Top 5 Financial Trends to Keep an Eye On

 

 

It’s late December and the early forecasts are starting to roll in from the experts. However, if you look at the experts’ predictions from the beginning of last year you’ll find that the majority of these predictions were off target. Many people concentrate on predicting trends and movements to such an extent that they miss what’s happening here and now. So, if you take a good look at the immediate, rather than what might happen three to six months from now, the chances for increasing your portfolio may be greatly enhanced.

Taking a look at the present trends in industry and investments, you may want to keep your eye on the following as we move into 2014:

Broad Stock Markets: Consider companies that provide internet security as well as computer programming. Businesses that back quality personnel to generate sound technological investments are going to be the trendsetters.The indexes for the “Big Markets” are stable; the Dow Jones and the NASDAQ are up, and while Mutual Funds look good right now, you can expect that there will be fluctuations.

Binary Options: Compared to investing in stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, the potential returns are known up front before the purchase is even made. Binary options are mostly associated with the European-style options and can be bought on almost all financial products. Unlike with mutual funds or stocks, investors have the option to trade in the short-term, with the ‘expiry time’ on trades sometimes being one minute to 30 minutes.

Fracking: Pennsylvania’s recent fracking advancements are expanding the availability of hydrocarbon resources. This revolutionary energy source serves to correct some major missteps in the oil business by politicians, providing great investment potential. Pennsylvania is in the eighth position is the world for gas-production, with upwards of 6,200 new gas and oil wells developed in the last few years.

Gold and Silver: With the ups and downs in the stock market, the price of gold and silver are generally stable. Precious metals however, in physical form, will maintain their value. Consider adding gold and silver to your stash; although the dollar is currently strong, and internal energy production is on the rise, metals will continue to constitute a sound long-term investment.

Chinese Banking: Today China represents one of the largest international economies with its huge population, land mass, trade surplus, and cash reserves. It would be easy to imagine that China would provide many investment possibilities. However, the opposite is true. In order to maximize potential, investors need to rely on robust securities and free traded stocks. While China offers safely guarded options and many restraints, the use of a strategic plan may allow investors to capitalize on high volume markets through trade and index funds. Additionally, China has approved the use of the Yuan by several other countries as an alternative to the US dollar, a trend that is worth further investigation.

Where to turn next? It’s important to note that the majority of brokers have turned to computer generated trading systems. However, these systems are only as good as the personnel thatoperate them. Therefore, you’ll want to select a broker who is well-informed, invests in the best programs, and hires quality personnel to manage big-picture investments. Look at immediate trends to guide you towards increasing your portfolio opportunities in 2014.