The world wide web has become the wild wild west: ruthless, lawless, every man for himself. Each day billions of online scams are targeted at anyone and everyone in cyberspace, and if only a tiny fraction are successful, it's still incredibly lucrative. "H*COMMERCE: The Business of Hacking You" explores the inner workings of this dark trade and exposes how opening just one malicious email can disrupt a life or tear a family apart.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Trailer - "H*Commerce: The Business of Hacking You"
Saturday, October 17, 2009
TPMtv: A Talk with Joseph Stiglitz
Your Daily Politics Video Blog: We interviewed Nobel Prize-winning economist Joe Stiglitz on Friday about the bank bailout. And I focused on two key questions. What's wrong with the idea of buying the 'toxic assets' from the banks? And just what happens if we let these banks go bankrupt instead of continuing to prop them up with continuing bailouts?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
SEC's Reputation Restoration - Bloomberg
Analysis and discussion with the SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro. She says the American public needs an SEC that is aggressive on enforcement to ensure that the playing field is level for them to participate in the market. (Venture)
Friday, July 24, 2009
THE CORPORATION [9/23] Trading on 9/11
A trader describes the tragedy of 9/11 as a blessing in disguise because for some people, it translated into great riches. Brokers celebrated the death and destruction of the Iraq war because "in devastation, there is opportunity".
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
How to Move Money Offshore by Aurelia Masterson
Introduction – We are going to discuss the movement of funds from your own country or another country to an offshore bank presumably in an offshore tax haven. We are not going to discuss any illegal scenarios.
Why do People Move Money and Assets Offshore – Many of you will first think taxes? Well you are wrong. How many dictatorships are there in the world right now? Quite a few. There are ruled by kings who are in office for life. They can confiscate funds at will from anyone in the kingdom. How many military coup governments are running countries? Quite a few and they too can grab money from anyone in their jurisdiction at will. How many countries practice religious persecution? Many with even death penalty for infractions. Confiscation of wealth is a popular penalty involving religious persecution. How many countries practice political persecution? Many. How many countries have criminal gangs and organizations that are almost as powerful or as powerful as the government in power? Quite a few and they often get into the bank records in their country to see who to rob, kidnap, extort or otherwise victimize.
Then we can get into countries with out of control civil litigation systems where lawyers can strip you of all your assets in an unfair system that is out of control. Then we get into countries where kidnapping is prevalent and we could keep going on and on. There are numerous reasons for moving funds offshore where they can be safe other than tax implications. High tax governments want you to think that offshore banking and asset protection is only about tax avoidance but as you can plainly see it protects people from a lot of evils the high tax governments can care less about protecting people from.
Taking Cash Out of the Bank – Well this is the first thing that comes to mind with most people. Let me take the cash out and then transport it and deposit it into the offshore bank account. This perfectly guarantees that there is no trail to follow. Will this work? Sure and moving cash by itself is not intrinsically illegal as long as you report it correctly but there are some pitfalls to watch out for.
First of all many but not all governments want you to declare when departing their country with any amount of cash or negotiable instruments over $10,000. They word these forms as to be unclear if it is $10,000 per person or family. Usually per person, but do inquire. You can always have family members take separate flights to avoid get snagged by vague interpretative errors regarding the way the law was written. Do minors count – usually not. Today with all the inspection machines and other screening devices it is best to fill out the declaration form if required to do so, when departing lest you have the funds confiscated and face arrest. You may have to supply a source of funds statement, which is to say where the funds were derived from. In some police states it is really best not to move cash out since you may face a lot of questioning. This also depends on the amount. If you say you are going to a country to gamble at a resort and have $35,000 cash that is one thing. If you say that you are going to buy a hotel for cash and have $5,000,000 that’s is going to be another story altogether. Other factors are where you are going, who you are, where your passport is from, what profiles the country ahs on you etc.
In some countries removing large amounts of funds will trigger responses. The bank will tell you they have to order in the cash and that will take one or two days by armored car. Then they file suspicious transaction reports with the government to see if they want to confiscate your funds or arrest you or something. If it is $40,000 and you said you were buying a boat or car from a private party for cash that might not attract too much attention. If you tried the same thing with $900,000 it would not be plausible and thus more suspicious. If the figure was $3,500,000 even more suspicious. See how it works. In some countries large cash movements are common and the banks do not pay much attention to it.
