5 apps to improve your love life
Can an app improve your relationship?
Millions of people use dating apps, but many need help when they actually embark on a relationship. The good news: There are apps to help turn romance Luddites into Lotharios.
There are thousands of apps that may improve couples’ relationships and sex lives. For couples who need help with the latter, there are apps that could teach couples new tricks, says Rick Singer, CEO of GreatApps.com, a site that reviews apps. But Singer says it’s worth approaching the subject of bringing an app into the bedroom cautiously. “I’m not sure that someone’s significant other wants to hear, ‘I downloaded this app so we can enjoy a better sex life,’” he says.
“It’s the latest instance of sex driving technology,” says Patchen Barss, author of “The Erotic Engine,” about the evolution of sexuality and technology. We’ve come a long way since the Victorian era, when gentleman carried X-rated Stanhope microphotographs in their pocket watches, he says.
And when it comes to improving couples’ relationships outside the bedroom, sometimes apps that have nothing to do with love or sex can provide incidental help: Daniel Hamermesh, professor of economics at The University of Texas at Austin, who has been married for five decades, uses CityMaps2Go ($1.99), an offline map and travel guide, when traveling with his wife, as well as IMDB’s free app for movie trivia. “They’re not designed to help your marriage per se, but they’ve saved us a lot of time and argument.”
Reality shows are changing the way you watch TV—even if you aren’t watching reality shows.
Others are skeptical about the usefulness of apps for couples. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, says “apps are no substitute for real psychotherapy for relationship problems,” and adds that “there’s no quality control over the so-called love coaches who provide them.” And Joy Davidson, a psychotherapist and author, says, “I honestly can’t think of a single app that actually improves one’s sex life — except maybe Tinder — only because it might help you get a sex life if you don’t already have one.”
Moreover, most of the problems in relationships happen offline, says Nick Drydakis, a senior lecturer in economics at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. In his own study — published by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany — he found that sexual activity is negatively affected by issues like work-related stress, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and psychiatric and psychological symptoms, while it’s positively affected by good mood (extroverted personalities) and marital status (being married, despite widely held beliefs to the contrary) and growing up in a non-religious home.
Read also: Does Facebook break up marriages?
But for the technologically savvy, there is some assistance at hand. Here are five apps that could (maybe) improve your love life:
TheIceBreak
This iOS app has the kind of questionnaire you might find on dating apps, but offers daily questions for couples. They focus on a couple’s emotional and sex life: “Do you think it’s more important for a couple to be friends or lovers?” Others are more reminiscent of the questions asked on the TV show “The Newlywed Game” — for example, “What is ‘your song’ with your partner?” Others get to the point: “Can a romantic evening be complete without having sex?” Couples can also share photos and posts on their private virtual walls. It costs $1.99; some reviews complain about technical glitches.
By
Quentin Fottrell
- Published in Blog
Big investors dump GM, but love Ally
NEW YORK (MarketWatch)—Big investors fell out of love with General Motors in the second quarter but hedge-fund titans including Dan Loeb rushed to snap up shares of Ally Financial, the troubled auto maker’s former financing arm that was rescued by the U.S. government, according to an analysis of freshly-filed regulatory documents.
Hedge funds and other heavyweights were also eager to take up new stakes in pharmaceutical firm Allergan Inc. AGN, -1.01{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} Google GOOGL, +0.93{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} The Williams Companies WMB, -0.14{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} and DirecTV DTV, +0.04{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} while eliminating stakes in eBay EBAY, +0.68{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} SLM Corp. SLM, +0.23{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} Vodafone VOD, +0.88{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} and Dollar General DG, +9.05{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} according to Whalewisdom.com, a website that tracks 13F and other regulatory filings.
Institutional investment managers with more than $100 million in certain types of assets have until 45 days after the end of a quarter to file a 13F form listing securities holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The second-quarter filing deadline was Thursday. Whalewisdom provided a breakdown of the biggest aggregate purchases and sales by the 600 most closely-followed investors on its site.
