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What are Interest Rate Futures?

Buying an interest rate futures contract allows the buyer of the contract to lock in a future investment rate; not a borrowing rate as many believe. Interest rate futures are based off an underlying security which is a debt obligation and moves in value as interest rates change.

When interest rates move higher, the buyer of the futures contract will pay the seller in an amount equal to that of the benefit received by investing at a higher rate versus that of the rate specified in the futures contract. Conversely, when interest rates move lower, the seller of the futures contract will compensate the buyer for the lower rate at the time of expiration.

To accurately determine the gain or loss of a rate futures contract, an interest rate futures price index was created. When buying, the index can be calculated by subtracting the futures interest rate from 100, or (100 – Futures Interest Rate). As rates fluctuate, so does this price index. You can see that as rates increase, the index moves lower and vice versa.

How do you calculate the gain or loss on the futures contract?

Typically, the interest rate futures contract has a base price move (tick) of .01, or 1 basis point however, some contracts have a tick value of .005 or half of 1 basis point. For example, for Eurodollar contracts, a tick is worth $12.50 and a move from 94 to 94.50 would result in a $1250 gain per contract for someone who is long the futures.

Hedging with futures

Many participants in the interest rate futures market hedge their positions that have an interest rate risk with an offsetting futures contract. As the hedge becomes profitable and traders see less risk in the market, the hedge will be peeled off.

Other participants will use interest rate futures to hedge forward borrowing rates. For example, it is currently March and I need to borrow money in June for 1 month at Libor plus 2. The current LIBOR rate is 2.75% and let’s say the 3 month LIBOR futures are 3%. I will basically be locking in a 5% forward rate by shorting or selling the LIBOR June 1 month LIBOR futures contracts.

What Types of Interest Rate Futures are Traded?

Interest rate futures in the US markets are traded on the CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange). Below is the list of short term interest rate futures contracts traded on US and foreign interest rates.

Three Month Eurodollars

Eurodollars refer to US dollars that are currently being held on deposit in foreign commercial banking institutions. The ability for banks to be able to have access to fund US dollar loans to foreign purchasers of US goods without the currency exchange rate risks makes the Eurodollar futures very attractive for hedging purposes. For this reason, the Eurodollar futures market has exploded in the last 20 years and has become the most highly traded futures contracts out there.

CME’s Eurodollar contract reflects pricing at 3 month LIBOR on a $1 million offshore deposit.

One Month Libor

One month LIBOR contract is very similar to the Eurodollar contract; however, it represents a 1 month LIBOR on a $3 million deposit.

EuroYen

Euroyen are similar to Eurodollars and represent Japanese Yen deposits outside of Japan.

13 Week Treasury Bills

Treasury backed instruments are considered risk free investments as they are backed in good faith by the United States government. T-bill futures contracts are available in quarterly contracts.

One Month Fed Funds

Federal funds represent reserves Federal Reserve member banks in excess of the reserve requirement for banks. These deposits are not interest bearing deposits and therefore banks lend these funds out to other member banks for overnight term.

91-Day Cetes (Mexican Treasury Bills)

Cetes are government issued short term paper issued in Mexican Pesos. Similar to the US Treasury market, Cetes is the basis for short term lending rates in Mexico.

28-Day TIIE (Mexican Interest Rate)

The TIIE is the benchmark interbank interest rate that Mexican banks use to borrow or lend from the Bank of Mexico.

See You At the Top,

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Kunal Vakil is the co-founder of mysmp.com (My Stock Market Power) which provides free trading articles to investors.

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It seems like all you hear about these days is how people are going crazy over these forex robots that have become so en vogue. But do they actually work? Think about it! In all this time that you’ve read about them in forums, chat rooms, etc….. have you ever know anybody who had success with them trading in a real (not demo) account? My guess is you haven’t.

Have you ever noticed that the ones you do hear about having success in the demo accounts, the moment they are traded on a real account with real money, the account crashes. Funny how that works, huh?

