This proposal has angered the Swedish government

Valdis Dombrovskis said his coalition would meet on Monday to look at ways to extend the 325m lats ($677.5m; £423m) of cuts already agreed for 2010.
Latvia is under pressure to increase cuts for next year to 500m lats.
This is the level it agreed with the EU in exchange for 7.5bn euros ($11bn;£6.9bn) of emergency loans.
The country needed this financial support, which also includes contributions from the International Monetary Union and the Swedish government, because it has been hit hard by the global recession.
Its economy contracted at an annual rate of 18.7% from April to June, while its unemployment rate soared in August to 18.3%, the highest in the European Union after Spain.
'On track'
ANALYSIS
By Mark Sanders, Europe business correspondent
Latvia's economy is one of the sickest in Europe.
Its government is having to make deep cuts to public spending in order to qualify for international aid. Public services like the health care system are already being squeezed.
But under pressure, the government will meet next week to discuss further cuts. That's likely to mean more pain for many in Latvia.
There have already been disturbances in the country which brought down the previous government. And with the economic crisis weighing down so heavily on its people, the current government knows there could be a political price to pay.
"We are working on additional measures... so that we reach agreement with international loan providers," said Mr Dombrovskis.
"We are on track to meet our budget deficit target both this and next year."
He said the deficit would fall to 10% this year, and 8.5% in 2010.
Monday's cabinet meeting comes a day before the EU's European Monetary and Economic Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia's is due to visit Riga to discuss the continuing impasse.
Mr Dombrovskis had earlier told BBC World that the worst of Latvia's recession is now over, and ruled out devaluing the currency.
Monday's meeting is also due to discuss the prime minister's controversial proposal that Latvian homeowners behind on their mortgages should only be liable for the value of their property rather than the level of their outstanding loan.
This proposal has angered the Swedish government, whose banks dominate the sector in Latvia.
While Mr Dombrovskis admitted that there remained "difficulties to overcome", he said the Latvian economy was now "stabilising".

More protection

Mr Obama said it was more important than ever to have a new consumer watchdog, and accused vested interests of trying to scupper reform.
He accused the US Chamber of Commerce of trying to "kill" plans for the Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
The president was talking on the day he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
More protection
His administration has proposed a number of regulatory reforms designed to prevent another financial crisis.
One of them is to create a new consumer agency to regulate products such as credit cards and mortgages.
It would also force banks to offer low-risk, standard versions of these products.
"Predictably, a lot of banks and big financial firms don't like the idea of a consumer agency very much," Mr Obama said.
"They're doing what they always do - using every bit of influence to maintain the status quo that has maximised their profits at the expense of American consumers.
"In fact, the US Chamber of Commerce is spending millions on an ad campaign to kill it."
But the president said he would not back down from his plans for reform. He said the new agency was needed to protect US consumers from "ridiculously confusing contracts" used by financial institutions.
"We have already seen and lived the consequences of what happens when there is too little accountability on Wall Street and too little protection on Main Street, and I will not allow this country to go back there," he said.
The White House also wants to give the central bank, the Federal Reserve, new powers over big financial firms, including the ability to seize banks whose collapse could threaten the economy.

Nigeria depends heavily on oil exports

The fund was set up as a way to protect Nigeria's economy from unpredictable movements in the oil price.
The Nigerian government says it will take money from the fund for an economic stimulus package.
Economists fear the move will leave the country vulnerable if recovery in the global economy suffers a setback.
Spending fears
The government wants to tap into the fund, which currently holds about $9bn, to stimulate the economy.
Nigeria depends heavily on oil exports, and the savings fund is there to shelter the economy if the oil price falls.
But there is criticism over how it plans to spend the money.
Economic stimulus packages in other countries have targeted infrastructure projects, job creation, and tax cuts for small businesses.
Nigeria's government says it will spend half the cash on clearing the debts of federal government contractors.
The rest of the money is to be handed out to local government - to states and local authorities. Many of them have records of serious corruption and financial mismanagement.
Economists - even some advising the government - are warning that the plan is not focussed enough to make an impact.

Many agree that the US economy is now recovering

The Institute of Supply Management (ISM) said the sector, which accounts for 80% of the US economy, increased and the jobs situation improved.
Separate data showed that the US jobs market strengthened last month for the first time since January 2008.
The data boosted US markets with the Dow Jones index rising 1.2%. The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 also saw gains.
Many agree that the US economy is now recovering, but there are mixed signals about the strength of the upturn.
Markets boost
The service index rose to 50.9 last month, from 48.4 in the previous month, the first increase since August 2008, ISM said.
Any figure above 50 indicates growth, while a reading below 50 signals a contraction in the sector. Analysts had expected a reading of exactly 50.
The ISM also said service-sector employment contracted at a slower pace than in August.
The data gave investors confidence, and the Dow closed 112 points higher at 9,599.75, while the Nasdaq rose 1% and the S&P 500 gained 1.5%.
European markets had also rallied earlier, with leading share indexes in London, Paris and Frankfurt all closing higher.
'Reluctant'
The data comes after the Labor Department said on Friday that the US economy lost 263,000 jobs in September, more than had been expected, taking the jobless rate to a fresh 26-year high.
Job creation tends to lag behind any recovery in the economy.
"Businesses are more reluctant than in the past to start the hiring process," said Bank of America economist Ethan Harris. "We won't likely see increased hiring until January."
The US Conference Board said its employment trends index edged up to 88.5 from an upwardly-revised 88.2 in August.
But the index is now down 15.6 percent from one year ago, it said.

Weakness of the dollar

WHY HAVE GOLD PRICES REACHED SUCH HIGHS?
There are several factors at play which are leading to demand for gold rising, pushing up the price:
Weakness of the dollar: The greenback is commonly seen as the World's reserve currency. Low interest rates and the US government's massive economic support package have weakened the dollar.
Those who would typically have invested in that currency are looking for other places to put their money where it will, they hope, gain value.
Speculation: A lot of the investment into gold is coming from institutions such as hedge funds - whose money needs to go somewhere.
When banks are offering very low rates of interest on savings - and money can be borrowed extremely cheaply - gold becomes attractive, observers say.
Inflation risk: Gold is seen as a hedge against inflation. Right now, inflation is pretty low, but mounting worries about potential inflation in 2010 may be enticing more investors to the precious metal.
Psychological: Gold has a "primeval" quality argues Adrian Ash of UK online gold exchange, BullionVault.com (which makes its money when customers buy and sell gold).
He says that while it is essentially a "lump of metal with little purpose", gold tends to hold its value over the long term and is not anchored to the value of cash.
This means that people are drawn to it in uncertain times, Mr Ash adds, though he cautions the price can be volatile.
Seasonal: In Western cultures, individuals buying into gold as an investment remains relatively rare. It is not the kind of advice you are likely to get from a financial adviser, for example.
However, in countries such as China and India, buying gold as in investment is more common. And at this time of year, in the run-up to the Diwali festival, there is a seasonal increase in gold purchases because the metal is traditionally given as a gift.
Indian farmers are also big gold customers at this time of year - seeing it as a way of keep their profits safe after harvest - free from threat of currency fluctuations.
DOES THE PRICE OF GOLD REALLY MATTER?
The reality for most people is that their main contact with Gold is when Spandau Ballet gets played on the radio.
Arguably its biggest role is as a sentiment barometer. A high gold price is an indicator that all is not well with the global economy.
It could be bad news if you are looking for an engagement ring or another piece of jewellery. Higher prices are likely to be passed on to shoppers.
On the other hand, it could be good news if you have gold that you no longer want and could do with making some money.
The rising price has seen an explosion in "scrap gold dealing" - where High Street shops and postal companies will offer to turn the gold into cash.

