| Westpac enhances KiwiSaver
Westpac has made saving for retirement even easier for its customers by introducing hotpoints from its credit card rewards programme as a form of KiwiSaver contribution. Westpac customers earn credit card rewards through the hotpoints programme on every Westpac credit card purchase they make. And now customers can convert their hotpoints into contributions towards a Westpac KiwiSaver account of their choice, be it their own or someone else’s. .
Bank of America Launches Monday Morning Quarter Back(TM) Sweepstakes
Promotion emphasizes saving through check card usage with Keep the Change(TM) feature, celebrates relationship with National Football League as "Official Bank of the NFL" CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America, the Official Bank of the National Football League (NFL), today launched Monday Morning Quarter Back(TM), a six-week sweepstakes promotion that encourages saving through the company's Keep the Change(TM) program and creates opportunities for NFL fans to win exclusive prizes -- including a trip for two to Super Bowl XLII (Forty-Two) in Arizona. Participants also will vie for weekly prizes, including the opportunity to be one of 12 customers -- two per week for six consecutive weeks -- who earn one-quarter of their weekend spending back. (Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050720/CLW086LOGO-b ) Starting today, customers can visit www.bankofamerica.com/quarterback to get official rules, more information and to sign up to participate.
West Africa: Between Nigeria And Ghana
It seems some ultra-conservative elements within the socio-political class of Ghana are hell-bent on destroying the cordiality that exists between the close governments and good peoples of Nigeria and Ghana. I had noted the danger signals in my earlier article titled, 'As Nigerians Invade West Africa, A Warning,' which was misconstrued as raising a false alarm by a few misinformed members of the Nigerian community in Ghana. I had stated clearly like the popular seer, Nostradamus that Nigerian investors in West Africa stood the great risk of throwing away their hard-earned resources in search of green pastures, if care was not taken. Ironically, the Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria to Ghana, Mr Abdul Salisu ,had practically issued a disclaimer against my Thisday column, which was reproduced in the Ghanaian Times, and told the Ghanaians that what I wrote was entirely my opinion, as if I mentioned him as a co-author.
(AFX UK Focus) 2007-11-19 11:54 GMT: China's Wen pledges to balance trade, free up yuan
SINGAPORE (XFN-ASIA) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged today to resolve trade imbalances after the country's surplus hit a record high in October and work to let the yuan move more freely. "We stand for free trade and oppose protectionism," Wen said in an address at the National University of Singapore. "We will speed up changing the mode of trade growth, improve the trade mix and strive to reduce trade imbalances." Wen's comments came after China's trade surplus hit a monthly record of 27 bln usd in October, prompting its global trade partners to urge Beijing to allow the yuan to appreciate. A stronger yuan would make Chinese exports more expensive overseas. China's accumulated surplus for the first 10 months rose to 212.4 bln usd, a leap of 59 pct over the same period in 2006, already shattering last year's record 177.5 bln usd.
Dow Theory: Dead or Alive
The stock market has made new all-time highs this year. All one could do was to stand in awe at the powerful performance it displayed. There are those who contend that a new bull market has begun, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of the 2002 decline that saw the market give up nearly a third of its value in less than a year. The following paper will examine the question as to whether this is a new bull market or something else. History doesn�t necessarily repeat note for note, but is sure does rhyme, often times in a different key. A few markets from the past worth noting are: the bear market of 1973-1974, the panic fall in 1984 that was precipitated by the Continental Illinois bank failure that almost took the system down, the precipitous crash of 1987, the bear market of the early 1990�s that was in response to the fall in the real estate markets, and lastly the Long Term Capital Market crisis where one failing hedge fund sent shivers through the entire world�s financial system, threatening it to freeze up and shut down.
Rural Bulletin Survey Results: Snapshot…
We received 362 responses from Rural Bulletin readers within the timeframe (more came in afterwards). Of these 185 were from people living in rural areas, 66 from people in small towns and 94 from people in cities. Our thanks go to you all. How you receive it: just under half the respondents received Rural Bulletin by email, and slightly under half were sent it by mail. A small number downloaded it from Rural Women New Zealand’s website. .
(AFX UK Focus) 2007-11-17 07:38 GMT: Brokerage, bank accounts deemed safe
NEW YORK (AP) - E-Trade customers had some needless hand-wringing this past week, worrying about the brokerage's financial problems and whether they might jeopardize the safety of 3.7 million accounts. The New York-based online broker told account holders their money was safe due to government protections and additional insurance. E-Trade Financial Corp. even took out a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal to assuage broader fears of a collapse after its stock plunged due to the credit market turmoil. E-Trade, like other financial institutions dealing with credit problems, faces defections as customers pull accounts without realizing that their assets are protected. Some investors have even opened accounts at other brokerage firms to spread their money around. "Until the smoke clears, we reduced our holdings tremendously," said Steve Kaloroplos, a retired small business owner from South Carolina.
|
