Stock Market Today Reviews

Only if fairy tales were real and genies could make stones turn into gold, would there be any need for savings? No, right? So in the real world if one is to enhance one’s money, he must save. And here the rule goes–the sooner the better! Create a savings account early in life to get the highest benefits. We all know that savings and investments are the building blocks to a person’s financial security and fund management.

Now, savings accounts can be of different types and each of these will give you some amount of return, depending on how much you save and the bank you choose. The fastest way to see your money grow in leaps and bounds is to have a money market savings account.

This account is as simple as a regular savings account. The only differences are:

The minimum opening balance requirement is more.
These allow limited (three to six) monthly withdrawals, unlike ordinary savings accounts.
These pay much higher interests.

You begin with more, you withdraw less and you get high interest–naturally, your money grows faster than in the usual savings accounts.

These accounts center on the money market. The latter is a financial market in which money is borrowed and lent on a short-term basis, thereby giving some liquidity in the global fiscal system. In money market accounts, the bank benefits by putting a limit to your monthly withdrawals and you benefit from the high interest the bank pays.

However, it should be noted that the limited transactions have a breather in this that if the account holder urgently needs to withdraw some money beyond the maximum number of withdrawals allowed, he/she can do that with a charge of approximately $5 to $10 for each withdrawal.

If you deposit more, your actual fund will multiply manifold for the simple reason that the interest in these accounts is compounded daily. Though the rate of interest varies from bank to bank, all money market accounts generally work on compound interests. For instance, if you start your account with $100 and your interest is $1, your principal on Day 2 becomes $101 and interest is charged on this amount, not on the initial $100. So every time you add to the account, you are actually enhancing your interest amount and getting back more. This is one reason why many people consider these to be the best savings accounts.

Once you have this account, you will get a register to maintain your transaction details like the opening balance, withdrawals, deposits, etc. This will help you tally your records with those in the monthly bank account statement.

All money in these accounts is insured by an independent agency of the federal government called Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). So your money is always in safe hands when you bank on the money market.

Remember, it doesn’t always take genies to do magic; you can be one yourself. So, good luck!

Transcript by www.newsy.com BY EVAN THOMAS How much do you love your sweetheart? Enough to get him or her a new phone? Microsoft has announced Nokia’s flagship Windows phone, the Lumia 800, will be available stateside at Microsoft stores just in time for Valentine’s Day … for $900. The Verge cites sources close to Microsoft, who say the 800 will be available as part of a bundle which includes a wireless speaker system and bluetooth headsets. Oh, and the phone will be unlocked, which means it’s not tied to a specific carrier. Awesome…… But 900 bucks? This is not what Nokia said it was going to do, says GottaBeMobile. “The only way to describe this is bizarre and that’s because of how much different this is from the rhetoric that Nokia trotted out at CES. There, the Finnish manufacturer stated that it would be attacking the US market with affordable prices. $899? Really?” The Lumia 800 sports a 3.7-inch display, a 1.4ghz processor running Windows Phone Mango, and an 8-megapixel camera that shoots 720p HD video, all packed into sleek polycarbonate shell. Engadget called it one of the best Windows Phones yet. But Microsoft doesn’t currently have plans to sell the 800 on its own. The Next Web says you’ll just have to put up with the excess hardware. “Here’s the worst part you can’t buy a Lumia 800 without the bundle. In other words, if you were hoping at snagging an 800, unlocked, for your own personal use, you had better hope that you really wanted a new speaker and two …

Are you an entrepreneur? If you are, then I believe you will familiar with the pattern or business challenges faced when starting and building a business from scratch. If you are not an entrepreneur but you dream of becoming one someday, then I think you will find this article worthwhile.

Why am I writing on such a topic? I decided to write on the “10 business challenges every entrepreneur must face when building a business from scratch” to give entrepreneurs a glimpse of what to expect when they set out to start a new business venture. I am not writing to show my writing skills. Moreover, I am not a professional writer; I am an entrepreneur and investor to the core. I simply write to share my knowledge on building a business with anyone who is willing to learn.

This article is not meant to discourage or scare you from going into business. Instead, I wrote this article to prepare and highlight you on the business challenges to expect and how to handle them. Just as the popular saying goes:

“He that is prepared has half won the battle.”

Below are 10 Business Challenges Every Entrepreneur Must Face When Building a Business from Scratch:

1. Developing the Vision and Idea:

This is usually the first challenge faced by every entrepreneur. Finding the right business opportunity or creatively developing an idea is certainly not an easy task. I call “Envisioning the idea” the first true task of an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, you must develop the ability to see what others cannot see. While others see problems, you must see opportunities.

But seeing opportunities is just the first task. The main challenge is going to be your ability to forge that opportunity into a business idea. I see this as a business challenge because the process of transforming opportunities into business plans is like trying to turn lead into gold. I call it the process of “Creating Value out Of Nothing.” If you are not an entrepreneur, you might not be familiar with the process. The process of:

- Identifying a problem

- Seeing an opportunity in the problem

- Coming up with a solution

- Developing your opportunity into a business idea

- Integrating your solution into the business plan

Another way “developing the vision and idea” will be a business challenge is that an entrepreneur must sometimes assume the role of a sorcerer. Let me explain in detail. While others dwell in the past and present, an entrepreneur must envision and forecast the future. An entrepreneur must always be ahead of his time or else he might lose his relevance. He must have the ability to bring into present what is yet to be. Let me give you some practical illustrations:

In the late 70s and early 80s, while IBM saw increase in demand for their mainframe computers, Steve Jobs envisioned a personal computer in every home and Bill Gates envisioned the need for easy to use software for personal computers.

While everyone saw humans flying as an impossibility, the Wright brothers envisioned a flying machine.