Weakest of the major currencies last week

The Australian dollar was the weakest of the major currencies last week, and a bearish engulfing candle on the daily AUDUSD charts on October 1 suggests further declines could be in store. Since the Australian dollar still tends to move with other risky assets, traders should look for any fallout from the release of the G7 statement over the weekend. Though the statements don’t usually signal any sort of groundbreaking new biases, there are lingering concerns that there may be a more pronounced focus on currencies, and more specifically, US dollar weakness. Such a move would likely lead the US dollar higher, and thus, AUDUSD lower, on speculation of a coordinated intervention effort. Later in the week, the Australian dollar is going to encounter two of its most market-moving reports: a rate decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia and the net employment change.
On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is anticipated to leave their cash rate target unchanged for the sixth straight month at 3.00 percent, and the Australian dollar may only respond to a change in the bias of RBA Governor Glenn Stevens’ monetary policy statement. As it stands, Credit Suisse Overnight Index Swaps (OIS) are pricing in a 22 percent chance of a 25 basis point rate hike during this upcoming meeting, and 175 basis points worth of hikes over the next 12 months, which is generally in line with what we’ve seen since early August. It was actually in early July when the RBA’s bias shifted from dovish to neutral, as Stevens removed a line from his statement noting that “scope remains for some further easing of monetary policy.” As long as we see these RBA statements continue to provide progressively optimistic outlooks, the markets are likely to remain in favor of large rate increases over the next year. However, if the RBA starts to signal a more cautious tone, this sentiment could shift very quickly and lead the Australian dollar lower.
On Wednesday, the net employment change for the nation is anticipated to fall for a second straight month, this time by 10,000. As a result, the Australian unemployment rate is projected to edge up to a 6-year high of 6.0 percent from 5.8 percent, but this isn’t so bad when compared with other regions like the US, the UK, and the Euro-zone where unemployment has reached 26-year, 12-year, and 10-year highs. Regardless, the net employment change is similar to the US non-farm payrolls report in that the results are notoriously difficult to predict and thus, prone to providing “surprising” news that can trigger volatile moves in the Australian dollar.

Fermi chip is being billed as a supercomputing chip

Nvidia's new Fermi chip is being billed as a supercomputing chip but Nvidia doesn't want you to forget that it is also aimed at Apple's Snow Leopard and Windows 7.
The Fermi chip was announced with much fanfare on Wednesday as key silicon in a future supercomputer from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. But, wait, Fermi is also going to be great at accelerating stuff in Snow Leopard and Windows 7--not to mention a great gaming chip, according to Bill Dally, chief scientist at Nvidia who spoke during a conference call with analysts on Thursday.
The Fermi graphics processing unit (GPU)--which packs 512 processing cores--will support DirectX-11, a technology for speeding certain multimedia software in Windows 7, and also support an analogous technology in Snow Leopard, OpenCL.
"A lot of (the chip's new) features accelerate key consumer applications. Both Snow Leopard and Windows 7 enable the GPU to be used as a co-processor to accelerate third-party applications," Dally said. With a "discrete (standalone) GPU they can get very good performance on these applications," he said.

Applications that Nvidia says will be accelerated by the Fermi chip(Credit: Nvidia)
Dally gave examples (see graphic) of consumer titles such as Adobe's Creative Suite, Motion DSP's vReveal (for fixing photographs), and Badaboom (for creating iPod video).
He offered a qualifier, however. "We are paying a bit of a compute tax in that we launched a part where a lot of the consumer compute applications haven't really taken hold yet. But over time as more consumer computer applications are developed that take advantage of our compute (consumer) features...I think it's going to give us a big leg up," he said.
And being an Nvidia chip, games are a big target market. "Fermi adds value to games by doing exactly the same kind of scientific simulations that we use to predict climate and to understand the genome and other things," according to Dally. "A great example of that is our PhysX package that basically does physical simulations to make games appear more real."
He also explained why the chip was billed as a supercomputer chip initially and not a gaming chip. "It's a zero-sum game. You have a certain amount of die (chip) area, a certain power budget. It is the case that we put a bunch of die area into double-precision floating point, a bunch of die area into ECC. And for gaming graphics applications, those give less returns than they do for the scientific applications," he said. Double-precision floating point operations are used heavily in scientific computing. ECC, or error correcting code, is a technology that can correct data errors on the fly.
And Dally explained how Fermi can be scaled down to lower-end chips used in the gaming and consumer segments. "We're not talking about other (chips) at this point in time but you can imagine that we can scale this part by having fewer than the 512 cores and by having these cores have fewer of the features, for example less double-precision," he said.
All the Fermi products, including gaming and professional workstation chips, will be announced "pretty close together." Chips are expected sometime in the coming few months.
And how does Fermi stack up against current public information about Intel's future "Larrabee" graphics chip? "We can't compare anything to Larrabee until it shows up and can actually be measured," said Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research, which tracks the graphics chip market. "But remember, Larrabee was started over two years ago and both ATI and Nvidia have had two new designs out since then," he said. "So the pressure will be on Intel to chase fast-moving ATI and Nvidia," Peddie said. ATI, which is Advanced Micro Devices' graphics chip unit, already has a chip in stores--the Radeon HD 5800-- that supports Windows DirectX-11.

There's a new reality in laptop pricing

Call it the Netbook halo effect: small and cheap is infectious. A quick peek at the lineups of new laptops slated for an October 22 roll-out from Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba make it clear that the prices of mainstream and higher-end laptops are diving, even as the technology gets better.

HP ProBook 5310m starts at $699: this class of business laptop used to start at well over $1,000(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)
"There's a new reality in laptop pricing," said Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at market-researcher IDC. "It's getting harder and harder to sell anything over $800." O'Donnell cited a data point that showed the average selling price of notebooks falling below desktops briefly in retail. "That may have been an anomaly, but the fact that's it's even close is indicative of this phenomenon."
That said, let's start with HP, the world's largest PC supplier. Svelte, well-built business laptops have historically been priced at a premium--starting at more than $1,000. Not anymore. On October 22, HP will begin selling the 13-inch ProBook 5310m that is about 0.9 inches thin, less than four pounds, and clad in an aluminum display enclosure and a magnesium alloy bottom case for $699.
That's about $800 less than the HP EliteBook 2530p business notebook series introduced in August of last year (that started at about $1,500). The 5310m is priced at $699 with an Intel Celeron dual-core processor and $899 with Intel Core 2 Duo chip. Both come with the Windows 7 operating system.
That's what I call a sea change in pricing.
But it gets better. Then there's the 4-pound HP Pavilion dm3 notebook that starts at $549 (no, it's not a Netbook) and will likely range up to about $700 in price for a reasonable memory and hard drive configuration. The 13-inch laptop comes with power-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Neo dual-core processors and a standard 6-cell battery that delivers--so HP claims--up to 10 hours of battery life.
I was able to play with a dm3 at a function sponsored by Advanced Micro Devices recently in San Francisco. My immediate impression was that this was a light but solid design.
The Apple $999 MacBook is suddenly starting to look pretty pricey and a little on the thick and heavy side. (Though, according to reports, this may be about to change.)
Let's move on to Toshiba (speaking of sea changes). Toshiba has been known (along with Sony) for offering impressive but stratospherically priced ultraportable laptops. One of the most egregious examples is the 12-inch Portege R600, which starts at $2,099 and jumps quickly (by adding a solid-state drive) to more than $3,000.
That price almost seems laughable these days. Yes, the R600 comes with an integrated optical drive, powerful Core 2 Duo processors, and some other bells and whistles, but that will be an increasingly tough sell against Toshiba's new Satellite T100 Series that is also small, light, and relatively powerful but lops about $1,500 off the price of the cheapest R600.

Toshiba Portege R600--$2,000-plus executive laptops: an endangered species?(Credit: Toshiba)
To wit: the 11.6-inch Satellite T115 starts at $449, packs a dual-core Pentium SU4100 processor, claims up to nine hours of battery life, and weighs only 3.5 pounds. That makes the R600 and other "executive jewelry"--as Intel's CEO Paul Otellini likes to call these laptops--history. And the T115 may even give Toshiba Netbooks a run for their money. (Why settle for a single-core Netbook when you can get a dual-core laptop for $100 more.)
Dell, oddly, is going in both price directions. First, let's look at the Dell we know: a purveyor of inexpensive laptops such as the $449 Inspiron 14 replete with a 14-inch screen, dual-core Pentium, optical drive, 2GB of memory, and a 160GB hard disk drive.
And Dell has plenty of other inexpensive configurations, lending its considerable weight to the downward price pressure on laptops.
Then there's the Dell few people know. The reborn merchandiser of pricey executive laptops like the impressively sleek $2,299 Adamo or the equally stunning Latitude Z starting at $1,800. And then there's the ultra, ultra-thin Adamo concept. This certainly will not be cheap either (if it, in fact, appears).
Time will only tell how well this Beverly Hills boutique strategy holds up in the face of an onslaught of thin, attractive, and cheap laptops. Of course, there will always be room for a few Cadillac XLR-V roadsters and Ferraris at the top if the designs are compelling enough. (To be honest, I'm anxious to see how groundbreaking the new Adamo design is.)
Meanwhile, the future of laptops lies somewhere below $800. I can live with that.

