Fixed Income Exchange- Traded Funds

The fixed income exchange – traded funds are a special kind of fund designed to track the
performance of a specific bind market index. The shares of such funds are traded on
major stock exchanges. The bond market index is a statistical composite, which is created
and maintained by the financial institution or by the financial information service. This
tracks the performance of the overall bond market or only of a specific sector. The
various types of ETFs give the investors the opportunity of achieving the bond market
exposure that they desire. When you are interested in making gold investments then you can surely turn to ETFs
for help.

It is safe to day today that the bond market is definitely not as liquid or as transparent as
the equity market. Unlike stocks, bonds are not traded on the exchange market. However,
bond ETFs can definitely be liquid and transparent as the stock ETFs and also, they can
be traded on a stock exchange.

Just like the bond market indices, the ETFs are created and managed by financial firms
and they are usually traded in organized exchanged such as the New York Stock
Exchange or the American Stock Exchange. When we are talking about their prices, we
should know that the fixed income ETF shares are influenced by the same factors that
affect bond prices: the changes in the interest rates, changes in yield spreads and changes
in the yield curve.

The monthly dividends which include both the interest income on the underlying bonds
and capital gains are distributed on monthly dividends. The ETFs also have no maturity
date; also, the only way for and ETF investor to get his or her money back is to simply
sell their shares. When this is done, many actually register a profit according to the
direction of interest rates and other bond market conditions in interim.

Gold investments are among the most popular types of investments these days. When you
are making such a gold investment you should be sure though that you pay a special
attention to details and the logistics of the purchase. The gold ETF funds represent a
method of making a gold investment without any worries. Some of the problems that you
might encounter when you are buying physical gold are: insurance, storage, moving and
reselling (optional).

What makes gold ETFs attractive for investors is the fact that trading in gold can be done
easily. Another great advantage of such gold investments is the fact that you don’t have to
buy a large amount of gold in order to be able to invest. This is truly a real plus as not
many people can afford to invest massive amounts of money in buying gold.

Something else about this gold investment is the fact that gold is very easy to invest in it.

You can do this online and you don’t have to worry about the security of the transaction
since the specialized websites are usually extremely safe. Before starting to make any sort
of investment in buy gold you should make sure that
you learn as much as you can about gold, gold
funds, physical gold etc.

Investors Leave Emerging Markets

This year, emerging markets are not as cheap as they used to be in the past, especially
compared to developed markets. However, they are at least representing the countries that
have some real GDP growth. If you decide to buy stocks in the West then you are
actually buying into the economies that are paralyzed by political failure and debt. When
you are buying into emerging markets though, you are buying into the economies that
have high-growth economies, which have vibrant democracies and have skilled
governments that have a complete knowledge of economics.

Emerging markets though are not cheap at all. The premiums for the developed markets
are quite small and sometimes it is hardly enough to compensate for the high governance
risk in the average emerging market. These emerging markets are growing faster than
those in the West and the reality is that the short term performance is about money flows
while the long term performance is about the price (the cheaper you buy, the better it will
be in the long run).

We all know that China’s economy is one of the most powerful economies in the world,
alongside India. There is one thing that we should notice in China: the investment sector
that is way ahead of the demand: the empty shopping malls, the apartments that are not
sold and so on. However, those that are interested in making sure that they invest in
something right, then buy gold and any other
sort of gold investment represent the best choice.

The massive debts in Europe, the weak dollar and the fact that no commodity or asset is
sure, have determined investors to turn towards gold. Of course, this has been the best
hedge for inflation for a very long time, but during the last couple of years, the price of
gold has skyrocketed.

Investors are always trying to find new markets and new assets to invest in and it seems
that gold investments (physical gold, gold funds etc) and emerging markets have made it
to the top of their preferences. When countries like China and India are investing in gold
why shouldn’t be follow suite and do the same thing? They are protecting themselves by
diversifying the Central National Bank holdings and this is really a good thing. For those
interested in diversifying their portfolio, the best option that they have is to start investing
in gold funds.

The Chinese government has been against people owing gold, still for some time now,
they have been advising them to invest in gold. If they decide to do this then why
shouldn’t we do the same thing? Surely there are numerous ways in which we can make
gold investments these days. One of the most popular methods is by investing in gold
funds. However, there are other ways that we can invest in gold to, such as gold ETFs,

physical gold and in some parts of the world, even gold jewellery is considered an
investment. These days, to make things even easier, you can even buy gold online. When
you have found the best online dealers then you can start to make investments in gold in no time.

Mine Fued

Mongolia now wants a bigger stake for gold and copper mines with companies Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe.

The Oyu Tolgoi mine is now being forced by the government to increase its stake after a signing of a contract in 2009, the ministers of finance and minerals have put the go ahead for the outcome just to increase profits. 

At the moment both Canada’s and Australia’s top mining companies (Ivanhoe and Rio tinto) are both working on the billion dollar mine, but public and public service people are demanding that more is put into the project to increase the stake.

34% is owned by the Mongolia but people want more than 50% to be given to Mongolia, the new statements have said that this is fair and there is no need to go over the demand.

