The first thing that is evident is that there is less choice available when looking for finance. This is because several of the banks, which were actively lending to foreign investors have stopped doing so, these would include BBVA and BCP. That said, there are still other banks that remain in the market, just less of them.The banks that remain however have more stringent terms for their lending. Products, which were available at 75% loan to value in 2007, are now reduced to 60%. Banks are looking for high net worth clients and interest rates are far higher. Lenders are seeking to improve the quality of their lending books and this is reflected in their policy.With certain lenders, it used to be the case that if you managed to negotiate a price well below the market value, you could achieve a 100% loan against the price, as the lenders would allow the loan percentage to be a reflection of the valuation. This is no longer the case, far more conservative lending policy now no longer allows this and even if you get a discount you’ll be restricted to a percentage of the purchase price.Although these changes to lending criteria have restricted the availability of lending, there has been a positive side to this. The market is now far more realistically priced that it was 4 years ago, this is reflected in the valuations that are coming back from surveyors. Judith Price at Caixa Geral de Depositos told me last week “in my experience valuations are all coming in at purchase price or slightly above”. Realism in any market is a good thing as it leads to stability and confidence.There are of course still over riding factors which could destabilise everything, you only have to look eastwards to Greece to see where these originate. In September there were some purchases that fell away over the Greek problems and the IMF moving in. The cost of money went up and these increases are passed on to the end borrower.As far as actual development finance is concerned, the picture is even bleaker. Weak demand and falling prices have meant that there are many projects already at a stand still and lenders are of the view “why lend on more?”So are there any good bits of news and what should investors consider?To start with, variable rate loans in Portugal are usually linked to Euribor, When looking at 6 month Euribor, in March 2011 it stood at 1.352%, in September 1.755% but now stands at 1.505%, so it is possible that barring other financial shocks, rates may have passed their peak.Bank loan margins are still high though, because of the cost of money, so it may be better to consider a fixed rate product for the next few years.Portugal still offers good value for money and with Sterling’s recent strengthening against the Euro this has again improved. Investors should also consider whether they could raise finance in their own country at a cheaper rate than those available in Portugal, although this needs to be weighed against having Euro debt against a Euro based property if their own currency is outside the Euro zone.Remember that finance is more difficult to obtain across Europe. Portugal remains a wonderful country with far better value in the property market, than a few years ago. Whilst the economy still has a large debt overhang, the government has taken strong steps to try and bring this under control.
5 Reasons Why An Online Business Is The Best Home Business
Over recent years, people from all walks of life have had their entrepreneurial spirit sparked into looking for the easiest business to start. The recessionary climate and increasing unemployment levels mean millions of people are waking up to the fact that they need to take control of their future. To do this, new entrepreneurs want good businesses to start so that they can generate a new and sustainable income stream.So what is the easiest business to start? It’s sensible that the best business to start will have the least expensive set up expenses, they will have services and products that people want to buy and will have the biggest possible client base. Welcome to the world of online business! It’s not a secret that a growing number of people are purchasing products and services online because of convenience, choice, cost and service. Starting up an online business and joining the thriving e-commerce world really is easiest business to start.1. Low set up costs.The beauty of starting an online business is that the start up costs are very low as compared to a conventional bricks and mortar business. Starting conventional business requires substantial investments in human resources, inventory and financial capital. Industry is becoming more information-intensive and less labour and capital-intensive.This means that more and more traditional barriers to success in business are being removed.2. You do not need to have your own products.An online business is the easiest business to start because you don’t even need to have your own products to sell. In fact, you don’t have to stock any products, set up payment systems or worry about distribution or product fulfillment. This is possible with one of the most popular and best home business models called affiliate marketing.This is where you promote and sell other people’s products. It’s like being an online commission-paid sales person. When you make a sale, you get paid a commission.The creator of the product is responsible for the whole development and fulfillment of the product. They will supply the marketing resources, manage the product delivery and follow up customer assistance. Your task is to find the customers and push them to the vendor’s online sales pages. There is an almost unlimited amount of products, services and online business ideas that you can promote this way. You can become an affiliate for services and products available on websites such as Amazon, CJ Affiliate, ClickBank or JVZoo. You can sell any products you want and receive commissions on every sale.3. Your business is open 24/7 to customers all over the world.One of the best advantages of an online business is that you can work from anywhere you want so long as you have a computer and access to the internet. The internet makes it possible for you to have customers from all over the world meaning that your business can quickly grow. You are not restricted to finding customers who live near to you. When you have an online business, your business is open all day long, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can literally earn money while you’re sleeping.4. Use software to your advantage.The great reasons for starting an onlne business is that a lot of tasks can be automated. For example, it is important to introduce your business to prospective customers, maintain contact and build relationships with customers and send out special offers. This can easily be done with email autoresponder marketing software that works on autopilot. An autoresponder works day and night for you, while you concentrate on other aspects of your business.5. Easy access to training.Although an online business is the easiest business to start, it’s possible that you will need guidance with certain areas at some time or another. To help you, there are a wide variety of high quality online business training programs available on the internet. Your journey to success will be quicker if you make an investment in your online business education. Remember that you can learn as you earn. Learning from a successful person who has gone before you can make a big difference to your business. They can precisely evaluate your efforts, help you make progress with your marketing and profits and explain the way around stumbling blocks.
SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls
Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio
By Rob Isbitts
Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.
The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.
SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.
Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.
Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense
Segment: Inverse Equity
Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500
Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)
Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)
Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.
Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.
Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.
Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.
Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.
Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy
Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy
Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.
ETF Investment Opinion
SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.