Become the world's "premier" decision-making forum

"One of the legacies of this crisis may be a recognition of changed economic power relations," said World Bank president Robert Zoellick.
The US, the world's biggest economy, has been in recession for almost two years, while emerging economies like China and Brazil have grown.
This may help bring about a long-term rebalancing of the world economy.
'Changed relations'
"A multi-polar economy less reliant on the US consumer will be a more stable world economy," Mr Zoellick said.
He was speaking in Istanbul before meetings of the the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), where there is some discussion about how to reorganise the leadership of the bodies so that they better reflect the diversified world.
For example, China recently got a permanent chair on the IMF's 24-seat policy-making committee.
G7 or G20?
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) richest nations - the US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Canada and Italy - have also been meeting in Istanbul.
The G7 said the world economy was improving but "there is no room for complacency since the prospects for growth remain fragile and labour market conditions are not yet improving."
Unemployment in the US on Friday surged to a new 26-year high of 9.8%.
G7 finance ministers agreed to keep stimulus spending in place "until recovery is assured".
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the US economy had "improved dramatically" but that "conditions for a sustained recovery, led by private demand, are not yet fully established".
Mr Geithner also said the world is recovering "sooner and stronger" than expected.
Questions have also been raised about the future of the G7.
The Group of 20 - consisting of the largest economies including China, India, Russia and Brazil - appears to have replaced it over the past year.
The G20 leaders said after their meeting in Pittsburgh last month that it will become the world's "premier" decision-making forum.

Even the UK is resisting immediate pressures

The world financial crisis has made it clear that, although we have a globalised world economy, there is no clear way governments can work together to solve global economic problems.
But the lack of co-ordination, both now and in the future, could mean a deeper and longer global recession with more unemployment and poverty around the world.
The G20, an ad-hoc grouping of the world's major economies, has stepped in and performed a major role during the past year.
But the crisis has also spurred efforts to reform the existing global financial institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which were set up at the end of World War II to help revive the battered global economy and whose job it is to lend to countries in trouble.
Out of date
Countries contribute funds to the IMF according to the size of their economies, and they then receive voting rights based on their contributions.

April's G20 Summit agreed greater funding for the IMF and World Bank
But the current voting structure does not reflect the rise of powerful new economies like China and India, which are leading the world out of recession even while growth collapses in Europe and the US.
And a row has broken out between the US and China on the one hand, and Europe on the other, over how much voting rights should be changed.
Although all sides have pledged to come up with solutions by January 2011, there are significant practical problems.
European countries, which make up 25% of the world economy, hold 40% of the votes. The US, which makes up another 25% of the world economy, only holds 17% of the voting rights.
But under IMF rules, all major decisions require a majority of 85%, making the US the only individual country that can block any decision.
The US and China have proposed that European countries give up 5% to 7% of their quota in order to provide more votes to the emerging economies.
But smaller European countries, such as the Netherlands and Sweden, are reluctant to give up their seats on the 24-member IMF board.
Even the UK is resisting immediate pressures for reform. A UK Treasury official told the BBC that, as Europe had made the biggest contribution to renewing IMF funds (lending over $150bn of the $500bn asked for), now was not the time to ask it to reduce its authority.
Changing China
Strengthening the role of China and India in the newly emerging system of international economic governance is going to be essential if they are to play their proper role in the world economic system
G20 PITTSBURGH SUMMIT
Leaders of the world's biggest economies will gather in Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday for the latest G20 meeting in the wake of the global financial crisis
Our Q&A explains what to expect
See whether they are fulfilling the pledges made at the last meeting in London
This time they will be deciding what limits should be put on bankers' bonuses
And debating who should run the global economy
For full coverage of the G20 and the global recession go to our in-depth guide
Most economists doubt that the US and Europe can return to their role as the consumers of last resort for the rest of the world, fuelled by lots of debt, believing they will have to grow in future by increasing their exports.
That would mean China would have to reduce its exports as a proportion of its economy and shift towards greater domestic consumption - a tall order.
This would go a long way to solving one of the fundamental causes of the current economic crisis - the growing global imbalance between China as an exporter with a trade surplus, and the US as the world's biggest consumer, living on borrowed money.
The US is no longer able to play this role, and the sooner China turns to domestic consumption, the more likely it is the US can grow by producing more for export, rather than consuming more and increasing its debts.
So giving China a bigger role in the IMF may encourage those within China who want to shift its priorities in a way that would help the world economy to grow.
Reform and revive
Reform is all the more important given the new powers and resources the IMF and the World Bank were given at the London summit.

Developed nations are resisting calls to give up some of their influence
The World Bank lends long-term funds to developing countries to help them build infrastructure such as dams and roads and to improve their health and education systems.
The IMF - which gives short-term support to countries facing financial hardship - was given vastly expanded resources to deal with the crisis.
Countries pledged an extra $500bn (£300bn) in loans, and $250bn in Special Drawing Rights, a currency facility which countries can draw on without restrictions.
The IMF was also given more authority to monitor the world economic situation and report to the G20 leaders.
In return, the IMF pledged to moderate the often harsh conditions attached to its loans - a practice that has frequently attracted complaints from developing countries in the past.
With hopeful signs in the global economy, at least compared to six months ago in London, this week's meeting could determine whether the G20 emerges as the key organisation with influence over how the world economy is run, or whether it will disappear into insignificance when the immediate crisis is over.

Durable goods orders had their steepest drop

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- New orders received by U.S. factories posted their first drop in five months in August, government data showed on Friday, going against Wall Street expectations that they would rise.
Orders fell 0.8% after rising 1.4% in July, which was originally reported as a 1.3% increase, according to the Commerce Department. Analysts polled by Reuters were expecting them to gain by 0.3%. The drop was the first since March, when they fell 1.9%.
Factory orders were also down when compared to August 2008, by 22.5%.
Unfilled orders dropped 0.4% in August. They have now fallen for 11 months in a row, which is the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases on records dating to 1992, the Commerce Department said.
Inventories fell 0.8%. They have decreased for 12 months in a row, the longest streak since 2002.
Durable goods orders had their steepest drop, of 2.6%, since January, when they fell 7.8%. Orders of durable goods -- big ticket items meant to last -- were originally reported as declining 2.4% in August.

UK science against that of 25 other countries

The International Benchmarking Study of UK Research Performance 2009 put UK scientists second only to the US in their share of journal citations.
The survey, by the independent company Evidence UK, used data from 8,000 scientific journals in 85 languages.
It compared UK science against that of 25 other countries, including the G8.
This was the sixth annual benchmarking survey commissioned by the UK government.
It looked at 40 separate scientific indicators and revealed that the UK ranks first among G8 nations on the ratio of citations to public spending.
Real strength
The minister for science and innovation, Lord Drayson, told BBC News that the report reflected the UK's focus on quality rather than quantity.
"This is an opportunity for us to pat ourselves on the back as a nation. It is no coincidence that Cambridge University, for example, has had more Nobel Prize winners than any other institution on the planet.
"It reflects the real strength that we have here in the UK. We've got to make sure that we maintain it."
The study found that the UK produced 91,723 scientific papers - just under 8% of the world's total, and third only to the US and China.
In the last year UK scientists also had an almost 12% share of citations in science journals across the world, and increased their share of the most cited papers by 1% to 14.4%.
The survey also revealed a rise in the number of papers co-authored with researchers in other countries, which tend to be cited more frequently than papers authored solely by UK academics.
It also highlights a four-fold increase in the number of papers produced by China over the past decade.
China now produces more scientific papers than the UK but they are cited less frequently by other scientists.
The UK is particularly strong in clinical, health, biological and environmental sciences.
Overall, UK scientists produce a quarter of the papers by EU researchers.