Among Ally’s ALLY, +0.83{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} most ardent supporters, Loeb’s Third Point hedge fund acquired 45.6 million shares in the second quarter. The position made Ally Loeb’s second-largest holding as of June 30, according to the filing, equal to 13.4{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of his overall portfolio and worth $1.09 billion at the end of the quarter.
Fellow hedge-fund titan John Paulson was also in the Ally camp, albeit on a smaller scale, holding a little over 2 million shares, worth nearly $48 million as of June 30. Stephen Feinberg, head of Cerberus Capital Management, took a Loeb-sized stake in the firm, snapping up more than 41.5 million shares worth nearly $993 million as of the end of the quarter.
Ally Financial was rescued by the U.S. government during the financial crisis. It made its debut in an initial public offering on April 10, a transaction that saw the Treasury Department raise nearly $2.4 billion by selling shares at $25 each. Ally soon dipped below its offering price and changed hands at $24.13 in recent action Friday, a 0.4{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} daily decline. Shares are down 0.2{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} since the beginning of the current quarter.
Now, 13F filings don’t offer a full picture of an investors’ positions. Also, the holdings are at least 45 days old. But they can offer insights into the thinking of big investors. Read more about 13Fs.
Big investors appeared to trade heavily during the second quarter in shares of Allergan, the pharmaceutical firm fighting a takeover effort by rival Valeant Pharmaceuticals. That takeover quest has been pushed by activist investor Bill Ackman, whose Pershing Square hedge fund added nearly 28.3 million shares to its stake in Allergan during the quarter. Allergan was Ackman’s top holding with a value of nearly $4.9 billion.
Other activists, including Paulson (who acquired a new stake of 5.6 million shares) also bought into Allergan. Shares of Allergan are up 41.3{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} since the beginning of the year, but have dropped 7.3{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} since June 30.
Also worth noting, hedge-fund legend George Soros significantly loaded up on puts on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF SPY, +0.59{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} while also adding to a smaller holding of calls on the same product. The move raised eyebrows among analysts, who pondered whether it belied a growing sense of caution for the otherwise apparently bullish Soros. See: Does George Soros know something we don’t about the S&P 500?
Meanwhile, positions in eBay were eliminated entirely by around 5.7{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of filers, topping the list of sold-out positions, with big investors dumping a total of nearly 14.7 million shares. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn in April backed away from his contentious demand that eBay spin off its PayPal unit.
Icahn, however, was a buyer of eBay in the second quarter, his 13F filing showed, picking up 3 million shares. EBay shares have rebounded 5.3{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} since the beginning of the third quarter, trimming its year-to-date loss to 4{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce}.
General Motors GM, +1.15{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} was dumped entirely by 5{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of big filers as it worked through numerous recalls and scrutiny over vehicle safety. See: Booming demand seen in 10.1{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} surge in vehicle output.
- Published in Blog
Argex Titanium Engages Liolios Group to Lead New Strategic Investor Relations Program in the United States
MONTREAL, Aug. 18, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ – Argex Titanium, Inc. (TSX: RGX), (“Argex” or the “Company”), an emerging producer of high-grade titanium dioxide (TiO2) used as white pigment in paint, plastic, paper, cosmetics and other applications, has engaged Liolios Group to lead a new strategic investor relations and financial communications program.
“Since I joined Argex a little less than a year ago, we have successfully transitioned the company from the R&D stage to having the unique, patent-protected ability to safely and economically produce highly-valuable titanium dioxide,” said Glen Kayll, CFO of Argex. “Our collaboration and long-term supply agreement with PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) validates our ‘game-changing’ TiO2 extraction process, and we are now focused on the construction of our first industrial-scale titanium dioxide plant.”
“Given this groundbreaking technology and our rapid advance toward initial commercial production, we believe our shareholders would benefit from an experienced team of investor relations professionals to help us navigate the global capital markets and increase awareness of our story in the financial community,” continued Kayll. “Liolios Group brings to Argex a proven track record of helping Canadian-listed companies like ours enter the U.S. capital markets to enhance shareholder value by delivering the right message to the right audience, and building high-quality, long-term relationships in the U.S. investment community.”