Bringing Cash into the Offshore Country – Ok once again not illegal if you do the required declarations in almost every country in the world. Be prepared to explain the source of the funds. Panama is a bad country to bring cash into – ill advised. It is best to use a chartered plane, not airlines for substantial cash movements. If there is a substantial amount of money security is too difficult with a commercial airline. People can rob a duffle bag or briefcase in airline terminal. They pass it on to an accomplice who deposits the briefcase or duffle bag inside of another container and maybe it gets passed to yet another accomplice who then leaves the terminal quickly with your money and gets into a waiting car. Sure the police may be able to piece a lot of this together in several hours from the cameras but by then your money is long gone forever. Private airstrips and chartered jets are much easier environments to maintain security in. Large duffle bags can be placed inside the passenger compartment without having to go into the baggage compartment of a commercial airliner where there is about zero security.
Another option is to use Brinks the armored car service or one of their competitors to transport the cash for you on one of their jets. They will insure the cash for up to $5,000,000. Extra insurance can usually be obtained. They will require you to do all the due diligence documents for the departure country (if required) and arrival country.
In any event once the funds arrive in the offshore destination country declarations including source of funds statements need to be filed. Then security needs to be arranged with armored car transport directly to the bank. If you feel armored cars are not private enough a caravan of several SUV vehicles with armed bodyguards can be arranged. This would make it harder for one to know which bank the funds went to. Airport people cannot always be relied upon to be honest so the security precautions are necessary to transport funds safely to the bank for deposit.
Depositing Cash in the Offshore Bank – This is 100% not suggested in Panama. Anything over $10,000 will be refused. There are other countries like Guatemala where cash transactions are much more an accepted way of doing business. The bank will want some source of funds information and so forth. The bank should be prepared beforehand for the deposit so they are ready to receive it and the appropriate accounts are open and ready for the deposits. Another alternative is to put the funds into a bank vault. Sometimes this can be done at a government owned and operated bank or a private bank. If it is a large amount your money may be kept segregated in its own area in the bank. The bank does not put the money into the banking system per se; instead it is kept in the vault. You get issued a document showing the funds are in the vault, the amount, the date and whom they belong do. It can be called a depository receipt, a SKR (Safe Keeping Receipt) or just a receipt in general for the funds showing the ownership, date and amount. You can have a law firm open an International Trust Agreement and have the receipt in their name for you protecting you through the trust agreement. Later on the funds can be withdrawn, removed to another institution in the same or another country or deposited into an account(s) in the bank. Expect to pay points for this service.
Cash – Cash is a complicated method of losing the money trail but highly effective at the same time. Cash provides you with the most control and privacy and thus it is disliked by many oppressive anti-privacy governments. To de disliked is not the same thing as illegal.
Travelers Checks – These if not filled out made payable to a specific person or corporation are considered negotiable or bearer instruments and subject to the same controls as cash. If you make the traveler check payable to a person or corporation the government employees at the airports may not understand that it is no longer a negotiable instrument since they are usually not well trained in law. Best to treat travelers checks same as cash. While it is difficult to trace traveler’s checks it can be done. Not all that secure but it does take the trail away from your bank account that is sending the money, so to speak.
Bank Checks & Money Orders – If they are made payable to a person or corporation then these are not negotiable instruments and not subject to the controls imposed on cash. Offshore banks often will not take a money order for deposit – too much fraud. Bank or Cashier checks are usually fine but take 2-4 weeks to clear. Offshore banks will never extend credit while waiting for a check to clear.
Regular Personal or Corporate Checks – Welcome. If these are made out payable to a person or corporation they are not negotiable instruments and can be used freely. Offshore banks generally will accept them and hold them until they clear, 2-4 weeks. If you start depositing checks that bounce by the third one they will not accept them anymore. The banks will never take third party checks, checks by fax, phone or drafts.
Western Union – Banks will not take western union funds for deposit.
E-Gold – Banks will not take virtual currencies like e-gold for deposit.
