Robinhood Trading Platform for Stocks & Funds | Options | Gold | Crypto

December 13, 2020

Statista analysis indicates that an increasing number of Americans participate in online trading and investing services. A report published by Alexander Kunst in January 2020 reveals that almost 12.30% of respondents between the ages of 18 – 29 have used trading services over the past 12 months [2018 data]. This forms part of a broader trend which accelerated in 2019, and hit all-time highs in 2020, owing to global lockdowns, and the rampant popularity of retail trading services like those offered through Robinhood.

In the days of old, institutional brokerages, fund managers, investment analysts, and financial advisors cajoled traders and investors with specific stock options that they were promoting. Nowadays, the self-service mindset prevails. Thanks to powerful stock trading platforms with real-time pricing, rapid execution of trades, and a functional set of algorithmic stock screening tools, retail traders are able to bypass traditional channels with the go-it-alone option. Robinhood certainly warrants a closer look, as this trading platform is one of the leading service providers in the industry.

The company’s mission – its raison d’être – is stated as follows:

‘to democratize finance for all. We believe that everyone should have access to the financial markets, so we’ve built Robinhood from the ground up to make investing friendly, approachable, and understandable for newcomers and experts alike.’

Their marketing initiatives revolve around the concepts of ‘commission-free investing’, ‘unlimited commission-free trade in stocks, ETFs and options’, ‘Trade in Real Time’, ‘Get free stock’ and the option to, ‘Earn 0.30% APY on your own invested cash’, among others. These are bold claims which need to be put the test before you register, deposit and trade with Robinhood. Day trading experts have thoroughly scrutinized Robinhood’s trading platform from top to bottom.

There are certainly merits to registering with Robinhood, but there are several shortcomings which need to be highlighted for a more balanced assessment of this hugely popular platform. A good place to begin is Investing Basics with Robinhood. The resource-rich library of trading information features a wealth of data to help make informed trading decisions. The all-encompassing body of knowledge covers a broad range of topics such as:

Picking an investment
How to start investing for as little as $1
What’s the purpose of a diversified portfolio?
I’m in my 20s – how should I approach investing?
Three charts that help explain this your stock market volatility
The stock market has been super volatile – how can I make sense of it?

Wide Range of Trading Resources to Implement

As a new trader, these types of didactic materials are extraordinarily helpful. They provide easy-to-understand explanations of complex trading material. From a trader’s perspective, these ‘insider insights’ have the effect of fast-tracking the learning curve so that you can get started with day trading and investing activity at Robinhood.

The fee schedule is worth exploring further. Robinhood makes some pretty bold claims about its low-cost fee structure. For detailed insights, it’s best to pull up the support content and run a rudimentary search for ‘Fees’. Robin Hood claims that they don’t charge foreign transaction fees, there are no inactive account fees, there are no in-network ATM fees, and there are no maintenance fees. They also don’t charge card replacement fees and there are no transfer fees when moving money between banks and your brokerage account.

However, deeper investigation reveals a PDF file known as ‘Robinhood Financial Fee Schedule’. this details the complete fee schedule, including gold pricing mechanism, and cash management fees. For example, for US listed stocks an over-the-counter securities and options there is a $0 commission for Robinhood, however there is a $75 fee for outgoing transfers, and ACATS have a $20 charge for domestic overnight check delivery transfers.

In terms of regulatory trading fees, clients will be charged $22.10 per $1M of principal sells only. There is also a TAF charge of $0.000119 per share and $0.002 per contract for options. The fee will be no greater than $5.95. For services, there are fees on paper statements ($5) paper confirms ($2), domestic overnight mail ($20, and) international overnight mail ($50).

Gold pricing comes with hefty fees, and there are legacy pricing options for various account sizes. For example, at the low end of the spectrum, account sizes valued at $2000 – $3000 can have a cost per 30 days ranging between $6 and $10. This depends on the buying power and instant deposit you opt for. At the high end of the spectrum which is $50,000 +, the cost for 30 days can range between $10 and $200. It is important to assess your specific account size, your buying power and instant deposits, and the attendant costs thereof.

What about Robinhood and Penny Stocks Trading: The Make or Break Factor

From a day trader’s perspective, portfolios less than $25,000 are subject to specific restrictions. If you are the type of trader who prefers to open and close multiple trades during the month, you will find these limitations discouraging. Perhaps the biggest bugbear with Robinhood is the availability of really low cost stock options for everyday traders looking to capitalize off price movements. This naturally brings penny stocks into the reckoning. The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) defines penny stocks as tradable securities valued at under $5 per unit. Naturally, there are penny stocks on Robinhood, but they are only listed stocks, not OTC stocks or pink sheets.

