You are here: Home / Archives for United States

Investing in the Stock Market for Beginners

June 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
NASDAQ in Times Square, New York City, USA.

Image via Wikipedia

Investing in one of the htree main stock markets in the United States can be exciting. It can also be confusing, especially if you’re not sure where to begin. There are a few ways to make the process a little easier for yourself.

When it comes time to invest, the first thing you’ll want to do is learn about the stock markets themselves. Learn about each of the three main ones and decide which is best for you. Learn how the markets work and be sure you understand that fluctuations can, and will, happen. There are millions of stocks available for you to invest in, so have a few in mind before you really get into the markets.

Find yourself a stock broker who can help you get into the market. A broker will discuss stock options with you, so you’re money is where you want it to be. There are many different brokers available and many specialize in different things, so be sure to do your research on them as well.

After you’ve found a broker, have him/her help you conduxt a risk analysis. There are various tools that will do this. The point is to assess how risky your investments may or may not be. As a beginner, you want as little risk as possible.

The Internet is a great way to reasearch and keep track of your stocks once invested in. Tools like E*Trade will allow you to track, buy, and even sell your stocks if you want. Most people just want to keep track of how their stocks are doing, and that’s possible, too.

 

Filed Under: Stock Market Tagged With: , ,

Starting an Export Business

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Export-Import Bank of the United States Logo

Image via Wikipedia

You’ve grown your small business over a few years and have been successful, making profits each year. Now you want to take your products to the export level of business. In order to do this, there are some steps that you’ll have to follow to make sure everything is as it should be.

  • Do research on the countries you plan to export to. Contact the embassies in those countries and ask for business directories, lists of manufacturers and anything else you think might help your business in the foreign environment.
  • Maintain a direct line of communication with the proper authorities in the United States so praparation for exporting will stay on track. Regular communication will ensure a quick start to exportation of your products.
  • Make sure you have the proper tax identification number. You get this from your own government.
  • Inquire about any exportation licenses you might need in order to keep your business operating. If you have products considered to be high risk products, you may need a special license, otherwise, most countries don’t require them in order to export.
  • Do your research and make sure there aren’t any trade restrictions or embargoes with the countries you’re planning to export to. Ask your own government/authorities, and be sure to talk with the embassies in the other countries. Always double check to be sure exportation will go off without any problems.
  • Be sure to obtain a letter of credit that will allow you to trade internationally. You can get this from your bank, and it’s a good idea because the bank will ensure delivery of your goods.
Filed Under: Selling/Buying, Stock Market Tagged With: , ,

Chimerica Slain?

May 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many economists over the past few years have described the intricate trade relationship between China and the United States of America in a sort of hybridization of the two nations’ names, Chimerica. Perhaps it was only coincidental, but this combination sounds a great deal like the chimera, a mythical monster. It may yet come to pass that the Chimerica will end up being slain by the might of a changing world.

Over the past thirty years, China has had unparalleled production capacity, along with a nation full of eager, hard working people ready to build and design anything that needed to be brought from the imagined stage all the way through the finished product. Since Americans are typically very eager consumers, the relationship worked out very well, as inexpensively produced goods poured from the production powerhouse into the consumption powerhouse. Unfortunately, over the past few years, this has ended up backfiring, and may ultimately cut down this well oiled relationship.

The fact of the matter is, the trade imbalance of these two countries can only last for so long before something had to give. In this case, it’s the nature of communism China usedto employ. Now that people in China are free to make money, the middle class is on the rise like never before. Now the goods Chinese people produce are staying in the country, as more and more consumers pop up wanting these goods. In time, prices may begin to rise, since the Chinese yuan is no long pegged to the United States dollar. In time, prices may get to the point where it’s no longer profitable to import from China at all.

Filed Under: World Trade Tagged With: , ,

Historical Economic Woes

March 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Economic crises and recessions are nothing new. They’ve been happening for hundreds of years at least. In the 1630s, the United Provinces (now the Netherlands) were struck by a traumatic economic crisis brought about by what may be the bursting of the first economic bubble. The cause of this crisis? The collapse of the tulip prices.

Recessions seem to come and go like the tides. One arrives, it’s horrible, it goes away, everyone’s happy, and a few years later another arrives. It’s almost cyclical.

To illustrate this, here is a list of economic crises that have struck the United States.

  • Panic of 1797, lasted until 1799 – involved the bursting of a land speculation bubble and deflation
  • 1802-1804 recession – involved a drop in commodity prices and a decline following an economic boom
  • 1807-1810 depression – involved a drop in commodity and security prices
  • 1815-1821 depression – financial panic following the War of 1812
  • 1822-1823 recession – fall in commodity prices following 1821 recovery
  • 1825-1826 recession – stock crash following burst of investments bubble
  • 1828-1829 recession – trade embargo
  • 1833-1834 recession – land speculation bubble burst
  • 1836-1838 recession – bank failures following a lack of confidence in paper currency
  • 1839-1843 recession – involved a lot of deflation and default
  • 1845-1846 recession – slight decline in economic growth
  • 1847-1848 recession – involved a financial crisis in the UK
  • 1853-1854 recession – spike in interest rates, drop in security prices and investments
  • …

Let’s stop before things start to get repetitive. They go on like that right up to today. This current recession will end. They always do. But don’t celebrate too long. The pattern suggests another will come. They always do.

Filed Under: Free Trade, World Trade Tagged With: , ,

America’s Exports and Imports

March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

America is around the third largest exporter in the world and has been shipping over a trillion dollars in goods annually for years. Based on statistics from a couple years ago, America’s biggest exports clients were China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and our two closest neighbors: Canada and Mexico.

America’s top exports include: Civilian aircraft and aircraft parts, semiconductors, passenger cars, auto parts and accessories, medical and pharmaceutical preparations and equipment, industrial machinery, plastic materials, telecommunication equipment, computer accessories, and fuel oil.

America’s fastest growing exports include: Natural gas, chemical fertilizers, corn, rice, coal, soybeans, diary products and eggs, nonmonetary gold, wheat, barley, and oats.

America is also a hefty importer – buying over a trillion dollar worth of goods from the world every year. Many of our top sellers are those nations with which we do most of our exporting – China, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and Germany.

America’s top imports include: crude oil and other petroleum products, passenger cars, telecommunications and video equipment, computer accessories, medical and pharmaceutical preparations, and cotton apparel

America’s fastest-growing imports include: Crude oil, fertilizers and pesticides, coal and similar fuels, drilling and oilfield equipment, oilseeds and food oils, feedstuffs, steelmaking materials, non-metallic minerals, non-agricultural foods, and food additives

America buys and sells somewhere in the neighborhood of two to four trillion dollars worth of goods annually. Emerging markets like India and the continued economic growth of China will probably mean more business with America and more competition on the world market.

Filed Under: Selling/Buying, World Trade Tagged With: , ,