Moody's Investors Services has upgraded the Philippines credit score

While a few countries are still suffering and struggling with the financial crisis, the Philippines got a different treat from Moody's Investors Services. It has upgraded the Philippines credit score by a notch.

A vote of confidence, and certainly a good news.

This is the first time in 12 years that the country received a credit-rating upgrade from Moody’s, which the Philippines found to be the most difficult to please among credit rating agencies.

Tom Byrne, senior vice president of Moody’s, yesterday said in a statement that the Philippines’ financial sector remained strong despite the crisis, which had overturned the economies of most advanced countries.

He also cited the Philippines’ level of liquidity, as measured by its foreign currency reserves, which had reached a historic high of $39.6 billion. In that area, he said, the Philippines fared well, while the reserves of other economies dwindled.

“The upgrade was prompted by the relatively high degree of resiliency exhibited by both the country’s financial system and external payments position in the face of the global financial and economic crises,” Byrne said.

So, should we invest in the Philippines? Definitely....

Source: inquirer.net

Stock Market Updates, and MJ hair on fire

Alright, the positive and great earnings reported by the market sector leaders -- Intel Corp., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Johnson & Johnson made the market move up and up. JPMorgan Chase reported 36 percent rise in quarterly profit, topping Wall Street forecasts. Google also reported great earnings, further fueling the stock market to move higher and higher.

Indeed signs are now clear that the economy is moving towards recovery. But what about next week?

Remember "The outlook for the consumer, for credit, is not glowing, yet."

And many thinks that the market is overbought as of this week. I warned you, be wary, be careful.

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On another note, and this quite interesting, is that there is a video showing MJ's head on fire! Watch the video at CNN. He suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

Stocks and Recovery

What is up for this week?

I reckon analysts don't have very high expectations, for this week. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (SPX 879.13, -3.55, -0.40%) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU 8,147, -36.65, -0.45%) fell for a fourth consecutive week this past week, the longest string of declines since the doldrums in March.

So? The movement will largely be dictated by the reports of tech stocks, mainly:

• Intel on Tuesday (INTC 16.04, +0.02, +0.12%) is expected to report second-quarter earnings and sales; analysts believe demand may be returning to the battered market following a sharp slowdown in demand for high-tech goods.
• Internet-search juggernaut Google Inc. (GOOG 414.40, +4.05, +0.99%) will report on Thursday.
• Financial firms including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ; Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reports on Wednesday, and is expected to come through the market collapse mostly intact, we hope.

Markets have been led by a creeping realization that the economy, in the U.S. and abroad, won't rebound as quickly or as robustly as many had previously hoped. That was, in part, underlined by the U.S. payrolls report on July 2 that said the economy shed many more jobs than had been anticipated.

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IMF reports that the global wipe out finally seems to be receding. "The world economy is stabilizing," its global economic growth projection of 2.5 percent in 2010 is 0.6 points higher than predicted in April. But the global economy isn't expected to gain its footing in earnest until the second half of 2010.

So? Let wait, hope and see.

NFP result means what?

Many of us experienced another week of high volatility as the intraday sessions were affected tremendously by the NFP result. Although last month’s impressive NFP result, showing a slowdown in job losses, Thursday’s figures showed investors a completely different story: unemployment rate climbed by 0.1% to 9.5%, thus the NFP figure dropped by a whopping 467k in June, much higher than the 325,000 decline expected by analysts.

So is there hiring that is going on? Are we on the path to recovery? You bet! Although the NFP result is still showing a gloomy picture it has managed to distance itself dramatically from January’s lows, as certain sectors have shown mild improvement during the second quarter.

General Motor’s contributed hugely to last months layoffs. Many U.S companies found it hard to keep employees, forcing them to cut their work force. Although many more are hiring, otherwise the unemployment rate would climbed more than 0.1%

Clearly the current recession is far from over but it is good to know that the situation is not getting worse – which means, it can go no where but up.

Still confident?

Searching for the Pot of Gold in Stock Trading?

If you have traded the past few months, definitely you are one of those who are rejoicing with gains you’ve got. The news says: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 11 percent during the second quarter, its biggest quarterly jump on a percentage basis since 2003. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index climbed 15.2 percent, its largest quarterly increase since 1998. Financial stocks rose the most during the quarter, jumping 35 percent, though they are still down more than 60 percent from their peak in 2007.

So have you recovered you’re losses from last years nightmare? If not yet, then maybe it is time to review some trading rules and tips:

1. Make Rules for Buying and Selling. Do not be greedy; determine how much gains or losses you want. Never do it sporadically like a newbie. Make your rules, whatever they are – have them, and follow them. Be comfortable with your rules. For example, you might feel the time to sell a stock is when it has increased in value by 45% ect.

2. Find a Low-Fee Brokerage. Overtime, fees will accumulate, and they are going to be big! You will be amazed how much you have paid after a year or two, so search the market, and choose the best brokerages. Get those that do not charge account opening fees or require you to maintain a specific balance to avoid a maintenance fee etc.

3. Have done your research? Use Google, find out more about the stocks you’re planning to buy.

4. Penny Stocks are not advisable most of the time, unless you’re willing to really gamble. Most penny stocks are not an easy way to make money. Remember, penny stocks are cheap for a reason.

5. Buy Low, Sell High, as always. You should have bought some of these stocks two months ago when they were at lowest. Who can predict? Buy a stock that is near its 52-week low, you at least know it is likely to go higher sometime in the future. Research and research.

6. Wait the market and always buy Low, Sell High which means - have patience. Don’t kick yourself if the stock drops more right after you buy or continues to climb after you sell. See number 1 – follow your rules.

7. Diversify – as in any business, do not put your eggs in one basket. Diversify your portfolio over a number of market sectors. This way, if a particular sector is struggling because of bad news on Wall Street, your holdings in the other sectors will neutralize any temporary dips in the struggling sector.

Lastly, if you are searching for something to help you trade, try this one.

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