Author: Staff (Page 13 of 27)

U.S. manufacturing grows

October 2, 2012 / Staff

Recent news on durable goods orders was terrible, but perhaps it was an aberration. This news on manufacturing activity paints a more positive picture.

U.S. manufacturing unexpectedly expanded in September for the first time since May as new orders and employment picked up, but the pace of growth showed the economy was still stuck in a slow recovery.
The Institute for Supply Management said on Monday its index of national factory activity rose to 51.5 from 49.6 in August.
“We’re not quite at the point where things are good, but this indicates strongly that things are not so bad,” said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of Sarhan Capital in New York.
It was the first time since May that the index has been above the 50 threshold that indicates expansion in the sector.
The forward-looking new orders gauge also rose to its highest level since May at 52.3 from 47.1, while employment gained to 54.7 from 51.6.

Overall the news is choppy as the economy struggles to gain traction, but perhaps this good sign can help build momentum.

Economy, General Business

durable goods durable goods orders Institute for Supply Management manufacturing

Making A Long Shot Roulette Bet

August 20, 2012 / Staff

Roulette is all about odds. The game involves placing money on options in the form of chips and receiving a payout on those options based on the probability of their occurence. For instance, choices that are less likely to happen will receive a double payout. Choices with lower odds receive much higher payouts because they’re less likely to happen.

Many people play roulette for the long shot bet, meaning they put money on risky options in order to increase their money by a lot more. This can occur either when a person is playing online or in a no deposit required casino. A no deposit required casino is a casino that doesn’t force a person to load money into an account to play their games of chance. Games of Roulette can be found in any type of casino, and you have the option of betting on longshots, if you so choose.

Photo Courtesy of Fotopedia

Long Shots vs. Safer Bets

A safer bet, such as betting on red or black, even or odd typically intrigues new gamblers. This is the case because there is more of a chance of winning. The Roulette wheel allows almost a 50/50 chance of the bouncing ball landing on one of these options.

Long shots are intriguing because they provide the thrill of risk, while giving larger payouts. This option can be played in a no deposit required casino. Since the odds are greater, a person can multiply their money in greater proportions.

Playing Long Shot Roulette with Insurance

In order to decrease the odds of losing your money, it’s wise to use insurance. Insurance involves placing various bets across the board so that if one or some bets don’t work out, you’ll still win other money to cover it. This strategy keeps you in the game and allows you to place long shot bets without as much worry.

The odds are the odds, so long-shot bets don’t give you a great chance either way. Insurance helps with this, so it’s a wise strategy to implement.

The Rules Remain the Same

The key to remember is that the rules remain the same whether you’re in an online casino, in Las Vegas or making bets at a no deposit required casino. The game remains the same, so you should play it the same way. This makes it important to understand strategies, because they work regardless of how or where you’re playing.

General Business

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Groupon’s evolution – is it a good thing?

August 16, 2012 / Staff

What’s going on with Groupon? The stock has been battered recently. Listen to this video and learn how Groupon’s decision to take on inventory and sell its own products has radically affected its financials along with its stock price.

General Business, Retail, Technology

financial statements Groupon Groupon inventory Groupon revenues Groupon's evolution inventory stock prices

Some signs point to an improving economy

August 10, 2012 / Staff

Things were starting to look pretty grim earlier this summer as job growth slowed and manufacturing activity slowed down, but now we’re starting to see some signs of life in the economy.

After a spring and summer of weak economic indicators, a flurry of fresh data suggest key sectors of the economy might be gaining traction, just as the battle for the White House enters the final round.
The long-moribund housing market has bustled to life, with prices and new-home construction rising in recent weeks. Hiring, so weak earlier this year, picked up last month. And on Thursday, the government reported an acceleration of a downward trend in the number of people seeking unemployment insurance, as well as a sharp improvement in U.S. exports.

The housing news is key, as we were never going to have significant GDP or job growth without reaching a bottom in the housing market as Warren Buffett explained many times.

Economy, Real Estate

economic indicators GDP growth housing market job growth new-home construction unemployment insurance US exports Warren Buffett

Video poker arrives to mix reception in Chicago area

July 25, 2012 / Staff

The expansion of legal gambling continues across the United States. The state of Ohio approved four casinos, and there’s already evidence that the new casinos in Cleveland and Toledo are pulling customers away from casinos in Detroit, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Las Vegas has all sorts of problems as they no longer attract as many high rollers, but as more casinos open across the country that has to have an impact as well.

In Illinois, the state will be rolling out the first legal video poker machines to offer payouts to customers. Now, not everyone in the state will be able to play in their immediate neighborhood, as many local areas including Chicago have their own laws restricting the games. But obviously the new poker games will just be a car ride away for most residents, so expect this to find a market as well. Of course for years poker fans could just look up an online poker guide to find the most popular poker sites and play in the comfort of their own home.

In some ways, all of this just keeps making poker more popular as a game, and that’s good for the entire industry. More players means a bigger pie for everyone to share. But the companies and outlets sharing the pie might be growing faster than the number of new players.

it will be fascinating to see how all of this plays out. With the feds saying they have no jurisdiction here, we could be another round of expanding interest in poker, one of the great all-time games of skill, and many companies can benefit from this.