Liolios Group will work closely with Argex management to develop and deploy a comprehensive capital markets strategy and campaign. The campaign will include effective messaging and corporate positioning, strategic advisory, and introductions to investors and key influencers in the financial community. It will also include scheduling road shows and financial conferences for management over the next several months.
For additional information about Argex, contact Liolios Group at 949-574-3860 or email RGX@liolios.com.
About the Innovation
The innovation in Argex’s TiO2 process lies in how the equipment is used, combining well-known technology islands with solvents and chemistry to make TiO2 pigments and high value by-products. Argex’s environmental footprint is reduced as a result of saleable by-products and minimal inert tailings, thereby minimizing costs associated with waste treatment and disposal. Further innovation lies in the ability to run the process at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure.
About Liolios Group
Liolios Group, Inc. is a highly selective and comprehensive investor relations firm specializing in small-cap companies. The firm aims to deliver superior performance in corporate messaging and positioning, investor awareness, analyst and financial press coverage, and capital attraction. Founded in 1999, Liolios Group executives have extensive experience in finance and investments, and represent clients in a wide range of industries, including technology, digital media, consumer/internet retail, healthcare/life sciences, natural resources and business services. For more information about Liolios Group, please visit www.liolios.com.
About Argex Titanium
Argex Titanium Inc. has developed an advanced chemical process for the volume production of high grade titanium dioxide (TiO2) for use in high quality paint, plastics, cosmetics and other applications. The Company’s unique proprietary process takes relatively inexpensive and plentiful source material from a variety of potential vendors, and produces TiO2 along with other valuable by-products. Argex’s process provides a significant cost and environmental advantage over current legacy TiO2 production methods. Argex’s primary near term goal is to rapidly advance toward a 50,000 tonne per annum production module as a first step in its goal to transform the 5.2 million tonne per annum TiO2 industry.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information and statements may include, among others, statements regarding future plans, costs, objectives or performance of Argex, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this news release, words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “likely”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate” and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits Argex will derive. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or management’s good-faith belief with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond Argex’s control. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described under “Risk Factors” in Argex’s Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; they could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. Argex does not intend, nor does Argex undertake any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this news release to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except if required by applicable laws.
Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Argex Titanium Inc.
For further information: Company: Argex Titanium, Inc., Roy Bonnell, President and Chief Executive Officer, 514 843-5959; or Sophy Cesar, Manager, Investor Relations, Corporate Communications, Argex Titanium Inc., 514-843-5959 Ext. 128, sophy.cesar@argex.ca; U.S. Investor Relations: Liolios Group Inc., Chris Tyson, Tel 949-574-3860, RGX@liolios.com
- Published in Mining
CANNABIS TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES SECOND THERAPY — CTI-091
CANNABIS TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES SECOND THERAPY — CTI-091
Cannabis Technologies Inc. has developed a therapy containing a proprietary mixture of cannabinoids and non-cannabis-based active ingredients, CTI-091, for the relief of joint pain and swelling associated with arthritis and joint disease. Preliminary laboratory studies showed CTI-091 suppresses the human macrophage interleukin-6, a major biomarker of inflammation, indicating strong scientific evidence that cannabis extracts reverse the disease progression.
CTI-091 is designed to enhance retention and absorption of the key ingredients around the target site and designed for the relief of joint pain and swelling.
Currently the formulation is in preclinical stage of development. The company is also working to improve the delivery system to increase efficacy. It is expecting to go to initiate clinical phase 1 trials upon completion of these steps.
Craig Schneider, Cannabis Technologies president and chief executive officer, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce a second therapy in our expanding product pipeline. The pain and arthritis therapy takes our company to the next stage of development, reinforcing the proof of concept of our cannabinoid drug design platform. This platform is designed to effectively identify and fast-track new drug therapies. The company plans to have numerous therapies over the next 12 months within the product pipeline focusing on other areas like metabolic diseases (obesity and diabetes), orphan diseases (Huntington’s and epilepsy) as well as cancer and angiogenesis.”
