Investment Articles

The shine of the yellow metal seems to be getting brighter with every passing year. On one hand gold has successfully preserved its value and on the other, it has given investors a consistent appreciation over time. Truly, today all that glitters is gold.

With economies around the world starting to show cracks and currencies turning highly volatile, gold finds place in the portfolio of every savvy investor. There are several options for individuals to buy gold – bullion, coins, jewelry, stock market futures and options, ETFs, and ownership certificates are some of the popular choices across the globe.

Today, let’s focus on what many experts claim to be the best option for individual investors, Gold ETFs.

What are ETFs

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are units issued by fund houses and that are traded on stock exchanges. Gold ETFs are issued by fund houses that invest in gold and may continually buy the precious metal to add to their reserves.

At the time of listing on a stock exchange, the fund house divides the value of its gold holding into smaller units and allots them to investors based on contribution. Once listed, ETF units are traded electronically in the stock market just like the stock of any listed company.

Why ETFs

One major advantage of ETFs is safety. If you buy gold in its physical form (bullion, coins, jewelry) you will have to take special care to ensure that it does not get stolen or misplaced. ETFs are electronic units that can be bought, sold and tracked online through your broker. You can quickly check them by logging in to your account. Also, they cannot be stolen or transferred without your prior approval.

Another significant advantage is that you can invest with smaller amounts of money. The minimum denomination of physical gold that can be bought differs from country to country, but in most stock exchanges an ETF is available in multiples of single units, each equal to one gram.

Convenience is yet another advantage of the ETF mode of investing in gold. Finding legitimate buyers, defining terms and settling transactions are challenging tasks; with ETFs you can check the price yourself (or with your broker) and make the sale securely. The transaction is completed instantly and the proceeds of the sale are electronically deposited into your account. This makes the process transparent, convenient and free from potentially falling through.

Physical gold is charming as it can be worn and flaunted. While you cannot wear ETFs round your neck, you can certainly sell them to buy physical gold. Also, gold jewelry comes with an additional cost of making the ornament which is not compensated at the time of reselling the ornament. ETFs closely follow the price of raw gold with small charges levied by the management of the fund house.

How to invest

Both institutions and individuals can invest in ETFs. As this financial instrument is exchange traded, you will need to open a brokerage account with a local broking firm before you can deal in it. A brokerage account is the same account that you would need if you want to invest in stocks of listed companies.

ETFs are cash settled and no physical exchange of goods takes place during the trade. The net cash balance from your trade will be adjusted in your brokerage account. There is no minimum holding period for ETFs so you can buy and sell them as frequently as you choose to. For those familiar with stock trading, ETFs can also be short sold if price corrections are expected.

When to invest

Profitable investments are a result of analysis, timing and perspective. Experts advise that individuals should make a habit of investing regularly. As long as you hold a brokerage account and have money, you can invest in gold ETFs (or other products).

http://www.thestandardbar.com/

Indiaand China, two powerful emerging economies have decided to defy European Union and U.S. sanctions on Iran planned to pressurize Tehran into abandoning its nuclear program.

At a press conference in Chicago on Sunday, Pranab Mukherjee told reporters that Iran remains one of the strongest contributors to India’s emerging economy and drastically reducing imports from Iran would not be a feasible decision. India and China together account for 34 percent of Iran oil exports, slightly higher than Europe.

Although, Iran would be happy with this decision, it waits to be seen how the two countries cope up when it is time to pay, without offending the sanctions. Analysts feel that Iran may have bribed the Asian countries with discounted oil prices to keep them on their side. If China and India were to disobey EU sanctions, Iran is at freewill to sidestep the sanctions and receive foreign capital.

It is also assumed that China and India may be whiling away time to check whether they are able to get some attractive discounts from Saudi Arabia who is presently trying to re-position itself as the substitute exporter for Iran.

The European Union imposed an oil embargo on Iran, banning all European nations from buying oil from the Mideast country. While Europe froze assets of the Iranian Central Bank, U.S. barred financial institutions from trading with the bank.