The fact is that I, not only wouldn’t trust the robot to trade for me, but I wouldn’t trust the broker I am using the forex robot on. Forex brokers (all brokers for that matter) are renowned for their questionable trading policies (e.g. hunting for stop losses), so you could imagine all the questionable tactics they could use on trading robot, which is something you have no control over.

Also, the fact that some automated system can tell you where the market is going to go is absurd. The market is too complicated for a machine to follow blindly based on the parameters of the developer. You think a forex robot has any idea what to do if the Fed comes out and lowers interest rates by half of a point instead of a quarter of a point. It would have no idea. This is something that they just cannot simulate.

John Templeton has been a successful forex trader after learning how to trade price action. Once he understood that all he needed to trade forex was on a plain chart with no indicators, his profits soared. You too could learn how to trade.

Economic conditions changed dramatically due to problems encountered by the mortgage sector and global rising of fuel and food.

All of us are very cautious and are always on the look out for means to survive, here are some of them:

• Don’t Panic. How the stock markets behave defies laws of gravity. It goes up an hour and drops drastically in another. Experts advise though that withdrawing your investment money may do more harm than good. Cash out the money if you really need it short-term. Be reminded that through out history bad times come and go. After some time, the market will recover.

• Protect your Portfolio. When you put some eggs in the basket you make sure that they will not break. This is also the rule of thumb for investments. For example, financial experts advise that you check on your portfolios once a year and check how much the balances are. Make some adjustments so your assets are well distributed to different channels. The market volatility is an indicator that people should be diversified with their investments. Factors such as your age and risk tolerance should influence you long term. Remember that the current state of the economy is just temporary. Younger people can take more risks in terms of investing while the older generation must take lower investment risk to ensure better cash flow.

• Do not be Trapped by your Mortgage. The subprime mortgage disaster has affected the whole economy. Homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages should consider getting a long term fixed loan to avoid the voracious rate adjustments that may occur. Getting a refinancing is not that easy today. Lenders have taken measures to safeguard themselves and assets through higher interest rates and stricter qualification guidelines. If you have a good credit score take the opportunity to discuss with your lender better fixed rate loan packages that can be easier on your pocket and in the long term lead to owning that home.

• Pay Attention to your Job. Work hard during these hard times. Companies are on a wait and see situation where they have the tendency to lay off people when it becomes a necessity. Work hard so you will be a valuable asset of the company. Companies will see you as a good investment and will give you job security. If you are on a staff level, monitor how your boss and your department is performing. Knowing where you stand allow you to plan for the future.

• Handle your debt and save. It is essential to get rid of bills and save as much money as you can. In times of great need, you cannot easily rely on the value of your home which has dropped significantly because the economy is on shaky grounds. Determine if you really need something before spending that extra cash.

• Don’t spend on what you don’t need. Tough times should convince you to review your household budget. List down your expenses and strike out any thing which you think is not really essential. Necessity should be considered first before giving into the comforts of your lifestyle. Tighten the budget and put the extra money into your savings.

Blooming in very tough economic conditions involve making the right decisions at the right time. Spending less may mean survival until the economy recovers. For now, being ready for the worst is number one.

The author of this article was Benedict Yossarian. If you have taken a loan out in the UK within the past 10 years it is quite possible it could be classed as an unenforceable loan agreement if any clerical errors have been made. Consumer Credit Claims can help receive financial compensation for these incorrectly drafted loans.

Have you ever wondered how much a part of your investments will be worth 10 years from now? How about 20 years? You can easily figure it out without using a financial calculator. Just use the Rule of 72, your financial calculator in investment.

Let’s say you invested $10,000 in a fixed annuity earning 6% a year. In 24 years, your assets will be worth about $40,000. Then how does it work?

And the Rule of 72: Divide the number 72 by the interest you earn, and it will give you the number of years it will take for your money to double. Using the above example, 72 divided by 6 equals 12 years for doubling. Pretty simple-hah! Since there are two doubling periods in 24 years, the original $10,000 would be worth $20,000 in 12 years, and $40,000 in 24 years.

