Gold will continue to shine in 2013!

2012 was the eleventh consecutive year in which the price of gold has increased. End of 2002, one troy ounce (a little over 31 grams) of gold was worth just under $ 400. Today, you will pay $ 1,700 for the same amount of gold. It has long been the gold price rises. Is it time to take profits? Apparently not. Some analysts predict that 2013 will be a year of gold and hence any one may expect the uptrend of gold. Demand for gold may have declined in the third quarter and the following weeks, but chances are that 2013 is a good year for the precious metal.

The analysts see two reasons. First, we note that many central banks continue to run the printing press. History shows that it is associated with an increase in the price of gold. The second reason is the debt crisis, especially in Europe but also in the United States, where budget discussions are intense. Anyway, it seems that 2013 will be a year of great uncertainty, and it is always a fertile ground for potential gold boom. But predicting the price of gold over the next few months or years would be like trying to read the future in coffee grounds. However, most experts believe that gold will exceed the $ 1,800 mark in 2013. The biggest optimists even see the yellow metal flirting at $ 4,000 and more. Do you think gold will reach new heights in 2013 yet?

Stock market and Cyber attacks!

You probably agree with me that the stock market is not exactly a model in terms of evolution controlled. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the latest to have lived a chaotic Monday. The volume was low that day because of its 216 trading 3825 shares was suspended. Indeed, the motor trading Exchange not working properly. Trading engine seems to be something complicated. One can imagine that it might fail. But the boundary between technical complexity and incompetence is subtle. Transaction volumes and high frequency put more pressure than ever on the hardware that manages exchanges in the world. This is an arms race. And exchanges cannot keep. There is also the problem of attacks on the Exchange since places like 'Partisan' and 'Siberia'.

These are not real places of course. But it is logical that we highlight here. Anyone with a keyboard, modem and computer skills can target the stock market or individual for malicious purposes. A man has been jailed in Hong Kong for conducting an attack distributed denial of service (DSD) on the news website of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. DSD in an attack, the server maintains a website is overwhelmed by so many requests at the same time it stops. There was not any site. This was when ads are published sensitive price changes. The stunt Tse Man-lai was forced to stop the Exchange trading of eight titles including HSBC. You cannot have a regulated market where some investors have access to information that could affect the prices and other cannot. The attack was totally a publicity stunt because Tse runs a company of cyber security software product anti-DSD. He took screenshots of the website after the attack, hoping to use for future marketing campaign. Its purpose was to show how much damage an attack could cause DSD your business and the importance of having the right software protection.

Few Financial Mistakes We Should Avoid!

Regardless of our income, financial situation or lifestyle, it is wise to manage personal finances and avoid unnecessary spending. Many people do not pay enough attention to where their hard-earned money goes. Here is a compilation of some financial mistakes and tips to avoid them.

Credit card Usage:

 According to famous economist, a credit card is an essential financial tool, but only when it works for you and not vice versa. The credit card allows you to make online payments, regulate your purchasing power, to accumulate rewards points and build a solid credit rating. By cons, it is easy to fall into the traps when you are in financial pressure. Avoid all cash advances, unpaid balances, minimum payments and late payments in a credit card. These are all ways leads you to get into debt and sullying your credit reputation. It is also necessary to handle the number of credit cards and their limits as they may hurt you when you apply for a car loan or mortgage.

Budget:

 Do not holding a personal budget is a mistake that could cost you without you even knowing it. Holding a budget is your advantage to take the time to analyze your income and expenses and then focus on what is important to you. A budget is not synonymous with austerity, but prosperity, because knowing where your money goes and you can avoid unnecessary leaks profit pleasures (restaurants, trips, outings and other). 3. Not realize that the "little expenses" add up quickly. You maybe realize or not, but daily losing $ 3 is more than $ 1,000 annually, enough to pay for a trip! Day to day, these expenses seem innocuous, but your budget will prove just the opposite. A simple change in your habits will save you considerable sums.

Financial commitments:

When you make financial commitments such as buying a house, a car or even furniture, make sure you do not live on the edge of your means. The game plan here is in case of a loss of income that would stretch or if an increase in interest rates and therefore monthly payments. Live to the nearest dollar that you do bring additional stress and not happiness.

 Having an emergency fund:

 Would you be able to find $ 2,000 to repair your car in case of mechanical failure? Can you able to pay $1,000 for unexpected medical expenses? In addition to a transaction account (also called checking account) and a savings account, you should have an account for emergencies to bet the contingencies of life. Do not rely on your credit card to fix these problems because you risking to pay the price. Do take advantage of discounts: Without falling into consumerism, trying to find good deals when shopping. Competitive traders such as banks, dealers, supermarkets, shops, tour operators and others cut their prices to have you as a customer, so enjoy. Just be careful: a discount is not necessarily a bargain!