Indiaand China rely heavily on oil imports to sustain their daily needs. Iran accounts for 9 percent of India’s imports while China depends on Iran for 6 percent of its imports. Iran exports 2.5 million barrels of oil per day of which a majority is sent to China, India, Japan and South Korea. The remaining 500,000 barrels goes to Europe.

South Koreahas refused to commit to the Iran oil sanctions while China has asked for negotiations. Japan is saying that oil imports from Iran have been already declining over the past few years and will continue to do so.

Although India is willing to buy oil from Iran, it may find hard to find banks ready to carry out transactions with the banned country. Presently, Indian is trading via Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS, which also handles payments for oil refiner Tupras. As this route is vulnerable to external pressure, India would have to delve into other modes of payment as well.

The Iran oil embargo involve the US and EU suspecting Iran of building nuclear weapons. However, Iran argues that its nuclear facility is for peaceful purposes only.

The author is a knowledgeable writer in oil related fields, who frequently writes articles related to oil prices & indexes and crude oil including tips on investment in oil. Please visit oil.com for more details.

OPEC chief Abdalla Salem el-Badri warned that stand off between Iran and the West could damage the world economy and oil investments. It was his most lethal warning until yet defining the escalating tensions between Iran and U.S./European Union over the contradictory assumptions on the nuclear propaganda by the Middle Eastern country.

Abdalla Salem el-Badri who is the secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said increasing tensions between the West and Iran were putting pressure on oil prices and an impending explosive situation would turn out to be disastrous with much higher prices.

El-Badri worries for prices on oil that could shoot up beyond $150 a barrel, which would definitively pinch the already groaning world economy. As U.S. and the European Union thatch up a plan to stop Tehran from continuing with its nuclear program, Iran is adamantly resisting the oil embargo by threatening to close the important shipping transport line of Strait of Hormuz. Last week, the IMF had warned that EU measures causing Iranian oil disruptions could lead to Brent crude oil prices to $140 a barrel, which presently is trending around $112 a barrel.

The uprising in the oil markets will not benefit anybody, as there will be a lot of volatility and less spare capacity, although Saudi Arabia has promised to fill in the gap caused by the Iran disruption.

Oil producers are laughing all the way to the bank as prices hover over $100 a barrel due to the Iran tensions. Producers are expecting higher revenue following Arab disruptions last year. However, el-Badri made it clear that he does not want OPEC members to take advantage and generate revenue from the conflict.

After the Iran-Saudi argument in 2011, OPEC prefers to stay away from the present oil embargo conflict and concentrate as an economic institution. Isolating itself from the situation, it would prefer not to take sides of either Iran or the West. El-Badri expressed optimism that the tensions would resolve since the Western countries are aware of the consequences tied to Iran conflict.

The Iran oil embargo is a part of sanctions by the European Union whereby EU countries are banned from purchasing Iranian oil. In retaliation, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz through which fifth of the world’s oil is transported. Tensions between Iran and Western nations are embroiled with risks giving birth to political and economic instability and military activity to keep the strait open.

The freelancer is an experienced writer in oil related fields, who periodically writes articles related to oil prices & indexes and crude oil including tips on investment in oil. Please visit oil.com for more details.

In my financial advising practice I help my clients to take inventory and check their wealth in five categories of assets that few have considered. Each of these categories represent a significant source of wealth or in some cases debt for the client. It is important to add strategies to build wealth in all five of these areas.

We start the process by defining the five asset classes and asking the client to rate the level of wealth in each account on a score of 1-10 with 10 being the highest and requiring no improvement. On the other end of the scale a 1 would need much attention and signify debt in this asset class. The five classes of assets are physical, mental, social, financial and spiritual.

Physical assets concern the body. Are you able to complete your day with little stress and do physical tasks as needed? This evaluation is different for each person. A professional athlete may need more from their body than a retiree. If you fail to pay attention to this asset you may find that your body will fail when you need it the most. Excercise, proper nutrition, stress reduction and rest are great investments that will offer a great a return on investment.