Pain and arthritis market
More than 46 million Americans have arthritis or a related disease, and some experts estimate the global market for arthritis drugs brings as much as $35-billion a year in profits. The many different types of drugs used to treat arthritis and its accompanying pain include over-the-counter and prescription-only drugs, with delivery methods of injections, infusions, patches and topical agents.
We seek Safe Harbor.
- Published in Blog
Can you be an entrepreneur? Take this quiz to know
Take this personality quiz to find out if you have the right traits to be an entrepreneur or are likely to be better at managing a franchise or sticking to a salaried job.
If you are forced to cancel a dinner with a friend, how would you justify it?
A) I will make it up to the friend with a better dinner at a later date.
B) We can always meet some other time.
C) The friend will understand. ..
At any given point during the day, you are:
A) Handling three to four different things at a time.
B) Tackling a couple of things but mostly delegating to others.
C) Doing one thing to the best of your ability.
What do you do if you get an unexpected bonus at work?
A) You save a big chunk and spend sparingly.
B) You save and s ..
C) You splurge on the expensive gadget you wouldn’t have bought otherwise.
How do you plan your vacation?
A) You go when and where the urge takes you.
B) You typically go through your agent, but sometimes take impromptu trips.
C) All bookings are done well in advance and you are packed two days before the trip.
You are asked to complete a task with precise ins ..
A) You toss aside the instructions and find a shorter, better way to complete the task.
B) You follow the instructions, but improvise in places.
C) You follow the instructions to the T.
You work very hard for a project but it fails. How do you react?
A) You feel bad, but get busy with the next project quickly.
B) You brood over it for days, but eventually get back on track.
C) You just can’t shake off the depression.
You find a glitch in a gadget that makes it inefficient. What do you do?
A) You constantly dream about how you can correct the glitch and improve the product.
B) You use it for a whil ..
C) Dump the gadget and don’t give it a second thought
What is your track record with paying your bills?
A) You always pay all your bills on time.
B) You mostly pay on time, but there’s an occasional lapse.
C) You almost always breach the due date for payment.
How do you make most of your decisions?
A) You think through the is ..
B) You consult various people before taking a decision.
C) They are mostly intuitive and instinctive.
Which do you find more appealing?
A) Going to a party with lots of friends.
B) Staying at home but partying occasionally.
C) Spending time alone or with few friends.
How you’ll know if it’s time for a market crash
Last week, U.S. equities dropped 2{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} to 3{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce}, depending on what index you monitor. That had the financial columns full of crash warnings about the coming plunge. Now to be fair, we have seen these headlines for a while now, so it’s not like they just suddenly began to appear, but the fact that there actually was some selling added a little credence to the crash worries. Sure there were a few voices of reason, but for the most part, the coming declines were all but set in stone as far as most commentators were concerned. But is that really the case? Is it finally time for a crash?
A year ago, almost to the day, I penned a piece here on MarketWatch that outlined the technical structure that precedes a crash. You can read that original column here and the follow-up column as well. Back then, the crash chorus was rising as well. The most important points of the columns were:
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Market crashes have a technical structure that forms prior to the crash
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Significant market declines (not crashes) also have the same exact structure
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The technical structure is a necessary but not a sufficient condition
That last point is a salient one. What it says is that given historical data, large declines and crashes have a structure we can identify, but just because the structure is present does not necessarily mean those declines will be realized.
What is the structure? It is the break of multiple swing points on multiple timeframes across the major indexes and, in case you are wondering, we don’t have that yet . In fact, we haven’t seen that since that piece was penned a year ago. We came close a couple of times — once late last year and again earlier this year, but so far, nothing yet. Remember, even when we do get the breaks and the trend transitions that they imply, it still doesn’t follow that we will necessarily get a large decline or crash — it just raises the possibility and the resultant odds.