Using this same Rule, an investment earning 8% would double in about 9 years, and a 12% investment would double in 6 years.

You need to remember that a 6% interest rate in a Certificate of Deposit would not work as well as a 6% annuity. A CD earning 6% would leave an investor approximately 4% after taxes. The Rule of 72 would only apply to an after-tax yield. A 6% annuity would be tax-deferred; therefore, the entire 6% would be counted.

The Rule of 72 works best with fixed investments, or those with a fairly stable return. Also, it only works if you reinvest your assets. The Rule does not apply if you withdraw any funds.

You can even use this Rule in reverse. For example, you are 38 years old, and you’d like to know how much you’d have to invest today to retire a millionaire.

Using the same Rule, assuming a retirement age of 65, and an average annual return of 8%, here is how it would work:

Step One: 72 divided by 8% would signify that your money would double every 9 years.

Step 2: At age 65, you want your assets to be worth $1,000,000, so…

Step 3: You work in reverse, going back 9 years for every doubling period.

$1,000,000 at age 65 (your goal)

$500,000 at age 56 (9 years earlier)

$250,000 at age 47,

$125,000 at age 38 (lump sum)

If you invest $125,000 at 8% until age 65 (before taxes), you would have about $1,000,000 at retirement. This amount would change, of course, if you invested more than $125,000, or if the interest were higher, or better still, you started investing a little sooner than age 38.

Depending on your goals, and your age, you could retire earlier or later than age 65. You don’t have to invest a lump sum to retire comfortably. Just have a goal, and a systematic investment plan, and your retirement needs will be accomplished.

Kaushik Adhikary operates http://www.myinsuranceinsiderinfo.com, a blog all about fresh and quality content on personal line of insurance and finance field. He loves giving away Free Stuffs and now giving away Free Memberships to his Newsletter,Special Reports,E-Course,E-Books et. all absolutely free.

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A good credit score is your key to the best deals during this uncertain financial climate. A decent credit score can win you the best rates for financial loans and can place you on that job that you have been wanting.

You can negotiate for bargains for almost any deal when you have a good credit score. A FICO score of at least 700 is considered a good one. For example, a 760 FICO score may translate to a very competitive 6.11% interest rate on a 30 year fixed three hundred thousand dollar home loan. Compare it to a deal if you have a score of 620, banks will give the same loan for 7.42%.

A very good credit score will provide you leverage to get what you need and want.

What a Good Score can Bring

When you have a score of 700 up creditors and lender consider you as a low risk borrower. Here are some of the perks that your good FICO can give you:

• Job Offers- Companies see a good credit score as a reflection of one’s overall character. A credit report may be pulled by employers as part of their screening process. It is not a favorable picture therefore when an Ivy League graduate goes out of the real world with a messy student debt. According to studies, financial stress affects the productivity of employees.

• Lower Interest Rates- this is true for credit cards, home loans, and auto loans. A 30 point raise in your credit score can save you a lot of money on those finance charges

• Insurance- Auto and home insurers evaluate an applicant’s credit score to study the risk of issuing a policy at a certain monthly premium. Trending has shown that people with good credit score tend to make lesser claim over the years. This can be attributed to good financial habits leading to more careful driving or paying house bills on time.

• Utility Service- Credit scores may affect how utility companies can consider waiving some of those deposits to avail of their service. Even cable and phone companies consider a good credit score as a lower risk for their business.

Using your Credit Score to Your Advantage

You deserve to utilize a good credit score to your benefit. If a card company calls you to offer a balance transfer for a lower interest rate, evaluate the offer first and see what the total picture is. If you know you have a good credit score, negotiate for the best deal that you can get.

Be savvy when dealing with credit card companies or other lenders who may be doing business with a lot of bad credit histories. A business will be more than willing to gain or retain their good client.

If you are shopping for the best rates, do not look for too long or too often. In some way, this will hurt your credit score since multiple companies will be pulling your report even if you’re just looking for one loan.