Mental assets concern the mind and intelligence. Many people brag about never reading a book since leaving high school. We live in a complex world and surrounded by fantastic amounts of information. Without leaving our homes we can discover and research many topics to enrich all areas of all live. There is just no excuse for ignorance. What systems do we have in place to expand our knowledge.

Social assets refer to our relationships. These would include family, friends and professional relationships. Do we spend time with the ones we care about and often let these people know how much we value them? Our professional relationships directly influence our career growth and income opportunities. If you research many of the rich and famous including Richard Branson you will quickly discover the high value they place on relationships.

Financial Assets are the most well-known but least important of the asset classes. If you have enough wealth in the other four areas it will never be difficult to rebuild financial assets. If you primarily value financial assets to the debt of the other areas it is only a mater of time till you will begin losing your financial assets. For example it is common to sacrifice health in the early years of a career while pursuing wealth. Later when your health becomes a debt you quickly begin spending wealth in the form of medical bills. My definition of enough financial wealth is the ability to do what you want to do when you want to do it without being concerned over how much it costs.

Last but not least is Spiritual assets.This is not necessarily religion. My experience is we all acknowledge a special connection to a greater power that is a source of peace and satisfaction. This connection requires time and attention which could be prayer, meditation or simply being in nature. The issue is honoring this connection and continuing to keep up our discipline and practices even when life gets busy.

I have listed these as separate assets but they are actually connected. Debts in one asset will be compensated for in another asset class. This can soon cause debt levels in all asset classes. For example debt in financial assets such as not having enough money to pay the monthly bills. This causes physical stress that may lead to health problems or even addiction. Relationships suffer and arguments break out that can lead to divorce. Mental assets are sacrificed by not being able to afford education or simply too stressed to learn. This can lead to feeling a victim and cutting off the spiritual relationship which increases isolation.

My advice is take an inventory and to make sure you have plans in place to cut debt and to increase wealth in each class. Create harmony in your life by not focusing on one area and sacrificing others.Share this article with those you care about and work together to create improvement plans and hold each other accountable.

Many of my clients learn to appreciate the value of these assets only when it is too late and they are faced with tragedy. You still have time and choice.

No BS Money Guy, Todd Strobel is dedicated to cutting through the crap and finding real world proven ways to make and save money. Todd Strobel is a licensed financial adviser with over twenty five years experience the financial industry.

No BS Money Guy! is seeking opportunities to provide value for its members by interviewing thought leaders and business professionals. For consideration please submit an interview request.

Most people in the world today have experienced the pain of the words – national debt, inflation and credit crisis. Suddenly your hard earned savings are of little value. Financial advisors and other economic divas are propagating the wisdom of investing in other avenues such as gold at such times. You may be even contemplating making investments in gold yourself. However, there are many financial geniuses who are turning towards the white metal and what’s more they are gaining far more profit from silver investments than those invested in silver. Though gold is a traditional method of protecting against inflation, in the current scenario investments in silver are offering far better returns. Going by the statistics gold is by far overvalued. While few see the opportunity that awaits investors in the silver market. Some people are afraid to invest in silver given the volatility of silver prices. Gold prices are relatively more stable and are therefore considered a safer option. However the volatility of prices on silver is in itself a major reason for the profits earned from silver. The fluctuating silver price gives much room for speculation while gold tends to remain relatively stable as compared to silver.

Silver’s dual role as a precious metal and a component used in industrial applications is largely responsible for the opportunity for profits offered by the metal. As the industries grow, so does the demand for silver. Many industries such as auto, photography play a huge role in making up the demand for silver. Economies like India and China are also huge and guaranteed markets for silver. Even if the demand for silver in the jewellery industry might lower depending on the current fashion trends, the silver demand by industrial companies never comes down. Silver production is increasing day by day to keep up with the demand.

Today there are countless options for investing in silver, such as coins, bullions, ETF’s and stocks of mining companies. Coins that are a rarity are much more valuable than its sole intrinsic value. People investing in silver mining companies stand to gain profits as huge as 4 times more than those investing in gold. Silver is the most profitable and applied metal in the world today.

