Gallup Survey Reports U.S. Consumer Spending Rises 4.1% Between Thanksgiving and Christmas

February 7th, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) January 03, 2012

According to a recent Gallup survey, self-reported consumer spending rose by 4.1% over the five week period of Nov. 21 to Dec. 25. This is consistent with the National Retail Federation’s holiday sales expectations of a 3.8% increase. With the uptick in consumer spending, it is more important than ever for families to develop a budget and stick to it. Rainy-day funds, savings for college, or just making your rent payment can all be made easier with a budget. American National Bank supports its customers efforts to budget and save by offering expert guidance.

A financial goal can be very motivating, said Moyle Fritz, American National Bank Executive Vice President, COO, and CFO. Whether you are saving for a family vacation, a down payment for a house or a new pair of shoes, if you stick to a plan, youre likely to achieve your goal.

Putting together a household budget requires time and effort. American National Bank offers the following steps to create a budget:


????Be a Spending Sleuth. Track every penny you spend for a month. Keep receipts and write everything down. This will be an eye-opening experience and will help you see where you can cut back.

????Count Your Money. Determine the total amount of money coming in. Include only your take home pay (your salary minus taxes and deductions). Your income may also include tips, child support, investment income, etc.

????Itemize, Categorize, Organize. Review the records and receipts youve been collecting over the last month. Categorize your spending using a budget sheet like the one offered by the American Bankers Association Education Foundation (also available in Spanish).

????He Shoots, He Scores. Set a realistic financial goal and develop your budget to achieve that goal. Subtract your monthly expenses from your monthly income. Find ways to cut spending and set limits on things like entertainment expenses.

????Save, Save, Save. Make one of your financial goals to save a certain dollar amount each month. Start an emergency fund if you dont already have one. You never know when you may need it.

????Stick to it. Keep track of your spending every month. Update your budget as expenses or incomes change. Once you achieve your financial goal, set another.

About American National Bank

American National Bank is South Florida’s premier community bank. With over $ 200 million in assets, ANB has been serving small business owners, doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals since 1985. Visit American National Bank’s website to learn more.

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UK holidaymakers’ overseas spending decreases year on year

October 20th, 2011 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Forex

London, UK (PRWeb UK) September 14, 2010

New research from the Office of National Statistics has revealed that UK holidaymakers have spent ten per cent less while overseas over the past year. The research calculated that UK travellers’ spending while on breaks abroad has declined to ?31bn over the past 12 months.

As UK travellers may be watching their spending on holidays abroad, the Post Office is reminding them that they can make their foreign currency go further by avoiding foreign exchange commission charges or uncompetitive foreign currency exchange rates. For example, Post Office Travel Money advises UK holidaymakers to research the best deals on travel money before heading to the airport to find the best deals on their foreign currency.

The higher costs of foreign currency exchange at airports and poor foreign currency exchange rates in resort hotels or foreign currency kiosks overseas recently ranked as two of the top five holiday ‘rip offs’ in research from the Post Office. However, many people still wait until reaching the airport before changing their travel money, where less favourable rates of foreign exchange and commission fees are typically levied by bureaux de change.

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Online shopping boom a boon for smart retailers as competition increases for Fathers Day gifts spending

September 10th, 2011 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Melbourne, Victoria (PRWEB) July 30, 2011

While retail shop spending is currently down, online spending is dramatically up for online/offline retailers like gifts for men shop His Gifts. Local shops in Australia are remaining competitive by embracing both sales mediums.

Commenting on Commonwealth Bank?s Global Markets research report showing Australian consumers spent 9.5 billion online last year HisGifts.com.au owner Joshua Reimer concurred with the trend. He said that online spending with his mens gifts web business was up over 212% over the same time last year, while the associated retail business sustained a slight decline of a bit more than 10%.