As many stock trading aficionados know, the vast majority of penny stocks – low-cost stock options – are not necessarily listed on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ. A mix of reputable and dodgy options abounds OTC and as pink sheets. None of these is available to you at Robinhood. In a way, this serves as a protection mechanism since listed stocks with exchanges are subject to more stringent reporting requirements then OTC penny stocks and pink sheets which are not subject to those constraints. But, you miss out on a large chunk of the penny stocks market.

Another issue which may occur from time to time is timely trade executions. For low-cost options, such as Tier 2 stocks [$0.01 – $0.99 on exchanges] a delay in getting a real market price quotation can mean the difference between success and failure. It is absolutely imperative that stop losses and take profit orders hit as close to the set targets as possible. Unfortunately, our experience shows that Robinhood is not always on target, with trades executing well outside the defined parameters. This is definitely something that you want to take into consideration as a penny stocks trader. It is less significant in higher-priced equities if the order misses by a few cents.

There are notable penny stocks available on the Robinhood trading platform, such as NYSE: AMC, NASDAQ: AYTU, AMEX: UAVS, NASDAQ: WTRH, NASDAQ: WPRT, NASDAQ: CLSK, and NASDAQ: TTPH, among others. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to get started with Robinhood, and they will even offer you a chance at winning a free stock when you register online.

The way you trade will determine the type of account that is best suited to you at Robinhood. If you’re the type of trader who needs telephone support, you won’t find it at this trading platform. And the app is less than perfect, given that it has repeatedly failed. This can certainly work against you as a mobile trader. Our biggest bugbear with the platform lies in its stock quote data updating schedule. This is not always a real-time quote, and that is a problem with penny stocks.

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How Much Can You Earn Writing Essays for Students?

December 13, 2020

First of all, why would a student need an essay written? Isn’t that cheating? No, not really. It could be considered more of a grey area, and here is why. A student should be graded on the work they do because it shows what they have learned, but does it really?

A quiz or discussions are a great way to see what a student has learned, but a paper that involves researching or the student gets to pick the essay topic, all they are doing is showing they have research and writing skills.

Some schools use APA format while others use MLA. This can be really confusing, especially if a student is used to another format. Getting a paper written can provide a top-notch example for the student to follow for future papers. Because the student is having you write the paper, instead of finding a random one on the internet, there is no chance of plagiarism. Plagiarism is what schools and teachers REALLY go after.

It is basically a form of theft. This alone can make students really wary and even scared about writing a paper. When you write a paper for a student, you give the student confidence that they will have a plagiarism free paper that has great spelling, grammar and correct formatting. You are providing them with a template for all their future papers. Sometimes students need papers written strictly due to time constraints.

They may be going to school and working and had to pick up extra hours or had additional homework in another class. They may have been ill, or in the hospital, or had to take care of a sick family member. Whatever is going on, they know they don’t have the time to do it, even though they know the material and how to write a paper. Students are humans too, we all things come up and we all need a little help now and then.

How do you find students that need essays written?

There are several ways to find students that need essays written. There are sites like upwork.com or freelancer.com where a student may post a “job ad” saying they need an essay written, the due date and how much they can pay. You can also find some orders on Reddit. For instance, some redditors post their essay requirements in essay writing service subreddits, so you can find some new orders on Reddit from time to time. Once you write one, then you may even get requests from friends of clients whom they have referred. You can even check craigslist or other sites out there.

Popular essay writing services are always on the lookout for professional writers. That said, you can try to contact one of the essay writing services that are out there to see if they hire any new writers. If you don’t know where to start, legitwritingservices.com has a list of the most popular essay writing services that Reddit users love. These writing companies have been on the market for years and they typically serve as an intermediary between students and freelance writers. Such companies don’t typically have in-house writers, so they’re more than willing to hire freelancers.

Okay, so how much money can I actually make doing this?

The answer is it varies. On sites such as freelancer and Upwork, you can talk and message with your potential client and come up with a price that is agreeable to both parties. You will know upfront what they are wanting to offer, but negotiation is always possible. A lot of times they will want to go with the most cost-saving person, however meeting deadlines is always crucial. A lot of the essay sites have calculators.

The average essay, ranging about a thousand words, will run about $50.00 for a student, so you can expect around $30 to $40.00 of that. The best option though is to find your clients directly so that you get all of the profit and don’t have to share with a third-party website. Even with Upwork, if someone charges $20, they only actually see $16.00 of it. Some people will charge around $25 a page. Others charge around $40-$50 for 1,000 words.

There have been articles written on small business.com and talk-business.co that says you average $9-$15 a page. If you are a talented writer working as a freelancer, you can write college level papers for $20 to $40 a page. There are some writers out there that can make $500 to $1,000 a week. If you are a complete writer and have no math skills whatsoever, that means you can make $2,000 to $4,000 a month.

Starting out though, I would anticipate only fifty to a hundred a week, so $250 to $400 a month. The odds that you will start out making thousands is really rare, so estimate low. As you get more repeat clients and your clients start giving you word of mouth referrals, your sales and work will go up, meaning so will your profit.

