Many Companies Are Looking At African Investments

By Jim Antonio

In the past, Africa was labeled as a continent stricken with poverty and corruption. Today, the face of Africa has changed dramatically, and a steady stream of foreign investors are staking lucrative claims in its fast growing economy. If you are considering African investments, there is a vast array of opportunities that are worth considering. Foreign capital is now coming into Africa at a rapid rate.

Africa is made up of 53 countries, 50 of which are showing an impressive growth rate. Unlike present economic climates of the western world, most countries in Africa are enjoying a vibrant economy. New opportunities are being created all the time. A major advantage is that about half the population of Africa is below the age of 20 which creates a powerful work force.

Morocco, in North Africa, is one of the most beautiful of all African countries. With a spectacular coastline and awe-inspiring landscapes, it is catching the attention of foreign investors in real estate. Because of its location, the culture in Morocco is a combination of African, Middle Eastern and European.

Botswana is a very investment friendly country. It has attracted investors from the United Kingdom, Portugal, India, China and Mauritius. Investment opportunities include tourism, coal mining, glass products, leather goods and the polishing of semi-precious stones and diamonds.

When it comes to foreign investment earnings in Africa, Kenya enjoys third position, after South Africa and Morocco. The Kenyan government introduced several policies to benefit foreign investors. These efforts have paid off and many investments have been made in Kenya's flourishing tourism industry as well as in its film industry. Kenya has a very stable government which is another encouraging factor.

Investment opportunities abound in South Africa. Previously shunned by the world due to its apartheid era, South Africa is now considered to be the richest country in Africa. One of the world's most respected icons and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, played a major role in convincing the world to prosper from its many resources.

The Nigerian government has also made successful moves to lure foreign income. Nigeria's wealth is largely due to the high cost of oil. Many investors are taking a big slice of this profitable pie by investing in oil companies linked to Nigeria's oil industry. Other choices include unit trusts and investment trusts.

Malawi is another African country that has caused would-be investors to prick up their ears. Those who invest in Malawi's vibrant agricultural industry are enjoying healthy returns. Because of its ideal climate and fertile land, Malawi is making a name for itself as a major food producer in Africa.

Uganda has also joined the race to attract foreign income. With an economic climate that is improving steadily, the government has introduced infrastructures and policies that are bringing in foreign money. One major attraction is that Uganda offers investors complete ownership of their investments. With one or two exceptions, Uganda allows investments in all its economic activities. - 23217

About the Author:

Want to find out more about african investment, then visit the African Infrastructure and Global Connection's (AI&GC) site on how to choose begin investing in this economy.

Forex Trading Tips - The Risk Management Samurai

By Mark Green

When you trade in the forex market without strict rules to manage your cash-flow, you are not trading but in fact gambling. From time to time traders may fall into the trap of buying or selling way too much of a currency pair and risking way too much of the money in their accounts based solely on hunches, also known as 'feelings'; but this is a sure way to accelerate disappointment in the market. When you start out as a beginning trader it is important to devise a method of calculating how much risk (by default) you would be willing to risk on any position.

Money management rules such as the 2 percent rule are designed to protect us in the long run. You are probably wondering how, and I will explain that in a moment, but first an example. Case and point, Mark decides to make only 10 trades a month, he is what you would call a conservative trader. Mark has a simple rule that stipulates that if he makes four consecutive losses in a row he would pull out of the market until the next month; and for every profitable position he closes, he will risk only a third of his profit in the next trade that he makes; fairly simple rule and very effective in the long run in ensuring that his gains remain consistent.

So what rule can you apply in your trading strategy or how should you go about managing risk? Choosing the right means to protect your capital depends a lot on your style of trading, your account size and even your own personal tolerance for market speculation.