So investing in this white metal is not a difficult choice to make. It will earn you many profits than gold ever could. A little research to learn how the prices soar and fall, will go a long way for earning profits in silver.

The writer is a knowledgeable columnist in silver market, mining & stocks, who frequently writes articles related to silver prices, silver spot price including tips on investment in silver. Please visit silverprices.com for more details.

Capital Alternatives: Climate change investment strategies

Economics of the world are moving towards attaining a low carbon growth which involves reducing carbon productivity and increasing energy efficiency. The phenomenon of weather change is, scientifically, recognized as a threat to the environment, which can be reduced by controlling the emission of greenhouse gases. Today weather change is not recognized as a social responsibility but as an opportunity which can provide continued returns over the years, and institutional investors are eyeing the global climate play for diversification and secure returns. Clean energy investments rose by 5% from 2010 to 2011, and institutional investors believe weather change investments provide returns of more than 10%.

The increasing level of Greenhouse gases

The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increased after the Industrial Revolution significantly due to increased burning of fossil fuels and urbanization, which led to the process of deforestation and changed the concentration of major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide increased from 280 parts per million to 391 parts per million (Mauna Loa Observatory) in 2011 and it can reach the dangerous level of 500 ppm, if its emission is not reduced. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicted rise in food prices in the year 2012 and one of the causes for rising food prices is poor agricultural production in some parts of world due to change in global climate.

Why to invest in climate change?

Global investors are watching the carbon credit market and examining its capabilities. In a UN meeting in New York, institutional investors claimed it was a profitable area to invest. Some of the main reasons for investing in weather change are -

The value of energy efficiency market will rise to more than $500 billion by 2050 (Stern) and the demand for projects into GHG emission credits will rise to $100 billion by 2030 (UN).
More and more governments and regulators are supporting investment opportunities in weather change.
Diversified strategy of investment in environment offers secure returns.

Factors determining returns in climate change strategies

The returns in climate change strategies are determined by

Changes in policy and regulation
Forecasting and change in prices of carbon
Climate changes
Corporate responsibility
The government policies (Climate change policies are imposed either through the taxation system or the cap-and-trade regulatory system. Certain regulatory organizations provide incentives and subsidies for investment in green policies)

Why investors should invest in weather change?

Global organizations such as United Nations, regional organizations and global groups are demanding weather change initiatives.
State governments across the world are making policies to prevent weather change.
Institutional investors are interested in combining a variety of portfolios to their profile for diversification benefits.
Global and local governments are supporting investment into forestry and agriculture.

Two natural and easy ways of reducing carbon emissions

Land management (rice cultivation and planting trees) and forestry are two natural ways to reduce carbon emissions.

Forestry projects reduce the rate of destruction of natural forests and also prevent the loss of biodiversity. Primary untouched forests contain 2 times the carbon produced by secondary forests. The main challenge of forestry management – forest area density varies and it is exposed to danger of fire and destruction.

Planting trees is another way of reducing degradation of forested land and it includes either permanent managed forests or plantation for carbon exclusion. Forestation is eligible for generating project based Clean Development Mechanism credits and it requires land for forestation, and if forests are grown on land it may take 15 to 50 years to grow depending in on the soil and tree’s varieties.

Capital Alternatives options in Land management and Forestry

Capital Alternatives provides investment opportunities in weather change in forestry and land management projects located at different geographical regions of the world. Forestry projects are offered at Amazon Rainforest and Gola forests of Sierra Leone, and Land management projects are provided in Sierra Leone (rice cultivation) and Australia.

To know more about the investment opportunities, please contact – info@capitalalternatives.co.uk

This article has been written under the guidance of expertise that has the vast knowledge in alternative investment

What is Quantitative Trading?

Quantitative trading is a term which indicates removing all human emotions from the investing or trading process. Basically have a computer system make all the decisions for you; you just pull the trigger, so to speak.