If you use a website to find students to write for, your work may be a little steadier than if you go the freelance route. Keep in mind a lot of schools are going to an online format, so a lot of students get about a paper a week. Another thing to keep in mind while you are writing papers for students and earning money doing it, is who is keeping track of your pay?

You will have to file taxes as a freelancer where you report. Your income. If you go on a site and have a third party involved your wages are likely tracked. If you go completely rouge and freelance by yourself, you will have to keep track of your earnings. According to freelancetaxation.com, once you earn $400.00 you need to report your freelance income on your taxes.

However, the same list has a list of items that you can likely deduct as business expenses including equipment, phone and internet, electric, office supplies and so on. The IRS of course has a site for freelancers to help with figuring out what to file, what kind of employee you are and what forms you may need.

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How to Start 2021 on the Right Financial Foot

December 12, 2020

If you didn’t accomplish any of your personal finance–related resolutions for 2020, you aren’t alone. Few could have anticipated the year full of protests and political upheaval that challenged the economy in more ways than one, and even fewer could have predicted the rise of a virus that would spark a global pandemic. You might not feel that you and your family are in a strong financial position at the end of this year, but you shouldn’t feel that 2021 will play out the exact same way — especially if you make a concerted effort to start 2021 right.

While your precise financial plans will depend on your unique financial situation and goals, here are a few tips for starting out on a stronger financial footing in the New Year:

New Year, New Budget

Everyone knows that the budget is the backbone of financial stability — but most people misunderstand how to use a budget properly. Budgets aren’t documents that you set and forget. As your life changes, you should be sitting down to change your budget accordingly.

If you haven’t touched your budget in months, you should take the New Year as an opportunity to start your budget anew. To begin, you should take the time to think and talk about your financial goals for the New Year. Goals will vary depending on your age and your position in life; you might want to save up for a college degree or a down payment for a house, or you might set a goal for replenishing your emergency savings or increasing your income.

Using personal finance software, you should connect your financial accounts to your budget to allow for accurate tracking of income and expenses. You should also commit to revisiting your budget often to check on your progress and ensure you aren’t overspending in certain categories. Throughout the year, you might need to adjust your budget, as your needs, wants and goals shift.

Side Hustles in the Gig Economy

If your career isn’t providing enough income to help you accomplish your financial goals, you might consider acquiring a side hustle. The best side hustles don’t take any energy or resources that you require for your primary career; they might consist of hobbies that allow you to generate extra income or gig work that leverages existing skills and tools at your disposal.

You can start thinking about side hustles that work into your schedule and skillset now and start applying for available positions come January. Even though this is secondary income, you shouldn’t cut yourself short on your wages. In fact, because you won’t be relying on this income to fulfill your needs, you should feel empowered to negotiate for higher prices than you might otherwise risk in your regular career.

Debt Consolidation and Elimination

If your debts increased during 2020, you shouldn’t feel the need to beat yourself up about it — but you should make a plan to consolidate and eliminate your debt in 2021. This will increase your financial freedom beyond 2021, making it easier to reach more difficult financial goals.

There are dozens of strategies for paying down debt quickly and efficiently. Perhaps the most common debt elimination strategies are the snowball and the avalanche. The snowball entails paying down debts starting with the lowest balance and finishing with the highest balance. In contrast, the avalanche arranges debts by interest rate, requiring you to pay down the highest-interest debt first. You can consider either of these options or any other method you find applies appropriately to your lifestyle and budget.

Resume Boosters

Finally, though you might not think of your career credentials as contributing to your financial success, the truth is that certain skills and qualifications vastly improve your earning potential. You might make it a financial goal to pursue certain licensing or advanced degrees to position yourself better within your career ladder. If you aren’t certain how to boost your resume, you might talk to your boss — or better yet, you can search for a mentor within your desired field to give you guidance throughout your career journey.

A certain virus is likely to stop wreaking havoc at some point in 2021, which means the financial hardships suffered by many throughout this pandemic crisis finally have an end in sight. You can put your household in a better financial position by thinking ahead about your goals and taking steps to improve your finances come January 1, 2021.

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5 New Assets To Diversify Your Investments In 2021

December 11, 2020

Introduction

The trade market is one of the most volatile markets that can leave you penniless in just one night. If you are not careful enough, you might see your asset running below the red mark. To ensure that you never face such a scenario, the best way to deal is diversifying your portfolios.

When you are in the trade market, you need to take the smart approach to safeguard your capital investment rather than individual stocks. It is the key area where most of the investors lose their significant sum of money.

This happens when investors put in all their capital investment in one particular asset. No matter how profitable it may seem, investing everything in one asset is the last thing you would like to do in the trade market.

The best way to go around the trade market is to invest some part of your capital in every asset you think will be profitable. This way, you will sharply reduce the risk and will be able to maintain growth during the ups and downs of the market.