While using a reduced lot size is a good way to start, it will not be very helpful if you have a number of open lots. You must understand relationship between the currency pairs of the forex market; if for example you were to make a short trade on GBP/USD and a long trade on USD/JPY, you are unduly exposing yourself twice to the USD. This equates to having 2 lots of USD in a long position. If the USD price drops, you would lose...twice! Try to keep the lot numbers to a minimum and this is especially encouraged for beginning traders. You can also consider placing only 2 percent of your forex account at risk as mentioned earlier for any opened position, a common technique used by many traders.

Here is an example I hope will show you practically and in a different angle what we have covered here today. With a newly opened forex account 1000 dollars, I risk only 2 percent of that in every trade that means each position is worth 20 dollars of my account. I plan to have only 10 trades a week with a target of 100 dollars profit after all trades; this means I would have to endure the risk of losing 10 trades to suffer a maximum of a 100 dollar loss on my account. Naturally, I do not expect to lose 10 trades consecutively nor lose over 100 dollars in my account, and as fate would have it, I make 6 winning trades but lose 4. The following week I use the gains of my previous trades as risk and consistently repeat this cycle. This example shows you how you can keep your capital safe, and work more on growing your profits and choosing winning trades, I how you found these tips informative. - 23217

About the Author:

For more forex tips, visit http://www.abc-of-forex.com

How Bond Funds Can Outperform Equities

By Christopher Fitch

After the market problems of the past 3 years that invariably began with the weaknesses in the US credit system, a lot of investors have re-evaluated their risk tolerance and rediscovered the importance of a proper asset allocation model. In almost every case, investors watched their savings get shaved by half.

Those dark market days that tested new lows and personal strength pushed the ideals of risk tolerance to the surface and made both conservative and aggressive investors alike realize that risk tolerance has to be paramount. For conservative investors, that has meant no longer being able to rely on term deposits and treasuries to contribute to the growth of an investment portfolio.

For the aggressive investor, the implications were probably more grave. It meant proper diversification needed to take center stage. That meant finding opportunities in the income class, a class that might have been ignore completely in the past.

But the income class has evolved tremendously over the last decade or so. Increasingly, bond funds have taken on greater risk profiles, investing high yield investments that not only provide better income streams, but whose underlying debt respond to various market forces in much the same way that equity assets respond.

When you really get to know these high yield investments, it becomes clear that they not only provide greater volatility than some equity funds, they pay greater income and offer just as much growth potential. Meanwhile, they achieve these benefits while taking on much less risk.

In a market where all else is equal, your bond investments will always have less risk than equity investments. The problem has been in the rating systems used by companies like S&P and Moody's, both of which came under fire following the collateral debt obligations (CDOs) collapse in 07 and 08. Now you have B-rated bonds that just two years ago were solid investment-grade bonds. And with the spreads between corporate and government issues being wide, the individual investor stands to capitalize.

These high yield bond funds will actually generate greater returns than conservative equity funds. And since bonds come with less research and trading costs, there are even more savings for the investor... all with one important benefit: less risk. - 23217

About the Author:

MutualFundSite.org is an informational website that shows people Where To Invest and also helps people Learn To Invest properly.

Obtaining Forex Training For Success

By Aaron Silverton

If you're a noob or beginner and wants to be successful in trading, the best way to do is have efficient and quality forex training. The currency market is exceptionally unpredictable and competitive. As such, you need to obtain the right education, skills, tools, and knowledge to become a expert trader. Trainings for foreign exchange trading became popular today because many people are becoming inclined in the lucrative market of forex.

Consequently, if you are preparing to partake of any forex training, you need to consider several important factors. Many trading-related websites offer varied trading programs for both new and professional traders. These websites typically offer free training in forex trading technique and free demo account. Some also offer free real time training on the web. These websites not only have the objective of promoting and profiting from their offered services ; they have the objective of teaching the fundamentals of currency trading while practice on their demo accounts.

