Italy’s Mario Monti seeks Chinese investment, says reforms working
April 13, 2012 by Laura Reveley · Leave a Comment
BEIJING — Italian Premier Mario Monti urged China on Saturday to step up investment in Italy and tried to reassure Beijing that the euro zone debt crisis was close to resolution and tough economic reforms passed by his government were working.
Speaking after meetings with officials including Premier Wen Jiabao and the head of the China Investment Corp. , Lou Jiwei, Monti said there had been clear interest in greater cooperation but he had no concrete measures to announce.
“I don’t want to be too ambitious but my hope is to generate some new enthusiasm on Italy,” he told reporters.
“We underlined one of the aspects which in our judgment should be reinforced, the aspect of investment,” he said.
On the last leg of a tour that included Kazakhstan, South Korea and Japan, Monti reiterated remarks he had made in Tokyo — that the worst of the euro zone debt crisis appeared to have been resolved.
“No one can say the eurozone crisis is totally over, and I think it would also be a dangerous attitude for Italian policy if we were to come into a state of complacency,” he told reporters.
But he said the crisis was “virtually over” and fears that Italy could become a new flashpoint had eased since the turmoil last year which swept away Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and brought Monti’s technocrat government to power.
“This so far has not happened, and I believe it will not happen. So allow me no comp
A Guide Through the Investing Maze
April 9, 2012 by Hudson Watts · Leave a Comment
There are many ways to skin the stock market, and Quantpedia explores about 170 of them for the not-yet-committed or just plain curious trader.
Most sites narrow their focus to just a slice of fundamental or technical analysis.
For example, Zacks Research (www.zacks.com) is a wide-ranging information resource, but built on the keystone of earnings-estimate revisions. Likewise, the forte of Schaeffer’s Research (www.schaeffersresearch.com) is contrarian option plays. Most of us wander through a number of such strategies before finding one or more that work for us under ever-changing market conditions.
Quantpedia (www.quantpedia.com) offers a shortcut for what could otherwise be …
Which is better, a tax deduction or a tax credit?
April 9, 2012 by Charlie Stedman · Leave a Comment
A common misconception among taxpayers is that a tax credit is the same as a tax deduction. This is not only false, it’s a potentially expensive case of mistaken identity.
Simply stated, tax deductions reduce taxable income. A lower taxable income translates into fewer taxes paid by the taxpayer. The IRS has created two methods for utilizing tax deductions. A taxpayer can either take a standard deduction or take itemized deductions. There are a few factors to consider when deciding which route to go.
Related Articles 0% Balance Transfer Cash Back Credit Cards Free Airline Credit Card Miles
The easier of the two routes is the standard deduction, which the IRS makes available to the majority of taxpayers. However, familiarize yourself with eligibility requirements before arbitrarily going this route. For example, a married individual filing a separate return whose spouse itemizes deductions must also itemize.
The standard deduction amounts are set forth by the IRS and are adjusted yearly based on filing status and inflation.
12 Personal Finance To-Do’s for 2011
April 8, 2012 by Hudson Watts · Leave a Comment
Believe it or not, 2010 has come and gone. As we begin to adjust to 2011, its almost tradition to reflect on last year and think about how we can improve ourselves in the next 365 days.
Aside from vowing to eat less carbs or visit your in-laws more often, have you considered personal finance resolutions? We suggest you try out our 12 To-Dos to help your finances flourish in 2011. Let the countown begin!
12. Have a rainy day fund. Start putting away $50 a month into a bank account that you don’t touch. Have it auto-withdrawal if that helps. When you really run into hard times, that’s when you have something set aside to pull from. Plus, you’ll barely miss $50 a month if it’s automatic. Another strategy is to round up on all credit card transactions and put away what you round up. The average person would put away $30 a month this way, and you’ll never miss the pennies.
11. Consider changing to a more fee-friendly bank or credit union. Youll save hundreds of dollars a year by ditching the fees.
The real commodity winners and losers in Q1 2012
April 5, 2012 by Laura Reveley · Leave a Comment
LONDON (Commodity Online): As the first quarter of 2012 comes to a close, we take a look at the winners and losers during the first three months. It was a quarter that was driven by geopolitical risk, sovereign debt worries and contradicting signs on the economic progress of different regions, said Saxo Bank in a quarterly commodity research note. While the US stock market roared ahead – regaining pre-Lehman levels in the process – Europe was left in the doldrums and Asian economies began to worry about the implications of an increasingly visible Chinese slowdown, they added.
According to the bank, the two major commodity indices showed generally weak returns, as performance began to suffer during March. That’s when it became apparent that China, which represents more than 40 percent of global consumption and more than 50 percent of global consumption growth, was slowing down. T