Sunday, November 6, 2011
Hypo Venture Capital Why Invest Offshore
http://www.sooperarticles.com/finance-articles/hypo-venture-capital-why-invest-offshore-201492.html
Here at Hypo Venture Capital we are committed to offering our clients access to the latest and broadest range of financial services and products on the market. We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs
What are the benefits available to you from the world of offshore savings, investment, finance and banking?
Even in this day and age of enlightenment thanks to the pervasive nature of information dissemination via the internet, some people are still concerned about the legalities and legitimacy of the offshore world of finance and banking. For some reason others simply assume that onshore equates to a 'safe haven' for money and offshore equates to a 'risky tax haven.'
Well, you and I know that that is simply not the case! However, even though it is now clearer to more people that the offshore world holds many potential taxation benefits, there are still questions to be answered about why one should invest offshore and in this article we explore the benefits.
First things first...here's another myth I wish to dispel – some people say that offshore investments and bank accounts are more lightly regulated than their entity-type-counterparts onshore...now, that's not necessarily true!
Yes, certain jurisdictions give fund managers, bankers and investors pretty much free rein so that the rewards and risks are potentially far greater – but some jurisdictions are very highly regarded among financial professionals simply because of the incredibly high standards of protection they afford investors and account holders through insurance schemes and government regulation requirements for example:
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are examples of offshore jurisdictions where offshore investment and saving policy or bank account holders are afforded high levels of protection. Just taking the Isle of Man – it offers policyholder protection schemes, it also has the highest financial services rating issued by the OECD, FATF and FSF and it has an independent Financial Services Ombudsman scheme not to mention the fact that both Standard and Poor's and Moody's have given the Isle of Man AAA ratings.
So – myth dispelled, let's move on.
In terms of the benefits available when investing offshore they will always, always depend on the particular circumstances of the individual investor - but offshore financial services and structures can be used as part of an overall asset protection strategy for example, investing offshore can afford an investor greater flexibility in terms of international accessibility and the commodities, equities, derivatives, stocks, shares or companies they can invest in, plus there are of course sometimes significant taxation benefits available to an account holder depending on their countries of tax residence and domicile.
Other answers to the question posed by this article – namely 'why invest offshore?' – are because there are general benefits available including more efficient estate planning potential, privacy and confidentiality, better interest returns, the chance to exploit active business interests overseas in low or no tax locations and global access to assets and income.
So, while the internet has been fantastic in terms of allowing more people to become far more broadly informed - especially about subjects as seemingly taboo as all things offshore - it is still absolutely in a government's interests to avoid advising people that the offshore world is open and available to them because they may well lose out on taxation revenue as a result! This means it is up to independent websites such as World Financial Asset Advisory to give you free access to facts and general information and for you to then see how and why such information is or is not applicable to your own personal circumstances. At which stage you can then take specific and expert advice from a qualified individual as to how you can best utilize the offshore world.
And on that final note there is just one more thing to say! A potential investor (you) has to be absolutely sure that the actions they are about to take in terms of placing assets offshore will be of benefit to them. Additionally they need to make sure that they are acting legally, that a company they are entrusting with their money is legitimate and that they understand the risks associated with their decisions.
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Thursday, November 3, 2011
Hypo Venture Capital Why Invest Offshore
http://www.sooperarticles.com/finance-articles/hypo-venture-capital-why-invest-offshore-201492.html
Here at Hypo Venture Capital we are committed to offering our clients access to the latest and broadest range of financial services and products on the market. We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs
What are the benefits available to you from the world of offshore savings, investment, finance and banking?
Even in this day and age of enlightenment thanks to the pervasive nature of information dissemination via the internet, some people are still concerned about the legalities and legitimacy of the offshore world of finance and banking. For some reason others simply assume that onshore equates to a 'safe haven' for money and offshore equates to a 'risky tax haven.'
