Month: January 2011

Yes, you got that right! APC Group Inc. (APC), an energy unit of the much favored Belle Corporation (BEL), is indeed poised for a huge upswing in the days to come. APC’s price action, in my opinion, is a technical work of art or a masterpiece to say the least. As you can see from its daily chart, APC’s first notable move was when it broke out from an inverted head and shoulders pattern (highlighted in light blue). After the move, it reached a high of PHP 0.66 before tapering off, developing a cup and handle formation in the process. It then escaped the said cup and handle on September 1, 2010 when it rose by 16% from PHP 0.50 to close at PHP 0.58. It continued to swing higher until it marked a high of PHP 0.89 on October 11, 2010. Since then, APC has cooled off as it trades within a falling wedge. Who would know that this wedge could in fact be a handle of a bigger cup and handle formation?

A falling wedge, as some of you might know, is in fact bullish since it represents only a temporary retracement in prices. Aside from this, APC has already retraced back to the neckline of the smaller cup. This neckline could now act as a support to prevent it from falling and as a spring to push it back up again. With all the three moving averages about to converge, a likely upside swing could occur soon as what happened in its previous moves. A breakout from the falling wedge, which as mentioned could be seen as a handle of a larger cup and handle pattern, could send APC all the way to PHP 1.50. Minor resistances, however, could be met at PHP 0.89 and at its previous peak at PHP 1.28.

Aragorn Power and Energy Corporation (APEC), a unit of Belle Corporation-led APC group, Inc., and Chevron Kalinga, Ltd., a subsidiary of Chevron Geothermal Philippines, Inc., the largest producer of geothermal energy in the world, have joined hands to develop a $300 million geothermal power project in the Kalinga province in Luzon, Philippines. The project involves the development of steam fields within a 26,000 hectare area that can potentially generate about 100 megawatts (MW) of new capacity. At present, the venture is still in the exploratory drilling stage. Any positive developments, therefore, from its preliminary surveys could launch APC to the north. According APC Group EVP and CFO Bernardo Lim, the potential of the fields could even be more than what they first projected.

I also noted earlier that APC Group is a subsidiary of Belle Corporation. These days, the market’s sentiment towards Belle Corporation has been very strong. This optimism towards BEL could spill over to APC as well.

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By Peter Jones

Investors had few places to hide recently as commodities, bonds and stocks fell on fears that China may raise interest rates. However it’s been a double dose of concern as investors are also wary of Ireland’s dubious debt position.

The Shanghai stock market suffered its worst loss in over 14 months recently after rumours swept through the markets that more monetary tightening was imminent. China is feeling the need to tighten money supply in order to stem rising Chinese prices, especially in the housing sector.

Global stock markets have also fallen as Ireland’s borrowing costs hit another euro-lifetime high, whilst some investors are concerned that that the Federal Reserve’s move to buy $600bn in Treasury debt may have unintended consequences.

A decline in initial US jobless claims had some analysts suggesting the US economy was starting to gain traction after many months of sluggish growth. Claims for unemployment benefits have fallen more than expected. A US government report showed that the monthly moving average fell to a two-year low, giving some relief to investors

What does all this mean for the world stock markets? According to a report from spread betting company City Index, with momentum falling and divergence patterns appearing, the concern for further falls can’t be ruled out yet. “The intermediate term bullish trend, however, is still intact and some spread betting and CFD investors might be looking to buy into the dips. If we don’t take out the highs, and form lower highs, then we may see a change in trend in the near future,” it read.

Looking in more detail at the UK’s FTSE 100, the report said that further rallies are not out of the question. “As long as the index stays above the support level of 5630 then a rally to 6050-6117 is certainly still possible. However a breach of 5630 could well see declines towards the 5588-5630 level. The fall below 5748 should be watched as this could also suggest that the move to the downside may not be over just yet.”

In the US markets a bearish signal has been confirmed for the Dow Jones. A break of 11215 saw the Dow trade lower and the short term trend has now changed as the Parabolic SAR indicates. Instead of calling a top, spread betting and CFD investors want to wait for further confirmation by closely watching 11020, which was November’s key support level.

If this level is broken, we may see the Dow Jones trade towards 10694-10873. We have seen momentum turn lower rather sharply for the first time in three months. This should be monitored for any further bearish implications.

Before you trade though, note that with financial spread trading you can lose more than your original stake or investment. Spread trading carries a high level of risk to your capital. Before trading, ensure that spread trading matches your investment objectives. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the risks. Seek independent advice where necessary.

About the Author

A leading financial writer based in London’s financial heartland. Peter Jones is a seasoned commentator on the futures and spread betting markets.