Safeguards have been devised such that multiple inquiries for home loans and auto loans will just be considered as a single inquiry if done in a fourteen-day span.

Maintaining a good credit score can be a tough task. A single decision error can drop you credit score by the tens or hundreds. To avoid that be careful with your dealings and read every fine print in any contract before signing.

The author of this article was Benedict Yossarian. If you have taken a loan out in the UK within the past 10 years it is quite possible it could be classed as an unenforceable loan agreement if any clerical errors have been made. Consumer Credit Claims can help receive financial compensation for these incorrectly drafted loans.

Many times, we see others as well as ourselves getting into the debt trap very easily. A deadly debt trap never allows the savings to remain with you. However hard you try to save money, you ultimately spend them on paying huge interests on your accumulated debts. So what all, does it take to save money and lead a care-free life without debts? To crack this puzzle, you need not think hard.

While we can see various reasons trigger one deep down into the word of debts, we can broadly classify these so-called reasons as personal, economic and social. Personal situations may include reasons like loss of job, cut in the pay, accumulation of existing debts, treatment of illness, family crisis and so on. Personal situations are never predictable and so one should always be prepared for any such crisis contingencies, which can cause a major blow to the income. It is always advisable to set aside some portion of your income in a different bank account, so that it can be effectively used during such contingencies.

Coming to the economic triggers, one can get blown away with a sudden loss in business, tumbling sales, bad debts, inflation, economy slowdown etc. Currently, we are indeed witnessing the recession in the economy with the cost of living doubled and the means of income reduced.

While personal and economic reasons may be unpredictable, social triggers definitely are self- sponsored and can be truly avoided by adopting certain means. Don’t you think you will be in a posh car showroom tomorrow, if today you see your junior colleague getting that swanky car to the office? Yes, I am talking about status anxiety. As you put a step ahead each time in your career and status, you always tend to get anxious about maintaining the same. As a result, you do not even hesitate for a single moment and delve deep down in the debt-pool.

When we go out for shopping with our friends, we do tend to splurge more than what we actually should. Many things are purchased just because “My friend also bought it”. And to make things simpler, we always carry the very famous “plastic money” with us. Credit cards had come as a convenience, but now we use it to satiate our status hunger. Although, it may sound a little strange, but it’s always wise to ask yourself a small question “Do I need to buy this?” before you actually swipe your card for the purchase.

And what happens next is the rather unending sequence of debt repayments. If you have bought an exotic product on debt, just check out the interest rate you are paying on the actual or principal amount and then you would come to know the real worth and utility of the product.

You get into debts largely because of two reasons – Improper planning and tendency to spend more. Always remember that debts should be availed ONLY if necessary and ONLY to the extent of what you can repay without much encumbrances. Budgeting, planning and control are three simple, yet magical keys to have a debt free life.

Andy Eaton is £21,040.57 in debt, read his personal blog and discover his step-by-step plan for why and how he is eliminating his debt. His journey to debt free is going to happen quickly for him as he is using a plan. Follow his amazing story at http://www.sick2debt.com

In order to increase the avenues for investment abroad, Indian mutual funds were allowed to invest in rated securities in countries with fully convertible currencies, within the existing limits. Earlier such investment was only permitted in ADRs/GDRs issued by Indian companies in overseas markets.

A road map for developing Separate Trading for Registered Interest and Principal of Securities (STRIPS) has been prepared. The Reserve Bank is actively pursuing the creation and development of the STRIPS market which, in addition to providing more flexibility in managing interest rate risk, would help in addressing the asset-liability mismatch problem of banks/institutions.

Banks with typically short maturity funding can hold short duration STRIPS (i.e., coupon STRIPS) while the longer duration STRIPS can be held by insurance companies and pension funds, etc. To facilitate the market for STRIPS (which are essentially zero coupon bonds (ZCBs), the tax anomaly that existed in respect of ZCBs has been removed by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in a notification issued in February 2002. Accordingly, ZCBs are now to be taxed on a total return basis by treating the marked-to-market gains to the holder during the assessment year as taxable.