Well, you and I know that that is simply not the case! However, even though it is now clearer to more people that the offshore world holds many potential taxation benefits, there are still questions to be answered about why one should invest offshore and in this article we explore the benefits.
First things first...here's another myth I wish to dispel – some people say that offshore investments and bank accounts are more lightly regulated than their entity-type-counterparts onshore...now, that's not necessarily true!
Yes, certain jurisdictions give fund managers, bankers and investors pretty much free rein so that the rewards and risks are potentially far greater – but some jurisdictions are very highly regarded among financial professionals simply because of the incredibly high standards of protection they afford investors and account holders through insurance schemes and government regulation requirements for example:
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are examples of offshore jurisdictions where offshore investment and saving policy or bank account holders are afforded high levels of protection. Just taking the Isle of Man – it offers policyholder protection schemes, it also has the highest financial services rating issued by the OECD, FATF and FSF and it has an independent Financial Services Ombudsman scheme not to mention the fact that both Standard and Poor's and Moody's have given the Isle of Man AAA ratings.
So – myth dispelled, let's move on.
In terms of the benefits available when investing offshore they will always, always depend on the particular circumstances of the individual investor - but offshore financial services and structures can be used as part of an overall asset protection strategy for example, investing offshore can afford an investor greater flexibility in terms of international accessibility and the commodities, equities, derivatives, stocks, shares or companies they can invest in, plus there are of course sometimes significant taxation benefits available to an account holder depending on their countries of tax residence and domicile.
Other answers to the question posed by this article – namely 'why invest offshore?' – are because there are general benefits available including more efficient estate planning potential, privacy and confidentiality, better interest returns, the chance to exploit active business interests overseas in low or no tax locations and global access to assets and income.
So, while the internet has been fantastic in terms of allowing more people to become far more broadly informed - especially about subjects as seemingly taboo as all things offshore - it is still absolutely in a government's interests to avoid advising people that the offshore world is open and available to them because they may well lose out on taxation revenue as a result! This means it is up to independent websites such as World Financial Asset Advisory to give you free access to facts and general information and for you to then see how and why such information is or is not applicable to your own personal circumstances. At which stage you can then take specific and expert advice from a qualified individual as to how you can best utilize the offshore world.
And on that final note there is just one more thing to say! A potential investor (you) has to be absolutely sure that the actions they are about to take in terms of placing assets offshore will be of benefit to them. Additionally they need to make sure that they are acting legally, that a company they are entrusting with their money is legitimate and that they understand the risks associated with their decisions.
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: Hacker attacks show vulnerability of cloud computing
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/06/hypo-venture-capital-headlines-hacker-attacks-show-vulnerability-of-cloud-computing/
Apple’s Steve Jobs unveils the iCloud storage system at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2011 in San Francisco. Cloud computing involves outsourcing tasks to firms that maintain huge data centers around the world. (David Paul Morris, Bloomberg / June 6, 2011)
As hackers continue their rampage against the world’s largest banks, defense contractors and technology companies, executives and government officials are confronting a sobering truth: The bad guys are winning.
The seemingly unending string of high-profile attacks, most recently against Citigroup Inc. and Sony Corp., have shown that nearly every organization is vulnerable to a growing contingent of well-trained and agile attackers who are finding security holes faster than they can be plugged.
“It’s gotten very dangerous out there,” said Stan Stahl, a security consultant and president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Information Systems Security Assn. “There’s an epidemic of this stuff going on right now.”
The increase in high-profile attacks comes as companies are looking to move more of their business operations online, including to the “cloud,” in which computing tasks are outsourced to firms that maintain huge data centers around the world.
Despite the cloud’s potential for cost savings and reducing the hassles of running in-house computer servers, security analysts say it may not yet be as safe as advertised — a warning that many companies are taking seriously.
Alex Bermudez, the security manager for Beachbody, a Los Angeles company that makes the popular P90X workout videos, said that although his company is beefing up security as it expands overseas, he’s held off on shifting operations into the cloud.
