The conviction and sentencing of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia’s wealthiest oligarch, for embezzlement and tax evasion has some foreign companies cancelling plans to invest in Russian and those already established there have started withdrawing their capital to the tune of $8 billion last year.
Its clear that President Putin has put economics before politics and is willing to see out the international medias outcry of Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Kangaroo court.Oil is too much of a hard currency earner , especially in these recent years for a President with a proven nationalistic philosophy to allow it to be in the hands of Russian businessmen , particularly those who have supported opposition to Mr.Putin.
Some analysts argue that Putin acted against Mr.Khodorkovsky because of his active support to opposition of President Putin, or because he wore a turtle neck jumper (and not the regulation tie and collar) to a meeting with the President and his advisors but its more probable that Mr.Khodorkovsky knew that he and his company Yukon were a target for the Russian Governmnet from the outset and in fact garnered his support for the opposition because of this fact.
Anyway, the economic benefits outweigh Russia political costs and so expect liitle encouragement for Big Businesses in the short term but Russia will likely initiate reform again when economic prosperity in the country has stabilised. Related Articles: theIndependent

It’s Communism, but not as we know it
By Richard Seamon

The debacle surrounding the demise of Britain’s last volume car-maker, MG Rover appears also to have signalled the death of communism.

20 years ago, the thought of a white knight in the form of a Chinese car-maker riding to a western company’s aid just wouldn’t have been entertained and not only on ideological levels, either. Chinese corporations just didn’t exist and the thought of one with any financial muscle to flex would have been laughable. How things have changed.

The mere fact that China now has the capability to manufacture quality objects of desire is astonishing to most of us raised reading news of the abuses of the cultural revolution of the 60s. MG Rover aren’t the first to have sought assistance in the orient, either. Since October 2003, BMW have manufactured and sold over 10000 3 and 5 series there and if some of the internet polling companies are to be believed, these will be on sale at a dealership near you soon. Ironically, BMW once owned Rover.

But what is most disturbing about the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) involvement in the MG Rover affair, is that the Chinese appear to have completely lost any sense of social responsibility; surely one of the most appealing aspects of any socio-political system predicated on the needs of the working population.

They’ve sat back, watched the west at work and absorbed some of capitalism’s less desirable practices with no attempt made at all in dressing them up and passing them off as communism with a twist as has been done until now.

By pulling out at the last moment, SAIC made it untenable for MG Rover to continue as a going concern with no option but to slip into administration. With it went the jobs and aspirations of 6000 employees and countless others dependent on the company for survival. What scared them off apart from the fact that the company was shedding £25 million a month? The £400 million pension provision black hole appears to be the favourite; they’d already secured rights to the famous K-Series engine and the functional 25 and high-end 75 series models, and there’s profit potential in those.

But their throwing off of the communist cloak didn’t stop there. There’s now going to be that most deplorable and upsetting of capitalist obsessions: the cherry-pick. As the Rover plant at Longbridge in England’s West Midlands is mothballed, the vultures will circle. And it won’t surprise me if the biggest and most voracious bird will be SAIC, hoping to make some valuable pickings to stick alongside what it’s already got in its corporate crop.

And if that isn’t backdoor asset stripping, something we all believed was the now completely unacceptable face of capitalism after the predatory acquisitional antics of the “Wall Street” era, then I’m a Chinaman.

By Sharon Jacobsen
April 13th, 2005

According to Sainsbury’s Bank, debt consolidation is predicted to be the top reason for borrowers to up personal loans this year.

Forecasts indicate that almost 1.5 million Brits will borrow nearly £12 billion purely to be able to pay down their existing debts.The figures are comparable to the US and other developed countries.

Companies offering to clear you credit cards and other small loans by bundling them into easy to manage monthly payment seem to be popping up all over the country. And their advertising is persuasive.

That it makes sense to re-finance certain debts by taking up cheaper loans isn’t being questioned but people are being fooled into believing that something’s actually “being cleared”. It isn’t. What’s really happening is the movement of debt from one place to another. That few institutions are involved doesn’t mean anything’s gone away.

