We need to re-think, and we’re not!
By Louis S. Barnes Friday, May 28, 2010
Before markets reversed in short-covering and profit-taking, 10-year T-notes fell to 3.09% and mortgages briefly to 4.75%. Typical of flights-to-quality, Treasurys fell farther than mortgages and reversed harder, now 3.33% and 4.875%, respectively.
Nothing has changed in the fundamentals behind the rate decline, certainly not in Europe. US manufacturing has enjoyed temporary inventory re-building and export sales (April orders for durable goods soared 2.9%), but the overall economy is more “L” than “U.” April personal spending was flat, and weekly claims for unemployment insurance have now failed to improve for five straight months.
April and May housing numbers reflect the crowding to beat the tax-credit-expiration. However, housing reality lies in the 1st Quarter FHFA appraisal-based report: of 301 metropolitan statistical areas, all but ten lost value year-over-year.
Not even record-low rates will fix this economy. We need to re-think, and we’re not.
Several very well-dressed people climb out of a Mercedes parked near the top of a long hill. The driver has neglected to set the brake, and as the group chats in European accents, the car begins slowly to roll downhill.
“Perhaps we should do somsing?” Chancellor Merkel replies: It is ze vault of ze driver — let him get back in. Another says: But, it is likely to stop by itself, no? Another: Caution would say — and we are cautious — that we should ask for help?
The driver departs for a nearby bar.
Car gains speed, group in pursuit at brisk walking pace. “Senora Merkel, if we cannot stop it, we can always get another one.” And who vill pay? Why, you Germans make these things. Don’t you have another one just lying around somewhere? Vee vill not pay for ze driver’s miztake. (Mumbling in French: “Boche… cochon….”)
“We could make an announcement… guarantee that it will stop?” And vot if it von’t? Then we can borrow to back up the guarantee, and we all have taxpayers.
Across the street another Mercedes has pulled to a stop. Out step several well-dressed but uniformly black-suited Chinese, and the American Treasury Secretary, who overhears the “taxpayer” suggestion.
“No taxpayer bailouts!”, he shouts across the street, hustling to catch up to the Europeans. The elder, senior Chinese to the others: “Do you suppose, if we stop feeding the Americans when they visit, they would stop coming?”
The American to the Europeans: You better do something about that car pretty quick. “Senor, what car?”
THAT car. “Oh.” We think that you don’t understand urgency, or proper economics. You must quickly get your fiscal house in order, stop spending and raise taxes. “But, monsieur, if we do so we will wreck our economies.” You still don’t understand: in order to afford a new car after this one crashes, you must stimulate with fiscal spending.
Pardon. Which is it: fiscal discipline, or fiscal stimulus?
“Yes. Now you’ve got it. Works great for us. Better hurry.”
The Chinese are still within earshot. “Let me get this straight. We are killing ourselves and our land, water, and air to make stuff to sell to these people to get their money. But, the way they are going, they won’t have any money.” The elder leader: “That would be okay, anything would be okay, as long as the Americans will stop coming to visit. And stop talking.”
Now only the German is huffing after the car, herself about to crash. The other Europeans have stopped to discuss guarantees and borrowing. “We don’t have any money. Only taxpayers have money. If we guarantee to borrow and borrow to guarantee, how long will it be until someone finds out that we don’t have any money?”
The American: “No taxpayer bailout! Cut! Spend! Regulations! Reform! Recovery!”
The top Chinese: “I don’t like the looks of this. If we hustle, we can make it back to our car before they ask us….”
3 Straightforward Techniques To Get Your Website Top Rankings
Technique 1: Search Engine Optimization
The mistake many website owners make is not spending time on Search Engine Optimization or SEO. In order to conduct a successful SEO campaign you must identify your target market, determine what keywords or phrases your prospective patrons are likely to search, and optimize your website accordingly. To reap the most out of SEO you must have a clear understanding of how and why it works. Without this your efforts will be in vain. Learn and implement search engine optimization methods.
Technique 2: Link Building
Once your website pages are properly optimized, your next step is to multiply your link popularity by building as many quality inbound links as you can. There are lots of ways to achieve this mission. First, submit your website to as many trustworthy Search Engines and online directories as possible. Next, display your expertise by writing articles related to your website and submit them to top article directories. Write and submit press releases to top press release directories. These efforts will create long lasting back links raising your website’s presence.
Technique 3: Social Media
People receive a great deal of their information online from search engines and social media websites. This is why it is essential for you to join leading social networking and social bookmarking sites. Fill out your profiles completely and add applicable content including a link back to your website. The main element to using social media is interaction. Go beyond posting information about you and your business. Give to each of the the networks you join by socializing (interacting) with other members. You don’t have to tell your life story, but it is essential that you participate in some way to these communities by being social. This is truly the only way to obtain high traction from your social media marketing efforts. After all, that is why they are dubbed as social sites.
With so many websites popping up every day, you have to take an assertive approach to make yours stand out among the rest. Use these 3 straightforward techniques consistently and watch your website soar to the top.
How to Promote a New Home Business Blog
After analyzing plenty of market research information you’ve finally determined the right niche for your home business blog. You’ve chosen your hosting company and selected a domain name. You’ve even written several blog entries in advance so that you have plenty of fresh content to post. Your intent is to blog to make money and you’ve just posted your first of many blog entries so your site is now ‘live’ on the internet. Where do you go from here?
The early phases of your blog development are critical in determining how quickly you will be able build a list of subscribers and make money.
Now that your blog is live here are 5 things you’ll need to do to accelerate the growth of your business to earn an income.
Schedule Your Work
You will need to determine the tasks that will have to be completed on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. This schedule will be your ‘action plan’ and should involve those activities necessary for the growth of your blog.
Your initial focus will be on marketing your site and insuring that it is being presented to your readers in professional manner. Early duties should include traffic generation, content creation, and networking out within the blogging community of your particular niche.
Content Creation
This phase of your blogging efforts will always be important but never more so than the infancy stages of your blog. This is the time for you to make your first impression and begin attracting your reader base. Your content should be useful and relevant to both the blog reader and the blog theme.
Post frequently in the early stages but as you see your subscriber base grow you will want to spend time both listening and responding to their comments. Encourage their interaction by asking them questions or for their comments on your posts or site design.
Hold Off on Your Marketing
In the beginning your sole focus will be satisfying the blog reader who visits your site. By attempting to sell anything too early will only drive your readers away. Build up their allegiance first by supplying great content for them to read.
Link Development
This will be significant part of your marketing strategy. By building links with other blogs and sites that have higher rankings you will boost your blog higher in search results. Reciprocal links from other sites will also create a flow of traffic to your blog. This can be achieved by leaving insightful and useful comments on other blog sites. Submitting articles is another way to develop links with higher ranking article submission sites that will link back to your blog after your article is published.
Rinse and Repeat
By focusing only on generating traffic and creating relevant quality content in the early stages of your blog you will be able to establish a solid reader base.
Although these actions may seem slow to yield the results you want the longer you stick with it the faster your blog will grow.
A home business blog can earn you a comfortable living provided you’ve first based it upon accurate market research information. Once your site has been launched you are now in the blog development stages of your site. During this time it is imperative you continue to post fresh blog entries with relevant and useful information to attract readers to your site. If you blog to make money it’s important to first build a subscriber base before attempting to market anything to your readers. The 5 steps we reviewed above will provide you direction during the early stages of your site. Your intentions will be to build a healthy reader base. With a little patience and resolve there is no reason you can’t successfully grow your site into a blog that will earn you a significant income.