Stocks – There are ways to transfer stocks to an offshore stockbroker. Offshore banks are rarely also stockbrokers. So you would be dealing with an offshore stockbroker, not the bank directly.
-Aurelia Masterson, http://www.panamalaw.org
About The Author
Aurelia Masterson is an associate of Panama Legal law firm (http://www.panamalaw.org). She has years of experience in the field and now shares her observations of current events, politics, and law with the Internet community. She can be contacted at: aurelia@panamalaw.org.
The author invites you to visit:
http://www.panamalaw.org
Why do People Move Money and Assets Offshore – Many of you will first think taxes? Well you are wrong. How many dictatorships are there in the world right now? Quite a few. There are ruled by kings who are in office for life. They can confiscate funds at will from anyone in the kingdom. How many military coup governments are running countries? Quite a few and they too can grab money from anyone in their jurisdiction at will. How many countries practice religious persecution? Many with even death penalty for infractions. Confiscation of wealth is a popular penalty involving religious persecution. How many countries practice political persecution? Many. How many countries have criminal gangs and organizations that are almost as powerful or as powerful as the government in power? Quite a few and they often get into the bank records in their country to see who to rob, kidnap, extort or otherwise victimize.
Then we can get into countries with out of control civil litigation systems where lawyers can strip you of all your assets in an unfair system that is out of control. Then we get into countries where kidnapping is prevalent and we could keep going on and on. There are numerous reasons for moving funds offshore where they can be safe other than tax implications. High tax governments want you to think that offshore banking and asset protection is only about tax avoidance but as you can plainly see it protects people from a lot of evils the high tax governments can care less about protecting people from.
Taking Cash Out of the Bank – Well this is the first thing that comes to mind with most people. Let me take the cash out and then transport it and deposit it into the offshore bank account. This perfectly guarantees that there is no trail to follow. Will this work? Sure and moving cash by itself is not intrinsically illegal as long as you report it correctly but there are some pitfalls to watch out for.
First of all many but not all governments want you to declare when departing their country with any amount of cash or negotiable instruments over $10,000. They word these forms as to be unclear if it is $10,000 per person or family. Usually per person, but do inquire. You can always have family members take separate flights to avoid get snagged by vague interpretative errors regarding the way the law was written. Do minors count – usually not. Today with all the inspection machines and other screening devices it is best to fill out the declaration form if required to do so, when departing lest you have the funds confiscated and face arrest. You may have to supply a source of funds statement, which is to say where the funds were derived from. In some police states it is really best not to move cash out since you may face a lot of questioning. This also depends on the amount. If you say you are going to a country to gamble at a resort and have $35,000 cash that is one thing. If you say that you are going to buy a hotel for cash and have $5,000,000 that’s is going to be another story altogether. Other factors are where you are going, who you are, where your passport is from, what profiles the country ahs on you etc.
In some countries removing large amounts of funds will trigger responses. The bank will tell you they have to order in the cash and that will take one or two days by armored car. Then they file suspicious transaction reports with the government to see if they want to confiscate your funds or arrest you or something. If it is $40,000 and you said you were buying a boat or car from a private party for cash that might not attract too much attention. If you tried the same thing with $900,000 it would not be plausible and thus more suspicious. If the figure was $3,500,000 even more suspicious. See how it works. In some countries large cash movements are common and the banks do not pay much attention to it.
Bringing Cash into the Offshore Country – Ok once again not illegal if you do the required declarations in almost every country in the world. Be prepared to explain the source of the funds. Panama is a bad country to bring cash into – ill advised. It is best to use a chartered plane, not airlines for substantial cash movements. If there is a substantial amount of money security is too difficult with a commercial airline. People can rob a duffle bag or briefcase in airline terminal. They pass it on to an accomplice who deposits the briefcase or duffle bag inside of another container and maybe it gets passed to yet another accomplice who then leaves the terminal quickly with your money and gets into a waiting car. Sure the police may be able to piece a lot of this together in several hours from the cameras but by then your money is long gone forever. Private airstrips and chartered jets are much easier environments to maintain security in. Large duffle bags can be placed inside the passenger compartment without having to go into the baggage compartment of a commercial airliner where there is about zero security.