So what would it take to get a larger decline at this juncture? If you take the weakest index, the Russell 2000, it would need to decline another 3.7{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce}, which is equal to another decline of equal size to last week’s push lower. that would bring it to the brink.
The same is true of the S&P 500 as a decline of another 3.5{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} from Monday’s closing levels would also bring it to breakdown levels.
Although we can always postulate what may or may not happen, as has been said in this column many times in the past, if you stay on the right side of the market in the short- to intermediate-term timeframes, you don’t have to worry about the long term as you will be where you need to be when you get there. There are far too many variables that affect the long term. There are literally thousands of factors that could come into play between now and then, so quit worrying about it. Just focus on what is in front of you, reduce risk when appropriate (when larger declines have a higher probability of happening) and stay with the trend as long as the trend stays with you.
To even set up the possibility of a larger decline (bear market and/or crash possibility), the markets would need to suffer another loss equal in size to what has been suffered so far. For traders and investors who are more inclined to protect than to risk, the current bounce that began Monday should yield important clues as early as today about whether further declines are likely because many indexes and sectors are in the midst of bearish retest and regenerate sequences on their daily timeframes as seen here on the S&P 500.
If equities cannot trade over and hold above the 1943 area on the S&P 500 for a couple f bars, then either removing some risk or hedging off some of the risk would make sense as that would leave more options on the table should the intermediate term swing points lows are threatened in the coming days.
By L.A. Little
- Published in Blog
Highmark Executes Definitive Agreement to Acquire BCBUD
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Aug 06, 2014 (Marketwired via COMTEX) — Highmark Marketing Inc. (cse:HMK) (“Highmark”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a share exchange agreement (the “Agreement”) with BCBUD Producers Inc. (the “BCBUD”) to acquire 100{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of its authorized share capital from the shareholder of BCBUD, Blue Moon Advertising Inc. (“Blue Moon”). Highmark is also pleased to announce that it has entered into a consulting agreement with the President of BCBUD, Bill Marshall.
BCBUD has prepared an application to become a licensed producer of marijuana and has informed Highmark that it is ready to file its first application under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (the “MMPR”).
The Agreement contemplates that 2,500,000 common shares will be issued by Highmark to Blue Moon for the acquisition of BCBUD but that shares will be held in escrow and will be released upon the occurrence of the following events:
----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Release Date Number of Shares Released ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On receipt of a letter from Health Canada 250,000 common shares confirming a submission number of the BCBUD's application to become a licensed producer under the MMPR ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On receipt of a Ready to Build letter from 250,000 common shares Health Canada confirming that BCBUD has approval from Health Canada to build a facility pursuant to the MMPR ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On receipt by BCBUD of a license to produce 2,000,000 common shares marijuana under the MMPR (the "License Shares") ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The License Shares will also be subject to a stock restriction agreement whereby the stock will be released over a period of three years.
On August 1, 2014, Highmark entered into a Consulting Agreement with Bill Marshall, President of BCBUD, pursuant to which Highmark has agreed to pay Mr. Marshall $3,500 per month. Mr. Marshall has gained extensive experience with MMPR applications, whilst working as a consultant to prospective licensed producers. As the designated Senior Person in Charge, he will be responsible for communicating with Health Canada and assisting with all matters relating to the issuance of a license under the MMPR.
BCBUD cannot legally become a producer under the MMPR until it has been granted a license, and it is currently not known if and when BCBUD will obtain that license. The key milestones to becoming a licensed producer include filing an application, receiving a Ready to Build letter, completion of the upgrades as per the Ready to Build letter, approval from Health Canada to produce upon inspection of the facility, and finally approval to distribute the product to patients.
Highmark would also like to announce a change to its Advisory Board. Highmark’s current Consulting Agreement with Greenline Ventures Ltd. has been terminated effective September 4, 2014. From September 4, 2014, Don Schultz of Greenline Ventures Ltd. will no longer be a member of Highmark’s Advisory Committee. Highmark has made this change as part of a broader initiative to more closely align compensation to specific performance based milestones. Highmark intends to continue to work with Greenline and Don Schultz where possible on a project basis.