Back in those days when cars were custom made and exclusively for the rich, Henry Ford envisioned affordable cars for the masses.

I believe with these few examples, my point is clear. Developing the vision and idea is the first true task of an entrepreneur.

2. Raising Capital:

After developing your idea, the next challenge you are going to face is the challenge of raising capital. As an entrepreneur, you are the only one who knows the idea to the core. You are the only one who knows the story of the future. Trying to convince investors about something that doesn’t exist is definitely a challenge.

There is more to raising capital than just simply asking for money. Most investors want to invest in already established businesses with minimal risk. When building a business from scratch, raising capital will definitely be a business challenge you must face.

To overcome this challenge, you must develop the ability to sell your idea and vision to potential investors. When I say “sell your ideas”, I mean improving your communication skill and your manner of presentation. In the game of raising capital, you must have a good story backed by a strong business plan. If you are interested in learning how to successfully raise capital, you can check other articles I have written.

3. Assembling a Team:

The third challenge you must face in the course of developing a business is assembling the right team. When I talk about a team, I am not talking about regular employees. I am talking about a “round table strategic business team” that will meet regularly to brainstorm on ways to grow your business.

As an entrepreneur, you are bound to have strengths and weaknesses. That is the more reason you need to assemble a strong team that will cover up for your weaknesses. A team is a necessity in your quest to build a business. Now finding a business team is just the first hurdle, transferring your passion and vision to your team is the real piece of cake.

You must strive to make sure your team sees the future you see. They must believe in your possibilities and must also be passionate about making that possibility a reality. If they can’t grasp your vision, if they can’t see they future with you, then they are not worthy being your team.

Your strategic business team should comprise your banker, financial advisor, accountant, attorney or legal adviser and any other specialist that will be of tremendous impact to your business. A question on your mind might be “how am I going to pay this team? My answer is I don’t know. You will have to figure it out yourself or better still, you can consider bringing them on board as partners.

If you are still at loss with the thought of assembling a business team, then I will recommend you either take some time in learning how to build a business team or you can visit strategicbusinessteam.com to get some advice.

4. Finding the Right Location:

You might feel that finding a good location is a piece of cake but I bet you that finding a good location at the right price is definitely not easy. I don’t have much to write on this but I feel it is worthwhile I bring it to your notice so you can prepare for it. The following are features you must consider before choosing a location. These features are subject to change with respect to the industry of your business:

- Suitable price

- Easy access to raw materials

- Good road network.

- Basic amenities and infrastructures

- Adequate Power supply

- Easy access to cheap labour

- Nearness to high traffic roads

- Moderate state and federal tax

- Favorable Government fiscal and monetary policy

- Favorable federal and state laws.

- Current economic policy and political situation.

5. Finding the Right Employees:

Most writers crank up the process of finding good employees as an easy task. They define finding an employee as simply presenting the job description and the right employee will surface. But I think it’s more than that.

Those who are really business owners know how difficult it is to find a hardworking, trustworthy employee. Most employees want to work less and get paid more. Finding a good employee who will be passionate about delivering his or her services is quite difficult.

Employees are your representatives to your customers and the outside world. They are a reflection of your business culture and ethics. If an employee of yours is bad or rude to your customers, it is going to portray a bad image of your company. So you must be careful when hiring employees. Remember the golden rule of business; “Hire slow and fire fast.”

6. Finding Good Customers:

The sixth business challenge you will face is the challenge of finding good customers. Note the keyword “good customers.” When in the process of building a business from scratch, you will come to find out that there are good customers and bad customers.

You must really be on guard for bad customers. Good customers are really hard to find. A good customer will be loyal to your company and will be willing to forgive you if you make a mistake and apologize. A good customer will try to do the right thing that will benefit both himself and the company mutually.

A bad customer will always look for loopholes in the company’s policy to exploit and make some few gains. Bad customers will always try to exploit the company’s goodwill and look for ways to rip off the company. Bad customers are responsible for bad debts.

Good customers build your business and bad customers will always try to liquidate your business. Just as you fire employees, you must also be prepared to fire bad customers without hesitation. In the game of trying to find a new customer, always remember the customer that sued McDonald’s to court claiming the coffee was too hot.

7. Overcoming Competition:

Competition is the next challenge you will face. Most individuals see competition as a plague but I see competition as a good challenge. I see competition as a benchmark for creativity, the main engine for innovation and quality products at great prices. Without competition, there will be no innovation and without innovation, the world will be stagnant.

I see competition as a welcomed challenge and I want you to do the same. Competition keeps us on our toes and drives us to constantly improve our products and services. But you must be warned. Competition can make your business lose its relevance in the eye of your customers so you must always be on guard. At this point, I leave you with a quote:

“If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.” – Robert Kiyosaki

8. Unforeseen Challenges and Expenses:

Just as a sailor prepares for unexpected storm, just as a pilot is always on the watch for unpredictable bad weather and thunderstorms, so must an entrepreneur be prepared for what ever comes. Unexpected challenges can come in the form of:

- Unexpected law suits

- Inconsistent government policy

- Not being able to make payroll

- Unpaid bills and taxes

- Unexpected resignation of staff from sensitive office

- Bad debts from customers

- Loss of market share

- Dwindling working capital

- Inadequate stock or inventory

These challenges, if not handled properly can ruin your plan to build a successful business from scratch. Another challenge you must expect is an unforeseen increase in business expenses. If not handled properly, it might result in constant negative cash flow and eventually, the business failure.

9. Keeping Up With Industrial Changes and Trends:

Change in trends is really a business challenge you must be prepared for. Trends have made and broken lot of businesses. I know a lot of profitable businesses that have been wiped out by slight industrial changes and trends. A typical example is the Dot com trend, where many industrial based businesses were wiped out by new web based dot com companies.