Emotions are your enemy when it comes to trading or investing in the financial markets. Fear and Greed are the two arch enemies which fuel trading. For the most part anyway. So can we really trade without any emotional involvement? That’s the question we are going to try and answer below.

Analyze your trading time frame

Day Traders are usually stuck in front of your computer screen and watching each tick on the market as it ticks by. This can cause you some major headache and it will be almost impossible to contain fear or greed.
Swing Traders often times have a trading “system” which allows them to place trades and wait for the “prediction” to occur and then exit out of the position. Usually they have safeguards in place by placing a “Stop Loss” order together with the order.
Long Term Investors will be the ones that are involved the least on the day-to-day operations of the markets. However their emotions are not easily contained if the stock goes into a downward spiral due to some bad news effecting the company.

If you are a Day Trader, unless you have piles of cash which you don’t mind losing, then you are the least likely to benefit from Quantitative Trading or Investing. Not because you don’t want to, but because it will be harder to contain fear of losing more money, or being greedy and earning more money.

Swing trading strategy, in my opinion, is most likely to succeed in quantitative trading. Usually swing traders have a plan of when to enter a position, where to place the stop loss order and when to exit or place a trailing stop. If they just trust their system to do it’s thing, they should be OK.

Long term investors are the least likely to be able to take advantage of Quantitative Trading or Investing. Simply because they rely too much on the outside noises such as news releases, advice of their broker or the hot tip they got from someone who claims to know a lot about the markets. They react to every little thing.

In my opinion, only people who can trade or invest quantitatively are the ones who have a plan, stick to it and have enough cash to support their draw downs. It becomes harder and hard to make any money trading and keep your emotions out of your decisions if you have less and less money each day to trade or invest with. But if you have a system in place, and are able to sustain initial losses without bankrupting you, you will do fine. Otherwise, you just simple have to accept the fact that emotions are part of the game, for the majority of the game, and that you will be losing money, for the most time.

Mentor is the Founder and Publisher of http://RogueReason.com.

The demand for silver continues to rise as new uses for it has been found over the years. In 1997, silver had a value of not more than $5 and it has increased six times in the last 14 years. As traders and investors came to understand the price increase of the commodity, they went into efforts on developing good silver trading strategies to enhance success when dealing with this precious metal.

Sufficient knowledge and understanding on this type of trade can produce benefits, and before you start developing silver trading strategies you must first consider three important things.

The people who make silver trading work

Trading silver can be a solution against inflation. Several individuals who trade the commodity don’t care much about the physical delivery but more on the cash profits of the difference they receive. This precious metal can be traded on several commodity exchanges and some include the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and CME Globex.

Ways to trade silver

You can go into silver coin collection. Although this does not conventionally fit in an investment or trade category, your collection of silver coins can become extremely valuable if they are stored for years and sold later when their values are higher. Owners of rare coins can get a large amount of cash when placing their coins in auctions.

Countries, such as Liechtenstein and Switzerland, allow silver to be purchased and sold over the counter in banks. As an owner, you will receive a guarantee receipt that then enables you to lay a claim of silver ownership on the bank.

Silver certificates are similar to share certificates. They symbolize ownership of silver without you actually holding the physical commodity. You can use them to restore the commodity for sale when the cost of the commodity has gone up beyond the cost at which the holder purchased them.

Silver futures, spot and options trading are carried out as derivatives. It caters several exchanges all over the world and trading platforms in the internet.

Factors that influence the price of silver

There is a rough theory on the forecast of the price of silver being positively correlated with the price of gold. Another factor that is said to influence the price of silver is the currencies such as the Mexican Peso and its equivalent in silver. Mexico is known as the second biggest producer of silver and a large percentage of silver all over the world is traded in Mexican Peso.

There are authentic and reliable sources online that can further enhance your knowledge on this type of trade. Though silver trading can be very risky, learning effective silver trading strategies can help avoid risk and maximize profit.