Interest rates on consolidation loans are often “variable”. Where does that leave the borrower? With an uncertain future without any real indication of what kind of interest he’ll be expected to pay, that’s where. These loans are often long term – how else could they drastically reduce those monthly payments? – so likely to prove expensive in the long term. And as if to add insult to injury, the loan will be probably be secure on the family home meaning your home is at risk if you do not keep up repayments.

While the consumer is seduced into believing these credit institutions are helping them, all they’re really doing is stuffing their pockets on the back of our overspending. Regardless of your credit history, a company’s out there waiting to “help” you. There’s no risk for them as long as they have property as collateral but the risk to the consumer is high – very high!

In our society where capitalism rules supreme and most people are still trying to keep up with the Jones’s, it’s hardly surprising that credit card debts re-accumulate after they’ve been transferred to a consolidation loan. Our want, want, want mentality keeps us in financial deep water while the credit companies smile greedily.

Consolidation loans have their place but only if the borrower truly wants to get out of debt. The loan should be for a short a period as possible and definitely not secured on property unless there’s no doubt repayments can be made even if a loss of work should incur. See also securing home loans. And to make sure things don’t go from bad to worse, any cleared credit cards should be returned to the issuing bank with instructions to close the account.

What is the QQQ(Q) stock?

The QQQQ (QQQ) (qqq) stock trades on the AMEX, and is an index tracking stock. With a share of QQQQ (QQQ) you can buy or sell the collective performance of the Nasdaq 100 index in a single transaction, just as you buy or sell shares of individual stocks.
Why QQQ (QQQQ) Stock?
The QQQQ (QQQ) stock is ideal to trade due to its high liquidity, making one of the top five stocks traded in the market, making the spreads very small. Also, you don’t need a downtick to short the QQQQ (QQQ), like other stocks, so you can get in and out immediately

We trade the QQQQ (QQQ) stock following a long time proving strategy. Wining systems don’t have to be very complicated, in fact, the simpler the system or strategy the best it works in the market.I sugges that tou find a stock trading service that does the same.A simple easy to understand method.

Following this approach your stock service will present signals to buy or short the QQQQ (QQQ) stock to their subscribers, with only a few trades per month you can get extraordinary results. You don’t need to make 500 trades per day to win in the stock market, just the right ones at the right time. That’s what trading about, get in and out of the right stock at the right time.

The strategy:

Trade only 1 stock at the time, the status of the signals is Cash, Long or Short.
Solid system that identifies key entry points in the market.
You can manage the system off the market hours, if you have a busy schedule you can send the orders before market open.
Short term trading approach, stay in the market only for a few days.
The strategy is objective to generate the signals, there are no emotions behind.
Make sure your stock picking service disclose ALL our past trades, losses are NEVER hidden, honesty is a must to our subscribers.

What is the criteria to pick the trades?

The strategy identifies key entry points in the market, attempting to enter at reversal points. In simple terms, when the market goes down too much in a few days, we buy it for the bounce and vice versa for the shorts.

What do I need, to trade the QQQQ (QQQ) stock using a stock trader system?

All you need is a brokerage account. There are hundreds of brokers on the web that will do it fine. Among the most popular are , Datek.com, ETrade.com, etc.

Do I need an intraday quote service to place the trades for the system?

No, you don’t. The strategy is designed so it works for you, and not the other way. You should be able to send the orders to enter the positions before the market opens every day. Your Stock service will enter the positions at the open of the following day. After you are in a position you send the profit limit and the stop loss, so you are covered.

How many trades a month should I expect?

The best answer to this question is to look at your stock services performance page. The number of trades is directly proportional to the opportunities the market brings and we are able to detect. You may stay weeks in cash with no trades, or you can exit one trade to enter the other right away. What scores here, in this business, is the percentage return at the end of every year, not how many trades you do. This is not a system for the very active trader who wants to trade the markets every day.
Can I trade the system if I have a full time job?

Yes, absolutely. The system requires just minutes a day with a few trades per month. Is ideal for people who don’t have much time to watch the markets, or for those who are active traders but want to assign a part of their portfolios to a more conservative strategy.

Other criteria for selecting a qqq stock trading service.