“There are a lot of good technology companies doing the cloud well,” he said, but having his company’s data stored remotely, alongside data from many other firms, “is a little scary.”
Concerns about the cloud dominated conversation at a UCLA conference this week on cyber security, which drew nearly 400 executives, double last year’s attendance.
Eugene Schultz, chief technology officer at Emagined Security, said that hackers are spending substantial time and effort looking for ways to penetrate the cloud.
“There are some real Achilles’ heels in the cloud infrastructure that are making big holes for the bad guys to get into,” he said.
Because data from hundreds or thousands of companies can be stored on large cloud servers, he said, hackers can theoretically gain control of huge stores of information through a single attack — a process he called “hyperjacking.”
Security professionals said the many attacks recently in the news reflect both an uptick in hacking activity and new pressure on companies to quickly disclose when they’ve been attacked.
When hackers broke into Sony’s PlayStation network in April to steal information from about 77 million user accounts, the company came under fire from federal lawmakers for waiting days to inform customers that their personal data had been compromised.
Sony’s handling of the breach triggered hearings in Washington and has spurred the Federal Trade Commission to recommend new laws that would compel companies to quickly disclose breaches to users or face penalties.
“Now people are like, ‘If we don’t get it out now, someone’s going to do a congressional inquiry and we’ll be called up and asked about it,’ ” said Jeff Carter, a security technologist formerly at Bank of America and now at Hoyos Group, which makes iris scanning security technology.
And as the attacks yield increasingly lucrative financial and personal data, the crowd of outlaws is growing too, many from developing nations where unemployment rates are high and programming jobs in short supply.
In much the same way that YouTube and cellphones have enabled millions to become filmmakers, and free blogging software has created legions of diarists, low-cost hacking tools have automated the hacking process for novices.
“A lot more people understand how to do this now,” said Samy Kamkar, a security researcher and former hacker who once created a malicious computer program that crashed MySpace. “It’s much easier for any kid with a computer to download software, point it at a company’s website and attempt to run various attacks.”
A hacker group called LulzSec has taken credit for recent attacks on the websites of the U.S. Senate, CIA, and several video game companies.
The group uses Twitter to publicize its exploits and has earned hundreds of thousands of followers.
In Internet lingo, the word “lulz” means laughs had at the expense of others – and is the group’s self-proclaimed raison d’être.
“Vigilantes? Nope. Cyber terrorists? Nope,” the group tweeted recently. “We have no political motives — we do it for the lulz.”
Stocks Drop, Dollar Advances as Fed Lowers Growth Forecast
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/06/stocks-drop-dollar-advances-as-fed-lowers-growth-forecast/
June 22 (Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks declined, breaking a four-day rally, after the Federal Reserve lowered its economic growth forecast and said it will complete a $600 billion bond- purchase program as scheduled this month. The dollar rose, and oil climbed following a decrease in inventories.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 0.7 percent to 1,287.14 at 4:00 p.m. in New York, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Index dropped 0.6 percent. Ten-year U.S. note yields were almost unchanged, holding below 3 percent for a sixth day. The Dollar Index advanced 0.4 percent while the euro fell 0.5 percent to $1.4344. The pound weakened after some Bank of England members said more stimulus may be needed.
The S&P 500 halted its longest streak of gains of the month, having risen 2.4 percent over the past four days in a rebound from an almost three-month low. Stocks lost ground after Fed officials reduced their economic-growth projections, with much of the decline in the final hour of trading. The Fed, in a statement after a two-day policy meeting in Washington, left its benchmark interest rate in a range of zero to 0.25 percent and repeated a pledge to keep it there “for an extended period.”