It reflects the real strength that we have here in the UK

The International Benchmarking Study of UK Research Performance 2009 put UK scientists second only to the US in their share of journal citations.
The survey, by the independent company Evidence UK, used data from 8,000 scientific journals in 85 languages.
It compared UK science against that of 25 other countries, including the G8.
This was the sixth annual benchmarking survey commissioned by the UK government.
It looked at 40 separate scientific indicators and revealed that the UK ranks first among G8 nations on the ratio of citations to public spending.
Real strength
The minister for science and innovation, Lord Drayson, told BBC News that the report reflected the UK's focus on quality rather than quantity.
"This is an opportunity for us to pat ourselves on the back as a nation. It is no coincidence that Cambridge University, for example, has had more Nobel Prize winners than any other institution on the planet.
"It reflects the real strength that we have here in the UK. We've got to make sure that we maintain it."
The study found that the UK produced 91,723 scientific papers - just under 8% of the world's total, and third only to the US and China.
In the last year UK scientists also had an almost 12% share of citations in science journals across the world, and increased their share of the most cited papers by 1% to 14.4%.
The survey also revealed a rise in the number of papers co-authored with researchers in other countries, which tend to be cited more frequently than papers authored solely by UK academics.
It also highlights a four-fold increase in the number of papers produced by China over the past decade.
China now produces more scientific papers than the UK but they are cited less frequently by other scientists.
The UK is particularly strong in clinical, health, biological and environmental sciences.
Overall, UK scientists produce a quarter of the papers by EU researchers.

Significant and lasting benefits

It has recommended a "competition test" to prevent firms with a strong presence in an area from building new stores or making major extensions to its outlets.
However, small extensions will be allowed in some circumstances after the watchdog reviewed its plans.
Consumers would still see "significant and lasting benefits", it said.
"We expect that the competition test will have the effect we intend by helping to bring in competition where it is lacking and to stop individual retailers consolidating strong positions in local areas to the detriment of consumers," said the commission's chairman, Peter Freeman.
Extensions
The grocery sector was referred to the Competition Commission in May 2006 amid concerns major retailers were too powerful in some areas.
Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain, challenged the introduction of the competition test earlier this year.
The Competition Appeals Tribunal said the test was not wrong. However, it ordered the watchdog to do more assessment of the economic impact and effectiveness of the test - resulting in the watchdog modifying the details of the requirements.
Under the proposals, retailers will now be able to make small extensions to stores - provided they are no more than 300 sq metres of groceries sales area and have not been modified in the previous five years.
The commission said it believed "that this modification will not significantly reduce the effectiveness of the test but will recognise the fact that such small extensions, if prevented by the test, would be less likely to prompt a rival development".
Rules
Under the test, the Office of Fair Trading will advise UK planning authorities on the potential impact of any new development.
The retailer will pass the test if they are new to the area, or if four or more different supermarkets are within a 10-minute drive of the proposed site.
And where there are three or fewer grocers in the area, the application will be given the green light so long as it does not then account for more than 60% of total retail space.
Tesco said that the commission had made the "wrong recommendation" and the test would act as a "brake on growth" for the industry.
"The government should think very carefully before proceeding with this recommendation and intervening aggressively in what is acknowledged to be a highly competitive industry and deterring investment in these difficult economic times," said corporate and legal affairs director Lucy Neville-Rolfe.

Flights have been disrupted

The company says that a significant number of flights have been disrupted after pilots reported sick for a fourth consecutive day as part of a protest.
The pilots are protesting against the cancellation of performance-related bonuses by the cash-strapped airline.
Talks between pilots and management failed to reach a solution on Monday.
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says that the Indian aviation industry has been hit hard by the global economic turndown with increased costs of operation and travellers opting for low-cost airlines or train services.
Earlier this month a protest by pilots for India's privately-owned Jet Airways caused considerable disruption.
During that protest hundreds of passengers were stranded at various airports, leading to angry confrontations.
Air India said that the pilots' refusal to accept their decision to slash bonuses and incentives by up to 50% were "unacceptable".
So far the management has held firm saying they need to cut costs since Air India is facing huge losses because of the worldwide recession.
Air India is state owned and the government is now intervening to try and end the crisis. The airline posted losses of more than $800m in 2008-09 and has asked the government for a financial bail-out.
But it also said that it was keeping options open. As well as cancelling many flights, the airline has suspended bookings for flights in the next fortnight.
The struggling airline had to delay by a fortnight payment of June salaries and incentives to its 31,500 employees.
The protest comes as airlines around the world try to cope with declining passenger traffic due to the global slowdown.

Japanese jobless rate to rise again

But the number of people unemployed hit a six-year high of 3.61 million in August, a figure which was up 32.7% on the same month of 2008.
Official figures also showed that household spending rose 2.6% in August from a year earlier.
Also on Friday, US figures for September showed 263,000 jobs had been lost, taking the jobless rate to 9.8%.
'Worst levels'
Analysts had been expecting the Japanese jobless rate to rise again in August.
"The unemployment rate fell earlier than expected, but we don't know yet whether it is just a dip for one month or something more continuous," said Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan Securities.
The quarterly Tankan survey of business confidence on Thursday had indicated that companies were feeling better than they had three months before, but that they still felt they had too much capacity and too many workers.
The number of workers employed in manufacturing fell almost 10% year on year, but the number employed in the care and hospitality sectors rose.
There was a cautious response to the figures from the government.
"The figures may give the impression that the situation has improved a bit," said Labour Minister Akira Nagatsuma.
"However, it continued to be around the worst levels in the post-war period."

Crude oil futures

The Labor Department said the US economy lost 263,000 jobs in September, which was more than had been expected.
That caused crude oil futures to drop 2.6%, or $1.81, to $69.01 a barrel. Brent crude, traded in London, also shed $1.82 to $67.37.
US stocks and the dollar also fell, as investors had cause to reconsider hopes for a quick economic recovery.
'Glacial'
The figures for the months of July and August were also revised higher, showing 13,000 more jobs lost than previously reported.
The jobless rate is now at a fresh 26-year high of 9.8%.
"Compared to previous recessions, the pace of the current recovery can only be characterized as glacial," said Mike Fitzpatrick, who works at MF Global.
Rising unemployment weighs heavily on the US economy, which relies heavily on consumer spending to power growth.
The number of people out of work has risen by 7.6 million since December 2007 to 15.1 million.

Record low in months

After declining to record low in months versus the euro and the dollar, the pound rebounded today as reports unexpectedly improved the sentiment towards the economic recovery in the United Kingdom, stopping the losing streak for the British currency.
Тhe Office for National Statistics posted a report today indicating a lower than expected decline in U.K.’s gross domestic product, which combined with a positive retail sales report provided support for the British currency to pare some of its previous losses versus the euro and the greenback in the beginning of the week.
GBP/USD traded at 1.5955 as of 21:55 GMT from 1.5887 yesterday.
If you want to comment on the Great Britain pound’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The sharpest climb

The Canadian dollar, one of the most dependent currency to stocks and commodities, climbed significantly today as optimism pushed the crude oil and gold rates up, suggesting that the global economy will improve demand for Canadian exports.
The loonie, as the Canadian dollar is often referred, witnessed a significant rally today being the sharpest climb in September provoked by optimism that increased risk appetite among traders as commodities rose and the International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for global economic declines, adding to the already positive sentiment in trading markets today.
USD/CAD traded at 1.0675 as of 21:56 GMT from a previous rate of 1.0855 yesterday.
If you want to comment on the Canadian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

Euro showed early signs of technical reversal

The Euro showed early signs of technical reversal through an eventful week of trading, setting fresh yearly peaks versus the US Dollar yet finishing lower through Friday’s close. Strong rallies in the US S&P 500 and other key risk barometers led the single currency to impressive highs against most major counterparts. Yet a late-week breakdown in risk sentiment sparked a flight to safety across forex markets—much to the Euro’s detriment. Near-term Euro forecasts will very much depend on the trajectory of said asset classes, and a busy global economic calendar promises no shortage of volatility through the week ahead. The Euro remains in fairly well-defined 6-month uptrend, and we would hardly argue that several days of declines signal that it has set a major top. Yet it is undeniable that the EUR/USD lost much of its short-term momentum—having broken below short-term technical support and threatening further declines. Fundamentals will likely play a fairly significant role in the days ahead as the combination of German and US Employment figures will shed a great deal of light on economic conditions in both key countries. The reports may confirm recent waves of economic optimism or cut celebrations short. Reasonably steady improvements in fundamental data have made for lofty market forecasts across most economic releases, and a string of disappointments could easily force noteworthy corrections across major financial markets. Early-week German Consumer Price Index numbers and Euro Zone Consumer Confidence figures could produce surprises, but most traders look forward to market-moving German Unemployment Change figures due Wednesday. Previous results showed unemployment actually fell for the second consecutive month through August, but the numbers were clouded by government stimulus payments inducing firms to keep workers on their payrolls. Forecasts for September results call for a far less sanguine 20k jump in unemployment. Given that Germany is largely considered the bellwether for the broader Euro Zone economy, any disappointments could led to a noteworthy correction in the Euro exchange rate. Friday’s US Nonfarm payrolls result could likewise have a pronounced effect on Euro pairs. US and European markets have proven especially sensitive to major surprises in the monthly payrolls number. Consensus forecasts call for the eighth-consecutive improvement in the jobs release, and any disappointments could clearly make a dent in broader forecasts for growth out of the world’s largest economy. The critical question remains whether we can expect further equity market gains. Much like the Euro, the S&P 500 showed early signs of reversal through late-week trade. A continuation of said tumbles could easily force the Euro to move in kind.

