Gold Investments - 5 Different Ways To Invest In Gold

Gold has had a special place in society from time immemorial. Various cultures and civilizations have revered gold down through the ages. Even in modern society, the metal has a lot of power and clout. Common folk as well as investors prefer to buy it for investment purposes. There are various different ways in which one can invest in gold.
Physical Gold
Gold coins and bars are available for sale in certain countries. Most Swiss banks sell bullion coins over the counter. The price of these bullion coins is calculated based on their weight. Bullion bars are also available for purchase over the counter in many of the major banks in Switzerland and Austria. Since coins are small and less in value, they are more affordable than bars. Therefore, most people who buy physical gold, buy bullion coins. Bullion bars are much more expensive and are purchased only by an exclusive few who can afford it. The inconvenience of verifying their value, and transporting and storing them makes bars less attractive than coins.
Gold Certificate
Apart from buying the physical metal using the traditional method, investors can also buy the precious metal in the form of certificates. The possessor of the certificate owns the commodity, but does not have the inconvenience of storing, guarding or transporting it. These certificates can be sold or bought just like the commodity that underlies it.
Gold Account
Many Swizz banks offer gold accounts which is another way to invest in the yellow metal. Just like buying and selling foreign currencies, investors with an account can buy or sell the metal quite easily. The accounts are backed either by allocated or unallocated storage of gold.
Contract For Difference
A Contract For Difference is an agreement between the buyer of the contract and its seller, where the seller pays the buyer the difference between the current value of gold in the market and its previous value at the time of the contract. When the difference goes negative, the buyer pays the seller instead. A CFD therefore allows investors to speculate the price of the precious metal in the market. A few major firms in the UK provide CFDs.
Gold Exchange-Traded Funds
Trading in Gold Exchange-Traded Funds is very similar to trading in the stock market. It gives investors a better picture of its price in the market. The inconvenience of storing the actual product is also avoided when trading with Gold Exchange-Traded Funds.
These are 5 different ways in which people can invest in gold. They can choose an investment method that suits their style and preference.

To learn more methods of gold investments, visit http://www.buy-gold.co.za/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_W_Brazendale

Understanding The Basics Of How To Trade Options For A Profit By Using The Right Options Strategies

If you want to know how to trade Options then you will need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of investing in Options. The greatest characteristic of Options is that they are a versatile form of security. An Option can be as speculative or conservative as you like, and what this basically means is that an Option can be used to both protect a position from decline as well as bet on certain movements of the market.
An Option basically works like a contract. Investors and buyers are given the right to purchase or sell various assets (usually stocks) at a certain date and for a specific price. This does not necessarily mean however, that the buyer of the Option is obligated to buy or sell the asset. And if he or she declines to exercise the right given by the Option then the only thing the buyer of the Option forfeits is the amount of money paid for the contract (the Option).
Despite this versatility however, it's also worth pointing out that there are all kinds of risks involved in trading Options. So if you do decide to speculate with this type of security, it's important that you know what you're doing.
Having said that, you can easily make a lot of money through Options trading if you follow certain Options strategies. To sort out which strategy you should follow, it's important to consider what kind of Options you want to invest in.
It's important to remember that there are two kinds of Options, the Put Option and the Call Option. Put Options give you the right to sell shares, whereas Call Options give you the right to buy them. In practical terms, a Put Option is only useful if you expect the price of a particular stock to go down before your option expires. On the other hand, a Call Option is only profitable if you expect the price of the stock to go up before your Option expires.
What does this mean?
Well, it's worth pointing out that most Options strategies are based on speculation on these two types of Options. In the case of Put Options, you should only opt to sell the asset if the price of the stock has decreased. This is because if the price of asset or stock increases then you are forced to sell the asset at a price that is lower than what other are selling it for. On the other hand, if the price of the stock has decreased, you will be able to sell your assets and stocks for prices which are above market value.
On the other hand, what you want to do with Call Options is to buy them at a lower price. In fact, buying an Option guarantees that you will be able to buy these stocks for lower costs than everyone else. And since the cost of the stock goes up, it means that you are able to save a lot of money than people who didn't buy the Option.
Both Call Options as well as Put Options are based around the idea of price difference. The only way you can make money out of Options is if you are able to make the right predictions on the price of the asset that you want to buy or sell. On the other hand, if you're prediction is wrong, you can simply forfeit the right of buying the asset. And that's basically how to trade options.