When the Dot com era began, business owners were left with only two options. Either they join the dot com train or they get crushed by the dot com train.

Seasoned entrepreneurs know that trend is always a friend and are always willing to swiftly adjust their business with the current trend. Keeping your eyes open to spot trends is really a challenge but the big task will be your ability to quickly use the trend to your advantage.

10. Exiting the Business:

“In the world of business and investing, your exit is more important than your entry. A good thumb of rule is this; exit before you enter.” – Robert Kiyosaki

When building a business from scratch, you are going to face the business challenge of determining your exit strategy. Just as the quote above states, you have to plan your exit strategy before you even start the business. Most entrepreneurs run their business without any plans to exit and even if they have an exit strategy, they find it difficult to implement it.

Before starting a business, it is advisable to always plan your exit. There are benchmarks you can use to determine your exit from the business. Most smart entrepreneurs will use this benchmark as a target and once this specific target is reached, they exit the business. Examples of such benchmarks are:

- Annual sales

- Annual Turnover

- Asset Base

- Market Saturation

- Customer base or number of users. This is more applicable to dot com companies.

Now when it comes to exiting the business, there are three exit strategies you can apply. The exit strategies are:

Turning over the business to professional managers: When your business reaches a certain stage of maturity, you can exit by turning it over to professional managers. In this case, the business still belongs to you but you are not involved with its day to day affairs. You will have to give up administrative role to assume the role of a watchdog. When you exit in this manner, you will have more free time to look into other projects or retire.

Selling the business privately: In this case, you are exiting the business by selling it to a private investor. In the business world, it is called M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions). After the sale and transfer of assets is complete, you have nothing to do with the business again.

Taking the company public: The unique thing about this type of exit strategy is that while you are selling your business (in form of shares) to public investors, you still own and control the business.

Please before you apply any of these exit strategy, I will advise you consult with your attorney or legal adviser. But ultimately, it’s up to you to decide the exit strategy you want to apply. Always remember “your exit is more important than your entry.”

At this stage, I thank you for reading and taking your time to learn. Till I come your way again, remain blessed.

Add me as a friend on Facebook! www.facebook.com twitter.com Andy Xie, former Morgan Stanley star economist, wrote: While rational expectation is returning to part of the investment community, most are still trapped in institutional weaknesses that make them behave irrationally. The Greenspan era has nurtured a vast financial sector. All the people in the business world need something to do. Since they invest with other peoples money, they are biased towards bullish sentiment. Otherwise, if they say its all bad, their investors will take back the money, and they will lose their jobs.Governments know that and create noises to give them excuses to be bullish. This institutional weakness has been a catastrophe for people who trust investment professionals. In the past two decades, equity investors have done worse than owning bonds in the US market, lost big in Japan and emerging markets in general. It is astonishing to see how a value-destroying industry has lasted for so long. The bigger irony is that the people in this industry have been 2-3 times as well paid as in other industries. The key to its survival is volatility. As markets collapse and surge, it creates the possibilities for getting rich quickly. Unfortunately, most people dont get out when markets are high like now. They only go through the ride. english.caijing.com.cn

If you want to get involved in the Penny stock market and you are looking for a Penny stocks Free List you might be going about this the wrong way. Before you start investing in this highly volatile market, you need to learn to minimize your risk and maximize your profits!

You probably already know this, but Penny stocks are Options just like the Blue Chips, but they trade for $5 or less a share. Additionally the Markets that you will find them on are NASDAQ Small Caps, PINK SHEETS, Over The Counter (OTC), Over The Counter Bulletin Board (OTC-BB) and the Canadian Venture Exchange (CDNX) you can visit any of these markets and get limited information on stocks that they have listed.

However, one of the biggest reasons that there are very limited Lists of Penny Stocks readily available is because of the nature of this market. In the vast majority of cases Penny Stocks are stocks that are based solely on Speculation. There is little to no history on these companies so Advisors have to really know about the company inside and out before they can make a solid recommendation. That is why investing in the Penny Market without Expert Tips can be very dangerous.

Blue Chips or Larger Stocks are different in the fact that these publicly traded companies on this market have a history. In many cases, a long history. Therefor it is very easy for brokers and analyst to find trends that can predict future gains. And that is why research for larger options is not the same as the penny options.

So, if you are just looking for a Penny Stocks FREE List thinking that once you have the ticker symbols you can start investing, you really need to slow down and do some research, or better yet, find an expert who has already done the research for you!

One of the best Penny Stock Advisors I know of is actually so confident in their Tips that they will give you $100 of their money to invest with. Below is a Penny Stocks Free Lists and the profits that I made from each one simply buying and selling when my Advisor told me to.

Naturally Iowa INC (NLIA.PK) $0.21 (10/07) $.040 (10/07) %2B 90% Gain My First Trade Made $85.50

Tara God Resources (TRGD.PK) $0.48 (10/07) $0.80 (10/07) %2B71% Gain Profit $100.16

Healthsonix INC (HSXI.PK) $0.15 (10/07) $0.22 (10/07) %2B46% Gain Profit $105.00

Holloman Energy Corp (HENC.OB) $0.94 (11/07) $1.17 %2B24% Gain I didn’t invest 0.00

Shiming US INC (SGUS.OB) $0.47 (11/07) $0.77 (11/07) %2B63% Gain Profit $180.00

Skinvisible INC (SKVI.OB) $0.18 (12/07) $0.15 912/07 -20% Loss I didn’t invest 0.00

TOTAL PROFIT FROM (12/07) TO (12/07) $470.50

Not bad for a first time investor! I knew the penny stock market was something that I was very interested in, but knew absolutely nothing about. As you can see, my amounts are small potato’s but not a bad profit for a small investor. My profits this year are even higher and I expect eventually to get a nice little income simply by following the Hot Penny Stock Tips from my Weekly Advisor.