Issues of Foreign Currency Convertible Bond were allowed under the automatic route up to US $ 50 million. The Indian companies were permitted to raise the 24 per cent limit on Foreign Institutional Investors investment to the sectoral cap/statutory ceiling as applicable. As announced by the Finance Minister in his Budget speech for 2002- 03, FIIs’ portfolio investments will hence forth not be subject to sectoral limits for foreign direct investment except in specified sectors.

After accumulation or distribution takes place, a stock moves into new territory, either high or low, showing that the stock has been absorbed or distributed and that a new move is starting. The big profits are made in the runs between accumulation and distribution. Therefore, you make more money by waiting until a stock plainly declares its trend than by getting in before it starts. It is just like a race. It often takes fifteen or twenty minutes to get the horses away from the post, but once “they’re off” the race is over in two minutes. It is the getting ready that takes the time, the run is soon made, once the firing line is crossed. What difference does it make whether you buy a stock 10, 20 or 30 points above the bottom so long as you make profits? The same with selling short. It makes no difference how much the price is down from the top. Wen it breaks out of the distributing zone, it is a safe short sale and you will make quick profits. Get the idea of prices out of your head. Forget about the bottoms and tops; trade to make profits, not to try and catch the bottom or top eighth. The insiders do not do it, and you can not hope to do better than the man who makes the market.

Get the best stock market recommendation, free tips, e-books, and start making money from online trading. Trading easy through http://www.5minutetrader.com/

Merchant cash advances help business owner’s open doors for better types of funding opportunities. The business cash advance industry is climbing at a continuous rate. This ever increasing growth is because traditional bank loans are not meeting the demands of small business owners.

Business cash advances are a unique funding method. It’s a purchase of future credit card sales, not a loan, so we have to use specific language consistent with purchase of future credit card sales, like payback rate and discount rate instead of commonly used interest rate on bank loans. Merchant cash advances are a lot like factoring but are based on a sale that hasn’t happened just yet.

A business cash advance lender gives business owners a sum of cash advance up front. In exchange, the business owner agrees to pay back the principal amount plus the fee, by giving the lender a daily percentage of their visa and master card sales until the payback is completed.

The daily payback percentage won’t be higher than 10% of daily gross sales, the daily percentage is based on the monthly credit cards sales volume and the amount of cash advance required. The payback time-frame is structured for a 6-9 months term, but it’s not fixed, and there won’t be any penalties if it takes longer.

Business owners usually must switch the credit card processor because the advance is paid back automatically as a percentage of each batch’s proceeds, but the rates will be the same if not better. Just a small number of merchant cash advance lenders don’t require the merchant to change their credit card processors company. Most time this won’t be a problem at all since the rates will be matched.

Business cash advances differ a lot from the traditional bank funding programs. In essence a merchant cash advance lender purchases a small percentage of future Master Card and Visa sales, and the business owner pays back this as a daily percentage of such sales.

Obtaining cash from the bank can be difficult for most business owners, but particularly retail businesses, restaurants, store franchisees or seasonal businesses. These merchants mostly use credit card processing, making a merchant cash advance program a great funding opportunity for them.

What are some of the benefits?

The money is available much faster than it is with a bank loan. Unsecured merchant cash advances are specially a great option for retail and restaurant merchants, not only because these types of businesses can hardly be funded by the traditional bank, but also because of the immediate liquidity and simple process.

Many merchant cash advance lenders advertise that the money will be available in as fast as 10 days, and unlike a bank loan that have a fixed interest rate, as the amount due and due date are fixed each month, no matter if your sales drop. Instead, with a merchant cash advance the payback comes from future credit card receivables, not straining your business cash flow.
Fast merchant cash advance programs are cash flow friendly, during seasonally slow periods specially.

Traditional bank loans require a fixed set of payments every month, whether the business has made a sale or not. But if you choose a merchant cash advance, payments are calculated as a percentage of credit card sales, and if the sales are growing, the re-payment could be quicker, but if the business owner experiences some interruption or sales drop in the business, the payments will drop with it.