With the amount of money that changes hands on the stock market every day it is no wonder that a lot of people are interested in earning money from it. If you learn properly how to trade options and use appropriate options strategies then you can make a very good regular income. It is not as easy as it may appear and you will have to spend quite a bit of time learning all the different indicators and how to use these to your advantage.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irfan_Sherazi_Uddin

Two Of the Best Investments for Income in 2012?

In the current investing climate, Investors and Financial Planners are seeking out alternative investments capable of replacing traditional income streams as low interest rates and volatility in traditional financial assets continues to ravage the performance of investment portfolios. These negative variables, in conjunction with above-target inflation can ultimately cause a 'real' (adjusted for inflation) loss for a basic rate taxpayer needs earning less than 4%, and higher rate taxpayers require at least 6%. So where are investors allocating capital in their efforts to bolster investment performance without dramatically altering the risk profile of their overall portfolio?
One particular area of interest for many investors has been the property markets, as distressed sellers seek to liquidate their assets in order to pay down debt or free up balance sheets, well-located real estate can deliver yield of up to 15 per cent per annum. Property assets have been considered as useful income tools for years, yet faith in traditional listed vehicles such as real estate investment trusts and property funds is waning, due in part to the fact that such investments are publicly traded and invariably trade at a discount to net asset values. In fact it is true to say that any securitised investments will display a markedly different cash flow dynamic to that of a direct investment in strategic real estate assets.
The most obvious market targeted by investors in the US housing market, as banks seek to shed vast swathes of foreclosed real estate assets, and a proliferation of agents have sprung up offering investors the opportunity to acquire tenanted properties generating a monthly income equating to an annual yield of between 8% and 18%, although there are a number of mid and long-term risks associated with this investment strategy, including on-going tax liabilities, tenet management issues and of course there is a direct correlation with the on-going economic recovery in the united States which allows for tenants to afford such rental payments.
With such offers it is almost always the case that the selling agent has acquired the property and renovated for a much lower price than the sale price to the end investor, indicating that the real opportunity lies in just such an approach (buy/sell) rather than acquiring a property for the long term. Indeed, taking a more opportunistic approach allows the Investor to remain relatively liquid - rolling original capital over into further acquisitions once one property is sold. This also means that the investor gains a regular profit margin for up to 50% per transaction which making this an interesting take on investments for income, without taking on the long term risks of asset ownership.
Another option to capture a regular income stream from the opportunity presented by the US real estate market is to acquire mortgage notes. Taking this approach also eliminates the direct liabilities and risks of owning property, as this is taken on by a local counterparty who might acquire and renovated the asset and source a suitable tenant, then in order to free up capital in order to make further acquisitions, an investor offers a loan secured against the property with a low loan to value. This means the investor receives a regular monthly income, and the local counterparty gets to roll over their capital. This deal is often loaded with a further equity share, with the investor and local partner agreeing to sell the property after a number of years and split the capital gain. Throughout the term of the investment, the investor receives their loan payments (up to 9%) and the local partner is responsible for all of the tenant issues, void periods, tax, maintenance and management.
Both of these options; buy/sell and mortgage notes offer the investor a low risk alternatives to direct property investments, and can generate income yields of between 9% and 15% per annum. So whilst these options may be less liquid than publicly traded financial assets such as stocks, bonds and cash, they also serve the purpose of reducing exposure to financial markets, as well as bolstering performance and offering a high degree of capital security simply because in both cases, capital is secured against real estate with a much higher capital value than committed capital.
As always, investors are encouraged to do their research and seek out an Advisor with a track record of delivering such opportunities for their Clients.

