Signals Airbus expects years of grappling with A380 cracks

Signals Airbus expects years of grappling with A380 cracks Companies: European Aeronautic Defence and Space NV RELATED QUOTES Symbol Price Change EAD.PA 31.10 +0.28 Related Content An A380 aircraft is seen through a window with an Airbus logo during the EADS / Airbus 'New Year Press Conference' in Hamburg January 17, 2012. REUTERS/Morris Mac MatzenView Photo An A380 aircraft is seen through a window with an Airbus logo during the EADS / Airbus 'New Year Press Conference' in Hamburg January 17, 2012. REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Airbus will need years to get past problems with wing cracks on its flagship A380 passenger jet, the executive vice president of programs at Airbus told a German magazine. 'This problem will keep us busy for years,' weekly Der Spiegel quoted Tom Williams as saying in an article published on Sunday. European air safety regulators last month ordered checks for A380 wing cracks for the entire superjumbo fleet after safety engineers found cracks in almost all planes inspected. Airbus, the plane maker owned by EADS (PAR:EAD.PA - News), has said a combination of design and manufacturing slips put too much stress on a handful of the 2,000 brackets that fix the exterior of each wing to the ribcage beneath. The magazine said Williams aimed to present a solution for the problem in April, and Airbus will start installing new parts in planes by the end of the year.

Oil China to reform, grow economy, IMF eyes freer yuan

Oil Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang gestures as he talks to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing February 15, 2012. REUTERS/How Hwee Young/PoolView Photo Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang gestures as he talks to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing February 15, 2012. REUTERS/How Hwee Young/Pool By Kevin Yao and Koh Gui Qing BEIJING (Reuters) - China cannot delay tough economic reforms, Vice Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday, underscoring the top leadership's push for market-based change after the sacking last week of an ambitious provincial leader who wanted a bigger state role in the economy. Li, widely expected to succeed Wen Jiabao as premier in a leadership transition that begins later this year, promised flexible policies to keep growth brisk and prices stable, with a focus on boosting domestic demand and pursuing structural reforms to make growth more stable and balanced. 'China has reached a crucial period in changing its economic model and (change) cannot be delayed. Reforms have entered a tough stage,' Li said, echoing comments made by Wen last week. 'We will make policies more targeted, flexible and forward-looking to maintain relatively fast economic growth and keep price levels basically stable,' Li said in a speech at an economic policy conference, attended by top Chinese officials, the head of the IMF and dozens of foreign business leaders. He said China would 'deepen reforms on taxes, the financial sector, prices, income distribution and seek breakthroughs in key areas to let market forces play a bigger role in resource allocation'. Li's renewed emphasis on reform-led growth comes after Wen said slower growth and bolder political reform must be embraced to keep the world's second largest economy from faltering and to spread wealth more evenly, promising to use his last year in power to attack discontent that he warned could end in chaos. Wen told a news conference at the end of the National People's Congress (NPC) that growth would be made more resilient to external pressures, domestic property and inflation risks deflated and 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) in debt racked up by local governments dealt with, while also promoting political change. He cut China's official 2012 growth target to 7.5 percent, down from the 8 percent targeted in each of the last eight years, aiming to create leeway to deliver reform of items including subsidies, without igniting inflation. China's annual rate of inflation cooled to 3.2 percent in February, below the government's 4 percent target for the first time in more than a year. But policymakers remain particularly sensitive to elevated commodity prices, given China's huge imports of raw materials. PRO-GROWTH POLICIES CRUCIAL Zhang Ping, head of the country's top planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Sunday conference that economic policies maintaining relatively fast growth were key to the country's future. 'First of all, we need to maintain steady and relatively fast economic growth -- development is the key for resolving all problems in China,' Zhang said. The government would maintain prudent monetary and pro-active fiscal policies, and stand ready to fine-tune settings -- a consistent refrain from China's leaders since the autumn of 2011. The show of unity over pro-market reform took on new significance last week when China's central leadership moved to bolster control over the southwest city-province of Chongqing after ousting its contentious but popular chief, Bo Xilai. The calls for unity with the ruling Communist Party's top leaders were emblazoned on the front pages of Chongqing newspapers on Saturday. They made no mention of Bo, removed from power after a scandal when his Vice Mayor Wang Lijun took refuge in February in a U.S. consulate until he was coaxed out. After arriving in Chongqing in 2007, Bo, 62 and a former commerce minister, turned it into a bastion of Communist revolutionary-inspired 'red' culture and egalitarian growth, winning national attention with a crackdown on organized crime. His self-promotion and revival of Mao Zedong-inspired propaganda irked moderate officials. But his populist ways and crime clean-up were welcomed by many residents and others who hoped Bo could try his policies nationwide. Li said that while the overall trend of China's economy was stable with sound fundamentals, it faced structural obstacles that must be overcome, adding that Beijing would push forward structural reforms while encouraging technological innovations to generate new sources of economic growth. CURRENCY REFORM CARROT International Monetary Fund managing director, Christine Lagarde, dangled an additional reform carrot at the same economic forum on Sunday, saying that the yuan could become a global reserve currency with the right mix of market-oriented structural change. 'What is needed is a roadmap with a stronger and more flexible exchange rate, more effective liquidity and monetary management, with higher quality supervision and regulation, with a more well-developed financial market, with flexible deposit and lending rates, and finally with the opening up of the capital account,' Lagarde said. 'If all that happens, there is no reason why the renminbi (yuan) will not reach the status of a reserve currency occupying a position on par with China's economic status.' China, the world's biggest exporting nation and the second-largest importer, has long wanted to break the dollar's dominance as the principal global unit of cross-border trade, in part to battle internal inflation risks and also to enhance Beijing's influence on the international financial system. China's has a closed capital account system and its currency is tightly controlled. Although Beijing has increased the use of the yuan to settle cross border trade, undertaking a series of reforms in recent years to that end, yuan settlement was only about $300 billion in 2011, which Chinese exports were worth about $1.9 trillion. Li said he expected China's total trade to maintain double-digit growth this year. The government has an official target of 10 percent growth in both imports and exports for 2012. Exports are a key source of demand and jobs for China's vast factory sector and have been a principal driver of wealth creation for much of the last decade in the wake of the country's accession to the World Trade Organization. China's trade balance plunged $31.5 billion into the red in February as imports swamped exports to leave the largest deficit in at least a decade and fuel doubts about the extent to which frail foreign demand drove the drop. Li said that there were some encouraging signs emerging about the pace of global economic recovery, and forecast that China's total trade would top $10 trillion in the five years 2011-2015, but added that the outlook was not certain, with efforts to resolve Europe's debt crisis still evolving. Economists expect China's annual economic growth to slow to close to 8 percent in the first three months of 2012, down from 8.9 percent in the last quarter of 2011. That would be the fifth successive quarter of slower growth and leave China on track to end the year with its weakest expansion in a decade. A raft of economic indicators in the last two weeks have signaled that China's economy is on a gentle glide lower and on course to avoid a so-called hard landing. (Writing by Nick Edwards; Editing by Don Durfee and Jonathan Thatcher)