Another option is to use Brinks the armored car service or one of their competitors to transport the cash for you on one of their jets. They will insure the cash for up to $5,000,000. Extra insurance can usually be obtained. They will require you to do all the due diligence documents for the departure country (if required) and arrival country.
In any event once the funds arrive in the offshore destination country declarations including source of funds statements need to be filed. Then security needs to be arranged with armored car transport directly to the bank. If you feel armored cars are not private enough a caravan of several SUV vehicles with armed bodyguards can be arranged. This would make it harder for one to know which bank the funds went to. Airport people cannot always be relied upon to be honest so the security precautions are necessary to transport funds safely to the bank for deposit.
Depositing Cash in the Offshore Bank – This is 100% not suggested in Panama. Anything over $10,000 will be refused. There are other countries like Guatemala where cash transactions are much more an accepted way of doing business. The bank will want some source of funds information and so forth. The bank should be prepared beforehand for the deposit so they are ready to receive it and the appropriate accounts are open and ready for the deposits. Another alternative is to put the funds into a bank vault. Sometimes this can be done at a government owned and operated bank or a private bank. If it is a large amount your money may be kept segregated in its own area in the bank. The bank does not put the money into the banking system per se; instead it is kept in the vault. You get issued a document showing the funds are in the vault, the amount, the date and whom they belong do. It can be called a depository receipt, a SKR (Safe Keeping Receipt) or just a receipt in general for the funds showing the ownership, date and amount. You can have a law firm open an International Trust Agreement and have the receipt in their name for you protecting you through the trust agreement. Later on the funds can be withdrawn, removed to another institution in the same or another country or deposited into an account(s) in the bank. Expect to pay points for this service.
Cash – Cash is a complicated method of losing the money trail but highly effective at the same time. Cash provides you with the most control and privacy and thus it is disliked by many oppressive anti-privacy governments. To de disliked is not the same thing as illegal.
Travelers Checks – These if not filled out made payable to a specific person or corporation are considered negotiable or bearer instruments and subject to the same controls as cash. If you make the traveler check payable to a person or corporation the government employees at the airports may not understand that it is no longer a negotiable instrument since they are usually not well trained in law. Best to treat travelers checks same as cash. While it is difficult to trace traveler’s checks it can be done. Not all that secure but it does take the trail away from your bank account that is sending the money, so to speak.
Bank Checks & Money Orders – If they are made payable to a person or corporation then these are not negotiable instruments and not subject to the controls imposed on cash. Offshore banks often will not take a money order for deposit – too much fraud. Bank or Cashier checks are usually fine but take 2-4 weeks to clear. Offshore banks will never extend credit while waiting for a check to clear.
Regular Personal or Corporate Checks – Welcome. If these are made out payable to a person or corporation they are not negotiable instruments and can be used freely. Offshore banks generally will accept them and hold them until they clear, 2-4 weeks. If you start depositing checks that bounce by the third one they will not accept them anymore. The banks will never take third party checks, checks by fax, phone or drafts.
Western Union – Banks will not take western union funds for deposit.
E-Gold – Banks will not take virtual currencies like e-gold for deposit.
Stocks – There are ways to transfer stocks to an offshore stockbroker. Offshore banks are rarely also stockbrokers. So you would be dealing with an offshore stockbroker, not the bank directly.
-Aurelia Masterson, http://www.panamalaw.org
About The Author
Aurelia Masterson is an associate of Panama Legal law firm (http://www.panamalaw.org). She has years of experience in the field and now shares her observations of current events, politics, and law with the Internet community. She can be contacted at: aurelia@panamalaw.org.
The author invites you to visit:
http://www.panamalaw.org
Sunday, June 28, 2009
What is a Trading Edge and How to Get One by Chris Strudwick
One of things that comes with experience is a trading edge. If you are unable to develop a good trading edge over the other traders, you could end up losing all of your capital, even if you are very disciplined and organised.
In this article I will cover some pertinent factors that I quite often use in achieving my own personal trading edge.
Fundamental Analysis.
Fundamental analysis as we all know by now, is the best method of checking out the financial condition of a company. This is easily accomplished by using financial reports, price/earning ratios, incomes, market share, sales and growth, etc.that are available This type of analysis can be very time consuming but I find it well worthwhile the effort that I put into it.