“What we are seeing is a marked increase in online spending, while traditional sales models are in decline,” said Mr. Reimer today. “Local Australian businesses will only survive unless they embrace both traditional and new sales channels.

His Gifts opened in March 2008, specializing in creative gifts for men. Operating both a retail store and an associated e-commerce business, His Gifts is a prime example of a small business not complaining about the new sales medium, but rather embracing it.

“The retail businesses I know in the local area which are thriving are those who are also running e-commerce operations on the side. It’s exciting to hear small business owners tell me that their businesses are also growing, simply because they have gone online.

Mr. Reimer envisions the day soon coming when renovations are necessary, creating less store space for in person customers and allocating more square metres to pack web orders.

Even though he faces less competition in the online market, Mr. Reimer says that creativity is still required. “In order to try to corner the market on Father’s Day gifts this year, we have recently launched a brand new site design, added dozens of new mens gift ideas to our website, and added a contest whereby site visitors can win $ 250 cash just for entering. Just because we are online doesn’t mean we can just sit back and let the business roll in; it takes old fashioned hard work and lots of creative thinking to make it work.

With Father’s Day coming up on September 4, the battle is heating up for shopper’s dollar for fathers day gift spending – both online and offline. His Gifts is aiming to capitalize on both markets.

His Gifts carries thousands of gifts for men and dispatches mens gifts to shoppers all around Australia, as well as from their retail shop at 10A Hewish Road, Croydon VIC 3136.

For media enquiries contact business owner Joshua Reimer on 0438 078 053 or +61 3 9723 3362 from outside Australia.

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Sun Shines on High Street Spending

January 20th, 2011 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

LONDON (PRWEB) August 12, 2005

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday reported a bigger than expected jump in monthly sales of 1.3% in June from May, the largest rise since December 2003.

The ONS says that all sectors of retailing enjoyed sales rises last month, with department stores bringing forward their summer sales, with summer clothing and sportswear selling well.

Sales of household goods, though, remained sluggish, probably related to the slowdown in the housing market.

The annual pace of sales growth picked up to 1.6%, but that was still much lower than rises of 6% or more throughout much of last year, before a succession of interest rate rises from the Bank of England took its toll on consumers’ willingness to spend.

Ian Stewart, an economist at Merrill Lynch, says: Â?This is the biggest upside surprise from the UK consumer for months. The recovery in the underlying rate leaves retail sales growing at below-trend, but this lends important support to Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn KingÂ?s view that the consumer sector will stabilise in the second half of the year.Â?

The ONS retail survey is the biggest and most authoritative in the country and also includes the booming sales of online retailers, which are left out of other surveys such as those from the Retail Consortium and the Department of Trade & Industry.

But economists believe that consumer spending remains weak and there are worries that the July figures could also be depressed by the London bombings on 7th July. However, most retailers have said that while sales dipped in central London in the aftermath of the attacks, they returned to normal in the following days.

John Butler, an economist at HSBC, says he still expects the Bank to cut interest rates in August to boost consumer spending, but thinks that it would then wait and see for a while before possibly cutting them again.

Gavin Redknap of Standard Chartered bank agrees: “A rate cut in August will be a one-off this year, rather than the start of a protracted easing cycle,” he says.

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Where can I make money online without spending?

September 24th, 2010 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in News

Question by GhostDawg: Where can I make money online without spending?
I want to make some money online, maybe not full time but just a little to start off my business. Where can I go that doesn’t make me pay?? :S

Best answer:

Answer by Andrew T
Afflillate programs, but they don’t pay well. Best ones are Google AdSense.

Add your own answer in the comments!

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Ways to Make Money Online Without Spending a Cent

September 20th, 2010 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in News
make money online
by courtneyBolton

Ways to Make Money Online Without Spending a Cent

If you look around the Internet for ways and means to earn money online, you will observe how most online money-making opportunities will require some money to be invested for you. However, you need to note that there are two general ways to make money online, one which involves financial investment and another which only needs you to invest time and effort.