Signals August 21st Penny Stock Winners, Losers, and Bottom Scan

Signals

Today's Winners and Losers

Today's Bottom Scan

Signals Hotel industry looks for deal pace to pick up

Signals LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hotel companies and real estate firms are optimistic that deal transactions will pick up this year despite concerns about Europe's economy and challenges in obtaining debt financing. While a business-led economic recovery has helped lift U.S. hotel occupancy rates, development is still a soft spot as tight credit conditions have limited new-hotel builds. Still, there is a growing sense that the hotel sector has momentum and performance will continue to improve. 'People are expecting 2012 to be a pretty positive year, with solid performance by the industry in terms of the demand for hotel accommodations and the ability to get deals done,' Arthur de Haast, chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, said at this week's Americas Lodging Investment Summit. The hotel investment services firm has forecast that hotel deals in the Americas this year will at least match the 2011 level in value of an estimated $15 billion. U.S. hotel deal activity picked up in the first half of 2011 but calmed in the latter part of the year as debt woes in Europe began dominating the headlines. While Europe is still a risk, attendees at the three-day hotel conference said a continued recovery marked by rising room rates would make the sector attractive for investment. 'There's a lot of money on the sidelines waiting to pounce and find opportunities,' said Christian Charre, president and chief executive of the Charre Group, a Florida-based hotel brokerage and consulting firm. FOREIGN MONEY Private equity funds that have capital will be in a good position to make acquisitions, some said. Real estate investment trusts were active buyers in the first half of 2011 but are expected to be quieter this year as their share prices suffered in the latter part of 2011. 'The mix of the investors probably will change,' said Sri Sambamurthy, co-founder of real estate firm West Point Partners in New York. He said Middle Eastern, European and Asian investors especially find the U.S. market to be extremely attractive now. 'The U.S. is still considered very safe, the dollar has performed extraordinarily well,' Sambamurthy added. Hotel companies said they were looking to make acquisitions in a bid to expand their reach. 'No question that we'll be active in the marketplace in 2012,' said Paul Whetsell, president and chief executive of Loews Hotels, which owns and/or operates 18 hotels. The unit of Loews Corp (NYSE:L - News) has committed more than $500 million to acquiring hotels or developing new properties. Whetsell said Loews is looking for 4-star or higher-rated hotels in major cities where it does not have a presence such as Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as smaller markets like Charlotte, North Carolina, and Baltimore, Maryland. Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH - News), which franchises hotels focused mainly at the mid-tier and economy market segments under brands such as Comfort Inn and Econo Lodge, said it is in the hunt to acquire a value-oriented, full-service upscale brand that would help attract more business customers.