“We started out to get a computer in the hands of everyday people, and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

- Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Computer Inc., 1976.

Steve Jobs was adopted to a family in Mountain View, California. While still in high school, Jobs interest in electronics prompted him to call William Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard to ask for some parts for a school project. Hewlett provided the parts and then made an offer to Jobs to intern at Hewlett-Packard for a summer. There, Jobs met Steve Wozniak, a talented and knowledgeable engineer five years older than the high school student. Their friendship would eventually be the foundation on which Apple was built.

Jobs dropped out of Reed College after one semester and went to work for Atari designing games. He carefully saved the money he earned while working at Atari so that he could take a trip to India and sate his bourgeoning interest in the spiritualism of the East.

After returning home from India, Jobs and Wozniak renewed their friendship. Jobs was shown a small computer that Wozniak had been working on as a hobby, but Jobs saw its potential immediately and persuaded Wozniak to go into business with him. In 1975, at the age of 20, Jobs went to work in his parents’ garage with Wozniak working on the Apple I prototype.

The Apple I sold modestly, but well enough to be able to go to work on the Apple II. In 1977, the new model was put on sale. With a keyboard, colour monitors and user-friendly software, Apple became a success. The company made $3 million in their first year and had surpassed $200 million in their third.

However, in addition to the Apple III and its successor the LISA not selling as well as had been hoped and a marked increase in competition in the sale of PCs, 1980 saw Apple lose almost half of its sales to IBM. Things got worse for Jobs in 1983 when a fight with the directors got him kicked off the board by the CEO, John Sculley, whom Jobs himself had hired.

In 1984, as a response to the sharp decline in sales, Jobs released the Apple Macintosh which introduced the world to the point-and-click simplicity of the mouse. The marketing for the Mac was handled poorly and with a price tag of $2,500, it was not finding its way into the homes for which it had been designed. Jobs tried to repackage the Mac as a business computer, but without a hard-drive or networking capabilities, not to mention only a small capacity for memory, corporations were not interested. In 1985, without any power in his own company, Jobs sold his stock in Apple and resigned.

Later in 1985, Jobs began NeXT Computer Co. with the money he’d made from the sale of his stock in Apple. He planned to build a computer to change the way research was done. The NeXT computer, though complete with processing speeds previously unseen, unmatched graphics, and an optical disk drive, at $9,950 each, sold poorly.

Persistent after the failures of the NeXT venture, Jobs began toying with software and started to focus his attention on a company he’d bought from George Lucas in 1986, Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs signed a three-picture deal with Disney, and began working on the first computer-animated feature. Released in the fall of 1995, it had taken “Toy Story” four years to be made. But the work had been well worth it, the film was an incredible success. Pixar went public in 1996, and in one day of trading, Jobs 80% share had become worth $1 billion.

Apple was struggling, having failed to design a new Macintosh operating system, and the company only held 5% of the PC market. Days after Pixar went public, Apple bought NeXT for $400 million and renamed Jobs to the board of directors to advise Gilbert F. Amelio, the chairman and CEO. However, in March of 1997, Apple recorded a quarterly loss of $708 million, and Amelio resigned a few months later. Jobs was left in charge as interim CEO and it was up to him to keep the same company he had started and which had ousted him alive. So he made a deal with Microsoft. With an investment $150 million for a small stake in Apple, Apple and Microsoft would “cooperate on several sales and technology fronts”, and Apple would be assured their continuation in the PC market.

Jobs also went to work improving the quality of the Apple computers. The introduction of the G3 Power PC microprocessor made the Apple faster than those computers operating on Pentium processors. Apple also turned its energies toward producing an inexpensive desktop, the iMac, that was another hit for the company. With Jobs once again in control, Apple was able to quickly turn itself around, and by the end of 1998, was bringing in $5.9 billion in sales. Jobs had returned to his first love, a little older and a little wiser. He had made Apple healthy again and returned it to a place where it was contributing new and innovative technologies to the computer world.

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Kuala Lumpur ranks as one of the top shopping destinations in Asia. As all budgets are catered for, you will be enticed to shop till you drop! You can also expect both a fantastic variety of products as well as value for money. From designer labels to home-grown brands, even the discerning shopper will be spoiled for choice. But you may like to bring home something typically Malaysian, in which case, spare some time to shop for ethnic crafts. A wide range can be found at the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex and the Central Market.

Among the recommended items are batik (hand-painted or in block motifs available in traditional and contemporary designs, available as pareos, sarongs, scarves, shirts or dresses); songket (cloth intricately handwoven with silver or gold thread); silver items (jewellery, tableware and other home adornments); pewterware (various decorative and functional items); woodcarvings (aboriginal); pottery and ceramic (the choice is mind-boggling, but look out for Sarawak pottery or the Perak labu sayong); and weaved products (from practical bags to trinket boxes).

Places to shop include countless spick-and-span shopping complexes, duty-free shops, department stores, hypermarkets and handicraft centres to make-shift stalls and open-air night markets. Almost all shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur open for business from 10am till 10pm daily, public holidays included.

While the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival which runs from July to September and the Malaysia Savings Sale in December draw hordes of shoppers from around the region with offers of up to 70% discount on store products, you can still find bargains and sales at independent retailers outside scheduled sale carnivals.

Besides larger malls such as Berjaya Times Square, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Suria KLCC and those at the Bukit Bintang and Imbi area, many shopping complexes and departmental stores also offer economical buys such as Pertama Complex, Sogo Departmental Store, Kota Raya and Campbell Complex.

