Friday, May 16, 2008

HYIPs: An Alternative to Stock Trading

People who are successful stock traders are no strangers to the 'educated guess.' They analyze the risk associated with a company's stock and then make a decision. When they are correct in their decision they earn a gain. If they are incorrect in their decision they will lose money. Investors that continue to lose money will sell their stock to recap their investment. This ultimately means they stop investing in that company and move on to the next one that looks promising.

Believe it or not stocks are not the only way the investor can use this same strategy to make money. People who make money with HYIP (high yield investments) operate on this principle. To fully understand the comparison, it's important to first understand: 1) what an HYIP is, 2) how a legitimate HYIP works and 3) how people invest in the HYIP. Each of these are discussed in more detail below.

WHAT IS AN HYIP?

HYIPs are investment programs that offer high returns quickly. Like stock trading the more you invest the more gain you receive. Unlike stocks, however, HYIPs offer more of a return for a smaller investment. The reason why HYIPs can do this is because some of the money is funded from new membership. However, HYIPs that last DO NOT and CANNOT function on new member money alone. They must have other legitimate methods of generating revenue. If they don't the HYIP is really a Ponzi scheme and will collapse eventually. This will be discussed in more detail later in the article.

There are two types of HYIPs that are popular online: those that require a person to do nothing but simply invest and those that require a person to view advertisements. The latter has gained more popularity through a concept known as the autosurf. Autosurfs that are HYIP-based operate on the same principle as television does: offering members something 'free' for viewing advertisements. In this case the freebie is money. If the autosurf is not HYIP-based, it will offer advertising credits for its members. The more credits a member receives, the more they can advertise their sites.

HOW A LEGITIMATE HYIP WORKS

Unfortunately, because of greedy, unscrupulous people, a large percentage of HYIPs out there are scams. This is especially the case with HYIPs not based on advertising revenue though there are shady autosurfs out there too. But the reason why HYIPs not based on advertising are more dangerous is because there is even less certainty on where and how funds are being generated. At least with advertising-based HYIPs one can usually see that they are selling advertising, whether through an 'Advertise on our site' link at the bottom of their web site or even an Ebay auction. However, the HYIP that is not based on advertising usually won't make it apparent how they are generating income streams. If they don't have some fluff about making money through Forex or other legitimate trading methods, they may have the audacity to say they are a ponzi. Whether they say it or not, if they don't have other ways of making income they are nothing more than a ponzi. So this means that the ONLY way they are generating funds are through new member signups. When new members stop joining the scheme the program will collapse. This is assuming the owner is 'honest' enough to let it run that long. Sometimes individuals using the ponzi scheme will let it run for a few months, then after getting a healthy build-up of member investments, flee with the money.

Okay, so keeping all this in mind how can one distinguish the legitimate HYIP from the typical HYIP which is a scam? Below are some factors which are common to the legitimate HYIP.

1) Legitimate HYIP sites will generate revenue from a variety of sources

Member signups alone are not enough to keep a legitimate HYIP running. This is because when new members stop signing up (which is inevitable even for established membership-based businesses), the HYIP's revenue source is gone. So if an HYIP is legitimate it must sell a service or product or invest in stable trades FOR REAL.

12 Daily Pro is an example of a legitimate HYIP that generates revenue through web design and advertising services.

2) Legitimate HYIP business owners can be contacted

HYIP business owners who are serious about their business will treat it as such. This means they will establish a company just like any other entrepreneur and reveal their contact information. If an HYIP webmaster can give no verifiable information about their 'company' including telephone numbers, they are scams.

12 Daily Pro is operated by a company known as My Life Clicks, a registered business in North Carolina.

3) Legitimate HYIPs receive positive feedback

HYIP monitors are sites which evaluate HYIPs. If they pay then they receive a positive rating. If not, they receive a negative rating. Legitimate HYIPs tend to get mostly positive rating through HYIP monitors.

Legitimate HYIPs also receive positive feedback on virtually any place on the web, even those not related to investing. 12 Daily Pro, for example, has received thousands and thousands of testimonials from people on a variety of websites and message boards.

HOW PEOPLE INVEST IN HYIPS

The best way to invest in an HYIP is to start small and 'risk' only what you can afford. Risk is the operative word because there is no way to know whether or not an HYIP is legitimate until one actually starts investing. However, the risk tends to be worth it if the investor thinks the HYIP is legitimate because the return is incredibly high.

Once investors find HYIPs that are legitimate, they try to recover their initial investment as quickly as possible. After this, they invest using their profits so the risk of 'losing' is minimized. If something does happen to the HYIP it doesn't matter as much because they were playing around with just their profit anyway.

Indeed, the HYIP game may not be for every investor, but for those who want a high return quickly and are excellent at risk assessment, it is an excellent alternative. And believe it or not, there are thousands if not millions who have made money through HYIPs, despite the number of them that are shady. So while there is a risk of loss,(which is also present for conventional trading methods), investors continue utilizing HYIPs simply because the gain is so profound.

Why Forex Trading Continuously Grow

Forex trading is fast becoming one of the favorite profitable pastime of both professional and novice traders. Who can blame them? Forex trading, particularly online forex trading has made trading of foreign currency more exciting and less complicated. It has presented a lot of appealing trading options such as more available leverage, high liquidity, 24 hour trading accessibility and above all, very low trading costs.

Professional traders are not the only ones that are interested in forex trading, even commercial organizations, especially those that engages in export and import business, also participate in forex trading. They need the currency exposure for their business. However in terms of turnovers, financial institutions still takes the lead. They are the big players and they are consisted of banks, brokers and the likes.