Forex Why You Shouldn't Manage Your Friends' Money

Forex Why You Shouldn't Manage Your Friends' Money So you put away some nice returns this year - not too shabby. While you can't be blamed for bragging about good performance, it's not uncommon for friends to want a part of the action. What would you do if a friend asked you to make investments on his or her behalf? In this article we'll show you the highs and lows of investing for others. Taking Advantage of Your Financial Knowledge It's no surprise that your pals might want you to manage a couple of bucks for them. If you're pulling down decent returns and talking about your investing strategies, you've now become the go-to guy (or girl). These days, money talks and people who understand the financial world are getting a lot of respect as young people realize there's more to investing than they once thought. If you have financial knowledge, people who know you might view you as a very valuable commodity - a free money manager. All too often, the person asking you to invest his or her money is the person who knows a little something about investing - just enough to get into trouble. If you're nailing double-digit returns this year, why couldn't you repeat the performance year after year, right? The Problems with Investing for Others You may think that investing for someone else is just a way of helping out a friend, but the thing is, when you start investing for other people, particularly your friends, you enter a world of complications that you might not have foreseen when you started out. Unrealistic Expectations That friend of yours, the one who thinks that your 35% returns this year are going to happen next year as well, might be in for a nasty surprise when your picks make next to nothing. When you invest for friends, you have to deal with unrealistic expectations that can really put a damper on a relationship. If your friends wants you to invest for them, they likely don't understand all of the risks involved with investing, including not quite meeting the investment goals that they may have been projecting. Losing a Friend's Money Not meeting a friend's investing expectations could jeopardize your friendship, but falling short of your friend's projected returns could be a best-case scenario. When things go wrong, making some money is a lot better than losing money, which isn't an abstract concept for anyone who invests actively. When you bring money into a relationship, things can get uncomfortable pretty fast, especially when that money is hemorrhaging out of an investment account. Do you tell the friend to suck it up? Do you repay the person out of your pocket? Do you try to make up the difference with new picks? Really, there probably isn't a good way to deal with losing a friend's money and you should consider this risk before you agree to invest for anyone. Legal Matters Managing a friend's money is a sticky business and if you go through with it you may be breaking the law. Investment professionals must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or have a federal license. They are heavily regulated by the government and by trade organizations like the National Association of Securities Dealers, for the protection of consumers. If you invest for a friend for compensation, you could be breaking laws that are in place to protect investors from people who aren't qualified to have discretionary control over others' accounts. Short End of the Stick Despite the drawbacks, investing for friends isn't always doomed to failure. With skill, smarts and a whole lot of luck, you might rake in the cash. If that's the case, you still have to consider whether or not your friend is taking advantage of you. Helping out a friend is nice, but when that help consists of making significant amounts of money for that person and getting little or nothing in return, you might be suffering from an off-balance relationship. What You Can Do for Friends Now that I've taken the wind out of your sails, and your friend's as well, there are things that you can do to help your friends' investments without burdening yourself with the substantial responsibility of investing someone else's money. One of the best ways to lend a hand is to help teach your friend about investing. Help Them Learn There are a lot of pitfalls out there for new investors. If you're lucky, you've been able to avoid quite a few of them or you learned how you should have gone about avoiding them. The benefit of your experience can be one heck of an asset to pass on to a friend and it won't cost either one of you personally or financially. Therefore, if you want to help your friends, work with them; show them how to analyze a financial statement, how to execute a trade online, how to look up business news, or how to find online resources. Investment Clubs Going farther still, there is a popular way to invest hands-on with friends without taking on the responsibility that an investment advisor would feel for a client - the investment club. The investment club consists of a group of people who vote to decide whether or not to buy or sell their group-owned investments. Investment clubs are great, because they allow a more personal approach with actual investments than just helping someone with investing concepts. These clubs will also give you a vested interest in performance of your friend's portfolio. If you're interested in starting an investment club, there are plenty of resources available, ranging from your broker to the internet. It's important to recognize that an investment club isn't just a couple of people who want to invest together - it's a formal (and legally defined) organization with members who have an equitable claim to their assets. This means you should look into the rules and laws that govern investment clubs where you live before joining or starting one yourself. The Bottom Line Investing for a friend usually isn't worth the amount of trouble it can cause. Money just isn't something you want to bring into a good friendship. In the end, by helping your friends invest on their own, you'll be doing them, and yourself, a much bigger favor.