Then there are the numerous shops, flea markets, bazaars and side street stalls, notably dotting Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Masjid India (Little India), Brickfields (another Little India), Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Petaling (Chinatown), Plaza Mont Kiara and even the Sunday Night Market on Jalan Telawi in Bangsar.

On Saturday nights, Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman is closed to vehicles and transformed into a bright and bustling night market with hundreds of stalls selling a gamut of products from foodstuff to leather goods.

Jalan Petaling Night Market in Chinatown sizzles every night while on Sundays, the Pasar Minggu Kampung Baru (Kampung Baru Sunday Market) turns into a treasure trove of shopping delights with local colours, sights and sounds. Below are the major shopping malls in the city:

AMPANG PARK

Jalan Memanda 3, Ampang

Ampang Park is the oldest mall in Kuala Lumpur, and also happens to be the grand dame of bargain buys, especially for electronics and electrical products as well as ethnic clothes. The bazaar-like atmosphere of its shops and stalls that line its corridors make for an interesting visit.

AVENUE K

156 Jalan Ampang

Avenue K is a top-end lifestyle mall with eight levels, designed for retail and leisurely pursuits. It’s the place to shop for international brands and local labels.

BANGSAR SHOPPING CENTRE

285 Jalan Maarof, Bangsar

Located in the heart of one of Kuala Lumpur’s posh suburbs, BSC is the place to shop, dine and most importantly, to be seen. The Cold Storage supermarket here stocks a fair amount of foreign foodstuff which is often hard to come by at your regular supermarket. The mall is also home to the Actors’ Studio, one of the country’s most definitive stage performance companies. You can catch seasoned and budding actors performing regularly at the studio.

BANGSAR VILLAGE I & II

Jalan Ara, Bangsar

The complex is spacious and its anchor tenant The Village Grocer attracts many shoppers with reasonably priced fresh fruit and vegetables and other supermarket items. F&B outlets there are cool places to hang out. Shops sell varied items, making the complex vastly popular in vibrant Bangsar.

BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE

1 Jalan Imbi

Berjaya Times Square offers over 500 retail shops. Foodies will be pampered by over 100 choices of cafes, restaurants, bistros and fast-food outlets. Its major attraction, Cosmo’s World, the largest indoor theme park in Malaysia, is a stand alone theme park with an abundant variety of entertainment and thrilling rides catering to all ages. Cosmo’s World also houses one of the longest indoor roller coasters in the world.

BB PLAZA

111 Jalan Bukit Bintang

Located adjacent and connected at all floors to Sungei Wang Plaza, BB Plaza houses some of the more notable tenants which are shoppers’ favourites. These include the Metrojaya departmental store and several jewellers lined at its entrance. Al fresco cafes at its entrance offer shoppers a welcome respite from the busier pursuits of shopping.

CAMPBELL COMPLEX

Jalan Campbell

A compact spot that’s great for watches and men’s shoes at affordable prices.

CENTRAL MARKET

Jalan Hang Kasturi

Once the city’s busiest wet market, Central Market was dramatically transformed in the late 70s to become one of the topmost destinations to hunt for souvenirs and local arts and crafts. Here, tourists will get to soak in the artistic and cultural aspects of Malaysian life as artists ply their skills. Batik and craft shops provide a great shopping experience.

GREAT EASTERN MALL

Jalan Ampang

Located along the prime “Embassy Row” of Jalan Ampang, the mall is home to many specialty stores, including British India and Guess as well as designer cafes like Starbucks. Cold Storage Supermarket is its anchor tenant.

KL PLAZA

Jalan Bukit Bintang

For up-market buys, head for KL Plaza, home to luxury watch shops, jewelers and beauty salons. The famed Planet Hollywood is located here. Several al fresco eateries along the Bintang Walk belt offer great food and entertainment.

KOTA RAYA COMPLEX

Jalan Cheng Lock

A bargain hunters’ haven, Kota Raya Complex, located across from KL’s Chinatown, has a wonderful selection of gifts and trinket shops that are just as colourful as they are varied. This is also a favouriete hang-out spot for Filipinas on Sundays.

KUALA LUMPUR CRAFT COMPLEX

Jalan Conlay

The complex showcases quality Malaysian handicrafts in both contemporary and traditional designs. There is a large collection of locally produced batik, songket, wood carvings, rattan trinkets and pewter products. There is a Do-It-Yourself Batik-making corner with resident batik makers on hand to assist tourists. At the Artists Colony, tourists get to mingle with local artists and learn about their craft.

LOT 10

50 Jalan Sultan Ismail

Boasting an eye-catching green facede, Lot 10 is a popular haunt for both local and foreign shoppers with Isetan as anchor tenant. It caters for the average income as well as the wealthy. As part of the Bintang Walk area, it also has several al fresco eateries and cafes along its immediate surroundings.

LOW YAT PLAZA

Off Jalan Bukit Bintang

Fronting BB Park, Low Yat Plaza is dedicated to IT products such as computers, laptops and peripherals. It also has a good measure of camera shops, fashion and leather goods stores.

MAJU JUNCTION MALL

1001 Jalan Sultan Ismail

Strategically located at the busy junction of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Sultan Ismail, the mall attracts discerning shoppers with its specialty fashion stores such as Wh by British India and Nichi Fashion City. Besides a food court, it also has an indoor archery centre.

MID VALLEY MEGAMALL

Lingkaran Syed Putra

Mid Valley Megamall offers 5km of shopping, leisure and dining outlets. With more than 430 shops, the mall is also home to three retailing giants, namely, Carrefour, Jaya Jusco and Metrojaya. It also houses a Cineplex, state-of-the-art bowling centre and a one-stop IT centre. If you need to refuel after all that glorious shopping, there’s a whole world of culinary delights just waiting for you. From chic-bistros to fast-food outlets and food courts, they are all teeming to satisfy any tastebud.