New Assets To Diversify Your Investment

Here we have handpicked some of the asset class investments that will help you maintain a stable market position.

Direct Equity

Investing in stocks might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is better to have one of these in your portfolio. Though these are volatile and cater to no guarantee of return, the only silver lining of the equity is that if you can invest in them for the long-term, they deliver higher than the inflation. Which other assets cannot. If you’re eager enough to dive in and get more information about the perks of investing in stocks, you can take the time to check this website. You’ll find plenty of professional reviews to make up your mind and take action

Mutual Funds

Mutual funds are not something that you were expecting from the list. But we still added for the sole purpose of the security that theft provides with your investment. They are highly secure; hence, investors always have them in their portfolios. If you are yet to add mutual funds into your portfolios, this is the high time you do so. With the fluctuating market, you will never have a better opportunity than this.

Real Estates

The real estate market has seen significant growth in the pandemic. People are looking for houses that can keep them safe in the pandemic. This has created a massive market demand. You can take this market fluctuation to your advantage and utilize it as one of the alternative investments. The best part of this asset class is that no matter with age or era you live in, this asset can easily be liquidated.

Invoice Discounting

A brand new asset class, Invoice Discounting, has emerged in the market. It gives investors one of the best options to diversify their portfolio. Investors and traders are showing their trust in this asset because of its very low market volatility.

KredX is an emerging platform that offers Invoice Discounting facilities to its users. It offers a great opportunity to make low risk and high return investments. The tenure of these investments can vary from 30 days to 90 days. You can even say that Invoice Discounting is the best short term investing assets.

Cryptocurrencies

Considering the currency market, investors can venture into the new asset class that has been untethered during the pandemic, Cryptocurrencies. In fact, the price has seen a 500% hike. Cryptocurrencies can be one of the alternatives investors can look out for during the stock market’s downtime.

According to the Global Cryptocurrency market, the Cryptocurrency market will reach $1.4 billion by the end of 2024. With the currency market performance and a sign showing a second successful rally, Cryptocurrencies can be one of the best digital assets to invest in. If you are interested in Cryptocurrency investment and think that Cryptocurrency has the potential to become one of the alternative assets, Visit cryptocurrencies trading.

Bottom Line

In recent years, rapid development in the financial sectors has pushed assets management to the frontlines. This has created a need for sustainable investment assets that can help you with the trade market abnormalities.

2020 will see a radical movement of the assets and will leave a massive dent in the global economy. To ensure that this does not affect your investment plan, Diversify your portfolio before it is too late to do so.

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Why Bitcoin Still Suffers From An Identity Crisis In 2020?

December 11, 2020

Introduction

Useless, Scams, Frauds, Money-Laundering, Illegal Activities, Swindle of the Generation…

For a very long time, a number of people, including some billionaires of repute have used one or the other terms to refer to Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.

While it is true that Bitcoin as a store of value has seen marked improvements, the negative comments do not seem to go away. The question is- Why?

A financial asset, which has returned 100x returns in a short span of time should have been able to shed its negative tag by now. But in reality, it hasn’t.

In this article, we debate whether or not Bitcoin still suffers from an ‘Identity Crisis’ in 2020? We look at some of the leading debates around Bitcoin’s credibility and identity and try to help present and future traders and investors with the information.

Is Bitcoin a Store of Value or a Simple Currency: What you should know

There is no doubt that Bitcoin’s proposition as a store of value has been well-documented. The crypto as a financial asset has surpassed some of the most critical expectations and has been delivering some fantastic returns for its investors.

Even at the height of the pandemic, Bitcoin far outpaced any other financial asset including gold in valuations. This boosted investor confidence leading to the entry of many of the biggest wealth management and investment firms in the world into Bitcoin.

However, while Bitcoin as a store of value is slowly gaining as a credible investment proposition, the same cannot be said of the same in a currency form. The volatility of the prices makes it too risky for merchants and businesses from starting to accept it as a form of payment.

In addition, there are just not enough credible ways like Bitcoin ATMs all over the world, which can allow for easy movement from fiat currencies to Bitcoins or any other crypto.

Some people think that Bitcoin is just like gold and does not hold any currency value. Others believe that it can only be used as a form of payment, without having any inherent store of value.

Is Bitcoin’s Identity Crisis preventing it from going Mainstream?

Yes! Unless Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not able to make their way into growing and developing economies like India, there is no question of its popularity rising to the same levels as Digital Payments or Wallets like Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and others.

It is essential that a constructive step is taken forward by the community, which takes into account offline presence as well. We are talking about merchants, ATMs, and other physical markers, to help in popularizing Bitcoin payments.

Some government insiders state that Bitcoin’s own problems with its network, open-source platforms, and anti-social elements who demand them in hacking incidents are likely to trigger its own downfall.

Being outside governmental regulations means that people think that there is no safety net in the event something goes wrong. This is truer for developing economies that are experiencing their first brush with digital technologies and the internet.