Overall earnings plunged 85 percent to $98.9 billion

NEW YORK: Exxon Mobil Corp. unseated Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the 2009 Fortune 500 list, shrugging off the oil price bubble and weathering what the magazine called the worst year ever for the country's largest publicly traded companies.Fortune's closely watched list, released Sunday, ranked companies by their revenue in 2008. Irving, Texas-based Exxon took in $442.85 billion in revenue last year, up almost 19 percent from 2007. The company also raked in the biggest annual profit, earning $45.2 billion.Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart had held the top spot for six of the last seven years but fell to No. 2 this year. Still, the retail giant's 2008 revenue climbed 7 percent to $405.6 billion, as the battered economy sent more consumers searching for bargains. The world's largest retailer took in $13.4 billion in annual profit, an increase of about 5 percent.Although it may have been a good year for Exxon and Wal-Mart, 2008 was far from rosy for most of remaining companies on the list. Overall earnings plunged 85 percent to $98.9 billion from $645 billion in 2007, the biggest one-year decline in the 55-year history of the Fortune 500 list."America is getting used to the sound of bubbles bursting," Fortune said.Energy companies continued to dominate many of the top positions, as last summer's skyrocketing oil and gas prices more than compensated for their plunge later that fall. Chevron Corp. held on to third place with $263.16 billion in revenue, up 25 percent. ConocoPhillips climbed one place to fourth, with $230.76 billion in revenue.General Electric Co., the diverse conglomerate whose troubled financial arm has been weighing on recent results, rose one notch to fifth. Battered automaker General Motors Corp. fell two spots to sixth, as revenue fell 18 percent and losses totaled $30.86 billion amid the imploding car market. Crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. followed, with $146.28 billion in revenue.Telecom giant AT&T Inc. moved up two notches to take eighth place, with Hewlett-Packard Co. and Valero Energy Corp. rounding out the top 10.Among the hardest hit in 2008 were financial services companies, Fortune said. Banks, securities firms and insurers took cumulative losses of $213.4 billion, accounting for almost 70 percent of the total dollar decline from the peak year of 2006, the magazine said. Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp., which were No. 8 and No. 9 respectively last year, each slipped a couple notches from the Top 10.Thirty-eight companies fell off this year's list, including financial firms Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Washington Mutual Inc. and Wachovia Corp., all of which have either gone under or been acquired by rival banks.Engineering and construction company URS Corp. moved the most up the list, leaping 185 spots to No. 264. But the title of "biggest loser" went to AIG Corp. The insurer, which has received more than $180 billion in government bailout aid since last fall, fell 232 spots to 245 in this year's ranking.

The SEC also proposed rules to ban "flash trading"

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said agencies must disclose more information on past ratings to help investors make informed judgements.
The agencies, which give firms ratings to determine how safe an investment they may be, have been criticised for their role in the financial crisis.
The dominant agency firms include Standard & Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch.
'Flash trading' moves
Head of the SEC, Mary Schapiro, said that investors' reliance on agency ratings "did not serve them well over the last several years".
Earlier this year, credit rating agencies admitted errors were made when assessing some of the financial instruments that have been blamed for the credit crunch.
The agencies have been accused of failing to spot the size and risk of the bad US housing debt that was resold around the world, causing multi-billion-pound losses.
They gave high ratings to sub-prime mortgage investment vehicles that later turned out to be incorrect.
The SEC also proposed rules to ban "flash trading" - the process where certain financial institutions gain access to trading information seconds before it is made public.

Execution and money management is automatic

FXDDAuto provides FXDD clients a fully automated trading system that executes signals and strategies from third party signal providers in an FXDD trading account.

With the FXDD Auto platform, traders have the ability to monitor, control and configure trades from signal providers. A trader's presence is not required to enter or exit trades. Execution and money management is automatic, and includes trailing stop losses, stop and limit orders and trade updates.
Trading the world currency markets were only available to large banks and institutions until recent times. Now thanks to the internet the same opportunity is now available to anyone with an internet connection. Currency trading can be very profitable and it is very easy to learn how to trade currency online.The currency markets or foreign exchange is often called the forex. One of the fastest ways to learn to trade the forex is to sign up with for a free demo account with a forex broker and dive in and start trading. Most forex brokers will provide free demo accounts loaded with play money that they will give you for practicing.With a demo you can start playing around with it and see first hand how the markets work. You can hit your buy and sell buttons and see what happens. At this point it doesn't matter if the demo makes or loses money since it's not real. But it works just like a real money account and will show you exactly how forex trading works.After you start to get a feel for how forex trading works then you can start searching for more information. Since you have some experience now the information you seek and find will have more relevance to you. There are many online courses that will teach you to trade but some can be quite expensive. Courses can be good but a lot of information can be found in books or free on the internet.Although forex trading is simple, it can take a while for many traders to develop the good trading habits and discipline that is most import to having success with trading. Be sure and give yourself plenty of time to practice on a demo and prove to yourself that you can make money before trading with real money.For most new traders it can take months or even a year or two before they get good enough to maintain consistent profits. But this doesn't mean you can't make money right away with forex trading. Automated forex trading is becoming increasingly popular and can bring you immediate profitable trading. Automated forex trading uses computer programs called expert advisors or robots to trade your account for you.Expert advisers can be bought inexpensively, are easy to set up and if you get a good one they can be much more consistent than most human traders. After they are set up they trade using a system and do it all on autopilot. You can host them on either your own computer or a remote server.If you want to learn how to trade currency online start with a demo where you can get some immediate real life experience on how the markets work. Be sure and give yourself plenty of time to go through the learning curve before using real money. If you want to make money now with forex trading use an expert adviser to trade your account for you.