On the other hand, some websites offer forex courses where you are given course materials like e-books, expert advice, and peer-reviewed materials amongst others. These online courses are made for people who have difficulty in managing their time. These forex online courses can be accessed anytime and anywhere you need. Materials utilized in these courses can be reviewed since they are accessible twenty-four / seven. it isn't simple to select the best online course to take. This is because loads of websites offer such training programs. If you'd like to play a role in online courses that are worth your cash, ensure the one you select offers extensive and in-depth education about trading. You've got to avoid those that exchange their services to purchasing their products as these internet sites generally teach defective or insufficient trading education.

Getting forex training serves as your secret to success. You should be capable of finding expert training and mentoring in order to become an expert trader. More so, thru training, you'll be in a position to create your own trading methodology. Make sure that the training you choose provides you with tools which make you aware about the different activities transpiring in the forex market. More so, your chosen training vehicle should be ready to assist you on acquiring as well as improving crucial trading skills.

You should always remember that the currency market is really competitive. As such, you should repetitively nourish your trading data and skills to stay abreast of those traders before you and leave, at great extent, the ones behind you. Some of the most typical trainings for foreign exchange, which are available on the net include online trading courses, live chats, and advanced trading programs and workshops among others. These trainings are offered either free or with a reasonable fee that you can simply get back as quickly as you start investing in the actual market. Ensure you search the Web thoroughly for diverse training programs offered from many websites to make certain you get the best. - 23217

About the Author:

The author has been writing articles on the internet for several years. The author has many areas of interests in his writing which include topics like id card holder which can be viewed here: id card holder information.

A Short Review of Life Insurance Quotes

By Mike Pettigrew

Having Life Insurance is vitally important for you and your family. When your policy is kept up to date you can put your mind at ease knowing that if something were to happen to you, your family will be taken care of financially. In most cases having good life insurance will help pay for any outstanding bills and your funeral. To get the best policy prices, call a number of companies for life insurance quotes.

Having many options, when getting a policy, is great for someone that doesn't have a lot of money to spend on something that they may never see. There are some things you should look at when searching for the right police for you and your family. These include, what company you should choose, how much money you have to invest, and what kind of benefits you need to keep your family financially secure if you aren't going to be around anymore. Thinking about these things is in your family best interest when considering a policy.

The beneficiary is someone who will benefit from your policy in the event of your death. In most cases it's usually your spouse, child or parent. When you sign up for your policy you will determine who the beneficiary will be. This is not permanent. You are able to change it down the road if needs be.

You can get almost any amount of money you wish. But keep in mind the larger the amount of cover you want, the more money you will spend each month for the policy. Checking with your current insurance provider is the best thing you can do. They will give you advice on what policy is best for you and your family.

Getting a policy quote is very easy. All you need to do is call your local insurance company and schedule a sit down interview with them. If you are someone (like most) that work 9 to 5 and five days a week you have the option of calling someone or getting online and checking that way. The company's adviser will be knowledgeable of all the policies and the coverage that they provide. To benefit from the advise you receive, listen carefully to the adviser and follow their recommendations.

If your employer offers these types of policies, check them out. In most cases they can offer you a great deal in the event of something unforseen happening to you. Just remember if you get laid off, fired, or the business closes the policy may not be transferrable to another employer. Sometimes going with the wrong insurance company can lead to even more problems later down the road.

A life insurance policy will be a massive help to your family should you pass away. It can help with medical bills and other bills that may have occurred. If the death was unexpected, many families many not have a way to survive, or even take care of funeral unless unless they have life insurance.

Doing a little research and checking out the best rates will save your family considerably later on. Remember your family is going to be devastated and the last thing you would want is for them to have any more added stress in the even of your death. It already difficulty enough for the family of the person who passed away and it could be made a little easier by following the advise of and insurance agent and avoiding the wrong policy. - 23217

About the Author:

Many people across the world have some form of low cost life insurance. These policies, when kept up-to-date and up to date, will help those that have lost loved ones take care of the deceased person's funeral and bills. More info on life insurance quotes.