According to the BitIQ Login, the onus on improving the perception lies within the community. The network should work to ensure presence outside exchanges and platforms. This will allow for greater awareness and more participation.

The Final Word

It is true that the entire crypto industry is still very much in its infant stage. Technologies like Blockchain have still not being picked up by many for the potential it carries. There is a lot, which can be done to help change the identity issue of Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin, its concept, and its applications are some of the finest the world has ever seen. It seeks to empower people who have not been included in the world’s financial systems.

As a store of value and as a currency, there are many things, which need to be done to ensure that it is as popular with normal individuals as it is with the billionaires of the world.

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What Is The Concept Of ‘HODL’ Which Everyone Is Talking About In Bitcoins?

December 11, 2020

Introduction

First-time investors in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have often come across the word HODL in several kinds of literature and research materials. They feel that it is an abbreviation, which carries some technical meaning.

However, in reality, HODL in the world is a literal typographical error, which started from a popular thread on a Bitcoin forum. An enthusiast mistyped the word ‘HOLD’ as ‘HODL’ on one of the forum comments.

Ever since then, the word has stuck to popular imagination and is now frequently used as an investing best practice in the world of Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies.

In this article, we go to the finer points of HODL and discuss why it has emerged as one of the strategies, which is frequently ascribed to investors as a way to gain success in the field.

‘HODLing’ Bitcoins: Why is it considered as an Investing Strategy?

The price fluctuations in Bitcoin valuations have often been subscribed to the practice of retail investors short-selling Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.

To break it down, short selling involves sellers buying Bitcoin at a certain price point and then selling it rapidly once the price goes up and down.

They do so for short-term gains or to avoid losses in the immediate future. To prevent this from happening and to gain the best results, HODLing is suggested as a strategy, which will bring heavy returns for investors in the long-term as well as prevent massive price fluctuations from taking place.

Institutional investors that belong to wealth management and investment companies often opt for a long-term strategy and start to official web. They are ready to incur short-time losses in the immediate future with the expectation that the profit margins are going to be huge in the longer format.

Why some Individuals want to HODL and some don’t?

As we have already pointed out in the previous section, HODL is closely related to increasing gains and cutting losses for some. This means that normal individuals who invest small sums and cannot afford to lose their investments don’t want to HODL.

They prefer making a small sum of money (a few thousand dollars) and leave the markets. To cut losses and limit exposure, people dump and liquidate their Bitcoins in trading platforms and crypto exchanges.

For example, if you are an individual who bought Bitcoins at $10000 USD and saw it rise to $13000 USD in a few months, at the first sign of the currency going below the $13K mark, you will start panicking and liquidate your Bitcoins.

This is a typical move made by millions of normal individuals or retail investors who want to profit and avoid losses.

Institutional investors love to HODL! They believe that the promise and potential of Bitcoins are far more. Given their huge financial assets, they are willing to see the industry and the currency mature and set higher expectations. This allows them to mature the cryptocurrencies and enjoy a longer profit spree.

The Bear and Bull Markets and how ‘HODL’ be Examined?

If you have a little bit of knowledge on how financial markets work, you will know about these two terms- Bear Market and Bull Market.

In very simple terms, a Bear Market is characterized by things going wrong. In the specific case of Bitcoins, it can relate to cyberattacks, pandemic, falling exchanges, corruption scandals, and governmental regulations. In such a market, the price gets affected by different factors and the valuation takes a nosedive.

In the Bull Market, a number of factors contribute positively to ensure that the price rises. Some examples are government legalizations, greater investor confidence, and other positive sentiments from industry leaders, which boost the credibility and trust factor.

The Final Word

To say that HODLIng is something only related to the crypto industries is wrong. Closer examination reveals that the same is present across any commodities and financial assets, which can be invested in. What do you think of HODLing? Is it a sound investment strategy or something, which should be looked at and introspected?

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How to Trade News Events in Forex

December 11, 2020

Forex trading under normal market conditions involves a degree of risk, but trading currencies during significant news events can turn out to be even riskier. Major variations on the charts occur because sudden news events or a significant news event’s prospects are not met.

In the initial phase, you will discover that some FX news will influence the entire foreign exchange market, and others will affect some specific currencies. As a fundamental forex trader, you need to understand what news is vital for the currency pair you are trading.

For a domestic currency, reports on employment, interest rate choices, and GDP figures are considered essential news. After figuring out the most important stories, you must observe the market reaction and movements for some time. Patience is what you need here since most currencies do not behave as you anticipated.

One of the biggest challenges in trading forex news is that every FX broker handles trading during volatile reports differently. Some of these brokers have what is termed as a variable spread, while others have a fixed spread.

Trading news events with a fixed spread

Spread refers to the difference between the asking and bidding price. Fixed spreads enable you to foretell the spread cost and establish a trading strategy. Fixed spread brokers often undergo a price slide or a requote. Although fixed spreads do not shift, they differ between currency pairs.

