SVS Securities - PORTFOLIO THEORY

Investing in stocks and shares is all about research and analysis. The more you do, the better you’ll become at recognizing good investment opportunities and (hopefully) the more profit you will realize. Analyzing and researching investment opportunities is a long and arduous task. It is for this reason that advisory accounts are so popular amongst investors. Advisory accounts offer investors access to the analysis and research carried out by experienced analysts and brokers. Clients are still required to manage their own risk and make their own investment choices but having a professional to turn to is often a great help. Even if you do hold an advisory account, it is useful to have some knowledge and understanding of portfolio theory so as to better understand your investments and how to make the most of them. Portfolio theory has changed a lot over the years and will no doubt change even more in the future. It is worth, every so often, reading over news pieces or text books about portfolio theory to make sure that you are up-to-date and that you are doing everything you can to make the most of your investments.

COMPANY PERFORMANCE

Before you invest in a company, it is good to know exactly how the company is performing. The problem is that there are a variety of different ways that you can try and measure a company’s future prospects. None of these methods are guaranteed to give you a genuine insight into the company’s performance. Analyzing the results of a number of these indicators may give you a good indication of how the company is performing in a very general sense. The more research you do and the more indicators you compare, the more reliable your findings will be.

ROE

ROE or Return on Equity is the most common measure of a company’s performance used by analysts and investors. ROE measures the rate of return on the shareholder’s equity. It shows how well a company uses invested funds to generate earnings growth. ROE is judged against the rest of the sector and the cost of capital in that sector. Therefore a Return on Equity less than the cost of capital is considered destructive. Despite its popularity, measuring a company’s performance using ROE is not without its draw backs. Companies can artificially create a healthy ROE (for a time at least) by leveraging debt and buying back shares using accumulated funds. This can leave a healthy ROE calculation whilst company performance is actually in a slump. Companies are keen to maintain a healthy ROE due to its popularity as an indication of performance. A dip in ROE could result in a dip in share prices and a loss of investor confidence in the company. It is for these reasons that we suggest considering a number of different indicators when considering an investment.

SVS Securities - AGIRICULTURE AND THE WORLD FOOD CRISIS

The world food crisis is a growing problem in the world today. A growing population and dwindling resources are pushing up the prices of soft commodities and exacerbating the whole situation. In 2010, 925 million people went hungry. Poverty is the principle cause of hunger. The rise in soft commodity prices, although it may offer a good opportunity for investors to realise a profit, is making it even more difficult for the worlds poor to find the money to eat. For this reason, speculating on the price of soft commodities is an ethical “grey area”. We’re not suggesting that you be completely altruistic and donate all of your money to charity, but the world is getting smaller and it is about time we began to think of the ethical implications of our investments.

SOFT COMMODITIES AND FARMING:

Soft commodities refer to commodities such as coffee, cocoa, sugar, corn, wheat and fruit which are generally grown rather than mined. There are a number of people suggesting that soft commodities and farming might be a better long-term investment in the current market conditions than other “hard” commodities. In most cases an excess of a commodity or a lack of demand will cause commodity prices to drop. Similarly, if there is a drop in supply or a rise in demand, prices will rise. There are four main factors currently affecting the supply and demand of soft commodities and farmed goods.

1. The global population is rising exponentially. A growing population increases demand for food, soft commodities and farmed goods.

2. Arable land is being lost to urban sprawl. This decreases the quantity of food, soft commodities and farmed goods it is possible to produce and therefore limits supply.

3. Recent movements towards renewable energy have led to an increased demand for biofuel and the crops that are used to produce it.

4. Investors speculating on commodity prices cause sudden peaks and troughs in demand, increasing volatility in the market.

Meera Patel of Hargreaves Lansdown commented “The global population is growing faster than the amount of new farmland available, and, at the same time farmers are under pressure to use less water and fewer chemicals, which is likely to constrain supply even further. The resulting excess of demand over supply is likely to lead to rising prices over the long term.”

This is because, with the exception of speculation from investors, factors affecting the price of farmed commodities are relatively stable. The global population is increasing steadily with estimates from the United Nations suggesting we will require a 70% increase in food production by 2050. This growth in population size is a contributing factor to the loss of arable land. Though there is currently a real push for renewable fuels, the demand on soft commodities for biofuel purposes are more likely to increase steadily than shoot up suddenly.

