Daily Investment Tips

George Soros is retiring from hedge funding business. The billionaire hedge fund manager is returning money to outside investors in his $25.5 billion firm, ending a career as hedge-fund manager that spanned more than four decades.

Soros, will hand back the money, less than $1 billion, by the end of the year. His firm will focus on managing assets solely for Soros and his family, according to a letter to investors.

George Soros Reason for Retiring

George Soros’s sons said they took the decision because new financial regulations would have made it necessary for the firm to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission by March 2012 if it continued to manage money for outsiders.

George Soros legacy

Soro’s will forever be remembered a speculator, who in 1992 made $1 billion betting that the Bank of England would be forced to devalue the pound.

In the last 30 years, he’s given away more than $8 billion to promote democracy, foster free speech, improve education and fight poverty around the world.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 1 Billion, Assets, Bank Of England, Billionaire, Education, Fight Poverty, Free Speech, George Soros, Hedge Fund Manager, Investors, Legacy, Money, More Than Four Decades, Outsiders, Poverty Around The World, Reason, Retirement, Securities And Exchange, Securities And Exchange Commission, Speculator

It was a day to remember for lucky investors who bought into Zillow IPO. Zillow, a Seattle-based real estate listings website, tripled in value as it began its first day of trading on Wednesday, continuing a series of successes for dotcom companies this year in an echo of the 1990s boom.

Zillow sold IPO shares for $20, then on the opening date on Wednesday on Nasdaq, the shares skyrocketed to $60. By the close, the shares had settled at $35.77, for a valuation of $965m, a gain of 79 per cent.

Money To Be Made In Tech IPOs

Zillow was just repeating a pattern that has been set by other Tech companies: Shares skyrocketing on the first day of trading. A word of caution. although this tech stock have shot up on the first day of trading, they have thereafter struggled to stay at their peak levels.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 1990s, Boom, Caution, Dotcom Companies, Investors, Ipo Shares, Ipos, Lucky, Money, Nasdaq, Peak Levels, Real Estate Listings, Seattle, Stock, Successes

I was watching Jim Roger interview on CNBC, and the famed commodity investor disclosed where he is putting his money.

Jim Rogers Long Positions

Jim Rogers is long commodities and long US dollar

Jim Rogers short positions

Jim Rogers is short long dated US treasuries, short emerging markets, short US technology and short one major US bank.

Watch the whole interview at CNBC.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Cnbc, Commodities, Commodity, Dollar, Emerging Markets, Investing Strategy, Investor, Jim Rogers, Money, Treasuries, Us Bank

IPO Laddering was a practices that was common in the 1990s tech bubble. Laddering requires IPO investors to buy more shares once trading begins. Critics complain this can create false momentum.

IPO laddering was an IPO risk during the 1990s tech bubble.

A law website explains how Laddering tricks retail investors:-

Investors observe that an IPO stock’s prices are rising and join in the trading, assuming the shares are moving at an honest rate. Laddering artificially balloons the value of a stock, making it appear to be a hot pick before investors. After the IPO stock’s value rises, the client-investors often sell their shares and make huge profits. Those who are not client-investors of the underwriting firms, and thus not aware that the value of the stock has been inflated, fail to sell, and end up holding highly overpriced shares.

People whjo make money from IPO laddering

In the end the people who make money are the executives of companies that the underwriting firm does banking business with and the investment banks that boost commissions.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 1990s, Balloons, Commissions, Investment Banks, Ipo Laddering, Ipo Stock, Momentum, Money, Profits, Retail Investors, Risk, Stock Prices, Stock Value

These days it is hard to find a currency analyst who is long US dollar, but thanks to Euro Crisis and natural calamities in Asia, the US Dollar is still able to hold its own against major currencies.

US Dollar ETF

For currency investors who still believe in the dollar they can purchase a dollar ETF that is long US Dollar.

PowerShares DB USD Index Bullish Fund

PowerShares DB USD Index Bullish Fund, The fund tracks the Deutsche Bank Long US Dollar Index (USDX) Futures benchmark which is a ruled-based index composed solely of long USDX futures contracts. The USDX futures contract is designed to replicate the performance of being long the US Dollar against the following currencies: Euro, Japanese Yen, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc.