By Danielle Franklin

Forex affiliate marketing tools cover everything from basic banner ads and stats, traffic-generation strategies and online SEO to online social networking, website design and outsourcing. You name it! It is such a board term that there simply is neither beginning nor end.

It might be interesting, however, to look a bit deeper onto the marketing tools designed specifically for forex affiliates in order to enhance the performance and maximize the success.

Marketing Tools Provided by Forex Affiliate Programs

1) Regularly Updated Banners

I find it crucial for the affiliate program to stay up to date with their banners. Changing the look and feel of the banners regularly attracts more clicks and lead conversion, especially during limited promotions, trading competitions or holiday season.

Some forex affiliate programs provide rotating banner codes. It usually contains about 3 rotating banners, which the program itself changes according to their performance. There is no need for the affiliate to upload new code or download new banners. It definitely saves tones of time.

2) Attractive Landing Pages

Once a potential trader clicked on the broker, he is redirected away from your website into a landing page. Some affiliate programs provide a redirection code to the broker website, which in my opinion contains too much information and therefore converts much worse than a specially designed registration landing page with simple 1,2,3 instructions and attractive offer.

My favourite landing pages include broker facts and benefits on one side and a basic registration form on the other side along with a huge shiny button START TRADING or OPEN ACCOUNT.

3) Videos and Tutorials

Unless you are a mega affiliate, you do need these!! Videos can spice up and animate your website and tutorials are definitely helpful, while you are still figuring out youself what forex is all about. Until you are able to write your own tutorials and create your own videos, these marketing tools are definitely live savers!

4) Useful Widgets

Trading widgets such as Live Currency Rates, Latest Trading Contest Winners, Scrolling Market News, Charts and Economic Calendar once again are a must for your developing forex affiliate business.

5) Monthly Affiliate Newsletters

I simply cannot live without them! They save at least couple of hours of painful search for latest updates. What can be better than getting a list of latest broker promotions and recent updates via email, almost ready to be posted on your own website!

Beginner in Forex Affiliate Marketing

If you are an advanced forex affiliate with your own set of web designers, programmers and SEO professionals, than there aren’t many marketing tools from forex affiliate programs that might interest you. After all, super forex affiliates are able to create these tools investing considerable sums of money into their team of professionals.

My point is that most forex affiliate marketing tools are designed for beginners. And the trick is to take advantage of these tools to understand where you site is succeeding and where it needs some improvement.

Apart from what is given to you by affiliate programs, make sure to check whether your site is:

1) Fast enough (slow loading sites get lower google ranking and less traffic since the visitors lose patience while your stuff is loading and opening!)

2) Properly indexed ( use google webmaster tools to upload to sitemap and check for other errors on the site)

3) Reach for keywords (understand what keywords all about and use them for your SEO strategies)

To summarize, forex affiliate marketing tools are here to help you give a better understanding of your business and a larger chance of success. Keep learning, keep updating, keep striving for more.

About the Author

ForexAffiliatez provides quality forex directory on top forex affiliate programs including forex affiliate program reviews and latest updates. All programs listed on this site are reviewed, tested and approved by the team of experts in forex industry

By Sara Nunnally, Editor, Smart Investing Daily, taipanpublishinggroup.com

On Thursday, I received the following e-mail from longtime Taipan Publishing Group subscriber S. E.:

A big stink has been made about Rare Earth Metals. Some at Taipan 6 months ago talked about it pushing readers to watch it. NOW it is exploding. REE has climbed from $2.00 to nearly $15.00 as an ETF…..HAS THIS RUN TO FAST AND FAR? OR…. is this based upon the combination of the falling dollar, the Chinese cutting back on supplies to the U.S., the hype about the Chinese cutting back in the supplying and distribution of REE (Rare Earth Metals), and the combination of REE being needed in the market place to manufacture all the things people consume in the Electronics World? To Sara Nunnally, I have been reading your stuff for 3 years. You got my attention when I read an article on Vestas Wind Systems 3 years ago running 1 small country and the future of Wind Farms. We have e-mailed each other before, and you have published my findings as well. You write some great materials for individuals to ponder for investing. Sara, is REE just getting started and could the run up be spectacular as a $50.00+ ETF based upon the Dollar debasing, (declining), inflation, Chinese pull back, usage in industrial demand and consumer demand? —YOUR THOUGHTS???????????? —–or has REE gotten ahead of itself?

It’s always great to hear from our subscribers, especially those who have followed us for so long.