Oil Consumer Comfort Highest in Six Months

Oil Consumer Comfort Highest in Six Months Consumer confidence in the U.S. last week reached the highest level since July as the improving job market helped allay pessimism. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index was minus 44.7 in the period ended Jan. 8 from minus 44.8 the prior week. As recently as October, the index registered its lowest readings since the 2007-2009 recession, making 2011 the second-worst year in 25 years of data. It's since increased in four of the past five weeks. 'Considering where it's been, the trend is a welcome one,' Gary Langer, president of Langer Research Associates LLC in New York, which compiles the index for Bloomberg, said in a statement. 'Sentiment is hardly on a predictable path, given factors including the uncertainty of the 2012 presidential election, volatility in global markets and economic question marks from Europe to China.' Less unemployment and growing payrolls may be lifting consumers' moods, providing the spark for increases in consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy. Nonetheless, gasoline prices that are once again rising and wage gains that fail to keep pace with inflation may be obstacles to greater improvement in confidence. Other reports today showed retail sales rose less than forecast in December and claims for jobless benefits climbed more than projected in the first week of the year. Retail Sales Purchases increased 0.1 percent last month after a 0.4 percent advance in November that was more than initially reported, Commerce Department figures showed. Economists forecast a 0.3 percent December rise, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. Purchases excluding automobiles fell 0.2 percent, the first decline since May 2010. The number of applications for unemployment benefits climbed by 24,000 to 399,000 in the week ended Jan. 7, Labor Department figures showed. The median forecast of 46 economists in a Bloomberg survey projected 375,000. Stocks rose as sales of government securities in Spain and Italy eased concern the countries would struggle to finance their debts. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 0.1 percent to 1,293.76 at 9:40 a.m. in New York. The comfort survey's gauge of Americans' views of the current state of the economy rose to minus 82.1 last week from minus 82.9 in the prior period. The buying climate index held at minus 49.4, and the measure of personal finances decreased to minus 2.6 from minus 2.2. The gain in the cumulative Bloomberg index last week was within the survey's three-point margin of error. More Jobs Better employment opportunities are probably holding up confidence. Payrolls increased by 200,000 in December, and the jobless rate dropped to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009, a Labor Department report showed last week. Employers added 1.64 million workers in 2011, surpassing the prior year's 940,000 advance and the biggest gain since 2006. Sentiment has been improving among lower-income Americans. The index for those earning less than $15,000 per year increased to the highest level since October, and those making up to $24,999 were the most optimistic since February. The ebbing of pessimism was also evident among older households. The measure of confidence among those older than 65 rose to minus 39.9, the best reading since April. Brighter moods may help drive consumer spending in 2012 following the holiday shopping season. 'Extremely Pleased' 'We are extremely pleased with our December sales results as we significantly exceeded our expectations,' Sherry Lang, a spokeswoman for TJX Cos. said in Jan. 5 conference call. Sales at the Framingham, Massachusetts-based retailer increased 8 percent last month. 'Further, we entered January with very lean inventories and the flexibility to ship fresh merchandise at great values to our stores.' The gain in the Bloomberg index parallels improvement in other surveys. The Conference Board's confidence gauge increased in December to the highest level since April. That same month the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer confidence rose to the highest level since June. Nonetheless, rising gasoline prices may constrain sentiment. The cost of a regular gallon of fuel at the pump climbed to $3.38 yesterday, up 5.5 percent from a 10-month low reached on Dec. 20, according to data from AAA, the nation's largest auto group. 'While the recent trend in consumer confidence is encouraging, risks remain,' said Joseph Brusuelas, a senior economist at Bloomberg LP in New York. 'The recent rise in gasoline prices is likely to act as a restraint on improving consumer confidence in January.' Annual Averages Bloomberg's comfort index, which began in December 1985, averaged minus 46.8 for all of last year, second only to 2009's minus 47.9 as the worst year on record. The gauge averaged minus 45.7 for 2010. The Consumer Comfort Index is based on responses to telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,000 consumers 18 years old and over. Each week, 250 respondents are asked for their views on the economy, personal finances and buying climate; the percentage of negative responses for each measure is subtracted from the share of positive views. The results are then summed and divided by three. The most recent reading is based on the average of responses over the previous four weeks. The comfort index can range from 100, indicating every participant in the survey had a positive response to all three components, to minus 100, signaling all views were negative. Field work for the index is done by SSRS/Social Science Research Solutions in Media, Pennsylvania. To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Kowalski in Washington at akowalski13@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Wellisz at cwellisz@bloomberg.net