Another great advantage of a merchant cash advance, is that the business owner won’t risk he’s personal assets, because there’s no collateral required.

David Castro often writes articles about Merchant Cash Advance and Small Business Loans for Merchant Resources International – To Learn more Visit Us at http://www.cashprior.com

The financial market is growing rapidly and providing a whole new range of opportunities like never before. This is indeed a good opportunity for those who want to avail loans to meet their various demands. The nature of the market is such that even a person with a bad credit can obtain finances without facing too many hassles. To make it more convenient for the borrowers, lenders have come up with bad debt loan. These loans are cited to be the best loans available to a borrower with credit problems as it enables them to reinstate their financial freedom.

In a typical situation, a person with bad debt implies that he/she may have arrears; defaults etc on various unpaid debts. But with these loans, no such things matter. As a matter of fact, these loans offer a chance to the borrowers to enjoy the financial freedom just like any other person with a good credit record. With the aid of these loans, a borrower can fulfill needs like enhancing the decor of home, higher studies, vacation, wedding and even consolidating debts.

These loans are further categorized in to secured and unsecured form, so that all types of borrower from various sections can derive the finance without any difficulty. Secured form of the loans provides a bigger amount, but to do so, borrower has to pledge an asset as collateral. On the contrary, unsecured loans do not require any such collateral pledging.

The interest rates for the loans are slightly higher, as the lenders are taking a lot risk by offering monetary aid. But then, to get hold of a low rate deal, borrower should undertake a proper research of the market this way, borrower has a chance to derive the loans at nominal rates. These loans are also available online where in a person can derive the finances without facing too many hassles. Besides on comparing the various rate quotes, one can easily come across lenders approving the loans at competitive rates.

Bad debt loans are easy loans meant for those with credit problems. With these loans, these borrowers have a chance to realize their needs and wishes in a convenient and systematic manner.

Peter Darwin has done his masters in Business Administration from Oxford university and is currently assisting Bad Debt Unsecured Loan as a finance specialist. For more information related to Bad Debt Loans, Unsecured Personal Loan, Bad Debt Tenant Loan, Bad Debt Unsecured Loan please visit http://www.baddebtunsecuredloan.co.uk/

First of all let me enlighten the word loan. Loans are the debts that are provided either by the bank or some financing institutes to someone. Car loans are the finance provided by the banks to a customer who wishes to buy a car.

Need of car loan

As the we know that the condition of the public transport getting worse and every one is always in a hurry to reach his destination .so this is the reason that people today rather than going for the public transport, are opting for a better and more effective way of communication that is that is through their own vehicles. The loans provided by the banks help them getting these vehicles with an ease.

Also with the industrialization and the growth of the average income of people the need of cars have become more prominent but with less cash in hand it is very difficult for people to manage .This further enhances the need of loans through banks. These days number of banks and financing institutes are providing loan option so every one is able to buy a car of his own choice.

With the growing competition the banks and various financing institutes offer different type of car loans. The loan has to be returned in a given time period else the borrower has to suffer a lot and most of the time he is trapped in legal hassles.

Car loan types

Car loans as stated earlier are a debt that the borrower borrows from the financing company or the bank and has to return the money in some installments. These installments are decided by the bank initially. The bank provides the borrower a number of options by which he can return the money, and the borrower has to choose one of the option. One of the way for taking loan is by keeping the home as security with the financing institute.

Other type of car loan is the personal car loan in which the person has to provide collateral as security. The personal car loan is further divided into two categories that is secured and unsecured.

Interest rate

The interest rate is the amount rate which is used to calculate the extra amount that the borrower has to pay. At this interest rate every month the borrower has to pay some extra amount. Different banks have different rate of interests so that is why people should look for the least rate of interest before they make the decision of financing their car.

NetCars, one of the UK’s leading motoring websites for used cars. First established in January 2000, it provides car loans, finance and warranty.