“There was a bit of disappointment that the Fed downgraded their forecasts,” said Brad Sorensen, director of market and sector analysis at San Francisco-based Charles Schwab Corp., which has $1.7 trillion in client assets. “The ‘extended period’ language can’t be more specific because they don’t know what the economic data is going to be. There’s no way to know what happens over the next three months. So, there’s no way to know what policy will be in three months.”
‘Slower Pace’
Fed policy makers said they will maintain record monetary stimulus to support the flagging economic recovery after completing the bond-purchase program. “The economic recovery is continuing at a moderate pace, though somewhat more slowly than the committee had expected,” the statement said. “The slower pace of the recovery reflects in part factors that are likely to be temporary,” such as supply chain disruptions stemming from the Japanese disaster in March.
Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said at a press conference in Washington that the central bank can take additional actions to stimulate the economy “if conditions warranted.” Potential tools, which have risks or costs, include additional securities purchases or a reduction in the interest rate on excess bank reserves, Bernanke said.
Bill Gross, who runs the world’s biggest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co. in Newport Beach, California, said in a Twitter post this morning that the Fed “will likely hint” at interest caps and QE3 — a hypothetical third round of quantitative easing, which would involve the purchase of assets — during its August meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Shipping Demand
U.S. equity futures briefly trimmed losses before the open of exchanges after earnings from FedEx Corp. signaled that global shipping demand is improving. FedEx shares rallied 2.6 percent.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index’s decline followed the gauge’s 1.4 percent advance yesterday, its biggest gain in two months. Royal Philips Electronics NV, the world’s biggest maker of light bulbs, tumbled 8.8 percent in Amsterdam trading after saying it will need to deepen cost-cutting to combat deteriorating demand for lighting and consumer electrical goods such as headphones.
Greece’s government won a vote of confidence and needs parliamentary approval next week for 78 billion euros ($112 billion) in budget cuts to prevent default.
Greek Bonds
The yield on the 10-year Greek bond fell 17 basis points to 16.81 percent, while the similar-maturity Irish yield advanced 31 basis points to 11.71 percent. The two-year German note yield slipped five basis points to 1.48 percent, dropping for the first time in four days. The Markit iTraxx Financial Index of credit-default swaps protecting the senior debt of 25 European banks and insurers climbed seven basis points to 161, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The European Financial Stability Facility started selling 3 billion euros ($4.3 billion) of bonds due December 2016 to help fund euro-area nations’ contribution to the bailout of Portugal, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The notes may be priced to yield about seven basis points more than the benchmark mid-swap rate and the issue is scheduled to be completed this week, said the people.
Crude oil rose for a third straight day, rising $1.24 to settle at $95.41 a barrel in New York as the U.S. Energy Department said stockpiles declined by 1.71 million barrels in the latest week. Inventories were forecast to drop by 1.83 million barrels, according to the median of analyst estimates in a Bloomberg News survey.
Emerging Markets
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index climbed 0.3 percent, for its first back-to-back gain in three weeks, as South Korea’s Kospi Index jumped 0.8 percent. Dubai’s DFM General Index retreated 1.8 percent after MSCI Inc., whose stock indexes are tracked by investors with about $3 trillion in assets, delayed to December its decision on whether to raise the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to emerging-market status.
The pound depreciated against all its 16 major counterparts. Bank of England officials voted 7-2 to keep interest rates on hold this month, with some warning that the economy is weakening. The BOE’s Spencer Dale and Martin Weale continued a push for a quarter-point increase in the benchmark rate. Governor Mervyn King and the other six members of the Monetary Policy Committee, including Ben Broadbent, voted for no change. Adam Posen kept up a call for more bond purchases.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Walmart exec says Chicago suits chain’s growth plans
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-walmart-exec-says-chicago-suits-chain%E2%80%99s-growth-plans/
Adminnistrative Officer of Walmart U.S. speaking at the Metropolitan Planning Council’s annual luncheon today, June 27, 2011. | Photo by Karen Kring
Updated: June 27, 2011 4:57PM
A top executive of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. told local business leaders Monday that returns from the company’s small-format stores have recently become as profitable as those of its well-known supercenters.
