What's so hot about the Sensex?

It is the benchmark index for the Indian stock market. It is the most frequently used indictor while reporting on the state of the market.

The index has just one job: To capture the price movement. So a stock index will reflect the price movements of shares while a bond index captures the manner in which bond prices go up or down.

If the Sensex rises, it indicates the market is doing well. Since stocks are supposed to reflect what companies expect to earn in the future, a rising index indicates investors expect better earnings from companies.

It is, therefore, also a measure of the state of the Indian economy. If Indian companies are expected to do well, obviously the economy should do well too.

In case you are wondering why a stock market index has a provocative term like Sensex, let me tell you it stands for something quite mundane -- The Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index.

What is the Sensex made of?

Thirty stocks. That's right. Just 30 stocks tell you how the market is faring.

Before you throw up your hands in protest, there is something you should know about these 30 stocks.

For one, they are the most actively traded stocks in the market. In fact, they account for half the BSE's market capitalisation (To understand the term market capitalisation, read What's in a share? Money!).

Besides, they represent 13 sectors of the economy and are leaders in their respective industries. Now that sounds fair, doesn't it?

Who selects these 30 stocks?

They are selected by the Index Committee.

This committee consists of all sorts of individuals including academicians, mutual fund managers, finance journalists, independent governing board members and other participants in the financial markets.

What is Online Forex Trading ?

Forex, short for foreign exchange, is trading where the commodity is not stocks or shares, but currency.
The return for the investor is not in the value of the currency per se, but rather the relative exchange value of one currency against another currency. Therefore Forex trading is always expressed in currency pairs such as US dollars and UK Sterling or US dollars and Euros.
By simultaneously buying and selling pairs of currencies, the investor/speculator hopes to cash in on favorable exchange rate fluctuations. Like the interaction of gravity and airborne objects, though, exchange rates go down as well as up. The trick in the black art that is Forex trading is accurately forecasting the direction of the fluctuation between two currencies. Change is frequently rapid and influenced by world events and a multitude of other factors such as oil prices, interest rates and economic climates.
The objective of any Forex trader, naturally, is to make a profit when the value of the currencies changes in favor of the investor. Plenty people certainly think that’s the case; the Forex market is daily worth on average in excess of $1 trillion. This staggering volume of buying and selling of currency makes Forex trading around 50 times larger than all the futures markets combined!
So how do you make money in this massive marketplace? For example, suppose you had $100 and bought Euros when the exchange rate was two Euros to the dollar. You would then have 200 Euros. If the value of Euros against the US dollar increased then you would sell (exchange) your Euros for dollars and have more dollars than you started with. This scenario, simple as it is, is the nub of Forex trading – buying and selling currency when exchange rates move in the right direction.
Now, all this sound fine and dandy, but what are the risks? Surprisingly, compared with other money market trades, the sheer scale of the Forex market ensures greater price stability and better leverage. With built-in protection in the form of automatic limits for buying and selling, safety margins and other risk protection measures the likelihood of ending up in the red even when the Forex market is volatile is infinitely reduced.
But all Forex traders should note that the market is one of the most liquid around and subject to strong currency trends. While leverage figures of 100:1 are often times quoted, without adequate risk protection in place the pendulum swing between profit and loss can be stark. Even veteran Forex traders can be caught out and take large hits from time to time. With this type of investor speculation, the golden rule must be: don’t risk what you can’t afford to lose.
More - Online Forex info:
Forex Trading | Online forex trading

Foreign Investment in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a relatively new destination to think of when planning for your retirement, but its popularity as a retirement location has been growing exponentially. Reasons for its new popularity include but certainly are not limited to the near perfect weather, absolutely gorgeous beaches and golf courses and of course the great exchange rates for Americans. These factors combined with the fact that because the Dominican Republic is a relatively new developing country, it is extremely affordable in most areas, it is safe to assume that its popularity will only be increasing further in the near future.

When choosing a retirement location, one of the most important factors that people consider is if they were to purchase property there, how easy it would be for them to obtain a mortgage and what kind of rates they should be expecting to pay. This is important to investors since international mortgaging is different in every country and it can sometimes be difficult to find information on it that can be trusted. If you are one of the many visitors interested in purchasing property in the Dominican Republic, and are looking to finance. Get ready to be shocked! Mortgage rates in the Dominican Republic are typically around 20% and can sometimes be as high as 26% and are almost always totally adjustable. Even worse news is that you are going to be purchasing properties with U.S. Dollars; however financing in the Dominican Republic must be done in pesos! Since exchange rates are constantly changing, the amount you are paying for a home is constantly changing, making it impossible to know what is really being paid for the home that was suppose to cost say $150,000.

However, if the Dominican Republic is where your heart is set on for real estate purchasing, there are ways to avoid these outrageous mortgages. The best option is available to those people who own assets or have property in the U.S. If this is the case, the best thing to do is refinance the property that is owned in the United States and use that cash to purchase property in the Dominican Republic. Reasons for doing this are endless including interest rates in the single digits, up to 100% of appraisal value available, and interest payments and taxes on the property in the US are tax deductible.

When purchasing real estate anywhere, there is a lot to consider but especially when looking outside your own country. The Dominican Republic is a great place to retire with affordable properties and beautiful areas, however financing through the United States is definitely the way to go when purchasing property in the Dominican Republic.

The recent appreciation of rupee by 9 percent between
August 2006 and April 2007 is affecting Indian exporters
severely.

With cheaper US dollar, it is feared that the imports are going to increase. Currently imports are on the higher side with 35 percent while exports have registered a growth of 22 percent.

This trade deficit will put pressure on foreign exchange earnings. In this situation, exporters are withdrawing from entering new contracts as the booming retail sector seems an easy option.

Federation of Indian Exporters Organization President Ganesh K Gupta was concerned with this situation and expressed hope that Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath would address exporters' cry in Foreign Trade policy while the Reserve Bank of India would look into the issue in the forthcoming credit policy.

Ganadipathi

गणपथी पप्पा मोरीया
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THE SCIENCE OF GANESHA

Everything in Hinduism begins with the worship of Lord Ganesh, who is installed as the main Deity in Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapathi Devasthanam (Ganesh Temple). With an elephant head and human form, he represents universality of creation. All creation is said to begin with Sound, and He is that first Sound OM or pranava in which mantras are born. When Shakti (Energy) meets Shiva (Matter) both Ganesh (Sound) and Lord Skanda (Light) are born. This is the scientific basis of this part of Hinduism.
(Hindu Temple Society of America.