Oil Top 5 Global Mutual Funds

Oil Top 5 Global Mutual Funds Companies: Thornburg Global Opportunities A Artio Global Equity A Oppenheimer Global Opportunities A RELATED QUOTES Symbol Price Change THOAX 14.34 0.00 BJGQX 33.60 -0.06 OPGIX 27.86 +0.50 MWOFX 24.77 -0.12 ICDAX 11.66 +0.06 The fortunes of U.S. equity markets continue to be a key determinant of the health of the global economy. However, their dominance has receded significantly over the years and a world of exciting opportunities has emerged in global markets. Moreover, research has shown that a portfolio with a combination of domestic and foreign securities produces greater returns over the long term. Global funds allow investors to hold an optimum combination of international and domestic investments without incurring the costs of holding such securities individually. Below we will share with you 5 top rated global mutual funds. Each has earned a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) as we expect these mutual funds to outperform their peers in the future. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all global funds, then click here. Thornburg Global Opportunities A (NASDAQ:THOAX - News) seeks capital growth over the long term. The fund invests in a wide range of equity securities worldwide. This includes common and preferred stocks, real estate investment trusts and other equity trusts. The global mutual fund has a five year annualized return of 2.1%. The global mutual fund has a minimum initial investment of $5,000 and an expense ratio of 1.48% compared to a category average of 1.44%. Artio Global Equity A (NASDAQ:BJGQX - News) invests the majority of its assets in companies worldwide. Under normal circumstances, not less than 40% of its assets are invested in at least three foreign countries. A maximum of 35% of its assets may be utilized to purchase emerging market securities. The global mutual fund has a three year annualized return of 10.04%. Rudolph-Riad Younes is the fund manager and he has managed this global mutual fund since 2004. Oppenheimer Global Opportunities A (NASDAQ:OPGIX - News) seeks capital growth as well as current income. The fund invests in a wide range of equity securities worldwide. The fund focuses on acquiring stocks, but may also purchase debt securities. The global mutual fund has a ten year annualized return of 8.53%. As of November 2011, this global mutual fund held 100 issues, with 5.24% of its total assets invested in Advanced Micro Devices Inc. MFS Global Growth A (NASDAQ:MWOFX - News) invests in both domestic and foreign securities, as well as emerging market securities. The fund may invest a substantial part of its assets in a relatively small number of countries. The global mutual fund returned 2.36% in the last one year period. The global mutual fund has a minimum initial investment of $1,000 and an expense ratio of 1.53% compared to a category average of 1.44%. Ivy Cundill Global Value A (ICDAX) seeks capital growth. The fund purchases both domestic and foreign equity securities. Not more than 20% of its assets are invested in debt securities issued by companies which have filed for bankruptcy or are likely to do so shortly. The global mutual fund has a three year annualized return of 8.15%. The fund manager is James Thompson and he has managed this global mutual fund since 2009. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all global mutual funds, then click here. About Zacks Mutual Fund Rank By applying the Zacks Rank to mutual funds, investors can find funds that not only outpaced the market in the past but are also expected to outperform going forward. Learn more about the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank at http://www.zacks.com/funds.

Oil 7 short sell setups

Oil

CROX, NUE, X, VRA, CCL, ATI, and GRMN.

Signals Stock Market for 10/12/12

Signals Stock Market for 10/12/12 The Dow Jones and Stock Market were higher on Tuesday. Will the stock market go up or down on Wednesday? Keep tabs on the stock market futures which will predict the open on Wednesday. If you are a stock trader or investor, check out my stock picks group. We are making some big trades in there right now. Sign in and sign up. Dow Jones Futures - Up 3S&P 500 Futures - Up 1NASDAQ Futures - Up 2Gold Futures - 1732Silver Futures - 33.47Oil Futures - 96.93Asian Markets ( Nikkei ) - 8807

Forex Big stocks on the move

Forex

Large cap stocks are showing good action. Besides AAPL, GOOG was another big mover yesterday. AMZN may be setting up for breakout.