The changing business model means that Chicago is the best venue for Walmart’s growth, said Thomas A. Mars, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Walmart U.S., during the Metropolitan Planning Council’s annual luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The climate also gives Walmart the incentive to launch in Chicago its nationwide minority supplier program, Mars said. The program aims to increase the diversity of the retailer’s suppliers, primarily in food, general merchandise and professional services. No launch date was immediately available.
Mars didn’t say it aloud, but observers said after his presentation that Walmart undoubtedly perceives Chicago as a more hospitable political climate, too, despite continued protests by labor unions and some residents and politicians about its worker policies.
Jesse Ruiz, vice chair of the council, led the discussion, titled, “What, Where and How? Rethinking the Retail Landscape.”
Walmart operates 59 stores in the Chicago metropolitan area, including one in the Austin neighborhood inside the Chicago city limits. The Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart has announced eight other Chicago sites where it plans to open full-size and smaller-format express stores, and intends to eventually operate dozens in the city.
“This second city thing? We didn’t get the memo,” Mars said. “We don’t buy that and never have.”
Statewide, Walmart operates 180 supercenters, 28 Sam’s Clubs and five distribution centers, and employs 50,166, making it one of Illinois’ largest private employers.
In Chicago, Walmart will use its experience operating stores in other urban and under-served areas and intends to reduce the cost of living for nearby residents, Mars said.
“We want to go where the customers need us the most,” he said.
Diversity—whether in the communities that Walmart serves or its internal operations—plays a part in the retailer’s expansion plans, Mars said.
“The most important epiphany I’ve had in my adult life is the way we look at diversity,” he said. “We look at it as a way to improve talent—you start to see the world in a different way.”
Mars, a former general counsel for Walmart, helped lead an effort to transfer $60 million of business to minority and female partners in law firms with which Walmart does business.
Mars pointed out that Walmart CEO Bill Simon attended Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s meeting earlier this month in which supermarket executives pledged to build new stores in so-called “food deserts” as part of the mayor’s action plan. Food deserts are areas where residents must make an effort to find fresh produce and affordable groceries, including having to drive out of their neighborhood or take a cab or public transportation to get fresh, affordable and healthy foods.
Walmart’s expansion here will enable local residents to see greater evidence of its six-year-old efforts to save energy and improve sustainability, Mars said.
The retailer has changed its packaging and the way it packs its trucks, developed a hybrid tractor-trailer and has installed solar roofs on some of its stores, he noted.
People hired by Walmart will benefit from another new program in which Walmart gives its employees, called “associates,” credit toward achieving an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree, Mars said. He said the educational program is part of its efforts to address urban issues.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Zurich Financial CFO Wemmer To Leave Insurer By Year-End
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-zurich-financial-cfo-wemmer-to-leave-insurer-by-year-end/
ZURICH (Dow Jones)–Zurich Financial Services AG (ZURN.VX) Tuesday said long-time Chief Financial Officer Dieter Wemmer has decided to leave the company at the end of the year to pursue new career opportunities.
Analysts said the move, which comes partly as …
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Management: News Corp. Swaps Diverge as S&P Considers Cut: Corporate Finance
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-management-news-corp-swaps-diverge-as-sp-considers-cut-corporate-finance/
Credit-default swaps on News Corp. (NWS) are the highest on record relative to its media peers as Standard & Poor’s says it may cut the publisher’s bond rating because of risks associated with the phone-hacking scandal.
The cost of protecting debt of the owner of the Fox TV networks and the Wall Street Journal from default soared 58 basis points this month to 142 basis points as of yesterday, compared with an increase of 10 basis points for the average contract on Rupert Murdoch’s company and its four biggest competitors. Relative yields on News Corp.’s bonds have risen 31 basis points, while those of similar companies widened one basis point, Bank of America Merrill Lynch index data show.