SVS SECURITIES - FOREX

FX is a branch of SVS Securities plc and offers Forex Trading Online with no re-quotes and no dealing desk. SVS: FX offers Instant execution, tight spreads and sophisticated charting tools with a trusted Forex broker based in the City of London. SVS Securities: Forex offers two different types of account.

CAPITAL PROTECTED ACCOUNT (CPA)

If you are relatively new to trading, or you'd like to see how you can execute and manage your trades on the Web-trader Forex trading platform, the Capital Protected account might be exactly what you are looking for. There's a limited range of instruments on the trading system so that you can concentrate on getting the basics right. Not only this but should you lose money on your trades, SVS: FX will reimburse your trading losses for a fixed period.

GLOBAL TRADER ACCOUNT (GTA)

With the Global Trader Account you can trade the full range of 30 currency pairs, indices, oil and gold with the benefit of guaranteed stops, tight fixed spreads and generous leverage. Instant execution means the price you click is the price you trade and you can hold your account in Sterling, US Dollars or Euros.

SVS Securities: Forex offers investor’s access to the Webtrader and MetaTrader trading platforms and gives you the opportunity to open a demo account until you are comfortable with the software and with your trading strategies.

SVS SECURITIES - CONTRACTS FOR DIFFERENCE

SVS Securities: CFD is a branch of SVS Securities plc. At SVS CFD we understand that our investors are individuals and that everyone has different investment goals and preferences. This is why we have developed three different Contracts for Difference accounts to meet each client’s specific needs.

ADVISORY ACCOUNTS

SVS Securities’ Advisory account is for investors who intend to take an active interest in the market but who also want to be able to call on the advice of a professional when they need to. SVS Securities’ advisors are dedicated to providing not only great customer service and prompt and professional trading, but also relevant advice and analysis based on their experience, skills and expertise.

EXECUTION ONLY ACCOUNTS

SVS Securities’ Execution Only account is designed for investors who do not wish to receive investment advice but simply to deal quickly and efficiently. This service is for investors who know what they want to trade and when. SVS Securities’ role in these accounts is simply to provide factual information such as prices, and execute trades at the investors’ instruction.

SVS Securities - GETTING DEFENSIVE

Constantly thinking that your glass is half empty can often lead to missed opportunities. However, constantly thinking that your glass is nearly full when all you have is a drop of water left is even more damaging. When making financial decisions, realism is the name of the game. Recently, news services across the globe have been giving a lot of air time to the financial markets being in turmoil. A global slowdown, the risk of another recession and the possibility of a European default are making everyone nervous, especially investors. To quote the immortal words of Douglas Adams “Don’t Panic”. It may have become harder to realise huge trading profits, but you can still make a profit in the markets. If you are having problems, perhaps now is the time to consider defensive stocks and the part they play in your portfolio.

WHAT ARE DEFENSIVE STOCKS?

Defensive stocks are believed to provide consistent dividends and stable earnings regardless of macroeconomic fluctuations. Shares in these companies are seen as attractive during times of volatility and economic slumps, but less so during a bull market as they are often seen as performing below the markets during these periods. Defensive stocks rarely shoot up and provide investors with huge, short term returns. They are long term investments to hold in your portfolio to reduce risk and provide stability. Utility stocks are considered defensive because whatever the state of the economy, there will be a constant demand for the services these companies provide. 

ARE DEFENSIVE STOCKS THE ANSWER?

There is no knowing what the markets will do next, no knowing whether any one share price will rise or fall. The advantage of investing in defensive stocks is that they offer a high dividend yields and are less susceptible to market slumps than other companies. They are not ideal for realising huge gains over short periods, they are a long term investment in which you could maintain your wealth whilst making a little extra in way of dividends. The question you need to ask yourself is: do you think the market is going to recover any time soon? There are a myriad of problems confronting the economic world, many of them are going to take months, if not years to put right. This doesn’t mean that you should start running for the hills, you just need to reconsider your portfolio choices and decide whether or not you are sufficiently exposed to companies that tend to weather economic storms rather well and offer high yield dividends.

SVS Securities - TAKE AIM

In the current economic climate, investors have found themselves in a dilemma: Should they risk losing their money if the market slumps again or stay out of the markets and risk missing an opportunity? The AIM, like most other markets around the world has recently seen a dip in its share prices. For many this has reinforced the belief that AIM companies are too small and volatile and therefore too great a risk. Is the mass exodus of investors really warranted, or should investors with a greater appetite see it as an opportunity to invest? To encourage growth in smaller businesses, the government has gone to great lengths to make investing in these companies an attractive option. There are currently a number of tax benefits available for investments in unquoted companies (for the purposes of these tax reliefs, companies quoted on the AIM and PLUS markets count as unquoted). With tax relief on inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax available and the existence of Enterprise investment schemes, entrepreneurs’ relief and Venture capital trusts, perhaps now is the time to consider investing in AIM listed companies.