Subscriber S.E. asks a great question, and I’ve been a believer in the potential of new energy technology and alternative sources of power for my whole existence as an editor for the Taipan Publishing Group. And believe me, I’ve taken my hits for it…

I’ve been called a liberal tree hugger, and even a pansy, but the truth is, many of my recommendations in the alternative energy sector were winners, and that wasn’t because of my political or environmental leanings. It was because of my due diligence and research.

That said, I turned to one of the most knowledgeable editors in our group for his take on Rare Earths… Michael Robinson, editor of American Wealth Underground. What follows is his generous contribution to S.E.’s question.

Thanks for our inquiry on rare earths. Your questions are quite astute. In short, rare earths are on a tear for all the reasons you mention.

So, let me give you my consistent message about rare earths and precious metals investing. This is a very volatile field marked by big runs up and then dramatic pullbacks.

If you don’t like volatility this is not a good field of investing for you. Moreover, I tell people to invest in this field only with those funds they can afford to lose. Therefore, timing entry points is particularly tricky.

Having said that, I strongly believe that every investor should have some exposure to natural resources stocks in their portfolio. We are living in what I call the Era of Gold 3.0.

By that I mean, planet Earth has reached the tipping point in which global population growth and a growing dependence on technology will put all natural resources stocks under price pressure.

Heavy rare earths are vital for a wide range of technology products as well as major defense systems — satellite communications, missile technology, hybrid cars and critical magnets.

Despite the huge run-up in the prices of rare earth stocks of late I still have a buy order on all four positions. REE is enjoying a lot of upside because it is one of the few traded on a major U.S. exchange.

Avalon Rare Metals has recently been listed on the AMEX. This should give it the type of extra liquidity that helped lift REE. Many investors avoid buying stocks on foreign exchanges. This is important because all four companies are based in Canada.

Quest Rare Minerals recently received recognition as “Prospector of the Year” for the quality of its discovery at Strange Lake. I provided subscribers to American Wealth Underground with an exclusive interview with Quest’s CEO.

Great Western Minerals last month said it is in negotiations to acquire another rare earth company. Despite a recent pullback the stock remains above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

I hope this information is of some help to you.

I want to thank Michael for his answers to S.E.’s questions, and add one more iron to the fire. Michael mentioned hybrid cars… Hybrid battery technology, and even technology for fully electric vehicles, is in high demand. The Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf are ushering in a new era in the automotive industry. Ford just announced its electric Focus, with talk of a plug-in hybrid version next year.

We are on the verge of a hybrid future.

I encourage you to check out Michael’s service, American Wealth Underground, for more information on rare earth metals and other technology-based investment research.

P.S. The demand for higher gas mileage and environmentally friendly cars is on the rise and sure not to slow down. To meet these growing demands, the auto industry is now using new clean power technology: Green Power Metals. But what are Green Power Metals and what should you be aware of? Learn about the investment opportunities in the clean energy sector by registering for our free Webinar: How to Cash in on the Clean Energy Future.

Editor’s Note: More than $4.6 trillion in commerce (5% of the global economy!) depends on a critical group of natural resources. And China has a choke hold on the supply! The battle to secure these vital resources will drive the shares of several companies through the roof. This URGENT FREE REPORT shows how you could make gains of as much as 950% or more in this coming crisis.

About the Author

Sara is Co-Editor of Smart Investing Daily. As Senior Research Director and global correspondent, Sara Nunnally’s diverse resume includes studies in art history, computer science and financial research. She has appeared on news media such as Forbes on Fox, Fox News Live, and CNBC’s Squawk Box, as well as numerous radio shows around the country.

As Senior Research Director, global correspondent and co-editor of Smart Investing Daily, Sara has traveled all over the world in search of the best investment opportunities to recommend to her readers, be they in developed economies like France and Italy, in emerging markets like the Czech Republic and Poland, or in frontier terrain like Vietnam and Morocco. Her unique “holistic” approach of boots-on-the-ground research has given her an edge in today’s financial marketplace as she searches for the next investment opportunities in hot sectors like alternative energy, currency markets and commodities.

In trading on Friday, precious metals shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 3%. Helping drag down the group were shares of Almaden Minerals Limited (AAU), down about 11.5% and shares of Golden Minerals (AUMN) off about 8.3% on the day.

Those who subscribed in Sta. Lucia Land’s (SLI) initial public offering back in 2007 must have been very disappointed after seeing the price of their stock gradually fall from PHP 1.80 to a low of PHP 0.38 in 2009. After bottoming in 2009, SLI continued to trade flat and sideways until finally waking up in July 28, 2010 when it rose by 42.31% from PHP 0.80 to P 1.11. Investor participation gained momentum from then on as can be seen by the increase in volume highlighted in the chart. From July of last year, SLI had risen to a high of PHP 2.50 in a little over 2 months before it started to weaken again. From October 2010 to present, SLI has been trading within a descending channel. Bias is usually negative given this price action but given the larger picture, it appears that good things are ahead for Sta. Lucia.

