March 2007 Archives

by Vern Jacobs

There seems to be a huge amount of non-sense and some outright deception about the impact of tax havens and the alleged abuse of tax havens. The following comments are offered as an attempt to provide some balance to the arguments of those who rail against U.S. persons with foreign income, particularly in a so-called tax haven. This article is not copyrighted and I encourage readers to forward it to anyone who might be interested in shedding the light of truth on this subject. However, please don't alter or edit the article because it could easily change the intended meaning.

U.S. Global Investors Resources and Gold Funds Win 2007 Lipper Fund Awards

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The World Precious Minerals Fund, managed by U.S. Global Investors Inc. (Nasdaq:GROW), is the 2007 winner of the Lipper Fund Award in the Best Gold-Oriented Fund category.

In the last 10 years three billion people have started to climb the first rungs of the Global economic ladder and are lifted out of poverty and ignorance. The shift of wealth is set to accelerate as the “sea change” of prosperity and economic growth swing from the developed world shift to the emerging economies. These people are working 60 hours a week, saving and investing, and going to school a recipe for success wherever you reside.

If you go to Amazon.com and search for books about venture capital, you get 14,114 responses, which includes many text books. Andrew Metrick, a professor of finance at Wharton, has just written a new book on the subject -- titled, Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation. Unlike the thousands of other books on the subject, though, this book offers a different approach, especially in areas such as valuing startup companies and IPOs, by bridging the gap between finance fundamentals and venture capital practice. Knowledge@Wharton spoke to him about his new book and also about hedge funds, which are in the news almost every day.

Continue reading "Are Hedge Funds out of Control?"

Company to Raise and Manage $100M to Invest in Vietnamese Companies

LOS ANGELES, CA and HANOI, VIETNAM -- (MARKET WIRE) -- March 21, 2007 -- Providential Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: PRVH) (German Stock Exchanges: PR7, WKN 935160), a company investing in the rapidly growing economies in Vietnam and Asia, announced today its board of directors gave approval to form a private equity fund, the Providential Vietnam Growth Fund.

Looking at Real Estate companies in the UK that are registered for REIT's combined with using you person ISA allowance in the UK make the option worth a second look.

REITs do not have to pay corporation tax or capital gains tax. Investors in REITs will still have to pay tax on dividends however taxpayers can avoid paying tax on dividends simply by placing their REIT within an ISA.

This week all eyes will be on the Fed. and their interest rate announcement coming at 2:15 EST on Wednesday. This meeting will set the tone for many markets for the remainder of the 1st quarter. We are not expecting the FOMC to do anything and that should be disappointing for a market that has all but built in a rate cut sometime soon. This meeting should add even more volatility to an already very volatile trading environment in stocks, bonds, and commodities.

Barclays Stockbrokers introduce a new FTSE 100 Investment Note available within an ISA.

(PRWEB) March 16, 2007 -- Barclays introduces a new FTSE 100 Investment Note available within an ISA.

The Investment Note offers a six year investment which at the end of the term:

• Repays capital invested


• Pays a return of 140% of any growth in the FTSE 100 index


• Ability to deal in Investment Notes with Barclays Stockbrokers service though sale before the maturity can result in loss of capital


• Barclays Stockbrokers offers comprehensive ISA proposition

Estonia: The best growth story that hasn't been told

Estonia last week re-elected Andrus Ansip as Prime Minister in one of the most overlooked elections of the past twenty years. The importance of this vote has been critically understated by the mainstream media. In the 16 years since the breakup of the Soviet Union, no former republic has ever elected a government for a second term, until this election.

Special Focus on Retirees Shows High Incidence of Forced Early Retirement Due to Health Reasons and Higher Monthly Expenses than Anticipated

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fidelity Research Institute today announced the findings of its 2007 Retirement Index, which showed the typical working American household is on track to replace 58 percent of their income in retirement – a slight increase from last year’s Index level of 57 percent.

More and more people are looking for investment alternatives as volatility in the stock market continues. If you are not currently trading the commodities markets, what are you waiting for? If you can trade stocks then you can trade futures. The main difference between the two markets is the amount of leverage we use in futures. Because of the increased leverage, risk management is the most important part of trading these markets.

Offshore banking and investing is not littered with money laundering criminals, fraudsters, and tax evaders as many governments will have you believe. In respect to these types of crimes the reality is that there is infinitely more criminal activity onshore within their countries then there is offshore.

There is a huge difference between those who bank and invest offshore for legitimate reasons and those who do so for illicit and criminal reasons.

The Luxembourg Parliament has adopted a law on Specialized Investment Funds (SIF), which offers a number of new features, including a broader definition of “eligible investors” to include both professional and private “well-informed” investors.

The new law replaces the law of 19 July, 1991 which concerned collective investment schemes reserved for institutional investors. According to the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI), the 1991 law was a success: as at November 2006, 207 institutional funds existed, with combined assets under management of EUR76 billion (US$100 billion).

Will the Volatility Continue?

The Economist called it "a snort from a dragon's nostrils." At the end of February, as China's stock market index fell by more than 8%, stock markets tumbled around the globe -- it was their steepest decline since the September 11 attacks in 2001. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 500 points in a single afternoon.

For 2,000 years, foreigners have seen China as the golden dream. Time after time, they have learned to their regret that it is a gilded illusion; and it is happening again.

During 2006, foreign investors tripled their investments in the Chinese equity markets. Even with that, foreign capital constitutes only 10% of the Shanghai (SSE) and Chenzhen (CSE) stock exchanges market value; and they have absorbed the $12 billion with scarcely a ripple.

The following rules describe an investment in commodity futures. You should be aware that Futures and options trading is not suitable for all individuals. The degree of leverage available can lead to large profits as well as large losses. The following information should not be used for the purposes of making an informed decision regarding an investment in futures or options.

How did a 500 point drop in the Dow effect your portfolio? Recent stock market correction made many investors acutely aware of how vulnerable their portfolios were to market movements, this week there'll be more of the same market volatility. To help reduce stock market risk, institutional investors allocate 10-15% of their portfolios into absolute return asset classes. Traditionally, this meant simply buying bonds. However, recent innovations in mathematics and finance have uncovered investments with superior risk profiles. In this way Absolute Return strategies can provide valuable benefits to your portfolio.

by Stephen Clayson

LONDON (ResourceInvestor.com) -- From London to New York, Shanghai to Singapore, Tokyo to Seoul; the world’s major bourses have taken a big hit this past week, with the metals also getting a pounding. What is going on?

Not long ago offshore investors were not able to obtain a credit card from an offshore institution. However, things have changed in recent years. Previously individuals with offshore accounts had to physically withdraw money from their offshore banks, or have money wired to them. Nowadays most offshore banks offer a variety of bank cards with the features and benefits of being co-branded with Visa, MasterCard and now even American Express.

JPMorgan Funds, the U.S. mutual fund business of JPMorgan Asset Management, today launched three new international mutual funds: JPMorgan China Region Fund, JPMorgan Latin America Fund and JPMorgan Russia Fund.

"JPMorgan Asset Management has a vast global investment team, with experienced investors entrenched in markets around the world," said George Gatch, President and CEO of JPMorgan Funds. "We are bringing this global insight and expertise to U.S. investors through new international mutual funds that seek to capitalize on our depth of knowledge and years of experience in these regions."