David Garner is a Partner at DGC Asset Management, delivering the Best Investments for income seekers and growth investors looking for non-correlated, tangible assets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_D_Garner

Options Trading Tips to Develop Your Skills - Surf, Read, and Strategize

Do you want to have a more productive and profitable state of your options trading business? Do you need some new perspective that can add to your knowledge and help you grow as a trader and an investor? Do you want to develop bigger and bolder opportunities that will shape up your trade into its finest? If those questions are answerable by yes for you, here are some options trading tips which will aid you to get what you want.
Every options trader is seeking for the best ways that they can use or exercise in order to level up their business performance. They always want the best outcome in every endeavor that they are engaging. These following options trading tips may be considered by every trader and investor as aids in achieving a higher state of trade performance for them:
SURF
If you are seeing yourself on-line during most of your free times, as a trader and an investor, you must also make use of that opportunity to develop your knowledge and find ways to seek growth for your business. There are a lot of websites which offers on-line trainings and seminars about options trading where you can subscribe and make use of in order to help in your business. They are very helpful for you as resources and references of knowledge about certain facts of situation which are important in the field. The internet also serve as the base for expansion of your market where you can trade not only locally but also internationally through finding trade partners who are also looking for business engagement in the net.
READ
Reading is on of the best ways to capture knowledge. Being able to read is a necessary skill that every people must have in order to learn and succeed because not most of the time there will be someone else who will be standing beside you who is going to tell you all those things that you need to know. In options trading, reading is also helpful in widening your horizon about matter pertaining to the business. There is a wide variety of reading materials that are available in different bookstores and even in the web, given by those who are expert in the field which can help by giving you additional knowledge and being up-dated in new trends and developments in the field. If you are a wide reader, there will be no constraints for you to learn.
STRATEGIZE
The field of options trading is considered as a battleground where a financial battle is happening. In order to survive your fights, one requirement that you must have is an effective and efficient strategy. You can have it not just by copying what others are doing, it may sometimes become effective but what happen most of the time is that it causes failures. A strategy that will best fit you is a product of a thorough and decisive planning wherein you will identify your desired goals and objectives, the steps to achieve these goals and objectives and the strengths and weaknesses and other factors that can affect the outcome.
Options trading can really be easy when there will be some ways which are available that can help you get over the field. May these options trading tips help you in your endeavors and give you confidence to improve your performance to its fullest. These tips are easy to be remembered; just SURF, READ and STRATEGIZE!

Learn more effective options trading tips, visit this options trading blog now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stanley_N_Collins

You Can Earn a Good Living

Some people love the old song, "I'm in the Money". For some people, they like to sing this every Friday when they are paid. Making money and cooking food are what separates them from the animals. They love their job as lawyers and they have worked very hard to get where they are in their lives. Their husbands have their own companies and have worked very hard for ten years to start making the money they have always dreamed about finally.
In this country, you need to have a way to make money or you will fall through the cracks in the society. Some people know there are plans in place to help the less fortunate, but they have never considered that themselves. They have always known that they could make their own way in life. If they just tried their best at the situation, then they have made a great life for themselves.
If you would like to invest your money in a new way then you may be interested in covered calls. If you are wondering about in the money covered calls, then you should make sure that you are going to learn how to trade this way and earn additional income. You will then know what you are doing and not just be tossing good money down the drain.
When the Board of Directors of a company issues a dividend increase, it is usually seen as a bullish sign. For one thing, shareholders like receiving dividends. For another, a dividend increase is a signal to the market that the senior management of the company believes they will have the profits and cash flow necessary to pay out the dividend regularly into the near future. Because if they didn't they certainly wouldn't increase the dividend and get themselves into a cash-strapped position where they would have to lower (or cancel) the dividend. Worse yet, raise capital or borrow money to continue paying the dividend.
It can be difficult and this should not be mistaken for a get rich quick scheme. Reliable sites will help you make sure that you are aware of this, so that you will be able to make money. It is always smart to do research on an investment before you put any money in. You will then know what you are looking for when you are investing in covered calls. This is a great option for yield-oriented investors or anyone who wants a conservative investment.