About Highmark
Highmark is a nutraceutical company, based in British Columbia, focused on bringing the health benefits of natural and herbal remedies to the market. Highmark intends to acquire, license, distribute, and market products in the nutraceutical industry.
Further information about Highmark is available under its profile on the SEDAR website www.sedar.com and on Highmark’s page on the CSE website.
The CSE has not reviewed, nor approved or disapproved the content of this press release.
Forward-Looking Information:
This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of Highmark. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of Highmark, including future plans for acquisitions. Although Highmark believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because Highmark can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Highmark disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
Contacts: Highmark Marketing Inc. Marc Branson Chief Executive Officer 604.283.1722 info@highmarkcorp.ca
SOURCE: Highmark Marketing Inc.
- Published in Medical Marijuana
Is Bitcoin a bubble?
We still support long, speculative positions, stop-loss at $550.
Bitcoin is still perceived by financial professionals as a possible bubble, a poll by Bloomberg has shown:
Bitcoins, which lost 45{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of their value after skyrocketing to more than $1,100 last year, are poised to tumble further, according to the latest Bloomberg Global Poll of financial…
We still support long, speculative positions, stop-loss at $550.
Bitcoin is still perceived by financial professionals as a possible bubble, a poll by Bloomberg has shown:
Bitcoins, which lost 45{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of their value after skyrocketing to more than $1,100 last year, are poised to tumble further, according to the latest Bloomberg Global Poll of financial professionals.
55{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of those surveyed said the virtual currency trades at unsustainable, bubble-like prices, according to the quarterly poll of 562 investors, analysts and traders who are Bloomberg subscribers. Another 14{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} said it’s on the verge of a bubble. Only 6 percent of respondents said a bubble isn’t forming. The remaining 25 percent were unsure.
This definitely shows the future of Bitcoin is not perceived as clear. And it’s not. What Bitcoin will become is still very uncertain. It might turn out to be a bubble. It doesn’t have to, though. There are numerous possibilities to use the network, so the currency is not an empty promise. It doesn’t have to go down in the future. If Bitcoin becomes accepted as a payment protocol by the general audience, we might see its value rise sharply. It’s not certain, but this is part of the investment process.
For now, one of the most important parts in the development of Bitcoin is making it safe for the customer to use. Once Bitcoin startups introduce new ideas for Bitcoin security we might as well see the perception of Bitcoin reversed.
There is also one piece of information that doesn’t support the Bitcoin bubble theory. Namely, bubbles are usually formed on widespread enthusiasm about an idea. For instance, the dot-com bubble thrived on the enthusiasm about tech companies. We don’t see this kind of frenzy in the Bitcoin market right now.
Let’s turn to the charts.
If you recall what we wrote yesterday:
As a matter of fact, Bitcoin has gone up today (this is written after 11:45 a.m. EDT). “Is this bullish enough?” the question might be knocking around hour heads. We’ve asked ourselves the exact same question. Here’s what we think.
This move of appreciation might be first in five days. The slightly more pessimistic take on the market, in which the current trend is established by the declining line ending just below $650 on the above chart, would suggest that we are still below the trend, with a possible attempt at breaking above it.
In other words, the situation might become even more bullish in a matter of days but there also are indications that the move we’ve seen today is not strong enough just yet. The volume levels also don’t support a strong move at this moment.
Caring about your investments as we do, we think that this is not the time to increase one’s positions. On the other hand, the outlook is still bullish enough, in our opinion, to keep the longs.
Bitcoin went up yesterday on BitStamp but has gone down today (this is written before 11:15 a.m. EDT). This confirms the above point of view. The thing you might be wondering about is whether there have been any changes in the market. We certainly do wonder that from one day to another. Let’s address this point.