With all the fraudulent sites and scam-filled transactions proliferating around the Internet, you may find it wise to resort to means which do not involve financial investment. They are also generally more profitable as you do not need to worry about investment returns and the likes. This is probably one of the best things about earning money online. Even without investing in a product, setting up a website or general marketing expertise, it is possible to make money based on what you know and what you can do.

What are some ways that you can make money online without investing a cent? Here are some of them:

1. Article writing. If you have good writing skills, coming up with your very own blog is a great way to make money online. There are a number of blog hosts that offer services for free, and you can set-up your very own site within a few clicks of your mouse button. Now, depending on how many viewers you attract into your site, you can earn a limitless amount by incorporating advertisement. The best part about blogging is that you only need to write to your heart’s content about topics that you wish to or are familiar with. Closely related to blogging is article writing where you look through sites hiring content writers to write site contents on specific websites.

2. Affiliate programs. Affiliate programs are one of the most profitable ways to make money online. They involve promotion of other people’s sites to the rest of the world. All you need to do is come up with your own online marketing strategies to draw people into a site and increase site traffic. You get commissions depending on agreed upon affiliate terms, which may either be on a pay-per-click or pay-per-successful-sale basis. To start with affiliate marketing, you only need to look for a good merchant and sign up for their affiliate marketing program. Good merchants will have the necessary tools to get you started.

3. Answering surveys. Did you know that simply answering surveys allow you to make money online? There are a number of companies doing market research which actually pay online users to answer surveys. This is relatively easy to do, though you need to make sure that you choose reputable signs to sign into.

These are only three of the most popular ways to make money online. There are a whole lot more profitable ventures that you can involve yourself in. Remember that whatever means you choose, the success and the profitability of your efforts lie mostly on your hands. You have to work to earn as much as you expect to. Do not expect overnight success, but trust that with persistence, earning big money online will be within reach.

Want to make big money online in the comfort of your own home? Know how to get started by visiting Make Money Online or FREE Make Money Online information now.

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Global Oil And Gas Sector Spending To Rise 12% In 2010, Driven By Nocs? Investments

September 19th, 2010 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in News
global financial crisis
by net_efekt

Global Oil And Gas Sector Spending To Rise 12% In 2010, Driven By Nocs? Investments

Global Oil and Gas Capital Expenditure Outlook – 2010: National Oil Companies (NOCs) to Drive Investment

This report provides an in-depth analysis and insights into oil and gas sector capital expenditure outlook for 2010. The report provides a detailed analysis of the current and future capital expenditure position of national oil companies, and integrated, and independent oil and gas companies. It presents detailed Information and analysis of capital expenditure in oil and gas segments; Upstream and Midstream. It also provides detailed information on capital expenditure across various regions; North America, South and Central America, Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia-Pacific. The report also covers the planned oil and gas projects in upstream, refining, pipeline, LNG and petrochemical projects. ( http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=130307&rt=Global-Oil-and-Gas-Capital-Expenditure-Outlook-2010-National-Oil-Companies-NOCsto-Drive-Investment.html )

Global Oil and Gas Sector Spending to Rise 12% in 2010, Driven By NOCs’ Investments
A drop of over 0 per barrel in oil prices late last year bringing it to around per barrel prompted many national oil companies, which depend on oil for most of their revenue, to cut spending, delay and cancel oil and gas projects. However, most NOCs have the necessary financial strength to fund their capital-intensive projects and they continued to spend during the ongoing economic downturn. The capital expenditure of oil and gas companies witnessed a significant decrease in 2009 after the surge in 2007–08. However, in 2010 capex activity is expected to rise, driven mainly by large National Oil Companies (NOCs). Oil and gas spending in 2010 is expected to increase largely driven by: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Ecopetrol, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A., Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), PetroEcuador, PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp, Sonangol and Libya’s National Oil Corp. Modest reductions in spending are likely to be implemented by Saudi Aramco and Qatar Petroluem Co.