Nevertheless any investor is free to engage in forex trading, provided of course that they have the necessary knowledge on how to go about with the trading process.

Generally, foreign exchange is traded on margin. This means that the trader will only be required to deposit a small amount to control a much larger position in the forex trading market. So for instance if anyone wants to trade a million dollars, he would be required to give a ten thousand dollar security deposit. In order to achieve the one million dollars desired trade result, the ten thousand will have to be geared up a hundred times.

The best thing about forex trading is that it’s full of surprises. Let’s say for example there is a change of three percent in the underlying value of your trade, this will give you two possible results, either you gain a 300% profit or you lose 300% of your trade. This clearly shows the major risk involved in forex trading.

Why Forex Trading?

No matter how high the risk involved in forex trading, still a lot of people venture into this type of trade. But, who can blame them. Forex trading has the most favorable trading conditions which makes it an ideal investment to venture into.
Forex trading offer a 24/5 accessibility which means that the trader can buy and sell foreign currency anytime regardless of zone differences, this is an ideal opportunity for him to make the most out of his investment. Plus if he joins a forex trading company he will be guided on how to properly go about trading forex. There will also be professional traders that will handle his investment while he is away.

Another reason why people trade forex is its superior liquidity. The trader will never have problem finding buyers and sellers to trade because there are lots of people as well as financial institutions that venture into this type of trading. The superior liquidity of forex trading ensures price stability and narrow down spreads.

There are also no commissions to be paid in forex trading which means that traders are able to maximize and solely enjoy all the profit that they get out from their investment. Another reason is leveraging, in forex trading you get to hold a position of up to a hundred times more than your margin deposit which is an ideal opportunity for traders to increase their investment. And lastly any trader must not forget the fact that the market for forex trading is constantly moving, paving way for a greater number of opportunities to trade regardless of currencies standing.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Trading Forex with the Right Software

The trading software is one of the more overlooked aspects of trading Forex online. For those who are not familiar with the Forex market, it is extremely fast-paced and volatile. That is why all brokers claim that their software offers the minimum latency in providing real-market updates. Unfortunately, this is a very generous statement and it does not take into account the client's internet connection or his geographic location.

The client's connection to the web is obviously the most important factor regarding receiving real-market updates from the broker. It really should be the best connection that one can afford, whether it is cable, satellite or ISDN. Cable is the preferred connection, as it is more secure and offers greater bandwidth.

And then there is geography. It is common sense that Broker X who is located in Toronto can establish contact with Client A located in Montreal much faster than Client B, who is located all the way down in Mexico City. The fact is that all internet connections are affected by distance. The farther a client is away from his broker, the more delay he will receive as a result because of the physical limitations imposed on wiring. Thus, always research your broker's geographic location before selecting it as the right one for you. For best results, always choose a broker who is closer to you.

Any decent broker will offer its trading software for free. Some will even offer different versions of its software for traders of different skill levels. Usually, "advanced" versions loaded with extra features are available for free to those who request them.

Trading software comes in two flavors- web based and client based software. If your broker offers both kinds, great! Each has its own advantages, but it is the general consensus that web-based software is better.

Web based software operates completely on the broker's server and is interfaced through a web browser like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. This creates a lot of flexibility for the client, as he can access his Forex account anywhere providing he has access to an ISP and a browser. Security with web based software is not an issue, as all exchanges between the client and the broker take place over secured sockets and are heavily encrypted.

Client-based software is downloaded onto the computer and executed from there. It is faster and more convenient to access, and is more "homely" in the sense that it will blend into your desktop environment. However because client based software resides on your computer and stores sensitive information like name and passwords locally, it is very vulnerable to hackers. If they managed to sneak pass your firewall through Trojans or some other backdoor virus, they can do great harm to your bank account.

If you are just starting off with Forex, be sure to take these factors into consideration when selecting the best broker. Analyze the features of the provided software to make sure that they're right for you. So with all that said, good luck and happy trading!

Investments in Online Forex Trading

Online Forex trading can be a great way to learn and make money at the same time. Of course, online Forex trading is a lot like the stock market - you can make money and you can lose money. So while this may seem like a great thing to get into, you really should research it thoroughly before you plunge right in. If you don't at least have an idea what you are doing, you can really get in over your head.

Online Forex trading is where individuals buy and sell different currencies in the hopes of making a profit. The idea is pretty simple, but predicting the patterns of exchange rates can be a challenge. The exchange rate is simply how much of one currency it will take to buy another currency. The object is to sell the same currency for more of your currency than it cost you to buy it. For example, if you buy a certain amount of euros for one hundred dollars, the object is to sell or trade that same amount of euros for more than one hundred dollars. This way you get back your initial investment plus a profit.

One reason that online Forex trading is appealing to some people is the hours that you are able to trade. A lot of investments that you can get into are open for buying and selling only at certain times of the day. However, because it is always daytime somewhere, and because the internet is functional at all times of the day, online Forex trading is not limited in this way. If you are a person that sleeps days and works nights, this can be a great idea. You don't have to be awake at hours that are normally your bed times to monitor or alter your investments. Trading times will be when you decide. Also, if you are on a regular daytime schedule, but you don't decide to sell until nightfall, that is still not a problem. Exchange rates are constantly changing, and you don't have to wait twelve hours to react to a change.

You can get a lot of advice about online Forex trading from online sources. However, if you do this, remember to use good judgment when deciding what advice to follow. Anyone can give you pointers, but it is your money, so it would be your loss if you listen to untrained people. As with all investments, be careful, do your research, and use your common sense.