Investor and trader, John Conejos specializes in data and risk management. He wants you to get a copy of Derivative Trading Systems’ FREE e-book and learn the “8 Winning Trading Strategies For Gold And Silver in 2012″ as well as the three highly essential technical analysis trading strategies that can enhance profit when trading gold and silver. Now you can manage the risks as well as get higher returns when dealing with gold and silver.

Opportunities come in many forms. Some say that opportunity knocks only once. Others say it just lingers. Whichever is true is not a big deal. It is how one gets the opportunity. Most people would agree that an income opportunity is the best opportunity they could have. This is the reason why everybody looks for it. Still, some could hardly find it. To really get the opportunity does not necessarily entail much energy. One good analogy is the lion. Lions get their prey after ten attempts. By the time they eat their victims, they will have used all their energy. So, their meal is just enough to replace their lost energy and that energy is also just enough for another day to get another prey. On the contrary, crocodiles just float on the water and wait for their prey and they never let it pass. After their meal, they will be full and won’t get hungry even for a long time without having to look for another immediate prey. The latter analogy is the best example of how we should get an opportunity. And in terms of income opportunity, this example is equivalent to a passive income opportunity.

Passive income opportunity can be recognized through careful analysis of the economic condition that affects the risk-reward ratio of a particular investment instrument. If you are investing in stock market, the right opportunity is when the value of a company that you are willing to buy is at the bottom. In this case, it is cheap and the potential for stock valuation is high. So, this is another passive income opportunity. In stock market, we earn from the dividends of a company and at the same time from its valuation. Taking advantage of the price fluctuation offers a lot of passive income opportunities. Ideally, we buy shares when they are cheap and we sell them when they are expensive. This is also true with almost all trading instruments. A passive income opportunity is evident when a clear and strong trend has been forming. To get the right entry, we must understand why such fluctuations occur so that we can follow where the market is heading. It is important to know the price action of a given instrument to measure the potential and the limit of a passive income opportunity and this is determined by the changing dynamics of the market driven by many different factors that we must also get into deeply.

Traders use two methods to analyze a passive income opportunity and these are called fundamental and technical analysis. Fundamental analysis is a method of studying the current economic factors that affect the behavior of the market. When the economic condition is good, it promises growth for a certain investment. Therefore, traders are willing to buy attractive instruments. And by doing so, they influence the rest of the market players to push the price up. But when the economic condition is worse, it drives fears and this is known as risk aversion. The former is known as risk appetite.

We can measure the strength and weakness of the economy using economic indicators released periodically. One of the most popular economic indicators is the GDP. When the GDP number is higher than the forecast, the economy is healthy and is suitable for investment. Another influential indicator is the unemployment rate. When the unemployment rate is higher, consumers are reluctant to spend. Businesses suffer. And so, it becomes a bad time for investment. This is just an example that each data is important for traders in order to make sound decision. Good economic indicators introduce a passive income opportunity for investors and traders as well.

Economic news of the sort can influence market sentiments. But sometimes, rumors make the traders react more than the news does. So, most traders buy on rumors and sell on news. This is also another area for a passive income opportunity. How does it work? If, for instance, a company was said to introduce a very competitive product, investors would buy that company much earlier. Consequently, the value of the company would also get higher. And if the news was not true, early buyers would sell and take their profit. Hence, information gives us a passive income opportunity.

Another method that traders use to identify a passive income opportunity is the use of technical analysis. Technical analysis provides traders with historical data expressed in chart. Chart can show identifying patterns that help traders follow the direction of the market. It also gives a signal if the price of a trading instrument has reached a certain level where a reversal occurs every time it is there. A passive income opportunity in technical analysis begins when the chart shows a clear trend right after a reversal. Experts in this field have numerous tools to reveal a passive income opportunity. Here, price moves within a trading range. But when the range is broken, it implies a much stronger trend. This is known as “break out”. A break out opportunity is a big passive income opportunity. Buying on break out has proven to be profitable.

Whatever method we use whether fundamental or technical, there is always a passive income opportunity.

