By Steven Tarlow, your February home sales news source
February home sales are up, but remember it could just be a reflection of a new housing bubble. (Photo: ThinkStock)
Plenty of Real Estate experts have gone on record that a new housing bubble is forming, but others view increased February home sales numbers for the U.S. as a positive sign that the market is surging again. According to the National Association of Realtors, home sales in February 2010 rose 8.2 percent. Analysts had expected sales to continue to flat line, as credit for too many today is limited to the payday loan. This was in spite of the tax credit for home buyers. The tax credit was among the driving forces for sales increases in fall 2009, but the New York Times says that it has been a lesser force this spring.
Do February home sales equal a second surge?
National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says it is possible. A second Real Estate market surge would go a long way toward stabilizing home prices, placing that market very much on the same track as U.S. employment, where the service sector has been shown to be experiencing resurgence, even if it still has some distance to go before it reaches the break even point. The Institute for Supply Management also indicates that non-manufacturing jobs and exports are on the rise. Yet this does not take into account the perpetually “underemployed,” who have difficulty making ends meet and rely upon occasional payday loans.
February home sales: Good news for dark times
Let’s be clear about this: the increase in February home sales is all relative, for the U.S. Real Estate market is still in a deep rut. Foreclosures are still on the rise. Yet the February home sales report is a glimmer of hope. Areas of the country that experienced bad weather even showed an uptick; according to the Times, the Northeast and South – areas hard-hit by snow this winter – showed a nine percent increase in sales.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
MoneyGram | Sending and receiving money for 70 years
MoneyGram | Sending and receiving money for 70 years
MoneyGram International, Inc., the parent company for MoneyGram (aka Money Gram) is what is known as a “global payment services company.” Money transfers, money orders, bill payment and prepaid Visa debit cards are available in MoneyGram’s vast array of parent and agent stores across the globe or via its online portal, www.moneygram.com. Since 1940, MoneyGram has worked hard to become a highly efficient, economical and secure (See http://www.moneygram.com/MGIUS/CustomerService/ConsumerProtection
/index.htm) means for consumers and businesses to send and receive money. The small money order company known as Travelers Express that opened in Minneapolis, Minn., has grown by leaps and bounds to become a payment services leader.
MoneyGram doesn’t offer payday loans, but it is recognized worldwide
Through it all, MoneyGram’s corporate values of “respect, courage, passion, integrity and teamwork” have guided everything it does. A good business cannot be built without good people, and so MoneyGram has gone forward by “providing a challenging, friendly and rewarding environment” for its employees. Considering the company’s longstanding tradition of success in the global payment services market, it would appear that employees have risen to the challenge. Part of that challenge is MoneyGram’s initiatives that give back to the community (See www.moneygram.com/MGICorp/CommunityGiving/index.htm).
Loyal customers are rewarded for using MoneyGram
Customers want to be made to feel special at any business, which is why MoneyGram has programs like MoneyGram Rewards. The company will automatically keep track of the number of Eligible Money Transfers (See www.moneygram.com/MGIRewards/ProgramRules/index.htm) a customer makes via a MoneyGram Rewards card. It’s free, much like a standard grocery store savings card. The more times a customer sends money, the lower the cost for sending money becomes. Special promotions also become available to MoneyGram Rewards customers over time, a “Thank You” from MoneyGram to the customer for their loyalty.
How much do customers save with MoneyGram Rewards?
For three to five eligible money transfers per year: Save 5 percent off transfer fees!
For six or more eligible money transfers per year: Save 10 percent off transfer fees!
Other ways MoneyGram Rewards benefit MoneyGram customers
Speed – No forms to fill out, as identifying information is contained on a customer’s MoneyGram Rewards account
Control – Receive Notice instantly notifies customers when their sent money is picked up
Online metrics: How www.MoneyGram.com fares
Compete.com tells a story about MoneyGram’s online portal – www.moneygram.com – that mirrors its longstanding tradition of success. According to February 2010 numbers, www.moneygram.com received 217,393 visitors, an 8.22 percent increase over the previous month. Overall, 349,980 visitors came to the Web site in February, which actually reflects a 9.57 percent drop. That kind of fluctuation appears normal for financial service companies, however, based upon recorded numbers for the past 12 months.