Forex trading systems should be on your list of consideration

If you looking for a way to increase your income in a relatively short period, Forex trading systems should be on your list of consideration. In the past decade since they were first introduced there dependability and reliability has improved significantly. Presently there are over one hundred systems available for public use.Out of those one hundred currency trading systems, there are a select few that are very high quality. From that select few, there are two products that I think are exceptional software systems and they currently dominate the sales figures within the industry. They are so successful because they deliver to the customers what they promise.Please don't misunderstand me, you simply can not upload a Forex software system to your computer today and begin to make money tomorrow. I wished it worked that way, unfortunately it doesn't. These are TOOLS to help you make money and you need to learn how to operate these tools.Each of these software products has numerous programmable options to allow its users the flexibility of managing there investments according to there individual risk tolerance level. In other words, one person might be willing to accept a higher risk if it means a corresponding larger reward. Where as the next person, might want a low risk factor and for that safety level they are willing to have smaller returns on there investment.Which ever type of investor you are the Forex trading systems I am recommending willing meet your needs. But, to ensure long term profitability I advice you to open a demo Forex account and practice until you are achieving the financial results you are expecting. The systems I use each day to make my living with are named Fap Turbo and Forex MegaDroid. When you have some time, why not review there websites and see what they can do for you if you dedicate yourself to learning how to operate the software?Perhaps the best advice that you will receive in your trading career is live to trade another day. Currency markets are volatile, brutal and unforgiving. You should learn to survive in the markets.The single most common factor that causes many traders to blow up their accounts is greed. When you get greedy, you start taking unnecessary risks. You will spend countless hours trying to discover the Holy Grail technical indictor or a forex robot that will make you rich. You believe that by discovering that secret of investing, you will become rich without losing a single trade.Unfortunately there is no Holy Grail for anyone in trading. You will win and you will lose. So you must learn not to risk more than 2% of your account on one trade. Grow your account incrementally over time. Never ever be tempted to risk big, making one single winning trade that can make you rich.Now, know how much you are willing to risk in a single trade. I have said 2%. But if you want to be aggressive you can go up to 5%. But stay between 2-5%. Don't exceed it. On the other hand, if you are conservative, you should consider risking between 1-2% only.Once you have decided on the risk you are willing to take, knowing the rest is simple. Suppose you have a $50,000 account and you decide on a risk of 2%. How much you can risk on a single trade? You can only risk (50,000) (0.02) =$1,000. This is the maximum you should risk on a single trade.However, if you are going to trade more than one position at the same time, the amount may become higher. Let's assume you are in 3 trades at the same time trading three currency pairs! You should risk only $1,000 per trade. So your total money at risk will be (3) (1000) =$3,000. Once you have calculated your risk, you are can determine the trade size.Trade size is the number of contracts you purchase in any one single trade. You need to first determine where you want to put your stop loss in order to determine the trade size. Let's use a simple example to make it clear. Suppose you are willing to risk $1000 on trading EUR/USD pair and you decide on a stop loss of 50 pips. Each pip on EUR/USD pair is equal to $10. So the number of contracts that you can trade are 2= (1,000)/ (50) (10).You have taken the guesswork out of your trading once you have determined your risk level and calculated the trade size. You can sleep well now knowing how much of your money is at risk. You are going to be able to trade tomorrow, no matter what happens today.Using these common and simple money management rules will help you avoid the pitfall of losing almost all the money in your account. Never ever take more than 2-5% risk in any single trade. Learning to survive the markets and trading another day is the essence of trading. This can help take your trading to the next level of profitability.Rollovers occur when a transaction continues for more than two days, and the Forex trading order is automatically rolled over to the next day.Because the Forex trading market is a spot market, where trandsaction are made instantaneously, trades must settle in two business days. But don’t worry… You don’t have to sell everything after two days! This is exactly why we have the option for Forex trading rollovers.In Forex system trading you have the option of a rollover, so that your transaction will remain relevant for two more days. Forex trading Rollover can happen every two days, so your investment stays indefinitely.Rollover Charges and Interest RatesEvery rollover has a certain transaction cost, which is set according to the Forex site and software you are using. This information needs to be looked over before you invest, so there won't be any surprises.Rollover charges are different according to the currency you invest in, and this should also come into account when deciding how to trade.Forex trading Rollovers occur when the NY trading market closes at 17:00 ET. Traders sometimes earn interests on rollovers. US interest rates, for example, are higher than Japan's, so if you are holding a long USD/JPY you will be able to accumulate interest for the rollover. On the other hand, holding the JPY will means paying interest on the rollover.When the rollover is made, the currency can also move up or down for a few pips, so also take that into account when you notice changes in the Forex currency the day after.