Cameron Mcrae, the chief executive officer said “the investment agreement gives Mongolia the benefits of ownership, while not requiring the government from having to put up any money up front,”

The mine produced over 1.2 billion pounds of copper and over 650 thousand ounces of gold, which is one of the most talked about mines for the buy gold sites.

The change is undergoing but still yet to be given permission .

The Soaring Cost of Car Insurance

If you're a motorist you may prefer not to read this. Car insurance premiums have soared throughout the past couple of years that can only benefit insurers with hefty profits. The Admiral Insurance group, owners of Confused.com, Elephant.co.uk and Diamond, have recently reported a 27% increase in pre-tax profits in the first half of 2011 due to a small part of rising car insurance premiums. Premiums helped the insurance firm achieve all new record results, with turnover rocketing to a whopping 53% to £1.1 billion for the starting six months. With Admiral’s performance the company's chief executive, Henry Engelhardt, could hardly hide his happiness, stating: "it wasn't so long ago that we were pleased to report over £1 billion turnover for a full year."

That delighted that he has chosen to give each and every member of staff £1,500 worth of free shares in the company.

Fuming Motorists

While the chief executive of Admiral and its staff are extremely impressed, anyone in the public who has tried to renew their car insurance, or in an even worse situation, has just purchased their first motor insurance policy recently, might see this and other companies increase in profits a kick in the teeth. You don’t have to be an economist to work out that the cost of insuring a car has climbed at an alarming rate over the past couple of years. Information from Confused.com's own index, the average cost of a comprehensive car insurance policy is now £858, increasing by £170 on top of last year. And those prices show no sign of settling: in the second quarter of this year, prices increased yet again by an average of 25% compared to the same period in 2010.

Not just Young Drivers Affected by This

All motorists are affected by this price increase, from new road users who will expect to 'pay a premium' on their premiums, to drivers who have earnt no claims and expect to see their annual premium fall year on year. Passing your driving test today at 17 and you can expect to pay almost £3,000 a year, on average. Only 18 months ago they would have been expected to pay less than two-thirds that sum. But young drivers are not the only ones to suffer - almost all drivers have seen huge premium rises. Perhaps even more bizarre, a woman aged around 40 and 49 will have experienced her annual premium rise by an explosive 40% to around £595 a year over the same period. The average annual cost of running a car is now around £3,000 a year, 21% higher than 12months ago. The big question is why are the car drivers, again still the ones getting the short end of the stick?

Personal Injury Claims and Uninsured Drivers

Insurance are blaming the massive hike in premiums directly at uninsured drivers, fraudulent insurance claims and the rapid rise of personal injury claimants. Vital statistics do tend to back this evidence up. While the Department for Transport statistics have shown the number of accidents involving car drivers has fallen by 10% in the past three years, the number of claims of an injury sustained in a car accident has increased around 43%. Director of AA Insurance Simon Douglas stated a corrupt element within the motoring community is definitely to blame, at least some parts, for the increase in insurance premiums across the board. "Beneath the waterline there is a serious culture of insurance crime that must be stopped." He also claims that there are false, exaggerated personal injury claims that have also played a key role in adding to the woes of anyone looking for a competitive car insurance premium. "It's vital that the industry strongly gets the message over that there will be no hiding place for those who attempt to rip off their insurance company." New figures have been released from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), detected fraud amounts to a whopping £17.5 million per week - an increase of 9% over last year. Many insurers believe this is just only the start: accountancy firm Deloitte calculated that motor insurer’s lost £2 billion industry-wide as claims outdid income from car insurance premiums. Nick Starling from ABI says initiatives to reduce the activities of the more wayward firms who tout for claimants to come forward even if they have been injured or not, are a necessity. "Putting the brake on ambulance-chasing lawyers and claims management firms cannot come a moment too soon. Motorists have rightly had enough of paying for excessive legal costs, which add an extra 10% to the cost of motor insurance."

The Uninsured adding on top of the High Prices

Uninsured drivers add to the honest motorist's woes. In 2010 the police confiscated more than 150,000 cars that were being used without valid insurance. Tougher measures are being put in place to reduce such activity including the establishment of a dedicated police fraud unit and a new industry-wide fraud database with insurers being given full access to the database. Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) law, which makes it a criminal offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, unless it has a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) or is exempt, has been welcomed by The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA). It’s a giant step as it makes it an offence to keep an uninsured car, let alone the major offence of driving one without insurance. Clamping down on uninsured drivers and car owners should help drive costs down; with figures indicating honest motorists pay an extra £500 million in premiums because of uninsured drivers. Under a new legislation, warning letters are posted to registered keepers identified as having an uninsured vehicle. Any prosecutions made under the CIE are in added on to the existing offence of driving without valid insurance, and are planned to be an added deterrent for errant car owners. Graeme Trudgill from BIBA claims it is "a big step forward for the industry".

Will We Ever See premiums fall again?