In terms of referral share, Google.com sent the most traffic to www.moneygram.com in February (17.43 percent), while Yahoo.com (10.31 percent) and Emoneygram.com (9.89 percent) came in for show and place. Search share indicates that 33.87 percent of www.moneygram.com visitors used “moneygram” in their favorite search engine, while “money gram” (12.07 percent) and “moneygram locations” (6.73 percent were also significant.
When you go with MoneyGram, you go with a payment services leader
When friends or loved ones need a loan and live on the other side of the country – or in another country – MoneyGram is an excellent choice. Low cost, speed, efficiency and security have kept the business strong for 70 years.
MoneyGram International, Inc., the parent company for MoneyGram (aka Money Gram) is what is known as a “global payment services company.” Money transfers, money orders, bill payment and prepaid Visa debit cards are available in MoneyGram’s vast array of parent and agent stores across the globe or via its online portal, www.moneygram.com. Since 1940, MoneyGram has worked hard to become a highly efficient, economical and secure (See http://www.moneygram.com/MGIUS/CustomerService/ConsumerProtection
/index.htm) means for consumers and businesses to send and receive money. The small money order company known as Travelers Express that opened in Minneapolis, Minn., has grown by leaps and bounds to become a payment services leader.
MoneyGram doesn’t offer payday loans, but it is recognized worldwide
Through it all, MoneyGram’s corporate values of “respect, courage, passion, integrity and teamwork” have guided everything it does. A good business cannot be built without good people, and so MoneyGram has gone forward by “providing a challenging, friendly and rewarding environment” for its employees. Considering the company’s longstanding tradition of success in the global payment services market, it would appear that employees have risen to the challenge. Part of that challenge is MoneyGram’s initiatives that give back to the community (See www.moneygram.com/MGICorp/CommunityGiving/index.htm).
Loyal customers are rewarded for using MoneyGram
Customers want to be made to feel special at any business, which is why MoneyGram has programs like MoneyGram Rewards. The company will automatically keep track of the number of Eligible Money Transfers (See www.moneygram.com/MGIRewards/ProgramRules/index.htm) a customer makes via a MoneyGram Rewards card. It’s free, much like a standard grocery store savings card. The more times a customer sends money, the lower the cost for sending money becomes. Special promotions also become available to MoneyGram Rewards customers over time, a “Thank You” from MoneyGram to the customer for their loyalty.
How much do customers save with MoneyGram Rewards?
For three to five eligible money transfers per year: Save 5 percent off transfer fees!
For six or more eligible money transfers per year: Save 10 percent off transfer fees!
Other ways MoneyGram Rewards benefit MoneyGram customers
Speed – No forms to fill out, as identifying information is contained on a customer’s MoneyGram Rewards account
Control – Receive Notice instantly notifies customers when their sent money is picked up
Online metrics: How www.MoneyGram.com fares
Compete.com tells a story about MoneyGram’s online portal – www.moneygram.com – that mirrors its longstanding tradition of success. According to February 2010 numbers, www.moneygram.com received 217,393 visitors, an 8.22 percent increase over the previous month. Overall, 349,980 visitors came to the Web site in February, which actually reflects a 9.57 percent drop. That kind of fluctuation appears normal for financial service companies, however, based upon recorded numbers for the past 12 months.
In terms of referral share, Google.com sent the most traffic to www.moneygram.com in February (17.43 percent), while Yahoo.com (10.31 percent) and Emoneygram.com (9.89 percent) came in for show and place. Search share indicates that 33.87 percent of www.moneygram.com visitors used “moneygram” in their favorite search engine, while “money gram” (12.07 percent) and “moneygram locations” (6.73 percent were also significant.
