Jasele Oita's Blog A weblog about everything

Recent changes set forth by the government have lead many home owners to apply for refinancing to get lower, set interest rates. Many homeowners will benefit with a more affordable mortgage payment; however, applicants with less-than-stellar credit may be refused refinancing that would make a mortgage more affordable. For these consumers, it is recommended to begin credit repair as soon as possible–while avoiding the following:

Avoid using credit cards to make everyday purchases like food, clothing, and gas. Substituting credit for cash quickly leads to debt. Plus, having a large percentage of debt on a balance can lower a credit score, causing lenders to doubt the applicant’s credit worthiness. (If you already have low credit scores, don’t despair–credit history repair is possible for diligent consumers.)

Avoid paying only the minimum required. Making minimum payments extends the length of time you owe debt, plus it results in higher monthly payments due to the interest rate and growing balance. Pay debts off more quickly and cheaply by paying as much as possible on the outstanding balance each month.

Avoid using a credit card to buy things you can’t afford. If you can’t afford a purchase today, chances are you won’t be able to afford it tomorrow, or even next month. Many consumers are now in need of credit repair after foreclosure because they got a mortgage they thought they would be able to afford after a few years of pay raises and rising home values–but instead, unemployment rates and decreasing housing prices have had the opposite effect. Buy only what you can afford.

The sooner you resume habits that help lenders recognize you as a responsible borrower, the more apt you are to receive loans at affordable rates. If you need professional advice or assistance for repairing credit report ratings, go with a company like Vitesse Financial; long-standing companies like this one can help get consumers on the right track.

From engineering firms to scientific research organizations, data visualization software is a vital tool employed by a large number of companies. However, it is important to find the type of software that that is designed for your company’s unique set of needs. Graphis 2D and 3D plotting software offers a comprehensive list of features that are important for corporations in both the science and engineering sectors.

As mathematical graphing software, Graphis 2D and 3D can be used to construct graphs, each made up of a set of plots, and each plot is made up of one or more curves. Features include nine visualization plot types and six data analysis plot types. Graphis also features a nonlinear regression tool, analytical curves, tabular curves, built-in colourmaps, and high-quality graphs to view position, scaling, and lighting. This type of software also allows complete control of every graphical element, such as values of axis extends and divisions, color and font of axis labels and titles, and much more.

To follow up on the last post, it seems that not everyone is predicting doom and gloom in the world of foreign currency trading. A new survey from the National Association of Business Economics shows that while the U.S. should expect a deeper-than-predicted recession for the first half of 2009, the economy will make a turn for the better in the second half of 2009 and should enjoy a solid recovery in 2010. According to the economists surveyed, the U.S. economy will decline at a five percent rate in the first quarter and decline another 1.7% in the second but gain 1.6% in the second half of the year. While that won’t be enough to post a gain in economic activity for the year—the survey indicates a 0.9% full-year drop due to high unemployment, declining housing starts, and corporate profit losses, among other factors—the economy could see as much as 3.1% growth in 2010, despite some continuing job loss.

More good news for traders of the USD who primarily rely on fundamental forex analysis: the survey says that the U.S. will most likely be the first major economy to recover from the global recession, followed by China and Canada. Very few expect that European economies will be among the first to recover.

While the Bank of Canada has been optimistic about Canada’s ability to weather the economic storm pummeling the global economy, new data that shows that the 129,000 jobs lost in January and the number of bankruptcies up 50% compared to a year ago have darkened the economic outlook. Canada’s close ties with the U.S., which has been in the grip of recession for more than a year now, have made it susceptible to damage from the economic crisis. Now, analysts are saying that the latest data points to a long road to recovery for Canadians, and unemployment and bankruptcy rates are expected to climb higher as housing rates fall. Currently, the unemployment rate sits at 7.2% but could go as high as 9% before the year is over. Meanwhile, housing starts fell 11% in January for the fifth straight month. Not surprisingly, the Canadian dollar has been feeling the pinch and posting lows against the USD in forex/currency trading. To find out more about currency movements or locate a forex broker, be sure to check out the Forex Yellow Pages directory of companies.

If you’ve just begun your forex training, the curious case of the Japanese yen’s rapid appreciation in recent months even as the country’s recession deepens is a study in the incongruities of currencies. The Bank of Japan’s chief economist has called the economic decline the worst in the past 50 years of the country’s history. For the year starting April 1, 2009, the economy is expected to shrink two percent annually, the biggest drop since 1945. Compounding the bad news is the high unemployment rate. In December 2008, unemployment rose to 4.4% from 3.9% the month before, the steepest increase in 41 years as companies such as Nissan, Panasonic, and Hitachi all announced job cuts. Yet in the last year, the yen’s ascent has been practically unstoppable. The currency has rallied against 177 other currencies and has driven the USD into territory not seen for several years. The yen’s rally has been, at least in part, due to the so-called “flight to quality” effect that happens when uncertainty in the forex market causes investors to seek out less risky assets such as the yen. The question that remains now for investors is, “Will the yen continue to appreciate given Japan’s weak fundamentals?” You can get in on the speculation action by placing trades through forex trading systems such as 24FX.com.

Some seasoned forex traders say that practice accounts allow newbie traders to develop bad habits like overleveraging and making rash decisions and are generally inaccurate learning tools. Then there are others who swear by practice accounts, saying that a trial period is essential to long-term trading success. We tend to side with the latter argument. We demo traded for three-and-a-half months using an FxPro practice account. The experience was invaluable because it allowed us to experiment with different indicators without risking real money. By doing research and testing out the MT4 trading platform, we were able to become profitable much more quickly than other traders we know who dove blindly into real-time trading accounts.