There are still other ways to find a passive income opportunity such as the issues of new trading instruments. These include IPO, government bond selling and any fresh issue of investment instrument. The bottom line here is that since it is a fresh issue, the price is at its cheapest and there is no direction than to go up.

Initial public offering (IPO) is a fresh issue of shares for a company’s expansion. Companies do not have to borrow money from banks to expand their operation. Instead, they will look for investors to put up their funds in order to fund the expansion operation. This fresh issue has not yet been traded in the stock market. When a company conducts its IPO, the fresh issue of shares is bought by investment banks. Investment banks will pay the company afterward. Then, the fresh issue which the investment bank has bought will be sold in the trading floor of the stock exchange. This kind of sale in the trading floor is known as IPO. Why many traders desire to buy an IPO is because most companies that issue IPO are in expansion mode. Obviously, a company expands when it has been growing, and the potential growth in the near term is high. In addition, an IPO of a growing company is offered at the bottom price. Therefore, the price direction is set to a bullish trend. After the initial public offering, these shares will be traded. And when these shares are transferred from one trader to another, these shares will become secondary stocks. IPO is one good example of passive income opportunity. In the stock market, rumors about an IPO stimulate risk appetite. During economic slowdown, IPO is hardly heard unless the industry it belongs to is resilient. So, a passive income opportunity begins when the economy has continuously been growing especially if the main recipient is the company that issues the IPO.

Company mergers and acquisition also creates a passive income opportunity because it is always attractive to invest in the giant.

We have seen many options to find passive income opportunity. If you are still not decided to try one on your own, there is also a passive income opportunity from people who specialize in trading such instruments. You may seek the advice of fund managers. Some high-net-worth individuals invest in the proven talent of those traders. If you choose to do so, you may research some information about them the way they do about passive income opportunity. It is also wise to invest in people who are already taking advantage of a passive income opportunity.

Michael F. Anyayahan is a freelance forex trader and writer. To learn more, visit: http://www.forexuniverse.yolasite.com

According to the reports by the panel of expert analysts at the London Bullion Market Association, the prices on silver will not rise up to a remarkable extend as expected the same in April 2012. However, gold will display its flares in 2012 because of ongoing precious metals price prediction competition. As statistics from the competition on the prices, gold appears to touch elation unlike its counterpart the white metal.

From the analysts’ forecasts, it is clear that the average silver price in 2012 was US$33.98, but it shored up to a height of $44.49 that was a consecutive predication representing a substantial 39% increase. This is a blueprint of the current silver price, which is around $32. If you take both of the metals in combination, you will see that the gold: silver ratio may fall a little from the current 52 to around 46, which is rated above the low point achieved in 2011 as well above the so-called historic ratio of 16:1.

As six out of 25 participants in the competition assume that the prices on silver will exceed $ 48.70 at some stage in 2012 taking for grand 28th April last year’s silver price rise. Some analysts believe a maximum $50 increase for the white metal as the rounded off figure for silver at the current moment. With their last year prediction, they were unfortunately wrong with their $10 below guess. Hence, they feel that it is very difficult to predict fate of silver.

The survey participants’ doubts on silver’s performance occur as a result of agitation about the global economic recovery and the proportion of silver demand, which depends on industrial usage. Some bullish forecasters say that the increasing industrial demand in the mid of the year provide sufficient boost to silver prices. Hence, it offers an edge to its counterpart, gold as well a strong witness of silver’s performance where both metals move forward at the same time.

The white metal appears to be more volatile metal than its counterpart, gold whereas the variation is enormously notable because of high and low over the prices. According to the forecast of the analyst participants, the average silver price may fall down $20 whereas the average low price will stay at $24.06, which is huge difference representing a difference between high and low of around 85%. Because of volatile nature of silver, it is referred the Devil’s metal and a point to note down that it is hard to predict about its altering prices.

Kyles Humphrey is a veteran journalist in silver market, mining & stocks, who frequently writes articles related to silver prices, silver spot price including tips on investment in silver. Please visit silverprices.com for more details.