S&P said in a statement it may lower New York-based News Corp. (NWSA)’s BBB+ corporate credit rating after “broadening legal inquires” into the phone-hacking scandal centering on the defunct News of the World newspaper “increased business and reputation risks” for the media company. The review came just five days after the ratings company said the outlook was stable.
“The court of public opinion can be fairly merciless, and that’s the bigger headwind now,” Tom Farina, managing director at Deutsche Insurance Asset Management in New York, which oversees $200 billion, said in a telephone interview. While News Corp. may not see “direct financial ramifications,” the reputational damage is the larger risk, Farina said.
Most on Record
Credit-default swaps on its News America Inc. unit are the highest on record, compared with the average contract on the debt of competitors. Swaps on News Corp., Walt Disney Co. (DIS), Time Warner Inc.,Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), and Viacom Inc. (VIA/B) climbed to 79 basis points from as low as 54 basis points in December, according to CMA, which is owned by CME Group Inc. and compiles prices quoted by dealers in the privately negotiated market.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Management: Gold price climbs to new record on debt uncertainty
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-management-gold-price-climbs-to-new-record-on-debt-uncertainty/
The price of gold has hit a new record price of $1,610 an ounce as debt worries in the US and Europe have intensified.
It climbed above $1,600 for the first time on Monday, capping a record-breaking rally of 11 days of gains.
Gold is considered a safe investment and usually gains at times of global economic uncertainty.
But Spanish and Italian bond yields eased and banking shares rose, reversing large falls seen on Monday.
Government borrowing costs are continuing to rise, though. A Spanish bond auction was oversubscribed, but the government was forced to offer sharply higher returns to sell 4.45bn euros (£3.9bn) of bonds.
On the 12-month bonds, the average rate soared to 3.7% from 2.7% at the last such auction on 14 June. For 18-month bonds, the yield was up to 3.9% from 3.3% last time.
- Gold prices have been rising because of continued concerns over Europe’s debt crisis
Bank rises
Continue reading the main story
sday. The rate on Italian 10-year bonds fell to 5.7% having topped 6% on Monday, while the rate on the Spanish equivalent fell 0.15 percentage points to 6.12%.
On Monday, yields had risen in a sign that financial markets were sceptical that governments would be able to bring an end to the debt crisis.
European banking shares also rose on Tuesday, buoyed by the bond market and helped by a better performance from US bank shares late on Monday.
Shares in Lloyds Banking Group rose 4.1% in London, while French banks Societe Generale, Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas also rose by between 3.5% and 4.5%.
‘More advances’The record breaking gold price comes ahead of Thursday’s summit of eurozone leaders in Brussels where they will once again try to contain the growing debt crisis.
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Gold price reaches new high on eurozone debt fears
Investors are concerned that Greece may default on its debt, and countries such as Italy and Spain, who are also struggling with high debt levels, will get pulled into the crisis.
“Gold hit another milestone… at $1,600 as investors lose confidence in the ability of politicians to get a grip with the debt problems weighing down on sentiment,” said Michael Hewson from CMC Markets, a trading group.
“More advances look likely,” he said.
As well as gold hitting a new record, silver also continued to climb, to above $40 an ounce, its highest price for two months.
US default?
Meanwhile in the US, politicians are struggling to reach an agreement on a deficit reduction plan in time to avoid a debt default before the deadline of 2 August.
There are also worries about the strength of the US economy and of the dollar.
Nicholas Brooks, the head of investment strategy at ETF Securities, told the BBC: “I think the concern is that if we see another round of so called quantitative easing, it’s basically de-basing the US dollar. It’s putting new dollars into the system and that of course makes investors concerned about holding on to US dollars.
“When they look at the alternative, the euro and the issues that are now affecting the euro, they look for alternatives and gold of course is one of the first places they go, along with other so-called hard commodities,” he added.
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