Oil Global economy on recovery path, risks remain: IMF chief

Oil IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde attends a Eurogroup meeting ahead of a two-day EU leaders summit in Brussels March 1, 2012. REUTERS/Francois LenoirView Photo IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde attends a Eurogroup meeting ahead of a two-day EU leaders summit in Brussels March 1, 2012. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir By Nick Edwards and Koh Gui Qing BEIJING (Reuters) - The global economy has stepped back from the brink of danger and signs of stabilization are emerging from the euro zone and the United States, but high debt levels in developed markets and rising oil prices are key risks ahead, the IMF said on Sunday. 'The global economy may be on a path to recovery, but there is not a great deal of room for maneuver and no room for policy mistakes,' International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, said in a speech in Beijing. In a separate talk on the same day, Lagarde said that China's yuan could become a reserve currency in the future, adding that the country needed a roadmap for a stronger, more flexible exchange rate system. She said signs of stabilization were emerging to show that policy actions taken in the wake of the global financial crisis were paying off, that U.S. economic indicators were looking a little more upbeat and that Europe had taken an important step forward in solving its crisis with the latest efforts on Greece. 'On the back of these collective efforts, the world economy has stepped back from the brink and we have cause to be more optimistic. Still, optimism must not lull us into a false sense of security. There are still major economic and financial vulnerabilities we must confront,' Lagarde said. The IMF chief cited still fragile financial systems burdened by high public and private debt persists advanced economies as the first of three major risks and said euro zone public sector and bank rollover funding needs in 2012 were equivalent total about 23 percent of GDP. 'Second, the rising price of oil is becoming a threat to global growth. And, third, there is a growing risk that activity in emerging economies will slow over the medium term,' she said. Lagarde also said youth unemployment should be tackled and that all countries must persevere with their policy efforts if the progress made in stabilizing the global economy is to pay off with better prospects ahead. She said advanced economies must continue with macroeconomic support and a balanced fiscal policy, together with financial sector reforms and structural and institutional reforms to repair the damage done by the crisis and to improve competitiveness. Meanwhile emerging market economies need to calibrate macroeconomic policies both to guard against fallout from the advanced economies as well as to keep overheating pressures in check. SEES A YUAN 'ON PAR' WITH CHINA'S STATUS Lagarde's comments on the yuan as a reserve currency were the most direct endorsement to date by an IMF official of China's ambitions for its currency. 'What is needed is a roadmap with a stronger and more flexible exchange rate, more effective liquidity and monetary management, with higher quality supervision and regulation, with a more well-developed financial market, with flexible deposit and lending rates, and finally with the opening up of the capital account,' she told a gathering of leading Chinese policymakers and global business leaders. 'If all that happens, there is no reason why the renminbi will not reach the status of a reserve currency occupying a position on par with China's economic status.' Renminbi is another name for the yuan. China operates a closed capital account system and its yuan currency is tightly controlled, although Beijing has said it wants to increase the international use of the yuan to settle cross border trade and has undertaken a series of reforms in recent years to that end. Lagarde said China had showed leadership and adept policy skills when the global financial crisis exploded and which might have been worse but for the impetus it provided to growth and stability. China unveiled a massive 4 trillion yuan ($635 billion) stimulus package for its economy at the end of 2008 as the financial crisis reverberated around the world and global trade -- which China's massive factory sector depends on for growth and jobs -- shuddered to a standstill. Lagarde further praised what she said was China's leadership and influence in global institutions such as the IMF and G20 group of the world's 20 biggest economies. 'China has been instrumental in helping to make the global economic system less prone to damaging crises,' she said, adding that lingering weaknesses in the global outlook reinforced the importance of China maintaining a prominent role in global policy discussions and accelerating reform in its own economy. Lagarde said she saw three priorities for China, the first to support growth; second, to shift its drivers of economic growth away from investment and exports towards domestic consumption; and third, to spread wealth more widely. The IMF chief said it was crucial that the world's major economies were working together with the same objective. 'We are all interconnected and we are all affected by each other's policy actions. We need to prepare for success together. If we stand together, the whole will be more than the sum of the parts,' Lagarde said. (Additional reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Don Durfee and Jonathan Thatcher)

Signals A slow grinding higher move

Signals

The market is grinding higher in a channel. 3 to 4 days of rallies are followed by 3 to 4 days of down moves. The buyers lack vigor and selling is muted.

Underlying action on many stocks is sideways. As this kind of action has continued for few months, many stocks are setting up well. But absent breadth thrust breakouts are fading.

In this climate anticipation of breakout or breakdown is better approach than chasing breakouts or breakdown. 