A lot of people who plunge into the forex trading

"I realized several years back the FOREX is the best opportunity available to every day people like me to build a sound financial future. See you in the trade rooms.""2006 is the year of financial freedom for me - "I can feel it in my bones." I know it's coming and I know that forex trading is the key. Once I learn to master this skill my life never be the same - none of our lives will.""I'm 18 years old, and im interested in doingcurrency trading. I have no previous experience in FX training, trading, or any other type related to this, but i hope to catch on quickly. I've wanted to invest in real estate since I was 14, and have studied it on and off since then, but I think this is agreater financial and career establishing opportunity, and im trying to learn as much as I can.""I have no experience in the financial world I don't even balance the check book! BUT I do know that I can do this and so can you!! So far I have been successful...I promise its not hard.""I come into this enterprise with miniscule experience as a trader and just enough knowledge about fx to lose my shirt in 5 minutes or less. I’m here to learn a workable system for foreign exchange trading. I like the concept of being ableto make money from anywhere I can take my laptop.""I am new to forex trading. My expectation in this course is to build a base of understanding and knowledge of the forex exchange. My goal is to learn how to trade effectively to retire from my 9-5 within the next three years if not sooner. My challenge is to leave emotions out and follow the fundamental rules to become a successful trader.""I have been with FXT since February 2005 and have enjoyed the program very much. My wife and I have been busy learning how to be successful traders over the last few months. Our goals are to become financially successful so we can provide more for our church and spread the Lord's word acorss the world. May God bless us all abundantly through this wonderful program.""I am new to Forex Trading. I've played the HYIP game and I look forward to learning a skill that will provide me the opportunity to be successful based on how I apply what I have learned. Success is a choice and I plan on being successful.""I am a retired airline pilot who has done a little commodity trading in the past, however, have always been very intrigued by the FX market. Now that I have completed the beginner's and advanced training from FXT, I am doing a review with the new Interactive Training Modules. I'm pleased to report that I am already having success in live trading, and am VERY excited about the FX market and the FXT products and business!What a fantastic opportunity!""I am looking forward to learning and trading the forex market. Some years ago, I traded options with some success, but discovered the forex market could be more rewarding. So looking forward to learning.""I joined one month ago and have been in corporate chat rooms. I am up over 130 pips and really just learning! I spent over $7000 on other systems and training and couldn't make money. FXT is FANTASTIC!""I found out about forex while looking for a new career. I have bookkeeping experience but thats about it! I love the concept of this type of trading and look forward to learning the skills and "enjoying the game"."I'm very excited to learn about Forex. I want to build my skills so that I can generate enough from Forex to raise my kids and sustain a nice life style as well as have time to help others.""I started with FXT about 3 weeks ago and I am excited to have an opportunity to learn how to be a FX Trader the right way. At 58 I feel like I am going to college for the first time, but my mentor has made me feel quite comfortable here. I feel I have finally found a home with FXT and working in the FX currency market.""I am looking forward to opportunity and education that is offered by FxT. The interaction that the business provides through this learning center and the potential for positively changing your life is exciting."The global Forex market which is widely known as the foreign exchange or the currency trading market has become one of the most popular markets to deal with in the last few years. With the increase in the global economy, a lot of people have started trading in Forex. Prior to this, the economy was not spread over all the countries. It is now possible for people to convert large sum of money into different currencies. This market is the largest in the world and includes all kinds of investors including banks, other financial institutions and other individual investors. The daily volume of trade in the forex market exceeds four trillion dollars and hence it appears to be quite a lucrative market to venture in.There are quite a few things that would separate the forex trading from the conventional markets. The trading volume differs greatly and then follows the other factors such as the exchange rates and lower profits. Hence a lot of people are turning towards the global foreign exchange market to beat the competition and this market has a demonstrated track record of its increase since 2001.The other way in which the forex market differs from the traditional market is that here the inter-bank market is at the top of the pyramid. Unlike the stock options, the investors to not have a same access to all the prices. It differs greatly. As the level of access is decreased, the difference between the asking price and the bidding price also increases. Hence it is still possible for someone with lower access to earn large amounts of money.At the same time as there is no central market involved in forex, there are no specific regulations that control the exchange. Global trading system in forex includes quite a lot of countries and hence compiles an intertwined market. Therefore there is not much of the single trading system here considering the scores of different prices and rates. These differences in the exchange have a direct effect on the gross domestic product, the inflation rates as well as the trade and the budgets of the economic transactions.There are a lot of people who plunge into the forex trading market in order to invest large sum of money and with the intention of making more money from it. This financial market is still on a rise, despite the recessive economy all around the world. A lot of new invest"I realized several years back the FOREX is the best opportunity available to every day people like me to build a sound financial future. See you in the trade rooms.""2006 is the year of financial freedom for me - "I can feel it in my bones." I know it's coming and I know that forex trading is the key. Once I learn to master this skill my life never be the same - none of our lives will.""I'm 18 years old, and im interested in doingcurrency trading. I have no previous experience in FX training, trading, or any other type related to this, but i hope to catch on quickly. I've wanted to invest in real estate since I was 14, and have studied it on and off since then, but I think this is agreater financial and career establishing opportunity, and im trying to learn as much as I can.""I have no experience in the financial world I don't even balance the check book! BUT I do know that I can do this and so can you!! So far I have been successful...I promise its not hard.""I come into this enterprise with miniscule experience as a trader and just enough knowledge about fx to lose my shirt in 5 minutes or less. I’m here to learn a workable system for foreign exchange trading. I like the concept of being ableto make money from anywhere I can take my laptop.""I am new to forex trading. My expectation in this course is to build a base of understanding and knowledge of the forex exchange. My goal is to learn how to trade effectively to retire from my 9-5 within the next three years if not sooner. My challenge is to leave emotions out and follow the fundamental rules to become a successful trader.""I have been with FXT since February 2005 and have enjoyed the program very much. My wife and I have been busy learning how to be successful traders over the last few months. Our goals are to become financially successful so we can provide more for our church and spread the Lord's word acorss the world. May God bless us all abundantly through this wonderful program.""I am new to Forex Trading. I've played the HYIP game and I look forward to learning a skill that will provide me the opportunity to be successful based on how I apply what I have learned. Success is a choice and I plan on being successful.""I am a retired airline pilot who has done a little commodity trading in the past, however, have always been very intrigued by the FX market. Now that I have completed the beginner's and advanced training from FXT, I am doing a review with the new Interactive Training Modules. I'm pleased to report that I am already having success in live trading, and am VERY excited about the FX market and the FXT products and business!What a fantastic opportunity!""I am looking forward to learning and trading the forex market. Some years ago, I traded options with some success, but discovered the forex market could be more rewarding. So looking forward to learning.""I joined one month ago and have been in corporate chat rooms. I am up over 130 pips and really just learning! I spent over $7000 on other systems and training and couldn't make money. FXT is FANTASTIC!""I found out about forex while looking for a new career. I have bookkeeping experience but thats about it! I love the concept of this type of trading and look forward to learning the skills and "enjoying the game"."I'm very excited to learn about Forex. I want to build my skills so that I can generate enough from Forex to raise my kids and sustain a nice life style as well as have time to help others.""I started with FXT about 3 weeks ago and I am excited to have an opportunity to learn how to be a FX Trader the right way. At 58 I feel like I am going to college for the first time, but my mentor has made me feel quite comfortable here. I feel I have finally found a home with FXT and working in the FX currency market.""I am looking forward to opportunity and education that is offered by FxT. The interaction that the business provides through this learning center and the potential for positively changing your life is exciting."The global Forex market which is widely known as the foreign exchange or the currency trading market has become one of the most popular markets to deal with in the last few years. With the increase in the global economy, a lot of people have started trading in Forex. Prior to this, the economy was not spread over all the countries. It is now possible for people to convert large sum of money into different currencies. This market is the largest in the world and includes all kinds of investors including banks, other financial institutions and other individual investors. The daily volume of trade in the forex market exceeds four trillion dollars and hence it appears to be quite a lucrative market to venture in.There are quite a few things that would separate the forex trading from the conventional markets. The trading volume differs greatly and then follows the other factors such as the exchange rates and lower profits. Hence a lot of people are turning towards the global foreign exchange market to beat the competition and this market has a demonstrated track record of its increase since 2001.The other way in which the forex market differs from the traditional market is that here the inter-bank market is at the top of the pyramid. Unlike the stock options, the investors to not have a same access to all the prices. It differs greatly. As the level of access is decreased, the difference between the asking price and the bidding price also increases. Hence it is still possible for someone with lower access to earn large amounts of money.At the same time as there is no central market involved in forex, there are no specific regulations that control the exchange. Global trading system in forex includes quite a lot of countries and hence compiles an intertwined market. Therefore there is not much of the single trading system here considering the scores of different prices and rates. These differences in the exchange have a direct effect on the gross domestic product, the inflation rates as well as the trade and the budgets of the economic transactions.There are a lot of people who plunge into the forex trading market in order to invest large sum of money and with the intention of making more money from it. This financial market is still on a rise, despite the recessive economy all around the world. A lot of new invest"I realized several years back the FOREX is the best opportunity available to every day people like me to build a sound financial future. See you in the trade rooms.""2006 is the year of financial freedom for me - "I can feel it in my bones." I know it's coming and I know that forex trading is the key. Once I learn to master this skill my life never be the same - none of our lives will.""I'm 18 years old, and im interested in doingcurrency trading. I have no previous experience in FX training, trading, or any other type related to this, but i hope to catch on quickly. I've wanted to invest in real estate since I was 14, and have studied it on and off since then, but I think this is agreater financial and career establishing opportunity, and im trying to learn as much as I can.""I have no experience in the financial world I don't even balance the check book! BUT I do know that I can do this and so can you!! So far I have been successful...I promise its not hard.""I come into this enterprise with miniscule experience as a trader and just enough knowledge about fx to lose my shirt in 5 minutes or less. I’m here to learn a workable system for foreign exchange trading. I like the concept of being ableto make money from anywhere I can take my laptop.""I am new to forex trading. My expectation in this course is to build a base of understanding and knowledge of the forex exchange. My goal is to learn how to trade effectively to retire from my 9-5 within the next three years if not sooner. My challenge is to leave emotions out and follow the fundamental rules to become a successful trader.""I have been with FXT since February 2005 and have enjoyed the program very much. My wife and I have been busy learning how to be successful traders over the last few months. Our goals are to become financially successful so we can provide more for our church and spread the Lord's word acorss the world. May God bless us all abundantly through this wonderful program.""I am new to Forex Trading. I've played the HYIP game and I look forward to learning a skill that will provide me the opportunity to be successful based on how I apply what I have learned. Success is a choice and I plan on being successful.""I am a retired airline pilot who has done a little commodity trading in the past, however, have always been very intrigued by the FX market. Now that I have completed the beginner's and advanced training from FXT, I am doing a review with the new Interactive Training Modules. I'm pleased to report that I am already having success in live trading, and am VERY excited about the FX market and the FXT products and business!What a fantastic opportunity!""I am looking forward to learning and trading the forex market. Some years ago, I traded options with some success, but discovered the forex market could be more rewarding. So looking forward to learning.""I joined one month ago and have been in corporate chat rooms. I am up over 130 pips and really just learning! I spent over $7000 on other systems and training and couldn't make money. FXT is FANTASTIC!""I found out about forex while looking for a new career. I have bookkeeping experience but thats about it! I love the concept of this type of trading and look forward to learning the skills and "enjoying the game"."I'm very excited to learn about Forex. I want to build my skills so that I can generate enough from Forex to raise my kids and sustain a nice life style as well as have time to help others.""I started with FXT about 3 weeks ago and I am excited to have an opportunity to learn how to be a FX Trader the right way. At 58 I feel like I am going to college for the first time, but my mentor has made me feel quite comfortable here. I feel I have finally found a home with FXT and working in the FX currency market.""I am looking forward to opportunity and education that is offered by FxT. The interaction that the business provides through this learning center and the potential for positively changing your life is exciting."The global Forex market which is widely known as the foreign exchange or the currency trading market has become one of the most popular markets to deal with in the last few years. With the increase in the global economy, a lot of people have started trading in Forex. Prior to this, the economy was not spread over all the countries. It is now possible for people to convert large sum of money into different currencies. This market is the largest in the world and includes all kinds of investors including banks, other financial institutions and other individual investors. The daily volume of trade in the forex market exceeds four trillion dollars and hence it appears to be quite a lucrative market to venture in.There are quite a few things that would separate the forex trading from the conventional markets. The trading volume differs greatly and then follows the other factors such as the exchange rates and lower profits. Hence a lot of people are turning towards the global foreign exchange market to beat the competition and this market has a demonstrated track record of its increase since 2001.The other way in which the forex market differs from the traditional market is that here the inter-bank market is at the top of the pyramid. Unlike the stock options, the investors to not have a same access to all the prices. It differs greatly. As the level of access is decreased, the difference between the asking price and the bidding price also increases. Hence it is still possible for someone with lower access to earn large amounts of money.At the same time as there is no central market involved in forex, there are no specific regulations that control the exchange. Global trading system in forex includes quite a lot of countries and hence compiles an intertwined market. Therefore there is not much of the single trading system here considering the scores of different prices and rates. These differences in the exchange have a direct effect on the gross domestic product, the inflation rates as well as the trade and the budgets of the economic transactions.There are a lot of people who plunge into the forex trading market in order to invest large sum of money and with the intention of making more money from it. This financial market is still on a rise, despite the recessive economy all around the world. A lot of new invest"I realized several years back the FOREX is the best opportunity available to every day people like me to build a sound financial future. See you in the trade rooms.""2006 is the year of financial freedom for me - "I can feel it in my bones." I know it's coming and I know that forex trading is the key. Once I learn to master this skill my life never be the same - none of our lives will.""I'm 18 years old, and im interested in doingcurrency trading. I have no previous experience in FX training, trading, or any other type related to this, but i hope to catch on quickly. I've wanted to invest in real estate since I was 14, and have studied it on and off since then, but I think this is agreater financial and career establishing opportunity, and im trying to learn as much as I can.""I have no experience in the financial world I don't even balance the check book! BUT I do know that I can do this and so can you!! So far I have been successful...I promise its not hard.""I come into this enterprise with miniscule experience as a trader and just enough knowledge about fx to lose my shirt in 5 minutes or less. I’m here to learn a workable system for foreign exchange trading. I like the concept of being ableto make money from anywhere I can take my laptop.""I am new to forex trading. My expectation in this course is to build a base of understanding and knowledge of the forex exchange. My goal is to learn how to trade effectively to retire from my 9-5 within the next three years if not sooner. My challenge is to leave emotions out and follow the fundamental rules to become a successful trader.""I have been with FXT since February 2005 and have enjoyed the program very much. My wife and I have been busy learning how to be successful traders over the last few months. Our goals are to become financially successful so we can provide more for our church and spread the Lord's word acorss the world. May God bless us all abundantly through this wonderful program.""I am new to Forex Trading. I've played the HYIP game and I look forward to learning a skill that will provide me the opportunity to be successful based on how I apply what I have learned. Success is a choice and I plan on being successful.""I am a retired airline pilot who has done a little commodity trading in the past, however, have always been very intrigued by the FX market. Now that I have completed the beginner's and advanced training from FXT, I am doing a review with the new Interactive Training Modules. I'm pleased to report that I am already having success in live trading, and am VERY excited about the FX market and the FXT products and business!What a fantastic opportunity!""I am looking forward to learning and trading the forex market. Some years ago, I traded options with some success, but discovered the forex market could be more rewarding. So looking forward to learning.""I joined one month ago and have been in corporate chat rooms. I am up over 130 pips and really just learning! I spent over $7000 on other systems and training and couldn't make money. FXT is FANTASTIC!""I found out about forex while looking for a new career. I have bookkeeping experience but thats about it! I love the concept of this type of trading and look forward to learning the skills and "enjoying the game"."I'm very excited to learn about Forex. I want to build my skills so that I can generate enough from Forex to raise my kids and sustain a nice life style as well as have time to help others.""I started with FXT about 3 weeks ago and I am excited to have an opportunity to learn how to be a FX Trader the right way. At 58 I feel like I am going to college for the first time, but my mentor has made me feel quite comfortable here. I feel I have finally found a home with FXT and working in the FX currency market.""I am looking forward to opportunity and education that is offered by FxT. The interaction that the business provides through this learning center and the potential for positively changing your life is exciting."The global Forex market which is widely known as the foreign exchange or the currency trading market has become one of the most popular markets to deal with in the last few years. With the increase in the global economy, a lot of people have started trading in Forex. Prior to this, the economy was not spread over all the countries. It is now possible for people to convert large sum of money into different currencies. This market is the largest in the world and includes all kinds of investors including banks, other financial institutions and other individual investors. The daily volume of trade in the forex market exceeds four trillion dollars and hence it appears to be quite a lucrative market to venture in.There are quite a few things that would separate the forex trading from the conventional markets. The trading volume differs greatly and then follows the other factors such as the exchange rates and lower profits. Hence a lot of people are turning towards the global foreign exchange market to beat the competition and this market has a demonstrated track record of its increase since 2001.The other way in which the forex market differs from the traditional market is that here the inter-bank market is at the top of the pyramid. Unlike the stock options, the investors to not have a same access to all the prices. It differs greatly. As the level of access is decreased, the difference between the asking price and the bidding price also increases. Hence it is still possible for someone with lower access to earn large amounts of money.At the same time as there is no central market involved in forex, there are no specific regulations that control the exchange. Global trading system in forex includes quite a lot of countries and hence compiles an intertwined market. Therefore there is not much of the single trading system here considering the scores of different prices and rates. These differences in the exchange have a direct effect on the gross domestic product, the inflation rates as well as the trade and the budgets of the economic transactions.There are a lot of people who plunge into the forex trading market in order to invest large sum of money and with the intention of making more money from it. This financial market is still on a rise, despite the recessive economy all around the world.

