In these modern days, we have the freedom to select and consume a wide variety of information, right? Well! not exactly. We do have access to enormous streams of information, but did you know that the majority of those streams actually come from very few sources. Consider the broad effects of this current format and ask yourself what information that you see each day is provided by a large corporation and what do they stand to benefit from it?Next ask how many different people are affected by this? The truth is that everyone is. The customer, the news reporter, the filmmaker, the artist, and the advertiser are controlled by the monopolies that allow us to share our creative works, or to view what they choose for us to see.This is not the first time the monopolization of information has happened. One hundred years ago, in 1913 AT&T (Ma Bell) became the ultimate telecommunication monopoly. They even averted an antitrust lawsuit by convincing the US President that it was for the greater good of society that they should be allowed to sustain their enormous size.In 1982 their luck ended and the government won a court order, causing them to split into seven operating companies knows as Baby bells for antitrust violations again. Still, it didn’t stop them as even now they strive to rebuild. From 1995-2005 four of the seven baby bells were acquired by SBC and in 2006 they rebranded themselves as At&T. While Verizon along with Comcast purchased $3.6 billion worth of wireless spectrum, plus the recent reports of the merger of Comcast and Time Warner… 6 of the 7 Baby Bells will reunite and become part of an even greater corporate telecommunication monopoly, Comast-Time Warner!Recognizing now, this monopoly controls much more than just our telephones… Our TV shows, News, Sports, Movies and even the ads that play in between are in their hands. You can see it will all be strongly influenced by the philosophies, ideas and financial motivations of one single source. Please notice, they are doing it with the same false claim that it is for the greater good of all of us, they say it will cost less if it’s all bundled closely together. Is it worth it? Is the cost of bundling worth the loss of the truth, options and creative competition?A more extensive list of dangers associated with a monopoly of information is available, but a few highlights are: sensationalism of products and activities that financially benefit the monopoly, and censorship of truthful information that could cause harm to it’s success and survival. When you consider the wide spectrum of control of information had by these giant monopolies, it’s not hard to start looking at what we watch through an improved lens of speculation.
S&P 500 Rallies As U.S. Dollar Pulls Back Towards Weekly Lows
Key Insights
The strong pullback in the U.S. dollar provided significant support to stocks.
Treasury yields have pulled back after touching new highs, which served as an additional positive catalyst for S&P 500.
A move above 3730 will push S&P 500 towards the resistance level at 3760.
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Pfizer Rallies After Announcing A Huge Price Hike For Its COVID-19 Vaccines
S&P 500 is currently trying to settle above 3730 as traders’ appetite for risk is growing. The U.S. dollar has recently gained strong downside momentum as the BoJ intervened to stop the rally in USD/JPY. Weaker U.S. dollar is bullish for stocks as it increases profits of multinational companies and makes U.S. equities cheaper for foreign investors.
The leading oil services company Schlumberger is up by 9% after beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Schlumberger’s peers Baker Hughes and Halliburton have also enjoyed strong support today.
Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna gained strong upside momentum after Pfizer announced that it will raise the price of its coronavirus vaccine to $110 – $130 per shot.
Biggest losers today include Verizon and Twitter. Verizon is down by 5% despite beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Subscriber numbers missed estimates, and traders pushed the stock to multi-year lows.
Twitter stock moved towards the $50 level as the U.S. may conduct a security review of Musk’s purchase of the company.
From a big picture point of view, today’s rebound is broad, and most market segments are moving higher. Treasury yields have started to move lower after testing new highs, providing additional support to S&P 500. It looks that some traders are ready to bet that Fed will be less hawkish than previously expected.
S&P 500 Tests Resistance At 3730
S&P 500 has recently managed to get above the 20 EMA and is trying to settle above the resistance at 3730. RSI is in the moderate territory, and there is plenty of room to gain additional upside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge.
If S&P 500 manages to settle above 3730, it will head towards the next resistance level at 3760. A successful test of this level will push S&P 500 towards the next resistance at October highs at 3805. The 50 EMA is located in the nearby, so S&P 500 will likely face strong resistance above the 3800 level.
On the support side, the previous resistance at 3700 will likely serve as the first support level for S&P 500. In case S&P 500 declines below this level, it will move towards the next support level at 3675. A move below 3675 will push S&P 500 towards the support at 3640.
Commercial Loans – Cost Effective Way of Funding Business Needs
When your little idea, your dream starts taking a real shape – you know it is time you garnered your finances to make it grow. At times your effort fall short and there you are filing for loans. Commercial loans can help business interests with uninterrupted capital supply.Commercial loans can be used to buy business premises or commercial building for both new or establish businesses. They can be used to buy any business asset or to finance the expansion of any established business.Different commercial loans lender have different way of processing commercial loans. You can start with pre-qualifying for commercial loans. This determines how much as a borrower you can afford as commercial loans and which commercial loans programme will suit the best.Commercial loans are the biggest way of financing business projects. While providing you with commercial loans, the loan lender will look at general information as your income and existing debts. Your application will be reviewed by a loan officer.Commercial loans lender will take keen interest ino Credit historyo Reason for loano Collateralo Ability to repayo Your investment in the businessDocuments to gather while applying for commercial loans are -Loan request – the amount of loan requested, how the funds will be used, loan type and amount of working capital on hand. Commercial loans lender will feel more secure knowing that you have invested your own money in the commercial plan.Business plan – If the commercial loans are used for starting a new business, the business plan is crucial. It should include cash flow projections for first 24 months. Information should be concise and clear. Its feasibility will be fundamental in getting commercial loans approved.Personal financial statements – In case commercial loan is used for expansion of business, it will be required for you to give business profile. Personal financial statements would be required for anyone who owns 20% or more of business. Complete information about current debts balances, payment schedules, maturity, and collateral used to secure other loans. You can be required to provide more documents during the loan process.In case you are purchasing real estate, you might be required to submit preliminary environmental reports, area maps, title reports, property appraisals, and lease summaries.Decisions for commercial loans take usually 1-5 days. During this time, you might be required to give further information. Commercial loans broker can help you submit your loan application to several lenders for approval. Your job is to select the most attractive offer and returning the final letter of intent. After all the conditions are satisfied, the commercial loans are approved and the lender will give a final loan commitment. At the closing, the commercial loan will be transferred with a cashier’s check, draft, or electronic wire transfer.Commercial loans are either secured or unsecured – with or without collateral. Secured commercial loans are more commonly available as commercial mortgages. Commercial mortgage are provided at better terms, interest rates and repayment options. Commercial loans are available with fixed and variable rate options. Fixed rate commercial loans will mean that your interest rate and monthly payments will be fixed at the beginning of the loan and will remain so throughout.Businessmen apply for fixed rate commercial loans for it helps in effective financial planning because they know how much they are giving out every month. With variable rate the interest rates changes in accordance to the changes in the market. The benefit with variable rate is that they start with lower interest rate than fixed rate. But interest rate can increase during the term and therefore you will have to pay more. On the contrary fixed rate commercial loans will leave no space for change in case the interest rates drop.Investigate before you make a commercial loan claim. Be prepared to answer some questions. Commercial loans are cost effective way of funding business needs when you need it. Commercial loans can strengthen your competitive position; increase your working capital and maximum profitability. Investigate your opportunities with commercial loans and see how your business becomes a commercial success.