The move down we’ve seen today hasn’t been significant and the volume remains very low. These are not typical characteristics of a significant move down. Altogether, Bitcoin is still between two hypothetical trend lines (declining black lines on the above chart). The situation remains a bit unclear but the fact that we haven’t seen a significant move down and the recent declines took place on low volume makes us more optimistic than not about the short-term prospects.
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/resourceinvestornews/~3/J4ZByMyI_fY/is-bitcoin-a-bubble
Read more http://financialpress.com/2014/07/21/is-bitcoin-a-bubble/
- Published in Blog
Mumbai airport has record gold seizures
The latest statistics released by the Air Intelligence Unit of India Customs suggests that the quantity of smuggled gold seized at Mumbai International Airport during the first half of the year is the highest in the past 15 years.
According to officials, a total of 535 kilograms of gold were seized during the initial six months of the year. The…
The latest statistics released by the Air Intelligence Unit of India Customs suggests that the quantity of smuggled gold seized at Mumbai International Airport during the first half of the year is the highest in the past 15 years.
According to officials, a total of 535 kilograms of gold were seized during the initial six months of the year. The quantity of seized gold is expected to cross 1,000 kilograms in 2014, surpassing the previous highs of 800 kilograms in 1989.
The instances of gold smuggling have been escalating. This is quite evident from the fact that 323 kilograms of gold were seized during the three-month period from April to June. The total gold seizure during April to June last year was only 55 kilograms. The seized gold has increased nearly six times this year.
Earlier in March, the Customs officials had reported the biggest seizure in a single night shift at the Mumbai International Airport when 18 kilograms of gold worth Rs 4.96 crores were seized in four separate incidents. The Customs Department has decided to award letters of appreciation to officers involved in the operation.
According to Milind Lanjewar, Additional Commissioner, Customs, the gold smuggling in the country is likely to continue as there has been no decrease in gold import duties in the budget presented by the government.
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/resourceinvestornews/~3/ZD5SywK6p74/mumbai-airport-has-record-gold-seizures
Read more http://financialpress.com/2014/07/23/mumbai-airport-has-record-gold-seizures/
- Published in Mining
Gold gains to come?
- Today’s AM fix was USD 1,305.00, EUR 971.20 and GBP 768.55 per ounce.
- Friday’s AM fix was USD 1,292.50, EUR 961.18 and GBP 761.64 per ounce.
Gold climbed $15.00 or 1.16{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} Friday to $1,307.40/oz and silver shot up $0.37 or 1.82{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} to $20.74/oz. Gold and silver were both down for the week – 0.24{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} and 0.53{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} r…
- Today’s AM fix was USD 1,305.00, EUR 971.20 and GBP 768.55 per ounce.
- Friday’s AM fix was USD 1,292.50, EUR 961.18 and GBP 761.64 per ounce.
Gold climbed $15.00 or 1.16{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} Friday to $1,307.40/oz and silver shot up $0.37 or 1.82{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} to $20.74/oz. Gold and silver were both down for the week – 0.24{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} and 0.53{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} respectively.
Silver for immediate delivery fell 0.4{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} to $20.68 an ounce in London this morning. Platinum added 0.4{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} to $1,485 an ounce. Palladium gained another 0.5{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} to $885.05 an ounce and is a whisker away from new 13 year nominal highs.
Gold and silver were marginally lower last week but both spiked towards the close on Friday which could be a harbinger for further price gains this week. Gold jumped $15.80 to as high as $1,308.20 in the last minutes of trade and silver surged to as high as $20.727.
Gold is marginally lower in London this morning after gold in Singapore ticked lower overnight. Futures trading volume surged from last week’s turgid trading and were 72{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} above the average for the past 100 days for this time of day, according to Bloomberg data.
Silver in U.S. Dollars – 50, 100, 200 Simple Moving Averages (Thomson Reuters)
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/resourceinvestornews/~3/MH60nhip3Ac/gold-gains-to-come
Read more http://financialpress.com/2014/07/29/gold-gains-to-come/
- Published in Mining