WHAT IS AIM?

The Alternative Investment Market or AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange. AIM is home to over 1,200 companies which operate in over 40 different sectors. There are relatively few restrictions on which companies can become listed on the AIM. According to the London Stock Exchange’s website; “AIM is the most successful growth market in the world. Since its launch in 1995, over 3,000 companies from across the globe have chosen to join AIM. Powering the companies of tomorrow, AIM continues to help smaller and growing companies raise the capital they need for expansion.” There are a number of reasons for the AIM markets success, such as:

• The AIM has a more balanced approach to regulation which facilitates a smooth transition into becoming a public company which allows companies to remain focused on growth.

• The AIM employs a large number of Advisors who are experienced in supporting companies from the moment they consider joining and throughout their time in the market.

• An international customer base willing to provide capital to less established companies as they grow.

AIMs regulatory environment has been designed with smaller and growing companies in mind, to help these companies make the most of their floatation. The entry criteria for AIM are more relaxed than on the main markets and more in tune with the needs of smaller growth companies. There is no trading record required, no minimum size criteria and no prescribed level of shares that must be in public hands. To be admitted to the AIM companies are required to have a Nominated Advisor at all times. AIM employs a “comply or explain” model of regulation. This means that companies can either comply with their rules or explain why they will not or cannot comply. There are a number of reasons that companies decide to float on a public market:

• To provide access to capital growth

• To create a market for company shares

• To broaden its shareholder base

• To place an objective market value on the company’s business

• To encourage employees by making share schemes more attractive

• To increase the company’s ability to make acquisitions by using quoted shares as currency

• To increase the public profile of the company

• To enhance the company’s status with customers and suppliers

TAX BENEFITS

There are a variety of ways of investing in AIM listed companies and a collection of tax benefits for doing so. These tax reliefs have a variety of qualification criteria and many are very complex. Depending on your circumstances, you could receive income tax relief of up to £150,000, 100% inheritance tax relief and a number of opportunities for Capital Gains Tax relief. If you are interested in receiving these benefits we strongly advise that you consult a financial advisor to ensure that any investment you are planning on making would be eligible. These tax reliefs are set by HMRC and are subject to change. Talk to a financial advisor for a complete and up-to-date list of tax benefits.

SVS Securities - ETFS AND THEIR PLACE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO?

An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is an investment fund that holds assets such as stocks, commodities and derivatives and is traded on an exchange. ETFs are very complex and each one is different, they can be grouped into “types” of ETF. These include:

• Index ETFs
• Commodity ETFs
• Bond ETFs
• Currency ETFs
• Sector/Industry ETFs
• Actively managed ETFs

We are going to take a closer look at Index ETFs:

The majority of ETFs are index ETFs and track an index such as the FTSE 100. ETFs can even be created to inversely track an index, these are referred to as inverse ETFs and use investments in derivatives to seek a return which corresponds with the inverse of the performance of the index. Inverse ETFs involve additional risks to regular index ETFs due to their exposure to derivatives. ETFs can be an attractive investment due to their low costs, tax efficiency and share-like features. ETFs are cheaper than mutual funds, mostly due to the fact that ETFs do not have to maintain cash reserves and can save on brokerage expenses. The tax benefits of ETFs can be seen in the fact that Capital Gains Tax (CGT) doesn’t need to be paid until the ETF or its assets are sold. This means that though the assets in the ETF may change, money that would otherwise have been paid out in CGT is allowed to remain within the fund where it can continue to accumulate wealth. The most attractive aspect of an ETF is its share-like qualities. As they are traded on stock exchanges, investors can set stop losses, buy on margin and invest as much or as little as they would like.

Inverse ETFs are often used to hedge against losses in physical shares during periods of economic turmoil. If the markets begin to slump, anyone holding physical shares may see the value of their portfolio slump. Investing in an inverse ETF means that investors, who have been adversely affected by market movements, can also benefit from the decrease in the index while they wait for their physical holdings to recover. For instance; if losses are seen in a portfolio, the index will probably be trending downward which will result in a positive result for anyone holding an inverse index ETF. It is hoped that the losses sustained in the portfolio will match or be outweighed by the gains from the inverse ETF. This involves the risk that if the market rallies, losses on the ETF may outweigh the gains on the equities. This saves money on the brokerage fees involved in selling and then buying back your physical shares when the market begins to improve.