Here are a few factors that I take into consideration when researching a potential stock.
1. Earnings Per Share (EPS) .This shows me the stock’s average short term (recent quarters) and long term (last three years) earnings growth rate actually is.
2. Relative Price Strength (RPS) This measures a stock’s relative price change in the last 12 months in comparison to other equities Iin the Stock market.
3. Sales + Profit Margins + ROE (Return on Equity). This shows you a company's sales growth rate during the last 3 quarters, before and after profit margins and the return on equity.
If you like the idea of including fundamental analysis into your own trading plan, I would consider trading only stocks that meet some of the basic minimum requirements.
I personally like to use fundamental ratings for longer term trades such as the ones I plan on weekly charts. This won't be of much help to you if you happen to trade intraday.
Fundamental analysis can be a phenomenal way to build up a list of good solid potential profitable stocks, or as an alternative you can utilise it as a way to filter out the weaker stocks, but that’s about its boundaries. It will not provide you with an objective method to either enter or exit your trades. All of my trading decisions (entry, exit, and stops) are all based on technical analysis. Which we will now take a closer look at below.
Technical Analysis.
Technical analysis is basically all about the analysis of prices and their behaviour. These price actions depict patterns on charts and because human behavior is notoriously repetitive in nature, these price patterns can also be seen as very repetitive as well. By being aware of this important element definitely puts the odds in our favour right from the start.
You can choose from a variety of chart types that are readily available. The Japanese candlestick charts I have found by far are the easiest to utilise and could quite possibly be the one chart that you will use the most.
There are entire books devoted to the study of these candlestick patterns - if you are really serious about studying candlestick charts, Just take a look at the free books available on www asxnewbie.com.
Support and Resistance:
This is one of the most important concepts in technical analysis. Support and Resistance forms the very basic foundation for nearly every trading decision you will make. To give it full coverage would require many pages but I will limit myself to some very basic definitions and just a couple examples:
Support level:
This is a price level that a declining market or stock has failed to penetrate and has rebounded off at this level.
Example: the low of the previous day forms an line of support and this price level is often frequently used as a stop loss.
Resistance level:
This is a price level that a rising market or stock has failed to break through and has rebounded off it and headed back downwards.
Example: a previous high in an uptrend forms an area of resistance and this can be used as a minimum future objective to take some profits once that level is eventually reached.
Oscillators:
An oscillator is a technical indicator that will tell you at a quick glance whether a market or a stock that is currently being traded has been either "overbought" or "oversold." A few traders often use these oscillators to forecast a future change in direction. Some of these examples include the RSI, Stochastic Oscillator, and MACD just to name a few.
There are many numerous oscillators and technical indicators that traders employ, but I personally like to utilise them to weed out the weaker stocks. Particularly if I am lucky enough to have accumulated a list of too many good stocks to choose from. A very nice position to be in.
There are other indicators that I also use from time to time.
I look for support and resistance on the VIX (Volatility Index) daily chart to assist me to foresee reversals.
I look at the Put/Call Ratio (5 MA and 10 MA) on the daily chart to see if traders are too bearish (MAs > 0.8) or too bullish (MAs 1.2).
I also look at the McClellan Oscillator – the market is overbought if it rises above +70 and oversold if drops below -70. A buy signal is generated if it falls into the oversold area (-70 to -100) and then turns up - a sell signal is generated if it rises into the overbought area (+70 to +100) and then turns down. If it goes beyond the -100/+100 levels then it may be a sign of continuation of the current trend.
This article has not really been about about teaching you how to develop that trading edge. The idea that I had in mind was that it has hopefully shown you that there are many various and excellent tools available that can be used to improve your trading odds and increase your profitability.
It will take time and effort to find the right combination that will fit your trading personality and your own trading techniques. With persistence you can hone your trading skills to a level that gives you that vital edge over the average trader. If by chance that happens then my goal has been achieved.
I wish you profitable trading.
In this article I will cover some pertinent factors that I quite often use in achieving my own personal trading edge.
Fundamental Analysis.
