Written on July 3, 2011 by Cheryl Rankins
The other day I went to a vintage clothing shop with a friend. I needed some simple summer staples: tank tops, skirts, shorts. I don’t like shopping for clothes, so I always try to go with friends who enjoy it and are better at finding great stuff than I am.
This is as high-priced as clothes shopping ever gets for me. I get most of my wardrobe from clothing swaps and the Salvation Army, but once in awhile I find myself in need of something specific and go shopping. I found a few nice tank tops that were reasonably priced, and a few pairs of pants for my husband. Mission accomplished.
I also found a ridiculous dress. It’s a bright blue flapper-style minidress. My friend tried it on, and when it didn’t fit her she urged me to give it a whirl. It fit perfectly. I’ve wanted a flapper dress since high school, and never had one.
But I wavered. After all, I don’t need a silly dress. It wasn’t
Read more…
Posted in Financial Glossary | Comment Now!
Written on July 2, 2011 by Wiley Hayden
In May, the ZEW economic sentiment will probably have deteriorated, just like the US ISM manufacturing index and the ifo business expectations. The DAX has continued to recover from the slump caused by the disasters in Japan. Moreover, the euro has depreciated and crude oil prices have gone down. However, German yield spreads have narrowed, as long-term interest rates have decreased, while short-term interest rates have risen. EMU consumer confidence could have continued deteriorating in May.
On Monday, Eurostat will publish the final EMU HICP data for April. We expect the preliminary estimate of 2.8% to be confirmed.
Read more…
Posted in Financial Consultant | Comment Now!
Written on July 2, 2011 by Wiley Hayden
Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed the week at the end of the trading day Friday with its biggest weekly gain in two years.
The S&P rose 5.6 percent for the week. The DJIA also fared well, up 5.4 percent for the week, while the NASDAQ added 6.2 percent. The performance for all three indexes was their biggest percentage gain since July 2009.
Volume was light in advance of the Fourth of July holiday.
With a boost from a report showing that U.S. manufacturing growth unexpectedly picked up in June and with Greece moving closer to averting a default, the American stock market ended an already-strong note on a bullish note. The S&P 500 closed the trading day up 18.67 points, for a 1.41 percent gain, to 1,339.67.
The S&P 500 climbed one percent the day before, on Thursday, completing its biggest four-day gain since September. The positive news from manufacturing and Greece on Friday provided another boost.
Read more…
Posted in Financial Consultant | Comment Now!
Written on July 2, 2011 by Cheryl Rankins
This summer is my first attempt at full-scale gardening. This is the first year I’ve lived in a house with a yard; previous gardening efforts were limited to containers of herbs and the odd tomato plant, on windowsills or apartment patios. To complicate matters, it’s my first year living in New England, so the climate is new (and frightening). We had an intensely bitter winter, in which my backyard was buried under five feet of snow from January through the end of March. Then we had an intensely rainy and chilly spring.
Container gardens can be a good way to start.
I knew this first year would be an experiment, so I approached it as such. In February, I began collecting seeds (heirloom and/or organic when possible), with the idea to plant one or two of everything and see what took. Her
Read more…
Posted in Financial Glossary | Comment Now!
Written on July 2, 2011 by Julia Woodard
Forex Pros – pros The U.S. Dollar was lower against the Swiss Franc on Monday.
USD/CHF was trading at 0.8472, down 0.09% at time of writing.
The pair was likely to find support at 0.8298, Wednesday’s low, and resistance at 0.8526, Friday’s high.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar was down against the Euro and the Japanese Yen, with EUR/USD gaining 0.25% to hit 1.4561 and USD/JPY falling 0.10% to hit 80.75.
Posted in Financial Planning | Comment Now!