turning professional, weighed less than 90 pounds and was unbeaten, always winning about $3 and enough rice to feed the other dwellers in the gym’s filthy bunk beds. He was just 16 when he turned professional, having lied about being 18 and he was still undoubtedly malnourished, often having to weigh in with lumps of metal in his socks. The $40 purses he received for his early fights meant he could eat and send money to his mother.
After 24 fights, and still when he was only 19, Pacquiao won and then lost the flyweight world title in bouts against the odds and against hometown favourites in Thailand. He was still well under boxing’s radar even when he won titles at super-bantamweight and reigned without equal for three years. In 2003 he arrived on the true international stage when he ruined Barrera in a non-title fight at featherweight, sending the exceptional Mexican staggering from corner to corner before the brutality ended in round 11.
Mosley will be Pacquiao’s 18th opponent since the night he dismantled Barrera; the list includes De la Hoya, left stunned on his stool at the end of seven rounds and looking like a man who had just glimpsed hell and not really fancied the journey very much. Hatton went down and out in two rounds and the Mexicans succumbed in slugfests that continually wrote and rewrote their way into the pantheon of great fights involving great fighters.
It is the quality of Pacquiao’s opponents over such a long period of time that places him with the modern giants; it is hard to mix talk about present-day and ancient fighters because of the way the sport operated before the 1960s. Pacquiao is one of the best boxers of the last 50 years.
Bob Arum, the promoter who travelled with Muhammad Ali and promotes Pacquiao, is convinced that he is a bigger star. “Ali never had this level of devotion,” Arum said. “In the Philippines he [Pacquiao] is the social welfare system – the best one. He helps everybody”.
The sharing of wealth is called balato and since his congressional victory it has become a lot more serious. The people of Sarangani do not have a hospital so Pacquiao went to see President Benigno Aquino III. “The sick had to travel for hospital care,” said Pacquiao. “I promised a hospital and they will get a hospital.” Pacquiao sat with Aquino and was given $5m to start the build. The ground will be broken in a ceremony when he returns after the Mosley fight. Aquino had pushed through legislation that guaranteed Pacquiao and his family military protection long before the new congressman sat with him and asked for a favour that he simply could not refuse.
“I want to achieve the same in politics that I have in boxing,” said Pacquiao. “I will start with what I know best and what I know needs to change.” He has personally written parts of the anti-human trafficking legislation that he is pushing through the Filipino congress.
At the same time, the 32-year-old has unfinished business inside the ring and is still hoping for a showdown with the evasive American Floyd Mayweather in a fight that would guarantee the pair $50m if it can possibly be made. The partial motivation for fighting Mosley is to try to beat him inside the distance and improve on the points win by Mayweather against Mosley last year. Meanwhile, Mayweather has to answer serious criminal charges in Las Vegas in July. All planned attempts to get them together have sadly faltered, the main stumbling block being the American’s insistence on Olympic-style drug tests before and after the fight. Pacquiao has passed every drug test he has ever taken.
Pacquiao’s road show shifted from Roach’s shabby Los Angeles gym to the opulent plastic-plant wonder of the MGM this week. The entourage was in tow, swiftly setting up music and food areas in his suites. Pacquiao’s latest CD was released last month and reputedly sold out immediately. It is called Sometimes When We Touch and is a compilation of power ballads from the Seventies and includes no fewer than seven versions of the title song. His love of music does not end there – Roach has continually to monitor the time spent by his fighter in the ring and at the microphone belting out Tony Christie numbers – and tonight Survivor’s Jimi Jamison will perform “Eye of the Tiger” live for Pacquiao’s ring walk.
“My heart is in focus,” insists Pacquiao. “I ignore distractions and do what I have to do in boxing and in life.” One thing is certain: the tiny genius with the gloves and the mission will be missed when he quits.
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