Fundamental analysis as we all know by now, is the best method of checking out the financial condition of a company. This is easily accomplished by using financial reports, price/earning ratios, incomes, market share, sales and growth, etc.that are available This type of analysis can be very time consuming but I find it well worthwhile the effort that I put into it.
Here are a few factors that I take into consideration when researching a potential stock.
1. Earnings Per Share (EPS) .This shows me the stock’s average short term (recent quarters) and long term (last three years) earnings growth rate actually is.
2. Relative Price Strength (RPS) This measures a stock’s relative price change in the last 12 months in comparison to other equities Iin the Stock market.
3. Sales + Profit Margins + ROE (Return on Equity). This shows you a company's sales growth rate during the last 3 quarters, before and after profit margins and the return on equity.
If you like the idea of including fundamental analysis into your own trading plan, I would consider trading only stocks that meet some of the basic minimum requirements.
I personally like to use fundamental ratings for longer term trades such as the ones I plan on weekly charts. This won't be of much help to you if you happen to trade intraday.
Fundamental analysis can be a phenomenal way to build up a list of good solid potential profitable stocks, or as an alternative you can utilise it as a way to filter out the weaker stocks, but that’s about its boundaries. It will not provide you with an objective method to either enter or exit your trades. All of my trading decisions (entry, exit, and stops) are all based on technical analysis. Which we will now take a closer look at below.
Technical Analysis.
Technical analysis is basically all about the analysis of prices and their behaviour. These price actions depict patterns on charts and because human behavior is notoriously repetitive in nature, these price patterns can also be seen as very repetitive as well. By being aware of this important element definitely puts the odds in our favour right from the start.
You can choose from a variety of chart types that are readily available. The Japanese candlestick charts I have found by far are the easiest to utilise and could quite possibly be the one chart that you will use the most.
There are entire books devoted to the study of these candlestick patterns - if you are really serious about studying candlestick charts, Just take a look at the free books available on www asxnewbie.com.
Support and Resistance:
This is one of the most important concepts in technical analysis. Support and Resistance forms the very basic foundation for nearly every trading decision you will make. To give it full coverage would require many pages but I will limit myself to some very basic definitions and just a couple examples:
Support level:
This is a price level that a declining market or stock has failed to penetrate and has rebounded off at this level.
Example: the low of the previous day forms an line of support and this price level is often frequently used as a stop loss.
Resistance level:
This is a price level that a rising market or stock has failed to break through and has rebounded off it and headed back downwards.
Example: a previous high in an uptrend forms an area of resistance and this can be used as a minimum future objective to take some profits once that level is eventually reached.
Oscillators:
An oscillator is a technical indicator that will tell you at a quick glance whether a market or a stock that is currently being traded has been either "overbought" or "oversold." A few traders often use these oscillators to forecast a future change in direction. Some of these examples include the RSI, Stochastic Oscillator, and MACD just to name a few.
There are many numerous oscillators and technical indicators that traders employ, but I personally like to utilise them to weed out the weaker stocks. Particularly if I am lucky enough to have accumulated a list of too many good stocks to choose from. A very nice position to be in.
There are other indicators that I also use from time to time.
I look for support and resistance on the VIX (Volatility Index) daily chart to assist me to foresee reversals.
I look at the Put/Call Ratio (5 MA and 10 MA) on the daily chart to see if traders are too bearish (MAs > 0.8) or too bullish (MAs 1.2).
I also look at the McClellan Oscillator – the market is overbought if it rises above +70 and oversold if drops below -70. A buy signal is generated if it falls into the oversold area (-70 to -100) and then turns up - a sell signal is generated if it rises into the overbought area (+70 to +100) and then turns down. If it goes beyond the -100/+100 levels then it may be a sign of continuation of the current trend.
This article has not really been about about teaching you how to develop that trading edge. The idea that I had in mind was that it has hopefully shown you that there are many various and excellent tools available that can be used to improve your trading odds and increase your profitability.
It will take time and effort to find the right combination that will fit your trading personality and your own trading techniques. With persistence you can hone your trading skills to a level that gives you that vital edge over the average trader. If by chance that happens then my goal has been achieved.
I wish you profitable trading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)