| De-funding genocide
Adam Sterling, executive director of the Sudan Divestment Task Force, first became involved with ending the genocide in Darfur two and a half years ago when he was a member of a student group at the University of California, Los Angeles. "One of our faculty advisors was involved with the divestment movement in South Africa during the apartheid," he says. Sterling is one of many alumnae and current students involved in the international divestment movement, which takes on a distinct character in four different countries – the United States, Canada, England and Ireland. Divestment is when individuals remove their money from certain financial institutions who indirectly fund the genocide occurring in Darfur, Sudan. Prior to divesting, their money is invested in various companies, some of which operate in the Darfur region.
The Shanghai Stock Market Bubble and the "Euro/Yen" Tug-of-War
"Free markets for Free men", was a slogan etched on the floor jackets of several traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in the 1980's. But today, the slogan for traders is "Rigged markets for Central bankers," who try to move currency and stock markets with their control of the money spigots and timely "jawboning" to the media outlets, when markets become unruly. Today, trading in currencies, precious metals, and stock market indexes has turned into a game of central bank watching. Right now, two of the most important pieces of the global market jig-saw puzzle are the Shanghai Stock Index bubble and the Tug-of-war over the "Euro /yen" carry trade. What happens in Shanghai can have a big influence over China's monetary policy, and is of great interest to commodity traders and Asian stock markets.
Big Chill to thrill Goa with music and art
The British team is in the country after a successful series in the Greek islands, Cairo, Helsinki, Budapest, Prague, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. "We are here to provide the best weekend of the year. There has always been a trans-party image about Goan events. This time, we are bringing in all kinds of art and music right from Indian classical to folk. We aim to touch the souls," Pete Lawrence, founder of this 13-year-old event, told reporters here. "We have grown up from mere Sunday multi-media event to a huge popular musical event. We have grown slowly but steadily," Katrin Larkin, co-founder, said about the event's growing popularity across the globe. "Our USP is that this is a family festival," Lawrence said. The organisers have roped in Goan-born international celebrities like Wendell Rodricks for the event.
Canadians victims of new 'hack, pump and dump' scheme
A dozen Canadian investors got an unwanted introduction to a new form of fraud last year when they discovered more than $1-million of worthless penny stocks had been purchased using their online brokerage accounts. The purchases were part of a classic "pump-and-dump" stock manipulation fraud, but with a twist. .
New York Life Sets Many New Records in 2006
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New York Life Insurance Company, America's largest mutual life insurance company, set new records in 2006 for sales of insurance and investment products, as well as reached new highs in operating earnings, surplus, operating revenue, and assets under management. The company's net income reached $2.3 billion in 2006, compared with $855 million in 2005. The rise in net income was the result of strong operating earnings coupled with realized capital gains that included a $1,011 million one-time gain from a change in accounting for a company investment. Among the Significant Records New York Life Achieved in 2006: Operating earnings increased 17% to $1.1 billion in 2006, from $934 million in 2005*. Operating revenue grew more than $1.2 billion, or 11%, to $12.3 billion in 2006*.
Scottrade Study: Aging US Baby Boomer Population May Find ...
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forty-two percent of American Baby Boomers (1), those between the ages of 45 and 64, say they will not have enough money to do the things they want to do when they retire and nearly one-third (31 percent) say they will have to cut back on their current lifestyle in retirement, according to the 2007 American Retirement Study by Scottrade, the leading branch-supported online investment firm. With over 78.2 million Baby Boomers, this aging population may soon find itself in dire straits. According to Scottrade's 2007 American Retirement Study: 65 percent believe they have not saved enough for retirement 29 percent have saved less than $25,000 for retirement 23 percent of Boomers say they will never be able to retire and not need to earn an income 41 percent will have to keep working during retirement "There's a disparity here in that while most Boomers feel very unprepared financially for retirement, this demographic remains keenly aware of the problem but is not addressing it properly," said Chris X.
People on the move
John Travis has joined Master Printing Co. as client services director. With extensive experience in account management, graphic design and mail fulfillment, Travis will be involved in various client projects from inception to fulfillment. As a fulfillment specialist, Travis will coordinate list purchases and develop mail fulfillment plans for the MailMaster division of Master Printing. .
Central Valley Community Bank Opens New Loan Production Office in ...
CLOVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Daniel J. Doyle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Central Valley Community Bank (Bank), the sole subsidiary of Central Valley Community Bancorp (Company) (NASDAQ: CVCY), is pleased to announce the opening of a new loan production office in Modesto, California on Monday, April 9, 2007. The new office is located at 3340 Tully Road, Suite C-3, between Sandiford and West Briggsmore Avenues in Modesto. Managed by Theodore "Ted" Thome, who has over 18 years of banking experience, the new loan office will house a team of lending officers who will service existing customers in the region while expanding lending opportunities for the Bank in the areas of real estate, SBA and agribusiness lending. "Expanding into Modesto allows us to fill in a gap between our existing offices in Sacramento and Madera, which provides the opportunity to serve our existing customers, as well as reach out for new lending relationships in the north valley," said Daniel J.
The Private Equity Bubble - When smart money does dumb things
Mike Larson writes : During the housing bubble, a lot of lenders lost their minds. It was as if some mass psychosis took over even the experienced executives, convincing them to do exceedingly dumb things. They didn't bother checking borrowers' incomes or assets … They didn't care if the loan covered the entire value of the house … And they weren't the least bit concerned that all kinds of exotic mortgages were being doled out to people with horrible credit histories.
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Investing in Your Backyard: Atlanta
There are many good reasons for researching investment opportunities in a certain geographic area. Today, it's the Big Peach -- Atlanta, Georgia. If you don't know anything about the 404, you really haven't lived. An Olympic host, major media center, and the transportation hub of the Southeast, Atlanta has attracted the headquarters of more Fortune 500 companies than any other city except New York and Houston. If you happen to live in Sandy Springs, you already have a few advantages when it comes to evaluating the local market, such as access to local news sources and the word on the street, and a high probability of being a customer or employee of these companies. And if you're not a local resident, you might still want to know whether the weather matches the business climate -- a hot area could be chock-full of undiscovered treasures on their way to greatness.
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