When you go with MoneyGram, you go with a payment services leader
When friends or loved ones need a loan and live on the other side of the country – or in another country – MoneyGram is an excellent choice. Low cost, speed, efficiency and security have kept the business strong for 70 years.
Monday, March 22, 2010
The futility of active management - Investment News
The futility of active management - Investment News:
"From 1994 through 2008, the average large-cap mutual fund that was in existence for the full 15-year period (some 400 funds) posted an annualized return of 5.61%, compared with 6.46% for the S&P 500.
And because some people claim that active managers are more valuable under the circumstances of a bear market than when the markets are trending up, Standard & Poor's looked at the percentage of mutual funds that failed to outperform their benchmarks between 2004 and 2008 during the last bear market: 66.2% of all domestic funds, 71.9% of all large-cap funds, 79.1% of all mid-cap funds and 85.5% of all small-cap funds."
"From 1994 through 2008, the average large-cap mutual fund that was in existence for the full 15-year period (some 400 funds) posted an annualized return of 5.61%, compared with 6.46% for the S&P 500.
And because some people claim that active managers are more valuable under the circumstances of a bear market than when the markets are trending up, Standard & Poor's looked at the percentage of mutual funds that failed to outperform their benchmarks between 2004 and 2008 during the last bear market: 66.2% of all domestic funds, 71.9% of all large-cap funds, 79.1% of all mid-cap funds and 85.5% of all small-cap funds."
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Risky business | Penn State News | Business - Centre Daily Times
Risky business | Penn State News | Business - Centre Daily Times:
"The Nittany Lion Fund, a $4.5 million mutual fund managed by Penn State students and advised by finance professor J. Randall Woolridge, teaches students the importance of risk management, ethics and money management in a real-world environment.
Smeal Dean Jim Thomas said the college also plans to add a major in risk management. The addition will be submitted to the Faculty Senate for approval in the near future."
"The Nittany Lion Fund, a $4.5 million mutual fund managed by Penn State students and advised by finance professor J. Randall Woolridge, teaches students the importance of risk management, ethics and money management in a real-world environment.
Smeal Dean Jim Thomas said the college also plans to add a major in risk management. The addition will be submitted to the Faculty Senate for approval in the near future."
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Intelligent Investor: Golden Pay for CEOs Could Be Bad for Stocks - WSJ.com
The Intelligent Investor: Golden Pay for CEOs Could Be Bad for Stocks - WSJ.com:
"The first study, led by corporate-governance expert Lucian Bebchuk of Harvard Law School, looked at more than 2,000 companies to see what share of the total compensation earned by the top five executives went to the CEO. The researchers call this number—which averages about 35%—the 'CEO pay slice.'
It turns out that the bigger the CEO's slice of the pie, the lower the company's future profitability and market valuation...."
"The first study, led by corporate-governance expert Lucian Bebchuk of Harvard Law School, looked at more than 2,000 companies to see what share of the total compensation earned by the top five executives went to the CEO. The researchers call this number—which averages about 35%—the 'CEO pay slice.'
It turns out that the bigger the CEO's slice of the pie, the lower the company's future profitability and market valuation...."
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
DNA-Based Investing Strategies - Barrons.com
DNA-Based Investing Strategies - Barrons.com: "Science can tell the difference between nature and nurture. Personal investing strategies are based on genes, brain patterns, and human experience. Columnist Jason Zweig goes to the University of Pittsburgh to uncover whether science can tell whether he is more guided by his nature, or by his life."
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
How Scientists Helped Cause Our Financial Crisis
Garbage in, Garbage out. Models are not reality. Models only help explain reality and therefore help our understanding of a reality that is generally too complex to fully grasp.