Fixed spreads are unalterable despite price volatility or change in market conditions. The spread offered by a broker is what you pay for. Some of the benefits of fixed spread include:

Transparency and openness
More comfortable to trade news events
Low cost
Protection against market volatility

Trading news events with variable spread

One of the main challenges of trading news using variable spread brokers is that when volatility hits the market, the spread can expand rapidly. As a result, your trade can instantly become negative, regardless of whether the entry price was perfect. Spread expansion is usually restricted, but it’s best to terminate your trade if it becomes too vast. Spread widening often occurs when financial institutions think the risk is too huge to be revealed.

Having this in mind, it is very significant to know your broker’s news trading policies. You might have to review it on a demo trading feature to grasp a clear picture. The most reliable forex brokers have a demo feature, a replica of the live trading feature. The only difference is that the demo version utilizes virtual funds while the live one needs real funds. You can always check live forex signals to be sure that everything is on line and get the perfection position for higher ROI.

Bottomline

Trading news events in the foreign exchange market can be quite productive but also risky. Playing down a news report, or if your trade goes opposite to the plan could have a very negative impact on your account. Professionals recommend trading news in the long term as opposed to short term trading. However, it is still possible to trade news profitably in a short period if you follow closely.

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The STABLE Act – Crypto Gambling’s Death Knell?

December 11, 2020

For over a decade now, the crypto terrain has appealed to innovators eager to explore its potential. Due to its massive growth in the recent past, it is now attracting legislators as well. A newly proposed bill seems set to alter the stablecoin ecosystem at its fundamental level.

Introduced by three congressional Democrats, the STABLE Act, if implemented in its current state, could mark a dramatic turning point for crypto.

Known in full as the Stablecoin Tethering and Bank Licensing Enforcement Act, the bill requires potential stablecoin issuers to get approvals from US authorities. Without approvals from the relevant government authorities, a stablecoin would become illegal.

First, the bill requires issuers to get a federal bank charter. Second, they would need to get the approval of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) six months prior to issuance. And third, they would require FDIC insurance or dollar reserves to back the stablecoins deposited with the Fed (US central bank).

Reigning in US Dollar Tokens

According to the authors of the bill, stablecoins are simply an extension of the shadow banking system, designed to prey on the poor. The legislation, they say, is intended to prevent abuse and opacity in the ecosystem.

But the bill simply appears to be an attempt by US authorities to get on top of US dollar tokens. It comes as no surprise that it has riled up the cryptocurrency community, with opponents expressing concern that its implementation would hinder innovation.

Per the CEO of Circle (USDC issuer), the legislation is “inconsistent with the goals of supporting innovation in the fair and inclusive delivery of payments that comes from stablecoins.” Admittedly, the cost, complexity and time that it would require to comply with this set of rules could be a major headwind to the future of stablecoin issuance.

The passing of the bill would also have a negative impact on stablecoin gambling. This ecosystem is just beginning to thrive after many years of dominance by top cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ethereum.

In view of the challenges posed by crypto gambling, particularly in relation to volatility, digital currency and gambling are a perfect match. Any regulation that hampers the growth of dollar-pegged tokens would cripple the momentum that is currently driving the crypto gambling space to new heights.

However, with the rapid growth of the stablecoin ecosystem, it is highly likely that other jurisdictions will enact friendlier regulations. This would place such jurisdictions in a position to take advantage of the fast-growing marketplace. As such, issuers would have alternatives in other major currencies such as the EUR, GBP or SGD – any that would have more lenient bills.

An Unlikely Bet

In reality though, the STABLE Act is poorly conceived and is not likely to hold water. For starters, the top stablecoins in the market are already subject to a mile-long list of compliance requirements. Adding yet another requirement will not get non-compliant issuers to start playing by the rules.

Second, the bill is impossible to enforce. To illustrate this point, it requires that anyone engaging with stablecoins should do so under the confines of federal regulations. Players in the stablecoin-related ecosystem include decentralized blockchains like Ethereum.

Requiring such a system to get a bank charter is absurd and impossible as it has no central ownership. Therefore, the authority tasked with enforcing the law would have a tough time finding someone to sign the documentation.

The bill also damages innovation. It attempts to force the fiat-backed crypto ecosystem under the overwhelming burden of traditional regulatory frameworks, rather than create new charters for the nascent space.

Furthermore, it holds the potential to weaken the strength of the US dollar globally. At the beginning of September 2020, there was $16 billion worth of dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies. According to Coin Metrics, at the time, these tokens had been adding $100 million daily to their market cap since mid-July.

Thus, the mass migration of stablecoin issuers into alternative major currencies would be a major blow to the US dollar.