PICCOLO GALLERIA

Jalan Bukit Bintang

A medium-sized shopping galleria sandwiched between Lot 10 and KL Plaza, Picollo Galleria adopts Italian shopping ambience with specialty stores offering lifestyle fashion products and art pieces. Ristorante L’Opera, a restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine located on the ground floor, is one of the most popular places at Bintang Walk.

PERTAMA COMPLEX

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

Though Pertama Complex is one of the oldest shopping complexes in KL, it still has a faithful following of shoppers due to its reasonably priced products, ranging from telecommunication devices to leatherwear such as Cowboy boots and jackets.

SOGO DEPARTMENTAL STORE

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

Located on busy Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Sogo offers a wide range of merchandise with prices ranging from high-end to mid-range. The centre has a well-stocked department store, supermarket, bookshop, restaurants, food court and offices.

PAVILION KUALA LUMPUR

Jalan Bukit Bintang

Consisting of seven levels, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur boats of more than 450 stores offering some of the world’s renown brand names. Shoppers are spoiled for choice in terms of fashion, food and urban leisure.

STARHILL GALLERY

Jalan Bukit Bintang

Undoubtedly one of the classiest malls in the city, Starhill offers a great selection of top-end designer labels and luxury watches. There is also a great selection of spa and beauty treatments on its Pamper Floor.

SUNGEI WANG PLAZA

Jalan Sultan Ismail

Having the biggest concentration of hair and beauty saloons among the city’s malls, Sungei Wang Plaza offers almost 500 stores offering almost everything under the sun at affordable prices. The complex is anchored by Parkson Grand. Its main entrance is lined with several interesting eateries. It’s the kind of place that shoppers keep returning to.

SURIA KLCC

Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)

Jalan Ampang

Suria KLCC is an up-market shopping destination with hundreds of shops offering a wide range of goods and services that pamper the needs of shoppers – from fashion, entertainment, arts and culture, to local delicacies and international cuisines. The mall is surrounded by hotels, office buildings, a scenic park and dancing fountains. Its anchor tenants include Isetan, Parkson Grand and Tanjong Golden Village.

THE MALL

Jalan Putra

Located across from the Putra World Trade Centre, The Mall is a relatively large mall with a penchant for leather shops and boutiques. The Parkson department store is its anchor tenant. It also has a Malaccan-themed food court on its top floor.

THE WELD

76 Jalan Raja Chulan

A pleasant medium-sized mall, The Weld has an assortment of shops from bookstores to watch shops, a pharmacy and also a ladies’ wellness centre. Several eateries are located at its concourse area.

Flea markets are great places for browsing or to shop for exotic jewellery, household items, second-hand books, ceramics and other bric-a-brac. The main flea markets in Kuala Lumpur are listed below:

Bangsar Utama Flea Market

Kompleks Niaga Utama

Bangsar Utama

Daily: 10am-10pm

Sat-Sun: 10am-8pm

Amcorp Mall

Jalan Timor, Petaling Jaya

Daily: 10am-4pm

Sat-Sun: 11am-3pm

Carnival Flea Market, BB Park

Jalan Bukit Bintang

Daily: 10am-4pm

Central Market, Jalan Kasturi

Daily: 10am-8pm

KL Arts Market (Laman Seni)

National Art Gallery

Jalan Tun Razak

First Saturday of the Month: 8am-5pm

Little India, Jalan Masjid India

Daily: 8am-10pm

Mont’ Kiara Craft Mart

Plaza Mont’ Kiara

Sundays: 10am-6pm

Sogo Flea Market, Ground Floor

Sogo Shopping Centre

First Sunday of the Month: 11am-7pm

Souk Al-Tar, Maju Junction Mall

Daily: 10am-10pm

Get the Information You Need to Evaluate stock Trading Software

In today’s market, investors are wondering if they should even buy stocks and if they can make money. The answer to both is “yes.” stock market trading is a wonderful opportunity now, with prices lower and volatility higher than in many years. stock trading online has never been more popular.

Automated trading platforms, robotic trading programs, online day trading systems-there are many terms used to describe the stock trading systems that can help you to make a stock investment and to grow your money. Review the criteria below and understand your own personal preferences by talking with other stock traders. Identify the facts you need to compare programs. You’ll need a good understanding of the automated trading tools’ features and costs before you make a decision.

Many types of companies offer stock trading advice and stock trading strategies. They run the gamut from educational programs that aim to teach you how to trade, to a list of recommended stocks to buy and sell at certain triggers, to brokerage firm proprietary software, all the way to fully automated robotic software. Prices can vary from thousands of dollars to less than $50 a month for some auto trading software. With such a variety, how do you choose? This article will guide you through the features and benefits of the programs that are available for online stock trading. We will not discuss trading software for options or Forex trading. Many of the programs are geared towards “day traders,” who technically open long positions (buy) or short positions (sell short) and close these positions the same day. Not everyone who uses these programs closes out their positions by the end of the trading day–sometimes they hold their positions for days, weeks or months. We’ll call this “active trading.” Sometimes this is also referred to as “swing trading.”

The essential features of a stock trading program include a data feed for stock quotes and indicators, stock charts or charting capability of major indicators, current balance and positions and an order entry system. The order entry system should allow stop (loss) orders, stop limit orders and trailing stops. A trailing stop limit is similar to the stop (loss), except its loss will be measured from the stocks highest point achieved. The preferred method would be to keep the trigger prices in stealth mode, not viewable by the market makers, rather than as actual orders. Most automated trading software should include a watch list of the stocks to potentially trade based on the parameters the stock trader has entered.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) can be part of an efficient trading strategy. These are mutual funds that are traded intraday on the stock exchanges, unlike traditional mutual funds that are a basket of securities priced at the close of the market. Online stock trading systems should also include trading capabilities for ETF’s.

