Stockbroker relationships are breaking up

As if it is not difficult enough to deal with employees siphoning off profits and market forces you cannot control, stocks are bought through a commissionhungry broker. A broker can be an individual you talk to, a telephone system, or a Web site. Nevertheless, your relationship with a broker can be troubling.

A broker makes money each time you buy or sell a stock. The broker profits from both commissions and the spread between the buy and sell price. For example, if you sell 1,000 shares of DUD for $10 each, you pay a commission ranging from $5 at a deep discount online broker to $200 at a full-service broker. The buyer of your shares pays anywhere from $10.02 a share to $10.20 a share. The difference between your selling price and the purchaser’s buying price is the spread. The broker and others pocket the spread in addition to your commissions and the purchaser’s commissions. It is in your broker’s interest for you to make as many transactions as possible.

It is not in your interest, because every transaction costs you money.

Senior-Subordinated Financial Structures

Senior-subordinated structures are referred to as self-insuring structures because they rely on internally generated credit support to protect the investor from losses. Typically, senior-subordinated bonds employ a combination of excess spread, overcollateralization and subordination. Losses are absorbed in reverse priority through the capital structure, first by excess spread, then overcollateralization (OC) and finally via the principal writedown of the subordinated bonds.

As mentioned previously, collateral may be either all fixed or adjustable rate or consist of both fixed and adjustable rate. Credit enhancement structures may be designed to accommodate the different collateral groups. These structures are referred to as I-, H-, or Y-structures.

Type I credit enhancement structures accommodate a single collateral group of either fixed rate, adjustable rate, or mixed loan types.

Both the H and Y credit enhancement structures may be used with multiple collateral groups. The H-structure allows two collateral groups and two distinct subordinated bond groups.

The H-structure can be thought of as two distinct transactions, except that excess interest may be shared between collateral groups to maintain target OC levels and cross coverage of subordinate bonds for triple-A support. Because excess interest is shared between groups, the Hstructure is said to be cross collateralized.

For example, if Group 2’s excess interest is insufficient to cover losses and maintain target OC levels and Group 1 has sufficient excess interest to cover its losses and maintain excess interest, then Group 1’s excess interest may be used to bring Group 2’s OC to the target level.

The Y-structure also allows two distinct collateral groups. However, unlike the H-structure, the Y-structure employs a single subordination group to support both the Group 1 and the Group 2 senior tranches.

Key points of financial essentials

‘Property’ is a term used to describe a legal real property interest in real estate. In economic terms a property can have a value-in-use and a value-inexchange, the latter is an estimate of exchange price.

A property valuation is the process of forming an opinion of value-inexchange under certain assumptions and a market valuation requires those assumptions to establish an open market scenario.

Valuations are required in connection with many activities, chiefly development appraisal, transfer of ownership, monitoring of property investment performance, reporting the value of property assets held by companies, loan security, tax matters and insurance risk assessment.

The diversity of property makes valuation a difficult task, no two properties are ever the same, yet valuation relies on the comparison of properties to give an indication of value. To do this the valuer must be aware of, and be able to quantify, differences in type, location, legal interest, quality and the state of the market.

4 easy steps to prepare yourself for the Crisis

Try to avoid debt whenever it’s possible. Your intention should be to save as much money as you can, so when difficult times come you will be able to live off your savings. Unfortunately the bankruptcy law has been recently changed, so it is more difficult to simply declare bankruptcy.

Secondly, pay off your mortgage quickly, because the housing market will most likely collapse even further. For example, if someone paid $300,000 for a house and then sells it for $200,000, he or she might end up not only not owning their house but also having a $100,000 debt.

It is also a good idea to purchase some inexpensive land in the country area. Build a house, or simply buy a used RV. Anyway, make yourself sure that you are the owner of the house free and clear. This will allow you to live a rent-free and mortgage-free life for as long as it is necessary.

Finally, spend some time developing skills that will always be in demand. You might consider becoming a decent electrician, handy-person, carpenter or even a cook. In times of economic recession there won’t be much demand for people with deep understanding of content management systems, but somebody able to build a house will always have a place to crash.

Countries at risk of a financial crisis

The following types of countries are most likely to be at risk (this is a selection of indicators):

  • Countries with significant exports to crisis affected countries such as the USA and EU countries (either directly or indirectly). Mexico is a good example;
  • Countries exporting products whose prices are affected or products with high income elasticities. Zambia would eventually be hit by lower copper prices, and the tourism sector in Caribbean and African countries will be hit;
  • Countries dependent on remittances. With fewer bonuses, Indian workers in the city of London, for example, will have less to remit. There will be fewer migrants coming into the UK and other developed countries, where attitudes might harden and job opportunities become more scarce;
  • Countries heavily dependent on FDI, portfolio and DFI finance to address their current account problems (e.g. South Africa cannot afford to reduce its interest rate, and it has already missed some important FDI deals);
  • Countries with sophisticated stock markets and banking sectors with weakly regulated markets for securities;
  • Countries with a high current account deficit with pressures on exchange rates and inflation rates. South Africa cannot afford to reduce interest rates as it needs to attract investment to address its current account deficit. India has seen a devaluation as well as high inflation. Import values in other countries have already weakened the current account;
  • Countries with high government deficits. For example, India has a weak fiscal position which means that they cannot put schemes in place;
  • Countries dependent on aid.

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