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Why is Employee Engagement Important? Tools for Boosting Employee Engagement

December 10, 2020

Searching for effective ways to keep your employees engaged? Why not give them the tools that can empower them? Here, we will discuss some software that can help you with employee engagement. However, before we get to that, what is employee engagement, and why is it important?

For a business’ success, employee engagement is pivotal. By all means, every business needs to give due importance to it to take the company to newer heights. The concept of employee engagement is quite simple. See, as a leader or a manager, it is your prime responsibility to ensure that the people who work for you or your company feel invested in your business. If they do, they will then do everything in their might to ensure that their effort springs profits. Sounds easy? Well, it is easier said than done.

Unfortunately, a recent study showcased that employee satisfaction and employee engagement often rank last in the list for most organizations as far as workplace productivity goes. Now, the big question – what is employee engagement, and why is employee engagement critical?

By definition, employee engagement is the degree of emotional commitment, involvement, and motivation employees feel towards their workplace. The employee engagement, which will determine how invested your workers will be in helping you achieve your company goals, says Natasha, a manager with a company that offers java homework help services. So, naturally, when an organization gives due focus to employee engagement, there will be a favorable employee engagement implication. Consequently, the performance will increase, the work satisfaction rate would be higher, and productivity will improve. So, if you ask us, does employee engagement make the difference? Then, the answer is simple – 100 percent, it does!

A single, engaged employee can significantly contribute to the growth and productivity of an organization. Now, consider a bunch of satisfied, motivated, and engaged professionals working together? Naturally, it will be easier for you to achieve the company goals and materialize your business objectives faster.

So, here, let us take a look at some ways in which employee engagement impacts your business positively.

Better job satisfaction

Having engaged and invested professions is the smartest and the fastest way to boost employee satisfaction. Engaged employees are better satisfied with their job and are happy about their associated responsibilities. James, a team leader with a company offering Assignment Help Australia, says that when the employees are satiated with their assigned roles, they do not hesitate to put additional time and effort into what they are doing.

New and improved work approach

If your subordinates feel disengaged, it means they are not interested in the assigned tasks. It results in lower creativity and inhibitions to take up any challenging task. On the contrary, an engaged employee will always have a creative and innovative approach to materializing the assigned task. Foosball tables can help improve creativity and camarederie in your team.

Better customer experience

The priority for every business ought to be a customer-centric approach. All employees need to focus on employee engagement. It helps you bridge the gap between how your employees are treated and how they treat your customers.

Reduced employee turnover

It is a well-known fact when an employee is engaged; they are more likely to stick to their company instead of switching jobs. Martha, a manager with a company offering the best online excel courses, says that their prime focus is on employee satisfaction and engagement, which is the reason for the low turnover in their company. Yes, when an organization focuses more on employee engagement, you will have more loyal executives who will want to be associated with you for longer tenures. Consequently, the organization can attract quality talent, and you will have better performers in your workplace.

Better productivity

For a business, improved employee productivity software always reaps in better results. If your employees are productive, your business will be more successful. An engaged employee will always be collaborative, innovative, and more dedicated to their work. Consequently, overall workplace productivity will be great.

Now, these are some of the many benefits of employee engagement. But, how can you achieve employee engagement in the organization? Well, it is possible if you in any top-quality employee engagement application. To help you find the best app for the purpose, we have come up with a list of tools that can help you with it.

Best Employee Engagement Tools

Using the right tools can help you empower your employees. It can be helpful in both the long-term and short-term as it eliminates the chances of confusion and chaos in the organization. Further, thorough employee engagement within the organization helps in streamlining the day-to-day processes. This can significantly better the engagement levels in the organization.

Here are a few software tools and solutions, which can help you better employee engagement.

For web conferencing and online meetings – GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is an incredibly powerful and simplistic web conferencing tool that helps businesses host and plan online meetings. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working from home for quite some time, and to communicate with the team, we use the GoToMeeting software, shares Janice, a representative of EduWorldUSA. Using this application, you can collaborate with 100 people at a time. The application enables you to host HD video calls and meetings with participants from all corners of the world.

Top features

Some notable features of GoToMeeting are:

Recording
One-time scheduled meetings
Desktop sharing
One-click meetings
Recording
Recurring meetings
Audio conferencing

Pros

Best for remote employee communication
Best meeting tool
Best screen-sharing experience

Cons

At times, you will experience malfunctions with the video or the audio

Pricing

Their starter pack will cost you 19 USD per month and can host 10 users.
Their pro pack will cost you 29 USD per month and can host 150 users.
Their plus pack will cost you 49 USD per month and can host 250 users.

For HRM – BambooHR

For businesses, one of the most vital departments is Human Resource. So, naturally, you need a tool for Human Resource Management, which is when BambooHR will come in handy. It is an online HRM tool that helps assist end-to-end solutions for new or small companies. Nathan, an HR representative with a company that offers students online java tutors, says that they use BambooHR in their company as it simplifies the process of managing, onboarding, and employee retention in the company. The tool has a very user-friendly UI and is a powerful tool for empowering human resource teams. It can help you better employee engagement as it provides you with the right resource to do the job well.