Debt Settlement Legislation You Need to Understand

Advertisements for debt reduction services (which go by many names) are seemingly everywhere. Unfortunately, some of these companies are scams, while a great deal many just charge you a lot of money and leave you worse off than you started. The FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule and many state laws have been put into place to offer protection against many of these scams, but that doesn't mean you can't still get in trouble.

Types of Debt Reduction Services

Services you may see advertised include:

• Debt management service or credit counseling. These companies typically claim they will set up a plan to pay back your creditors for you, often by reducing the interest rates or even the principle so you can afford the plan.

• Debt settlement companies. These companies will usually claim they can reduce your debt by 50% or more and work be negotiating with your creditors to convince them to accept a one-time reduced lump sum payment or a few payments to pay off the debt. You will be required to make monthly payments into a bank account from which they take their fee and (ideally but not usually) pay the creditor when enough money has built up.

• Debt negotiation services. These companies will claim they can get creditors to reduce your payments, but they won't necessarily have an overall debt plan.

Scam-Ridden Industry

Unfortunately, this entire industry is plagued with scams. The FTC and several state attorneys general have sued hundreds of debt settlement companies over the years for misleading customers about what they can actually accomplish, how high their fees are and for violations of consumer protection laws and state laws. Many nonprofit credit counseling companies also had their nonprofit status terminated by the IRS for making a profit.

Federal & State Regulations

Nearly every state has laws regulating companies that provide debt settlement services, and many states prohibit these companies from even doing business. In many areas, these laws do not apply to debt settlement lawyers, whose services do have a greater benefit.

The FTC updated its Telemarketing Sales Rule in 2010 to give consumers some protection against these companies. This law applies to for-profit companies, services related to unsecured debts (like credit cards) and services rendered if the company calls you or you call them in response to an ad.

Before you pay any money to the company, they must disclose:

• The time necessary for the claimed results.

• If the service includes the settlement offer, the date the company will make the offer to your creditors and how long it will take to make a settlement offer to every creditor.

• The amount of money (or percentage of your debt) that must accumulate before the company makes a settlement offer.

• If the service requires you to stop making payments to your creditors, the negative impact on your credit, the fact that your creditors may sue you, and how much you may owe due to interest and fees.

• Your right to cancel the contract and receive a refund within 7 days of any money held in the account.

Companies that provide debt settlement services are also prohibited from collecting fees until it has received an agreement to reduce at least one debt, and you have made one payment on that agreement. This is very important to remember, and it's one of many rules that is often broken.

Before you turn to any services designed to reduce your debt, make sure you understand your rights under the law and avoid any companies that raise red flags by breaking these rules that protect you.

Grant writing is the key to achieve your objectives

Socio-economical differences are so much in existence that it threatens even the basic fabric of our society. Efforts are made to ease out the differences in national and global level in various forms. Government, corporate, foundation and various trusts usually come forward to take a lead in such welfare activities. In the process, governement grants to an organization or to an individual are sanctioned after stringent scrutiny. To safeguard against any misappropriate use of funds, lots of importance is given for right selection of fund seeker. On one side, they take care that right incumbent is not denied fund, on the other side they are cautious enough to ensure that the funds do not go into wrong hands. Proper grant writing and honesty of purpose usually get clicked if the fund seekers really know the basic techniques of Government grant writings.

Developed nations not only take care of the interest of their people, but also of poor nations in the form of different government and non-government grants for meeting the social need and help such nations to grow suitably. In case of government grant, some funds are kept aside in annual budget from the tax payers’ contribution, to take care of the downtrodden globally. This way the citizens of developed nation become a part of government grant. To bring down disparity and to help in improving standard of living of under developed nations to a reasonable level are all that really mean. In many corporate sectors, some percentage of their annual profit is spent to fulfill corporate social responsibility. Similarly, there are many social, religious and corporate foundations that take care of socio-economical and natural disaster related fund needs as mission, that are philosophically true to them. On the other hand, the grant applicant has to face tough competition to prove himself/ herself deserving enough for the grant. The grant can be related to education, business and disability, to name a few.