Other features to look for include safety measures that stock traders may take, such as establishing a profit goal–the minimum price increase a trader would expect a stock to gain before closing their position. Also highly desirable is a form of profit protection for your investments, which is the reduced profit goal. After the stock reaches its profit goal and continues to rise, the stock trading software should wait and let the profit increase. If the stock price decreases or pulls back, the online trading program should close the position and lock the profit. This pullback value should not have any effect before the profit goal is reached and is intended to improve stock performance. More sophisticated auto trading programs will also offer the percentage gain from stock trader’s entry price, and the trader can also specify a minimum amount in case the percentage gained is too low.

Check the Features and Ask Questions

Number of Technical Indicators – There are literally hundreds of indicators that stock traders can use to determine which stocks to buy and sell and when. The most robust programs will offer hundreds of indicators for technical analysis, such as Bollinger Bands, and some will even include indicators for Candlestick Chart formations. Robotic programs use these indicators to set conditions under which online investing will occur.

Complexity – Automated stock trading programs vary greatly in ease of use. Some online stock trading systems do require actual programming expertise. Others are simply point and click. Check out the online demo to see that it fits your level of comfort before making a commitment. Talk to others who are currently using the auto trading websites and check out their online communities for more comments.

Number of Long and Short Strategies Per Account – Due to the size of the online trading platform, there may be a limit to the number of strategies that you can have loaded on each account. If you want to run, say two long trading strategies, then you may need two accounts. Also confirm if you have enough memory on your computer for two or more accounts. Experienced active traders may run two or more live long and short strategies, while having additional accounts for strategies that they are testing in a simulator mode.

Find Out How Advanced Your Software Can Be

Recommended Additional Features – The best automated stock trading software will include additional features that active traders will find invaluable once they have begun automated trading.

Additional strategy and order entry features include the ability to add to a position as a stock goes up, or as the stock declines, as well as a minimum purchase interval that the stock price should drop before it begins purchasing additional shares. A maximum bid/ask range will also be helpful, as the size of the spread can directly impact a swing trader’s ability to make profitable trades.

If there are hundreds of indicators, as is the case with robotic traders, see if the definitions of the indicators are readily available. The definition or formula for indicators may vary from one electronic trading platform to another, so be sure you understand them first.

Recommend you have a program that displays current Profit and Loss (P&L) on your open positions and the status of the rules on your watch list. For example, if a stock on the watch list hasn’t traded, is there a feature where the trader can pull up the rules and indicators to see which one(s) is preventing the trade?

Some automated stock trading programs visually display the percentage of symbols up and down in each sector from the specified time frame to the current time so you can see how the market is turning. Does the platform include the ability to block certain symbols from trading? If you’re running a long trading strategy, you won’t want to be buying ETF’s that short the market.

Day traders will want automated trading software that tracks and displays the number of day trades remaining. Day trading is regulated by the SEC, so it’s important to understand if you will be day trading first.

Orders in Stealth Mode – A standard feature of many trading software programs is the ability to enter limit, stop and stop limit orders. While it is important to have an exit strategy from your positions, telegraphing it to the institutional traders in the form of publicly viewed limits is not. It’s a little like poker–whoever can see all the hands has the advantage. Instead, newer programs allow the user to enter these price points in the auto trader system, but trigger a market order when the conditions are met. This is one advantage of a truly robotic stock trading program.

Automatically Executes Your Trading Strategy Even While You’re Away From Your Computer – Very few stock market trading systems can actually do this. For those that do, it’s done based on the trader selecting technical indicators, comparison operators and numerical inputs that will activate opening, adding to, or closing stock positions. Essentially, it’s a rules driven software system. The trader can select from hundreds of historical indicators representing the stocks‘ previous conditions. The indicators should be updated daily using the latest data. Programs that can trade automatically are the cream of the online investing software crop. They take the emotion out of investing. Long time traders report that the simplest strategies, when left to run on their own for long periods perform best. The program should also have a manual override so the stock trader can manually place a trade as well. Specifically ask if the system has this capability. Many market themselves as “automated trading” but are not truly automated.

Ability to Simulate Strategies In Real Time Before Running Live – Most traders would agree that they’d like to “test drive” a system before using it. Some programs allow this through “back-testing,” in which the program uses past data to execute the trades and show you what they would have been. This is not always accurate, as there is much data needed to perform a thorough back-test and it’s nearly impossible to replicate all the circumstances with just the historical data. In addition, how the system performed in a market last month or last year does not indicate how it will perform in the here and now.

There are a few systems that allow the stock trader to simulate strategies, but this is done mostly with paper tickets, rather than through the software package. The best stock trading software will let you practice stock trading using a live real-time data feed during market hours. This is the preferred method, as it gives traders a very realistic view of how their trading strategy is performing and the ability to feel the highs and lows of daily trading without investing real money. If you can simulate trades, you won’t need to open an actual brokerage account until you go “live” with real money. Ask if there is a limit on how long you can run in the simulation mode.

Shows You How to Create A Stock Trading Strategy – There should be a step by step walk through to show novice traders how to create a trading strategy. Are there off-the-shelf strategies that are available for your use? Are there any fees involved or are they offered for free? Can you modify the off the shelf strategies? Note that firms should not be guaranteeing you a certain return. The best firms will have long and short stock trading strategies available at no charge and will allow the stock trader to create their own. Some firms will even allow you to copy strategies from a “friends” list. One size does not fit all. If the company doesn’t tell you the details of the strategy or why they selected or recommend a certain stock, then it’s not advisable to use it. You may overpaying for “proprietary” services and may be able to obtain free stock market tips and recommendations online that will perform comparably.