If all the above statements the insurance giants have promised are followed, we should see premiums start to decrease once again. And small signs of that may already be evidence of it working. The AA's latest Insurance Premium Index stated that annual premiums for all of the UK’s drivers increased by 'just' 3.6% in the second quarter of this year 2011 – making it the lowest quarterly rise in the past 18 months. This is something trending across the board with insurers reporting the motor insurance market may now be "flattening out". Although, anyone needing to renew their annual policy in the next few months will still probably be  faced with a substantial climb in their renewal premium, seeing as though prices have risen so rapidly over the preceding months. The message is clear: shopping around will get you the chance of finding the best deal. Motorists are able to make significant savings on their premiums by doing so - even if savings still don't quite bring the price you pay in line with last year's premium this time.

What exactly is serious illness cover?

Sometimes serious illness cover is confused with critical illness insurance and the two may also be then further confused with something called Accident Sickness and Unemployment insurance.

Here are a few answers to questions relating to these types of cover.

What is critical illness cover compared to serious illness cover?

Both these forms of insurance seek to provide protection against the financial consequence arising from you being diagnosed with a serious/critical illness.

There is no need to consider the exact medical definitions between the use of terms such as critical or serious - what is important is to understand that critical illness cover compared to serious illness protection typically differs in two major respects:

• you may find that a policy providing serious illness cover offers protection against a longer list of conditions;

• typically, a serious illness policy will pay out multiple times if you are diagnosed with various qualifying illnesses over the term of the policy - a critical illness policy will typically only pay out once.

Which would pay out the largest amount?

That is purely related to the nature of the policy (of either type) you have selected and paid for.

How do they pay out?

Once again, the precise conditions will be highlighted on the quotation and associated policy but typically payments are by virtue of a lump-sum.

There may be the requirement for additional medical assessment in some cases.

Why won't existing Accident and Sickness insurance be sufficient?

It may or may not be - it simply depends upon the type of policy it is and what conditions it covers - plus, of course, what your requirements are.

Some sickness insurance is short-term cover aimed at providing a monthly payment if you are unable to work for a period due to ill health or an accident etc. The payments typically last for 12 months or perhaps 24 in some cases.

However, the provisions of such cover may not be sufficient to help you cope with the potentially life-changing circumstances of becoming critically ill. There you may need a substantial and lump-sum payment - which is why serious illness insurance exists.

Does that mean I'll require multiple forms of cover?

Only you can decide what insurance you and your family may require, however, it is important to note that things such as serious illness insurance, sickness cover and life insurance, all cover different risks and circumstances.

Can you combine insurance?

Possibly - that depends upon the insurance provider.

For example, you may be able to have combined life insurance and serious illness cover. In such cases though, you may typically find that you could only claim once - you could not, for example, claim for serious illness then your loved ones claim again sometime later if you were unfortunate enough to die from the condition.

The Ultimate Solution for Bad Credit Car Loans

Bad credit loans concerning cars are ideally for people with a poor credit record and are also looking for a loan for a car. This is becoming more and more common these days, however, it is not dire as it may first seem. It may take a little effort, but you can definitely improve it. These loans are produced specifically for people in this situation.

This is a great way to improve you credit rating whilst still getting money for a car, but while it may be tempting to stretch a little beyond your budget, you must resist otherwise it may make your credit record worse.

In order to get one of these bad credit loans, you must have a continuous income in order to pay off the loan, as well as the interest that will be on top. Obviously, the best way to get an income is from your job, and this looks kindly on obtaining the loan. A job is one area that lenders look at together with your current credit score when deciding whether or not to approve your loan.

Another way to improve your chance of the loan is by making a major down payment early on, and throughout the time of your loan. These can depend on the type and model of the car that you have decided upon.

Obviously a poor record for your credit will go against you in your application for the loan, but there are always other options. There are a lot of lenders that are able to negotiate the finance aspect of the loan as many lenders are competing for the custom.

This will all lead towards the purchasing of your dream car, and hopefully your life will become a lot easier with a bad credit car loan.

The Ultimate Solution for Bad Credit Car Loans

<a href=" http://loanswithbadcredit.co.uk"> Bad credit loans </a> concerning cars are ideally for people with a poor credit record and are also looking for a loan for a car. This is becoming more and more common these days, however, it is not dire as it may first seem. It may take a little effort, but you can definitely improve it. These loans are produced specifically for people in this situation.

This is a great way to improve you credit rating whilst still getting money for a car, but while it may be tempting to stretch a little beyond your budget, you must resist otherwise it may make your credit record worse.

In order to get one of these bad credit loans, you must have a continuous income in order to pay off the loan, as well as the interest that will be on top. Obviously, the best way to get an income is from your job, and this looks kindly on obtaining the loan. A job is one area that lenders look at together with your current credit score when deciding whether or not to approve your loan.

Another way to improve your chance of the loan is by making a major down payment early on, and throughout the time of your loan. These can depend on the type and model of the car that you have decided upon.

Obviously a poor record for your credit will go against you in your application for the loan, but there are always other options. There are a lot of lenders that are able to negotiate the finance aspect of the loan as many lenders are competing for the custom.

This will all lead towards the purchasing of your dream car, and hopefully your life will become a lot easier with a bad credit car loan.