To know more about stock investing, please visit Born to Sell.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isabel_M_Mari

Strategies for Long Term CFD Trading

For safe traders, going for a short term strategy is the best thing that can be done in order to protect capital as well as have some profits little by little or slowly but surely. Well, this is what conventional thinking has to say. However, there is another option, which is going for a long-term position. This is despite the belief of many traders that long term trading approaches are regarded as lesser form of leverage trading strategy. Aside from that, such strategies also have the tendency to go along with markets that are less volatile.
Nevertheless, this shall not always be the case. Also, those things that I have said above shall never hinder any trader to go long term positions as well as take their appropriate strategies. This is because there are some strategies that specifically designed to address long term views. Further, long term CFD trading strategies have its own advantages or benefits as well.
One of these advantages of taking or exploring the long term approaches is their ability to go along and ride with the larger movements in prices of a specific asset. Well, this is an advantage because this opportunity is often not applicable or offered for those who are having short term positions and undertaking short term strategies.
Further, price movement in the short run or within the course of a single trading day is commonly restricted in the sense that the prices are very unlikely to move drastically. While this can be viewed as a protection for short term traders, this also limits the level of possible profits or gains that can be accumulated. This is also true even in the highly volatile markets. In contrast with the level of prices or the potential movements of the market in a month's time, increase in the price can surely make a trader to take home a serious and considerable amount of money.
Furthermore, another advantage of taking the long term strategies is that trading CFDs in this manner will only incur a trader with significantly lower transaction costs. This, in the long run, is a very important advantage the any investor shall be able to consider in the first place. Well, this is also because of the fact that traders who are engaged in trades with short lifespan tend to incur more costs on broker fees as well as payments for commissions since they do this more frequently than in long term positions. Of course, this is a cost that will have significant on the level of potential that a trader may take home.
Moreover, while it is true that long term strategies and approaches in CFD trading make the trader to be more exposed on greater risks, this can be eased with much lower costs on every transaction.

CFDSpy.com is an online trading portal and education site, aimed at making it easier for traders to learn about CFD covering a broad base of different investment types and instruments, and short term strategies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Barry

Forex Trading Strategies That Are Working Right Now

Forex traders are normally spoilt by incredible trending markets but recent volatility and uncertainty has meant that traditional trend following systems have been underperforming and smart Forex traders have had to find alternative ways to profit from the markets. Today we'll take a close look at what is working as a solid trading strategy and what you should be keeping an eye on going forward.
Forex markets typically trend very well under 'normal' market conditions and allow an element of predictability. With the current Euro Zone crisis, Greek and French elections, we've seen a shift away from trending markets and a move to volatile, choppy markets. This has made life a little more challenging for many Forex traders but also opens the door to opportunity for nimble traders.
The EUR/USD was range bound from February to May this year and trend followers would have been chopped in and out of the markets, whereas range bound system traders were able to buy weakness and sell strength and profit in between. There is nothing worse than getting consistently chopped in and out of the market. It's a lot of hard work for little to know reward.
Using Oscillators like the Stochastic
Ideally you'll want to get to know your oscillators like the stochastic, RSI and Bollinger Band indicators which are brilliant at looking for overbought and oversold markets. The beauty of becoming proficient in these tools is that they can be applied across all time frames, from 5 minute, hourly and daily charts. Smart traders will always have multiple trading systems including trending, range bound and volatile breakout style systems.
As a trader you have to be flexible in the current market environment if you are to survive and thrive. Those who understand the different styles of markets and have trading systems and methodologies for each market type will prosper, no matter what the Euro Zone, G20 meeting or Ben Bernanke have to say.
Your Goals
So your goal as a trader is to control what systems you are trading and how you implement them into the market. You should never let your emotions be controlled by what is happening in the market but instead you should keep an open mind and understand that one of the 3 types of trading systems will be working. Are you going to be using your range bound systems? Trending systems? Or perhaps your volatile breakout style systems. In time you should be looking to build systems across each style of market and they'll dictate when they are active or not.

Download Your Free Successful Traders Blueprint today and discover how to gain an edge in the market, remove the emotion from your trading and develop superior exit strategies for your Trading Systems. CFDs & Forex carry risk and you can lose more than you start with.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ashley_Jessen