Tech Support and Customer Service – The best automated stock trading software firms have an extremely high “up-time” and are very rarely out of service. Check on the firm’s record–how often have they had outages? The software should be easy to install and should work with a variety of operating systems (Windows XP, Windows Vista, etc.). If you have questions, is there a knowledgeable and helpful staff to provide service? How quickly do they respond, if by email?

Commissions – Trading commissions can eat into your profits if you are not careful about choosing a plan that fits your needs. Commissions can vary greatly from broker to broker, depending on the number of shares traded, whether the shares are in round lots of 100, price of the shares traded and the number of trades you place each month. Stock traders may even want to have more than one account if they have a trading strategy that normally trades 100 shares lots and another that trades 1000 share lots. It pays to read the fine print.

Number of Broker Choices – If you have a proprietary brokerage software product, then you’ll only be able to trade through that firm. The best online trading includes the lowest commissions for the typical trades for each strategy that you use. There are other programs whose software has been integrated into the order placing functionality at a variety of brokerage firms. Commissions will be one consideration in choosing a firm. Another is the margin rates. If you choose to have a margin account and borrow against the value of your securities to open more positions, you will be charged margin interest. Rates will vary by firm. Typically, firms with the lowest commissions won’t pay you interest or offer a money market fund for your uninvested cash. This is how they keep their costs down. If you anticipate having extra cash that you won’t use for trading, you may want to keep it in another account where it can earn more. You should also check if there is a minimum to open an account or a minimum number of trades required.

Check the Costs and Software Support

Initial Software Fee and Monthly Fees – Ask is there is an initial fee to buy the software package. Is it thousands of dollars? If so, find out what you are really getting. Much of what you can obtain from some of these programs can be found in inexpensive books or on the Internet for free. Is there also a monthly fee? If so, what does it cover? In reviewing online trading services, more expensive software is not necessarily better. Some active investing services are less expensive because they have more subscribers.

Data Feed Fee – Does the program include real time data feeds for stock quotes and indicators? Is there an extra fee for this or is it included in the basic monthly fee? This is the biggest component cost in developing automated stock trading programs. Or, is the data delayed by 20 minutes? Is it only the end of day data? If so, even in a simulation, old data is not good data. Many brokerage firms offer free Level II quotes to qualified active traders who trade a specified number of trades each month.

Stock Charts Fee – How will you review the major indicators that you’re using to make trading decisions? Some programs include stock charts with their fee, others charge a separate fee for it. Depending on the platform you choose, you may or may not need a charting package. Find out how much is it and how much you can customize the stock charts to track your favorite indicators.

Ongoing Support Fee – Ask is there are any other fees. Hidden fees will definitely each into a stock trader’s profits. If you’re not in the market to make money, then you shouldn’t be in the market.

Long Term Contract – Is the fee you’re paying upfront for a year’s contract? If so, is it automatically renewed every year?

Training Fee – Find out if there is a separate training fee. For programs that market themselves as financial educators, there will be a fee, sometimes hundreds or thousands of dollars, as this is how they make their money. The best automated stock trading software programs provide free training.

Training Formats – Is the training in the form of a live seminar? Webinar? Are there extra materials such as DVD’s that you must buy to find out all the information advertised? Or, is live training available in the company’s office?

Minimum to Invest – Brokerage firms have their own minimums but there are also account minimum balances required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for what it calls “pattern day traders.” A day trade occurs when a trader opens and closes the same position in a margin account on the same day. A pattern day trader is any person who executes 4 or more day trades within 5 business days in a margin account, provided the number of day trades is more than 6% of the total trades in the account during that period. All pattern day traders must maintain a minimum of $25,000 in equity at all times.

System Requirements – The more robust the trading system, the greater the memory requirements. Check this before you sign up or purchase a new computer. If you sign up for more than one account, will your machine have enough RAM to run both or will you need to purchase an extra computer or more memory? If you have a Mac, ask if the software works on Mac, as not all do. You may want to have one computer dedicated only to your automated stock trading programs and not run other word processing or spreadsheet programs.

Reports – The best automated stock trading software will include a reports function, that allows the stock trader to pull up trades by time frame, security, long vs short, open vs. closed and P&L. For truly active traders, this information is an easy way to track trading for tax purposes.

Trading Strategy Statistics- In addition to Reports, another great feature is strategy statistics. They will tell the serious stock trader the number of trades executed and break them down by profitable vs. unprofitable over various intervals. Reviewing the strategy accuracy increases the odds that a stock trader will be profitable.

Online Trading Community – Trading platform developers who are truly proud of their work welcome comments and questions from users. Take some time to read their stock trading forum and see what other stock traders are saying. There are even a few automated stock trading programs that will take requests for additional indicators from their users.

Take the Right Steps as You Choose Stock Trading Software

Be wary of those who tell you that you must follow their stock trading system using only their tools. This is about you having control over your financial future. There are as many successful stock trading strategies as there are active traders. Experiment, talk to others and do research. You will find what works best for you.

Use caution when signing up for anything long-term, even if a 30-day free trial is offered. Some firms may request a large down payment or full payment in advance and pressure you on the spot, promising a discount if you sign up immediately. Some consumers have reported difficulty in obtaining refunds even when they have followed the procedures exactly.

Happy trading!

© Copyright – Regina Guinn. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Check out www.lagdonkey.com for the latest poker news, strategy articles, videos and poker bonuses. Another quick update in recent news with full tilt. The biggest news is that Full Tilt is rumored to have laid of a good portion of their US staff. Speculation is that this would be due to requests from the potential European investors. Since it’s a given Full Tilt will not be re-entering the US market for quite some time, it’s a logical step. In other news, apparently Full Tilt is still in talks with potential investors. As usual, I will post more videos as more information surfaces.