The PowerShare Bullish ETF makes money when the dollar rises against global currencies.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Benchmark, British Pound, Calamities In Asia, Canadian Dollar, Currencies, Currency, Deutsche Bank, Dollar Rises Against, Futures Contract, Futures Contracts, Global Currencies, Index Futures, Investors, Japanese Yen, Money, Natural Calamities, Swedish Krona, Swiss Franc, Us Dollar Index, Usd Index, Usdx

The surprise news of the week was Hedge  Fund manager, David Einhorn is purchasing a non-controlling stake in the Mets for $200 million. The decision has some investors wondering whether he sees an angle no one else discovered.

Some smart people on Wall Street have already looked at the Mets’ books and walked away. Even The Mets, principal owners have said the mets as a business are lousy, snakebitten and bleeding cash, having lost $50 million last year alone.

Yet Mr. Einhorn is forking out $200m! This is not the first time Einhorn has thought outside the box. He Famously made money when he bet against Lehman Brothers’ stock several months before the famed brokerage collapsed.

His he right? Only time will tell.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 50 Million, Books, Brokerage, David Einhorn, Hedge Fund Manager, Investors, Lehman Brothers, Mets, Money, News Of The Week, News Week, Principal Owners, Purchasing, Stake, Stock, Surprise, Wall Street

Green Valley located in southern Arizona. It is south of Tucson about 20 miles and 40 north of Nogales, Mexico.

Green Valley, Arizona House Prices

According to National Realtors Association the median home in Green Valley sold for about $150,000 in 2010.

Green Valley offers good value for the money in terms of the housing and amenities offered. It also has one of the warmest winter climates in Arizona.

Golfers and group activity enthusiasts will feel at home in Green Valley, Arizona

The only downside of buying a Green Valley house is high state and local sales taxes.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Amenities, Buying House, Downside, Enthusiasts, Golfers, Green House, Green Valley Arizona, Group Activity, House Prices, Investment Property, Local Sales, Money, National Realtors Association, Nogales Arizona, Nogales Mexico, Sales Taxes, Southern Arizona, Warmest Winter, Winter Climates

A Tulsa county online website has an interesting story of Gary Woodruff.

Each month, the former chief operating officer of the Tulsa City-County Health Department receives a $9,879 retirement benefit from the Tulsa County Employees’ Retirement System.

That’s $9,879 a month – or $118,548 a year – for life. The man is now 64 Years old,

Most people imagine such a huge retirement benefit can only be earned in the private sector but as this case shows there is money and benefits for working for the government.

Read the rest of the story at Tulsa World.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Benefit From, Chief Operating Officer, City County Health, County Employees Retirement System, County Health Department, Defined Benefit Plan, Employees Retirement System, Interesting Story, Money, Plan Retirement, Private Sector, Rest Of The Story, Retirement Benefit, Retirement Benefits, Tulsa City, Tulsa County, Tulsa World, Woodruff

There are many offshore investing scams floating around the internet.

Offshore scam artist have beautiful websites, luxurious literature, and “educational” tutorials.

They ask investors to put money in non-existent companies inside foreign countries. They promise investors high returns and tax-free results with absolutely no danger.

Offshore scam artist use sophisticated lingo such as “bank debentures” or “standby letters of credit,” complicated-sounding aspects like “offshore fund leasing,” and inexplicable instruments similar to “interbank trading” and also “seasoned notes.”

Tutorials are quite often held in thrilling areas and cost thousands of dollars to go to; marketers tout “connections” and a assurance of “no taxes” on your investment

Because this scams are outside the jurisdiction of united states, law- enforcement organizations simply cannot investigate when investors cry foul.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Bank Debentures, Educational Tutorials, Foreign Countries, Fund Leasing, Interbank, Investment Scams, Investors, Jurisdiction, Law Enforcement Organizations, Letters Of Credit, Lingo, Literature, Marketers, Money, Offshore Fund, Offshore Investing, Scam Artist, Scams, Standby Letters Of Credit, Thousands Of Dollars

Microsoft is till going after Google cash cow: search. Microsoft announced their 2010 Quarter 3 results and included was revenues from their online search business.

Microsoft’s online revenue, which comes primarily from search advertising, edged up 8 percent to $527 million. That segment widened its operating loss in the quarter to $560 million, however, as the company continued to spend money on chasing Google, the No. 1 Web search provider.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 1 Web, Business Online, Cash Cow, Google, Google Search, Microsoft, Microsoft Search, Money, Online Business, Online Search, Search Advertising, Search Business, Search Microsoft, Search Provider, Segment, Web Provider, Web Search