Earn Stocks' correction coming? Not that again

Earn Stocks' correction coming? Not that again Companies: NDX Apple Inc. RELATED QUOTES Symbol Price Change NDX 0.00 0.00 AAPL 585.57 +0.01 Related Content A trader in the S&P 500 options pit at the Chicago Board of Trade looks at an order board shortly after the Federal Reserve's decision to leave short-term interest rates untouched between zero and 0.25 percent in Chicago, January 25, 2012. REUTERS/Frank PolichView Photo A trader in the S&P 500 options pit at the Chicago Board of Trade looks at an order board shortly after the Federal Reserve's decision to leave short-term interest rates untouched between zero and 0.25 percent in Chicago, January 25, 2012. REUTERS/Frank Polich By Angela Moon NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors are beginning to wonder if this 'Energizer Bunny' of a rally can just keep going without taking a break or a fall. Every Friday for the past couple of months, the question has hung in the back of investors' minds: Is the stock market's rally strong enough to continue without a correction? Even with the S&P 500 above levels unseen since before the financial crisis, the answer remains: Yes. The broad market index broke through 1,400 -- a psychologically important level -- for the first time in four years last week. On Friday, the S&P 500 closed at 1,404.17, its highest since May 20, 2008. At Friday's close, the index was up for nine out of the past 10 weeks. The rally has taken the Nasdaq up to a 12-year recovery high, while it lifted the Dow (DJI:DJI) comfortably above 13,000 to its highest level since December 2007. 'We are seeing this unbelievable rally in the market and yet the market is unbelievably complacent. We haven't been this bullish for a long time,' said Randy Frederick, director of trading and derivatives at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, based in Austin, Texas. Indeed, the CBOE Volatility Index or VIX (MXP:VIX), Wall Street's fear gauge, plunged to a five-year low despite the S&P 500's stunning gain of 12 percent for the year so far. The VIX measures the expected volatility in the S&P 500 index over the next 30 days and generally moves in the opposite direction of the broad market. Investors often use VIX options and futures as a hedge against a market decline. Frederick said the only concern is the wide spread between second- and third-month VIX futures, suggesting a rise in volatility in the longer term. But the front-month futures that expire this week have come down to levels near the spot VIX. The VIX fell 6.2 percent on Friday to end at 14.47, its lowest close since June 2007. 'I would like to see the VIX around 17 just because it tends to have a significant pop when there is bad news at current levels,' Frederick said, adding that 'frankly' there isn't that much negative news out there. STRENGTH IN MIDCAPS Further evidence of the market's bullish sentiment: The S&P 400 Midcap Index <.MID> has popped above the 1,000 mark, an area of strong resistance since last year, according to Ryan Detrick, a senior technical strategist with Schaeffer's Investment Research, in Cincinnati. 'It's a big area of resistance, but we have moved above this. If we manage to stay here, then the strength in the overall market will advance further,' Detrick said. 'Historically, April has been a strong month so we can even see the market going up to 1,440, which is the high made in May 2008,' he added. TRACKING THE BIG APPLE The direction of Apple shares (NSQ:AAPL - News) will also be in focus this week after the stock hit the $600 mark for the first time in history last week, only about a month after it topped 500. Apple currently accounts for about 18 percent of the Nasdaq 100 stock index (NAS:NDX - News). Its weighting was cut to 12.3 percent from 20.5 percent last April, but the price surge has pushed the stock's weighting back up, making this index of 100 well-known companies hostage to the performance of a few technology titans like Apple. With Apple's heavy weighting, investors are questioning whether the broad market can continue to rally even with a pullback in Apple shares. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NAS:COMP), the barometer of tech stocks, closed on Friday at 3,055.26 -- its highest close since November 2000. 'It's a name that a lot of people have exposure to so it definitely has an impact on indexes, but it seems even without Apple, the money gets put to work in other sectors and stocks,' Detrick said. While the VIX has been sliding, the expected volatility in Apple has increased, judging by a VIX index that tracks Apple options. Apple, like IBM and other bellwether names, has its own VIX index. The CBOE Apple VIX index <.VXAPL>, which measures the expected 30-day volatility of the underlying shares of Apple, jumped 35 percent last week, suggesting more gyrations ahead as more investors speculate on short-term moves.

Signals Weidmann-Bundesbank profit will be crimped by reserves

Signals Weidmann-Bundesbank profit will be crimped by reserves BERLIN (Reuters) - The Bundesbank profit turned over to the federal government will be considerably smaller this year than in 2011 due to the risk provisions linked to the euro zone crisis, central bank president Jens Weidmann was quoted telling Der Spiegel. Weidmann said the German central bank had to raise its reserves due to the greater risks and had consulted with its accountants. In 2012 the Bundesbank had a 2.2 billion euro profit and set aside 1.6 billion for risks. 'The distributed profit will be considerably less than last year,' Weidmann said, without providing any specific numbers. Weidmann also said that he had doubts whether European central banks will be able to make a profit on Greek sovereign bonds that euro zone countries are eager to use as part of the latest Greek bailout. 'It's assumed that the central banks will earn a profit from purchasing the bonds. But that is not certain at all. On the contrary, the balance sheet risks have increased. And that affects not only the Greek bonds but also all the extraordinary monetary measures related to the crisis.' (Reporting By Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

Oil LDSI - Turning Higher?

Oil

LDSI has been in a tremendous tailspin the last two months.  The stock has seen a bevy of selling bring the stock to fresh new lows for the year.

However the last two trading session reveal a stock that may be starting to turn higher.  Today and Friday the stock was able to over comb selling pressure and post gains.  Today we had strong buying volume and the stock looks poised to break out of its two month slump.

The stock was over $.07 last month and closed today at $.0031.  We could see a sharp rally out of these oversold conditions.

Backstage Vibe(TM) Testing Features and Functionality

Marketwire   'Press Releases'
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 08/20/12 --
Backstage Vibe™ (PINKSHEETS: LDSI) has created an incredibly creative and groundbreaking web platform for artists, their adoring fans, music promoters and producers. The company is currently testing all of the features and functionality to ensure that customers can't resist coming back after their initial experience.



