We are well into to 2010 and it looks like spread traders are enjoying the market conditions. This despite the markets looking rather indifferent. According to Simon Denham of Capital Spreads , “it’s interesting that the day we saw our clients making large profits, in fact one of their best days ever, the markets didn’t move much. That simply indicates the size of the positions held”. Despite some good times for those with spread betting accounts, the UK’s exodus from the recession has not been strong. The UK recession has been a bit of a curate’s egg. The majority of the population is still gainfully employed. They are also enjoying monthly-outgoings that are substantially lower than in times past due to the extremely low interest rates which are reducing mortgage payments to almost unheard of levels. Nevertheless whilst most of the UK seems to…

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Do you ever wonder how in the world you spend so much on groceries? If so, you are not alone. Each day millions of people just like you are scouring the internet for tips and tricks to lowering the monthly grocery bill. Groceries are astronomical and there is one sure fire way to achieve this that is almost too simple to be true! But it is! The trick is to NEED LESS. When you grocery shop you are actually being subjected to so many subliminal sales messages and marketing pressures that you spend more actually believing you saved money some how. Buy one get one free, bulk loads of food that are cheaper and sales or coupons, end cap impulse buys and new or special deals are everywhere. They are hard to resist because they are capitalizing on your desire to save money but in the long run you are…

I NVESTMENT REPORTER Ten years ago, James Sbrolla was pounding the table in frustration as he tried to get a service rep on the phone. The minutes ticked by, costing him thousands of dollars in lost profits as his online investor firm failed to fill his order at the opening bell and the stock began to rise. The drama played out over 45 minutes, and when he eventually got a person to shepherd through his order, the stock price had risen more than 10 per cent. He says he still managed to make a profit on the trade, “but it wasn’t worth the aggravation.” What a difference a decade makes. Today, online investing brokerages, from the giants run by the major banks to smaller independent players, all tout the immediacy of their online transactions as one of the benefits of their service. And as Canadians have grown more comfortable with the…

T here’s a new trend sweeping the United States and it seems to be catching on in Canada – people are cooling off their credit cards and paying down debt. In 2009 household purchases south of the border dropped 0.6 per cent, the biggest decrease since 1974. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, outstanding consumer debt fell a record 8.5 per cent last November. Credit-card debt led the way falling for the 14th consecutive month. “Americans may be responding to huge wealth losses on their houses, so they’re reluctant to add to debt and motivated to start saving again,” CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld says. Canadians are less enthusiastic about paying down debt because we’re not as heavily leveraged, he says, but there are signs we’re holding back on our spending. A recent CIBC report shows growth in the domestic mortgage market shrunk to 7.8 per cent from 12 per cent a year earlier…

T wo years of white-knuckle stock markets have relegated bonds to the backwaters of the average retail investment portfolio. Let’s face it – it’s hard to get excited about bond returns when the Bank of Canada benchmark interest rate has plopped to a measly one-quarter of 1 per cent. But experts urge investors not to lose sight of the strategic importance of fixed income as a portfolio stabilizer. “You should have some sort of fixed income at all times,” says Stan Wong, vice-president and associate portfolio manager at Macquarie Private Wealth. He admits it’s difficult to squeeze returns from fixed income without taking too much risk or committing to a ridiculously long term. “You’ve gotta go out 30 years to get four per cent on a Government of Canada bond … 30 years.” To strike a balance he puts his client’s money in high-quality, shorter-term corporate bonds such…

W hy read investment blogs? For the same reasons you read any blog – to be informed, to be entertained, to be provoked. But like any other kind of blog, it’s reader-beware. You have to get to know a blog to understand its strengths, weaknesses and biases. But when you find a blog you like, it can be magic. Here are five great blogs to get you started. Canadian Capitalist http://www.canadiancapitalist.com Who writes it: The blog itself is anonymous but its author is Ram Balakrishnan, an Ottawa-based software developer. Who it’s aimed at: Individual investors. Philosophy: When Mr. Balakrishnan started the blog in 2004, he was an active investor but says he has since “evolved” into a passive one. “I’m not really stuck up about it though,” he insists. Instead, he chooses to concentrate on two major challenges for investors – pay attention to costs and keep…