Open a joint bank account:

 Love is blind, it is known. Opening a joint bank account may seem like a good idea when the relationship is doing well, but when things escalate, you may regret your decision. Make arrangements just between you and your spouse and think twice before opening a joint bank account. Avoid unnecessary bank charges: Paying a withdrawal fee is an aberration! Try to withdraw money from ATMs of your bank and take larger amounts to avoid annoying situations. In addition, you will be less likely to spend the cash on you compared to a credit card.

Take advantage of tax cuts:

 When you make investments or save money, you use all the financial vehicles available to save tax? The government offers a variety of products for tax saving which are tax-advantaged. Contribute the maximum to those who make the most sense for your situation.

Plan your future:

 We are good at planning things trivial: dinner with friends, a romantic evening or a weekend with the family, but how much time does we spend planning our future? Buying a house, organizing a major trip, planning a career or studies are all crucial decisions. Make sure you think about and plan for your future that is to your liking.

Growth of Asian Market and The Foreign Banks -2

To be effective, it must decide which customer segments used in priority, identifying those with critical size enabling it to recoup its costs and commercial structure including compliance. Segmentation can be based on criteria level of wealth (affluent, HNWI, UHNW individuals), the nationality of the customer (onshore vs. offshore) of origin of the fortune (inherited vs. built).... To gain a foothold in the Asian market, European banks may for example choose to serve priority customers offshore, composed of customers 'Western' wishing to invest in Asian markets. Once established brand and the breakeven point is reached, they can explore the opportunity to develop their offer to the onshore market to take advantage of its growth potential. Along with this customer segmentation, banks must be able to provide services to both heritage and professionals to cover all customer needs.

 This is the strategy chosen by most of the Wealth Management companies and has implemented procedures for cooperation between its teams Corporate Investment Bank and Wealth Management Asia able to better serve its customers easy. The customer has one contact for all of his professional and private issues. Beyond the added value to its customers, this cooperation allows commercial expansion through effective cross-selling. A client passes to sell his company will benefit from the expertise of the investment bank while new cash from this sale will be managed by the private bank. This type of organization seems particularly suited to the Asian market. Finally there is the question of the mode of entry of banks in the Asian region. They must assess their strengths locally before deciding how to layout and the level of investment involved.

Have one or more business lines deployed in the region? If so, then the bank will definitely enjoy cross-selling, sharing clients or synergies information system for pooling certain fixed costs and limit the cost of customer acquisition. Otherwise, it may proceed by external acquisition targets but are now rare or even the possibility of a partnership with a local bank. Development potential of private banks in Asia is considerable. European players must be put in working order now to operate profitably. Failing recipe, everyone must identify its forces in the region to implement the business model that will allow it to serve more efficiently and at the best price a demanding clientele. The future global ranking of private banks certainly depends on their success or failure in the conquest of Asia.

Growth of Asian Market and The Foreign Banks -1

Asian customers (High Net Worth - fortune exceeding $ 1.2 million) whose assets are managed by private banks are characterized by two seemingly contradictory characteristics: they are often multi-banked (placement of their assets in three different banks in average) and require that they know their banker properly understand and analyze their needs. But this is only possible if the private banker has a panoramic view of their heritage. These paradoxes highlights a caution or distrust in the relationship between these millionaires and their private bank and draw one of the issues of private banks in Asia to win the trust of their customers so that they reveal their greater part their assets. To this is the case of the most of the Asian millionaires, who are often entrepreneurs who made their fortunes recently and still active.

 Their personal and professional heritage issues are intimately linked. A 360 ° view of the customer means not only knowing all his private fortune, but also its heritage and professional goals. This is why banks manage to take their game will be those able to offer comprehensive solutions covering both the financing needs of active professional that needs investment and transfer of private wealth. The first challenge is the recruitment, including front office positions: private bankers. To (re) establish a relationship of trust with their customers and convince them reveal all of their assets, private banks must recruit the best private bankers. There is strong demand on the part of banks, but the supply is low on the side of private bankers since the business of wealth management in Asia is still young. Private bankers represent a significant cost for the banks because they are rare and expensive to attract and retain.

To fully leverage the talents banks must redesign their business processes so that they are dedicated to the most pure and rewarding business tasks at the expense of more administrative tasks or support. The second challenge is that of customer segmentation to provide highly personalized services but profitable for the bank. The conclusion is that a bank cannot profitably serve all customer segments with a special offer.