About Forex trading

Forex trading also known as currency trading refers to a series of transactions on foreign exchange markets used by investors for speculative or hedging purposes. A basic forex transaction consists in the simultaneous buying and selling of one currency against another. Currencies are thus traded in pairs (majors or crosses) for instance: the Euro against the US Dollar (EUR/USD) or the British Pound against the US Dollar (GBP/USD). For example, buying the pair EUR/USD at 1.3305 means that you need 1.3305 USD to buy one euro.Trading forex can also be described as speculating on the direction of one currency against another. You make profit when the market moves in your favor and you lose if the market moves against you. For example, you'll buy EUR/USD if you think that the Euro will strengthen against the US Dollar. Conversely, if you think the Euro will weaken compared to the US Dollar, then you will sell EUR/USD.Although it may seem easy at first glance, there is much more to forex than meets the eye. Predicting market moves is a complicated matter and that's why Finotec has its own online forex Education Center where you can learn Forex. With Finotec, you may also practice online trading by opening a Forex Demo Account. The simulation platform will allow you to trade with virtual money in real market conditions. Once you have acquired the skills to trade, use our wide range of tools and indicators to make wise and informed decisions for successful online forex trading.Forex: the largest financial market!The investor's goal in Forex trading is to profit from foreign currency movements. Forex trading or currency trading is always done in currency pairs. For example, the exchange rate of EUR/USD on Aug 26th, 2003 was 1.0857. This number is also referred to as a "Forex rate" or just "rate" for short. If the investor had bought 1000 euros on that date, he would have paid 1085.70 U.S. dollars. One year later, the Forex rate was 1.2083, which means that the value of the euro (the numerator of the EUR/USD ratio) increased in relation to the U.S. dollar. The investor could now sell the 1000 euros in order to receive 1208.30 dollars. Therefore, the investor would have USD 122.60 more than what he had started one year earlier. However, to know if the investor made a good investment, one needs to compare this investment option to alternative investments. At the very minimum, the return on investment (ROI) should be compared to the return on a "risk-free" investment. One example of a risk-free investment is long-term U.S. government bonds since there is practically no chance for a default, i.e. the U.S. government going bankrupt or being unable or unwilling to pay its debt obligation.also known as currency trading refers to a series of transactions on foreign exchange markets used by investors for speculative or hedging purposes. A basic forex transaction consists in the simultaneous buying and selling of one currency against another. Currencies are thus traded in pairs (majors or crosses) for instance: the Euro against the US Dollar (EUR/USD) or the British Pound against the US Dollar (GBP/USD). For example, buying the pair EUR/USD at 1.3305 means that you need 1.3305 USD to buy one euro.Trading forex can also be described as speculating on the direction of one currency against another. You make profit when the market moves in your favor and you lose if the market moves against you. For example, you'll buy EUR/USD if you think that the Euro will strengthen against the US Dollar. Conversely, if you think the Euro will weaken compared to the US Dollar, then you will sell EUR/USD.Although it may seem easy at first glance, there is much more to forex than meets the eye. Predicting market moves is a complicated matter and that's why Finotec has its own online forex Education Center where you can learn Forex. With Finotec, you may also practice online trading by opening a Forex Demo Account. The simulation platform will allow you to trade with virtual money in real market conditions. Once you have acquired the skills to trade, use our wide range of tools and indicators to make wise and informed decisions for successful online forex trading.Forex: the largest financial market!The investor's goal in Forex trading is to profit from foreign currency movements. Forex trading or currency trading is always done in currency pairs. For example, the exchange rate of EUR/USD on Aug 26th, 2003 was 1.0857. This number is also referred to as a "Forex rate" or just "rate" for short. If the investor had bought 1000 euros on that date, he would have paid 1085.70 U.S. dollars. One year later, the Forex rate was 1.2083, which means that the value of the euro (the numerator of the EUR/USD ratio) increased in relation to the U.S. dollar. The investor could now sell the 1000 euros in order to receive 1208.30 dollars. Therefore, the investor would have USD 122.60 more than what he had started one year earlier. However, to know if the investor made a good investment, one needs to compare this investment option to alternative investments. At the very minimum, the return on investment (ROI) should be compared to the return on a "risk-free" investment. One example of a risk-free investment is long-term U.S. government bonds since there is practically no chance for a default, i.e. the U.S. government going bankrupt or being unable or unwilling to pay its debt obligation.