Aussie dollar boosted by its own 'gold standard'

The Chinese are told by their government to own gold bars and now India is picking up that investment philosophy. Dollars are no longer seen to be reliable - unless you are talking Canadian dollars or Australian. European money continues to flood the Canadian Hedge funds as Canada seen to be a haven of stability for the next 20 years.

The Australian dollar is one of the strongest currencies in the world because it is a commodity-backed currency. That’s why it hit a 29-year high against the US dollar today – and it’s all related to the gold price

Aussie dollar boosted by its own 'gold standard' - Telegraph

BMW breaks car sales record

Guess the boys are back in town - driving their BMWs. When I saw this heading, I figured the sales would be from Asian growth and that seems to be the case.

Consumer confidence may be fragile in Europe amid spending cuts and sovereign debt concerns, but sales of premium Western cars are soaring in emerging markets as the middle classes grow. BMW said sales in Europe rose 8pc to 93,540 and sales in America gained 19pc. However, Asia surged by 52pc

BMW breaks car sales record - Telegraph

Canadian private equity deals 2010 - 2011

Business Development Bank of Canada(9 deals, $49 million) 
GrowthWorks Ltd. (6 deals, $26 million) 
VenGrowth Asset Management Inc. (4 deals, $14 million) 
iNovia Capital (4 deals, $8 million) 
Covington Capital Corporation (3 deals, $12 million) 
Tandem Expansion Fund (2 deals, $29 million) 
Export Development Canada (2 deals, $13 million) 
British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC) (2 deals, $8 million) 

It is not just House saying this

Everyone lies

"Some people will lie to you because they mean to. Others will do it to tell you what you want to hear. Either way, test everything you are told. If someone tells you they are going to invest, get a date. And if the date passes, make sure your spider senses are tingling. If a client tells you he is giving you the order, ask him if it is in procurement yet; if not, then ask him if he minds if you call the purchaser yourself. Test what people tell you. They don't always mean to lie to you, but they do lies," says Robert Herjavec.

Robert is very fair in revealing this basic human need to be liked when face to face. Knowing this given when dealing with people, you can prepare strategies to move the sale forward. It reminds me of a negotiation course I did which taught me no matter what the first offer is, no matter how reasonable, act horrified, make a lot of noise and bring out your inner freak - out. I was returning a leased car and used this technique and was amazed when using strategies brought the final invoice down from a thousand to zero. That's right - zero. Planning your communication techniques works.


Read more in Money Magnet by J B Loewen

Just plan for the worst...

Bring a compass

"'It's awkward when you have to eat your friends.' That's a cute saying I saw a long time ago, but it's very true. When you're starting out, you have to realize that it is going to be bad and then it will be worse than you think. Be prepared to survive the worst situation you can think of — and then assume that things will in fact get even worse than that. Be prepared — it's much better to have a compass to get out of the woods (just in case) than to have to eat your friend to survive," says Robert Herjavec.

OK - so this is a guy thing. I really liked this point though, the more I thought about it. Robert seems callous but he is right that things will get appallingly bad at the worst possible time. Look at the past three years and the economy. 

Investors already know this. That is why they want to know you, the business owner, and your tenacity. Will you have a compass ready just when we are eyeing up each other to see who we will have to kill to eat. It's nothing personal, bro', it's survival..

Read more in Money Magnet by J B Loewen

Try something, rather than do nothing

If they can't catch you, they can't overtake you

"Go fast — really fast. The elephant can't catch a running mouse, but he sure can crush him when the mouse is standing still! When you're small, you got to be faster than the competition. In fact, that's pretty well true no matter who you are these days. So it's better to try something than do nothing," says Robert Herjavec.

The marines did a handbook of strategy which I read back in the nineties and based a great deal of my strategy work around their concepts. The one I debated with many business owners was - make decisions. They may be wrong so make another decision. Those who make the most decisions, win. 

What do you think?





Read more in Money Magnet by J B Loewen

Let's face it, Business Owners

There is no balance

"Your business is a living, breathing thing, and it has to survive, be fed and grow. There is no balance in your life when your business is in trouble. If you are under the illusion that you can start a business and run it at your life's schedule, you are mistaken. The business is like a starving puppy — when it needs to eat, then it needs to eat regardless of what you have going on personally," says Robert Herjavec.

Hey, those who want a balanced life, good for you. Even when business is not in trouble, there is no 'balance' in your life. Big highs, big lows, big highs - wash, rinse, repeat...

Read more in Money Magnet by J B Loewen

A Nation of Takers, Not Makers

Today in America there are nearly twice as many people working for the government (22.5 million) than in all of manufacturing (11.5 million). This is an almost exact reversal of the situation in 1960, when there were 15 million workers in manufacturing and 8.7 million collecting a paycheck from the government.
More people in the wagon then pulling the wagon?

Stephen Moore: We've Become a Nation of Takers, Not Makers - WSJ.com

Why the era of top secrecy for the Federal Reserve should end

The US FED is a privately owned bank. It will only disclose what it wants to. 
No-one including the US president will be able to get what info they want out of them. Even the US treasury is run mostly by former Goldman Sachs employees. It's a revolving door. They don't call it Government Goldman for nothing. 
Doesn't matter anyway. All shall be revealed in a few months when QE2 runs out. The FED has become the lender of first and last resort. 70% I'll say again 70% of treasury purchases are coming from the FED. They are in effect printing massive quantities of digital dollars. 
The US is in trouble either way it goes. If QE ends the economy collapses, if they continue, the dollar collapses. The pyramid scheme of money creation is coming to an end.

Why the era of top secrecy for the Federal Reserve should end - Telegraph

Ireland still hasn't fixed its broken banking system – Telegraph Blogs

The larger financial system is still a worry.

Ireland still hasn't fixed its broken banking system – Telegraph Blogs