For proper grant writing, you can take the help of professional agencies who have thorough knowledge about grant writing and proper documentation. The application process can be long and complicated as per the business. Each and every aspect of the application process requires special attention. Another crucial factor is the application deadline. The applicant needs to submit the duly filled application form with the relevant documents attached. However, before applying for the grant, collect as much information as possible from reliable sources. Get to know more about business grant and check whether you qualify for the same.

Minority Business Grants – An Impetus to the minority community

Minority business grants are grants that are awarded to the minority community to usher in a change in their way of living. These business grants are specially given by the private grantors, non-profits and the federal government. The best thing about grants is that this money is provided as an aid by the government and other financial organizations and the money is not required to be repaid back.  The people who are termed as minority by the U.S federal government may come from various communities and might have different racial classifications. They can be of African, Hispanic or Native American communities and many others. So it is necessary to check out with the government website about the category of minority community before applying for any kind of minority business grants. These minority business grants are given for the betterment and development of the businesses of the minority community. Some business grants for minorities may also be provided to those persons or organizations that have some nature of business beneficial to the minority community as a whole.

Every year the federal government declares the amount of grant that can be given to the people from the minority community. They also set aside a chunk of money for the upliftment of the community and for their economic and social well-being. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistant (CFDA) website provides detailed information about minority grants and the application procedure. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is another government website which lends money to those programs which benefits the minority communities. While applying for the minority business grants, the applicants should be aware of the fact that government provides grants only to those programs that have wide reaching, replicable as well as sustainable benefits for the eventual grant beneficiaries. Even the U.S Department of Commerce has the Minority Business Development Agency (MDA) which assists entrepreneurs who belong to minority community. They provide well needed assistance and tips on the procedure of starting a business of one’s own. The MDA also lends its support to the small minority business enterprises (MBE) in different aspects of business like making marketing plans, providing technical assistance and also in areas of financial planning. Minority business grants are also available from private foundations, particularly those already grounded in service to the minority problems. The Chamber Of Commerce is another vital resource for communications. There are various grant writers who have requisite specialization in the specific areas, such as SBIR/STTR or manufacturing assistance grants.

So, the business grants for minorities are indeed a big impetus to the minority business community who not only benefit from these grants but can take this opportunity to prosper in their life and move forward!

Grant writing - Important element to obtain grant

Federal Government is very much keen to strengthen the weaker section through different kind of grants. Grant is as such a kind of fund help extended to many defined areas. The organizations who are seeking for government fund assistance need to be abided by the set rules and procedures formulated for such purposes. Unless you are fully aware of these, your efforts to get government grant will not yield any results. This is really important to know every tidbit of government grants and to act accordingly. In the process grant writing plays the key role. There are some basic formats of grant writing. This of course varies from case to case. Grant writing for private and corporate foundation is different than government grant writing. There are many important areas which are to be distinctly focused. After all you need to turn attention of government grant approving agency in meaningful ways within the defined frame work. Both over statement and under statement is to be avoided. It needs to be crisp and to the point and fit to the exact requirement of format designed for the purpose Philanthropic and nonprofit social organizations and business organizations are treated differently. The requirement for grant writing is also different. The primary objective, mission, organization structure, projected grant help and all other pertaining issues are the key elements for grant writing. Your knowledge and information strength guide you all through in proper kind of grant writing. Grant writing need to be supported by relevant facts and figures. Once you can present your fund need in appropriate ways you will have distinct possibility of getting grants.

Grant writing is as such a knowledge based skill job. It involves extensive culture on so many issues. You can do it yourself also provided you are diligent enough to know the art of writing grants from government and private corporate houses. Grating agencies initially provide you with the basic information required for writing grants. But this is not the end of the matter. You need to extensively work on that basic information and build up your strength in writing grants appropriately. Giving full coverage to the basic elements in most attractive and desired ways is an absolute necessity. Grant writing is also a time related issue. It is subjected to time to time changes. Your area of working needs to be within well specified area of grants. You need to be sufficiently informative about the types of grants, annual quantum of grants available in the budget and its awarding mechanisms. Knowledge about your competitor’s strength and weaknesses will give you added advantage in grant writing. There is so many such micro issues are taken into account as a safe guard measures in writing grants.

It is also a matter of fact that grant giving agencies are equally concerned about giving grants to prospective organizations to ensure the grant objectives are well met. They usually hold lots of seminar and workshop on the art of writing grants. You can attend to those and build up your strength in writing grants. Professional bodies are also available who are out and out conversant and skill in writing grants.  If you are real contender for grants you adopt any such practices for obtaining grants either from government or private corporate houses.