Top Features

Some notable features of BambooHR are:

Performance management
Centralized employee database
Bonus management
Smart reminders
People and data analytics
Accurate reporting
Applicant tracking system
Absence management
Employee onboarding
Report generation
Custom permissions

Pros

Employees can have role-specific information access
The reporting feature is unparalleled
Simplifies onboarding new employees
Centralized location for useful data

Cons

Limited customization options
Costly

Pricing

The vendor does not disclose the exact plan.

For setting goals and their tracking – Todoist

Next, we have the Todoist tool, a prevalent and excellent to-do list tool. Justin, who works with a company offering TopOnlineAssignmentServices, says that we use the Todoist application at our workplace, which has boosted productivity levels. The tool is designed for aiding teams, professionals, and small businesses to get organized. Consequently, the professionals see an improvement in their productivity, which results in more peace of mind at work. This tool can significantly revolutionize the way businesses operate and will improve coordination at the workplace.

Top Features

Some notable features of Todoist are:

Milestone tracking
Notes management
Customizable templates
Collaboration
File sharing
Time and expense tracking
Task management

Pros

Perfect for small businesses who are unable to invest in a full-time management application
Can be accessed anytime and from any corner of the world

Cons

The free version has minimal features

Pricing

There is a free version, but it has minimal features. Further, there are two more plans available. One is their premium plan, which costs 3 USD per month per user, and the second is their business plan, which costs 5 USD per month per user.

Bottom Line

Hopefully, with this article, you will understand the need and importance of employee engagement for a business. You can employ one or all three of these tools, and you will see a significant improvement in your workplace productivity. It is an undeniable truth that there are so many more tools available for boosting employee engagement. Regardless of the software you pick, just no, no matter the kind and type of business you run, employee engagement is pivotal, and you cannot omit it.

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Borrowing for Christmas – your options explained

December 10, 2020

The festive season is upon us, and amidst all the merriment there are many additional costs that crop up as we each celebrate the holidays in our own way.

According to a 2019 YouGov poll, the average Brit spends around £1,116 on Christmas, with £381.60 going towards presents alone. That’s undeniably a lot of money, but things don’t look set to change this year with people more eager than ever to put 2020 behind them and celebrate in style. It won’t come easy this time, though, as many have been forced to tighten the purse strings owing to a lack of work and tough times brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic.

If you’re trying to prop up your finances in time for Christmas, there are lots of options available to you. Here are some of the best and most popular choices.

1. Arrange an overdraft

Arranging an overdraft for your existing bank account might be among the most convenient ways to access a little extra money, but it could also be one of the most expensive.

Whilst certain bank accounts offer 0% interest on overdrafts under a certain limit, the majority apply some form of interest or charge to both planned and unplanned borrowing. It was only in April of 2020 that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) prohibited banks from charging higher interest rates for unarranged overdrafts than for those that are agreed in advice, but some providers have already responded by raising their interest rates.

Ultimately, an arranged overdraft could help you to buy Christmas presents in a pinch – but don’t expect the borrowing to come cheap.

2. Apply for a credit card

There are quite literally hundreds of credit cards on offer to UK consumers, and many people use this form of borrowing to support increased spending for events including birthdays and Christmas.

One of the most significant advantages of taking out a credit card is that doing so can make it easier to shop online safely. Credit cards are a good form of protection for consumers simply because they offer a good standard of protection against fraud. If the worst happens and your card details are compromised, you won’t be liable for unauthorised charges and can dispute any spurious transactions. Whilst the same dispute process is available to debit card users, you could be temporarily left out of pocket as the bank investigate the ins and outs of your claim.

Putting fraud concerns to one side, credit cards are relatively easy to apply for and some even come with an interest free period for the first few months. That being said, they are more of a long-term solution (since you’ll be setting up a permanent line of credit) meaning that this may not be the ideal option if you are just looking to top up your Christmas spending fund.

3. Take out a short-term loan

Falling somewhere between the convenience of a bank overdraft and the broad selection of credit cards, taking out a short-term loan could help you to cover the costs of Christmas without tying yourself into a long-term credit agreement.

A handy way to access extra cash in a pinch, personal loans are offered by a huge number of direct lenders at competitive rates. To make it even easier to access a loan to pay for Christmas, online credit brokers such as Little Loans make it simple to find the direct lender most likely to approve your application. This means that you won’t have to fill out application after application with no indication of whether you’re heading in the right financial direction.

Covering the costs of Christmas

All in all, UK consumers have quite a bit of choice when it comes to borrowing money. With Christmas just around the corner, taking out a short-term personal loan or agreeing to a bank overdraft could help you to handle the extra costs that come with this season. Just remember not to leave your shopping to the last minute!

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