Backstage Vibe™ promises the ultimate social music experience and has provided screenshots to showcase the streamlined and powerful functionality. The online store enables artists, music labels, and others to present and sell their products and services. The web platform provides artists with an option to create their own personal store open to the community that then feeds into a larger store open to the public.



Another exciting feature is the incorporation of SoundCloud, which will serve as an incredible resource for music integration and critical feedback, facilitate collaboration and provide ease of sales. Backstage Vibe™ will also offer a file sharing feature that will accommodate professional audio software file formats (such as ProTools files) to further optimize artists' and bands' ability to collaborate at a professional level.



These are but a few of the features and functionality already built into the web platform. As you can see from the screenshots, Backstage Vibe™ is providing artists the tools to chart their own course, whether it's promoting their art, collaborating with other artists or selling their music, goods and services.



Artists, producers, promoters, fans, and music aficionados can pre-register for the innovative social music site at www.BackstageVibes.com. Pre-registrants will receive 2 months of the service FREE when the full site goes live.



About Life Design Station International, Inc.

Life Design Station International, Inc. (LDSI) is a music-inspired corporation. The Company empowers artists, producers and other music professionals to reach millions of potential customers. Life Design Station International, through its Internet-based division, develops and directs an innovative global social platform allowing artists from the U.S. and the world to interface collaboratively in order to promote, produce and sell their musical artistry. LDSI's Backstage Vibe™ provides a leading-edge, secure and user-friendly environment for the sale, distribution and securing of world talent from one source.



Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2070780

CONTACT:
Life Design Station International, Inc.
info@backstagevibes.com

Source: Life Design Station International, Inc.

Forex PPLT had a big eversal

Forex

After spending many days going sideways, the indexes had a breakout to upside. The Nasdaq 100 continues to lead. Small caps had 2 nice up days.

One of the better looking ETF setup was on PPLT, which is a Platinum ETF. It had a big reversal after being in downtrend for sometime. 

Oil August 20th Penny Stock Winners, Losers, and Stock Scans

Oil

Today's Winners and Losers

Today's Bottom Scan

Earn Germany wants Greece to give up budget control

Earn Germany wants Greece to give up budget control RELATED QUOTES Symbol Price Change TRI 27.82 -0.10 Related Content A Greek national flag flies at the archaeological site of the Acropolis Hill in Athens November 3, 2011. REUTERS/John Kolesidis A Greek national flag flies at the archaeological site of the Acropolis Hill in Athens November 3, 2011. REUTERS/John Kolesidis By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is pushing for Greece to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters on Friday. 'There are internal discussions within the Euro group and proposals, one of which comes from Germany, on how to constructively treat country aid programs that are continuously off track, whether this can simply be ignored or whether we say that's enough,' the source said. The source added that under the proposals European institutions already operating in Greece should be given 'certain decision-making powers' over fiscal policy. 'This could be carried out even more stringently through external expertise,' the source said. The Financial Times said it had obtained a copy of the proposal showing Germany wants a new euro zone 'budget commissioner' to have the power to veto budget decisions taken by the Greek government if they are not in line with targets set by international lenders. 'Given the disappointing compliance so far, Greece has to accept shifting budgetary sovereignty to the European level for a certain period of time,' the document said. Under the German plan, Athens would only be allowed to carry out normal state spending after servicing its debt, the FT said. 'If a future (bail-out) tranche is not disbursed, Greece cannot threaten its lenders with a default, but will instead have to accept further cuts in primary expenditures as the only possible consequence of any non-disbursement,' the FT quoted the document as saying. The German demands for greater control over Greek budget policy come amid intense talks to finalize a second 130 billion-euro rescue package for Greece, which has repeatedly failed to meet the fiscal targets set out for it by its international lenders. CHAOTIC DEFAULT THREAT Greece needs to strike a deal with creditors in the next couple of days to unlock its next aid package in order to avoid a chaotic default. 'No country has put forward such a proposal at the Eurogroup,' a Greek finance ministry official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the government would not formally comment on reports based on unnamed sources. The German demands are likely to prompt a strong reaction in Athens ahead of elections expected to take place in April. 'One of the ideas being discussed is to set up a clearly defined priorities on reducing deficits through legally binding guidelines,' the European source said. He added that in Greece the problem is that a lot of the budget-making process is done in a decentralized manner. 'Clearly defined, legally binding guidelines on that could lead to more coherence and make it easier to take decisions - and that would contribute to give a whole new dynamic to efforts to implement the program,' the source said. 'It is clear that talks on how to help Greece get back on the right track are continuing,' the source said. 'We're all striving to achieve a lasting stabilization of Greece,' he said. 'That's the focus of what all of us in Europe are working on right now.' (Reporting By Noah Barking; Additional reporting by George Georgiopoulos in Athens and; Adrian Croft in London; writing by Erik Kirschbaum; editing by Andrew Roche)