These ideas are taught in every stats, econometrics, and finance class worth its weight. On every test students use (indeed sometimes overuse) "data limitations", "it uses historical data", and "surprises (or black swans) can occur that would make our model incorrect" as problems with such and such model. And yet somehow, quantitative geniuses (or at least the traders and managers who relied on the models) seeming forgot (uh, looked the other way?) and ignored the problems.
So how did so many smart people seemingly forget? In part they were paid to forget (bonuses, promotions for big successes with little accounting for risks taken--for more of this see Taleb's "Fooled by Randomness".
Scientific America and ClusterStock look at this issue in How Scientists Helped Cause Our Financial Crisis
"In retrospect, the financial planning by our most sophisticated financial institution looks incredibly stupid. Merrill Lynch never included in its plans the risk that its counterparties could demand more collateral. Citigroup proceeded to dive headlong into the mortgage market on the assumption that a national housing decline was impossible. Everyone, it seems, failed to guard against the risk that they might be forced to sell assets to raise capital during a downturn. So it's worth asking: how did so many rich guys get so dumb?"
Scientific America quoted in the same piece:
"The causes of this fiasco are multifold—the Federal Reserve’s easy-money policy played a big role—but the rocket scientists and geeks also bear their share of the blame....The government bailout has already left the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve with extraordinary powers. The regulators must ensure that the many lessons of this debacle are not forgotten by the institutions that trade these securities. One important take-home message: capital safety nets (now restored) should never be slashed again, even if a crisis is not looming.
For its part, the quant community needs to undertake a search for better models—perhaps seeking help from behavioral economics, which studies irrationality of investors’ decision making, and from virtual market tools that use “intelligent agents” to mimic more faithfully the ups and downs of the activities of buyers and sellers....risk management models should serve only as aids not substitutes for the critical human factor. Like an airplane, financial models can never be allowed to fly solo."
Remember, models are representations of reality. Economic models, no matter how super, are no more reality than are super models are representations of the average Joe (or Jill or Jim or Jerry or Jane).
These ideas are taught in every stats, econometrics, and finance class worth its weight. On every test students use (indeed sometimes overuse) "data limitations", "it uses historical data", and "surprises (or black swans) can occur that would make our model incorrect" as problems with such and such model. And yet somehow, quantitative geniuses (or at least the traders and managers who relied on the models) seeming forgot (uh, looked the other way?) and ignored the problems.
So how did so many smart people seemingly forget? In part they were paid to forget (bonuses, promotions for big successes with little accounting for risks taken--for more of this see Taleb's "Fooled by Randomness".
Scientific America and ClusterStock look at this issue in How Scientists Helped Cause Our Financial Crisis
"In retrospect, the financial planning by our most sophisticated financial institution looks incredibly stupid. Merrill Lynch never included in its plans the risk that its counterparties could demand more collateral. Citigroup proceeded to dive headlong into the mortgage market on the assumption that a national housing decline was impossible. Everyone, it seems, failed to guard against the risk that they might be forced to sell assets to raise capital during a downturn. So it's worth asking: how did so many rich guys get so dumb?"
Scientific America quoted in the same piece:
"The causes of this fiasco are multifold—the Federal Reserve’s easy-money policy played a big role—but the rocket scientists and geeks also bear their share of the blame....The government bailout has already left the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve with extraordinary powers. The regulators must ensure that the many lessons of this debacle are not forgotten by the institutions that trade these securities. One important take-home message: capital safety nets (now restored) should never be slashed again, even if a crisis is not looming.
For its part, the quant community needs to undertake a search for better models—perhaps seeking help from behavioral economics, which studies irrationality of investors’ decision making, and from virtual market tools that use “intelligent agents” to mimic more faithfully the ups and downs of the activities of buyers and sellers....risk management models should serve only as aids not substitutes for the critical human factor. Like an airplane, financial models can never be allowed to fly solo."
Remember, models are representations of reality. Economic models, no matter how super, are no more reality than are super models are representations of the average Joe (or Jill or Jim or Jerry or Jane).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)