As you can see, SLI has formed a cup and handle pattern over the duration of its listing in the exchange. Even if it is presently trading within a descending channel, the blue moving average looks to be keeping it from falling any further. In the event a channel breakout, which is accompanied by a spike in volume, occurs, SLI could spring toward the uncharted territories. A crossing of the MACD over the zero line would further validate the breakout. Its upside target, therefore, following a breakout would be around PHP 4.00. However, it could still encounter some resistance at PHP 2.50 on its way up. As mentioned, volume has thickened since July of last year. This could be an indication that the ‘big boys’ have been accumulating SLI’s shares.

Fundamentally, Sta. Lucia Land disclosed in October last year its plan to build 6 new projects in Davao, Cavite, and Cainta. The Mesilo Residences, which is a joint venture with the Enriles’ Jaka Properties, will rise on a 150-hectare land in Trece Martires, Cavite. Another development, Sugarland Residential Estates, which is a joint venture with Highpoint Property Group, will also rise in the same area. Nearby at Alfonso Cavite, the Luxurre Residences will also be built. In Davao, a high end residential subdivision named South Grove will arise on a 17-hectare property owned by JS Gaizano. In the Metro, East Bel Air Residences and Sta. Lucia City will likewise be erected along Imelda Avenue in Cainta and Libis, respectively. Once these projects gain foothold, SLI’s shares should rise as well.

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EURUSD bounced strongly from 1.2874, suggesting that a cycle bottom had been formed on daily chart. Now the pair is facing 1.3497 key resistance, as long as this level holds, the price action from 1.2969 is treated as consolidation of downtrend from 1.4281 and another fall towards 1.2000 is still possible. However, a break above 1.3497 will indicate that the fall from 1.4281 had completed at 1.2874 already, then the following upward move could bring price back towards 1.4281 previous high.

For long term analysis, EURUSD is in downtrend from 1.4281, deeper decline to 1.1500 area to reach next cycle bottom on weekly chart is still possible.

Weekly Forex Analysis

On January 13, Andrew Tan-led Empire East Land Holdings, Inc. (ELI), a property firm that was spun off from Megaworld Corporation (MEG) in 1994 since it caters to the middle income market, jumped by another 13.85% from an opening of PHP 0.69 to PHP 0.74. The other day, we saw it soaring by 14.04% from PHP 0.57 to PHP 0.65. So what’s behind ELI’s sudden move?

Based on ELI’s daily chart, you can see that it was able to break free from the ‘handle’ of a rather disfigured cup and handle pattern the other day. The ‘handle’ in this case is the most recent descending channel formation. So after moving above the said channel, ELI leaped but remained stuck below the historical resistance at around PHP 0.65 which coincidentally was also the neckline or the cusp of the cup. Buying interest continued the following day, causing ELI to punch through and above the cusp of the cup. This recent price action is even more bullish because of the positive gap that it made. This spike in buying interest as evidenced by increase in volume could more often than not sustain a run up. Historically speaking, a breakaway gap is also usually followed by another gap or two. Hmmm…

Anyway, ELI could be on its way to PHP 1.00 (gauged by projecting the height of the cup and handle pattern from the point of breakout). However, it could hit a temporary snag at PHP 0.90. Nonetheless, this stock presents a good and handsome upside which is at least backed by sound technical signals.

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Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5 will likely use Qualcomm (QCOM) chipsets and a new, potentially more advanced processor, according to electronista. The use of Qualcomm’s chipset indicate that one version of the phone may be able to run on Verizon’s (VZ) network, according to the publication.

Solid Group, Inc. or SGI in the Philippine Stock Exchange, the name behind the only Philippine-mobile phone brand MyPhone, pocketed PHP 2 billion in unit sales for the year 2010, reflecting a 9-fold sales increase from 2009. The company holds as much as 40% of the Philippines’ mobile phone market and with the introduction of more affordable phones that are wifi-capable and the apparent improvement in consumer appetite, revenues for 2011 could even be rosier.  SGI is also looking to launch a tablet PC that is similar to Apple’s iPad this year.

From a technical perspective, the shares of SGI have been consolidating into what appears to be a very wide cup and handle formation for about a decade now before finally breaking out from the pattern just today. If SGI manages to keep itself above the pattern’s neckline which is around PHP 1.06 in the next few days, then it could spring all the way up to just below PHP 2.00. No technical resistance are on the horizon which means that its upside target could be reached sooner than later.

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