Does your stock service send email alerts?

They should.They should also update the member’s area of the site with the new signals before the market opens, and send an email whenever an action is required, to move a stop, or take a new trade, etc.

Does your stock service offer support to subscribers?

They need to offer 24hs support to members, and always respond as soon as possible to every inquiry or question. Time is money!

Is this risky?

Of course it is. If you are looking for things near risk free, then start with CDs or Government Bonds. However, if you are looking to get superior returns that could change your life style, then you are willing to risk more. No risk no gain, right? What we try to do here is to take controlled risk, minimizing the market exposure and maximizing gains.Related Sites:Triple net lease

According to In-Stat, China is currently the world’s fastest-growing telecom market. In fact, China is the world’s # 1 cellular market, with 320 million users, already surpassing the U.S. subscriber base of less than 170 million, as reported by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. The Chinese SMS market alone accounts for 1/3rd of the world’s traffic . SMS means sending and receiving brief text messages via mobile phones. SMS can be used for everything from promotional marketing to mobile banking.

One company has remarkable potential is the U.S. corporation, China Mobility Solutions, Inc., publicly traded on the OTC BB Exchange under the symbol CHMS. With a rapidly growing client base of over 15,000 Chinese companies, including profit-sharing contracts with China’s largest telecom companies, we predict CHMS is positioned to become China’s leading SMS provider for commercial customers.

CHMS is currently trading below US$1.00 Home Loan Finance

Like some huge tit grasped ineptly by a teenage America in the back of a Honda, the world economy is unsure, tired, sometimes bored, and never completely understood. America has always been high on what it calls a “free” market system, but in truth, it is only a market for those with influence and wealth to take advantage of. Who can invest in IPO’s? Only those who have wealth. Who can opt out of their stock options? Not you or me, only those high enough on the totem pole. Then they dump and run as we eat the check. One of the biggest issues of the Enron scandal is why the upper-management was able to sell off their stock options, while the rest of the company had to hold on and watch their stock go to pennies. The regular folks lost their life savings and their retirement money. Those who were above took their money and ran. Kenneth Lay, so-called “didn’t see anything” CEO of Enron bought himself out, and has over 4 million in untouchable retirement funds. Even if he’s found guilty, the government can never touch that nest egg. He’s set for life, and the rest of us are stuck in the muck and mire of Enron’s fall. The whole business system is skewed for those on top to take advantage, and for the average guy to be dumped on. There is no free market system, folks, it is a slated playing field to which the ones with power can control the pitch of the surface.

And it doesn’t end there. Currently, the Blue Chip 500 top companies have their best and brightest selling off their stocks at an unmatched rate of 382 shares for every one they buy. Do they know something we don’t? The worst thing that happened to this economy was the overvaluation of the technology stocks for companies like Ariba, Commerce One, and other ilk. So much hype, and so little return on investments have caused this economic bath, and the unemployment for IT workers has increased again, affecting situations for those on the frontlines (you and me). Buying stocks? Stay far from the techs, my friends. The walls will tumble even further than they already have. Don’t think so…well, those aforementioned stock sellers are from IBM, Microsoft & AT&T, to name a few.

The US News came out with there new job outlook guide…and I can tell you now, don’t believe a word of it. Forensic Accounting, and other fantasies, are just not going to happen in the next few years, and pay-rates for those in the technology jobs are going to sit still as companies pull back on the spending, because they are now eating from all the investments they made into technology, and are getting no return on this investment. Don’t be suckered by them telling you of the future job forecasts. The future right now of the workingman and woman is in lawn care. That’s right, folks. Hold on to your garden shears and Lawn Boy mowers. Hold on to your Othro Weed Spritzer and Grass Killer Lite, because in the cyber society of lost souls and vibrating computer-run dildos, somebody has got to trim the shrubs and mow the grass, lest Bill Gates and Larry Ellison’s vast estates be cast over by lichen, trees and eggplant. The only people who are making money these days are the elite upper 1% of society, and the disparity is widening. If it continues, the future jobs will only be in maintaining and serving their interests. Here is one site that harbours community ideals www.cidnetwork.com

Fini

B D Gallof