Developing New Discoveries in More Geologically Challenging Regions Will Entail Higher Capital Expenditure
In 2009, over 350 oil and gas discoveries were announced worldwide. The majority of these discoveries were in South and Central America (29%), followed by Middle East & Africa (26%), Asia-Pacific (23%), Europe (18%) and North America (5%). Petrobras was the leading company with 50 discoveries. To capitalize on the new discoveries, companies will be required to increase their capital budgets for 2010 and beyond. Some of the discoveries in Angola, Brazil and Nigeria require significant development and lifting costs, which require a long-term oil price in excess of per barrel.

Corporate M&A Deals Will Drive M&A Investment in 2010
The second half of 2008 was a highly volatile period for the global oil and gas industry. Following the high deal activity in 2007, global mergers, acquisitions and asset transactions started to fall in 2008. The fall in the commodity prices, the credit crisis which led to the financial crisis and the global economic recession decreased the appetite for deal activity by the end of 2008. Deteriorating asset values caused more financial difficulties leading to a decrease in the ability of the financial institutions to continue lending which is hindering the flow of required investments across industries. The global economic slowdown resulted in reduced demand for oil and gas. As a natural response to the falling demand, the appetite for risk decreased leading to a low deal activity from the fourth quarter of 2008. With crude oil prices stabilizing above a barrel, M&A activities are expected to increase in 2010 with the Chinese and Indian NOCs expected to be the major players. These companies will look to acquire overseas assets to expand their footprint and secure future energy supplies. The unconventional resource deposits will offer significant growth prospects and attract huge investments from both International Oil Companies (IOCs) and NOCs.

Global refining industry’s capacity growth will be driven through NOCs
The global refining capacity has grown at an AAGR of 1.05% from 2000 to 2008 and is expected to grow further at an AAGR of 3.5% from 2008 to 2013, based on committed projects. In the next few years, the global refining industry’s capacity growth will be driven through NOCs while poor market conditions will reduce private company investments. The global refining industry has traditionally been dominated by private, independent oil companies (IOCs). Even after the nationalization of the oil industry in many countries, these companies maintained their dominance by capitalizing on their technological competence. Many countries, especially in Asia and the Middle East, have specific national priorities for pursuing refining projects. China is going ahead with its refining projects to meet its surging domestic demand for refined products and to reduce dependence on imports. The Middle East is investing heavily to become a major petroleum products export hub by utilizing its domestic heavy and sour crude as well as satisfying its increasing domestic light distillate demand. Such national objectives are being met through the NOCs in these countries. For example, Iran is planning to invest -15 billion on building new refineries and renovation of existing refineries. Future investments and refining capacity growth will be driven by NOCs as they will be financially supported by national governments to pursue their cost intensive refining projects. Seven of the top 10 planned refineries in the next four years are operated by national oil companies.
 

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=130307&rt=Global-Oil-and-Gas-Capital-Expenditure-Outlook-2010-National-Oil-Companies-NOCsto-Drive-Investment.html

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Do you know any books that take you step by step through a financial plan of spending and saving?

September 13th, 2010 by Bank Loan | 3 Comments | Filed in Bank
saving
by rudolf_schuba

Question by blutoadmirer: Do you know any books that take you step by step through a financial plan of spending and saving?
Including how many savings accounts to have and how to much to keep in each one and how to manage them.
I’ve heard that you need an emergency fund, a retirement account, and an account for saving up for purchases you can’t afford off the bat.

Best answer:

Answer by Rick B
Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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Can spending money ever end up saving money in the long-term?

September 12th, 2010 by Bank Loan | 4 Comments | Filed in Bank

Question by Culture Warrior: Can spending money ever end up saving money in the long-term?
And can saving money ever end up being more costly in the long-term than what the initial cost of investment would have been? Any examples?

Just wondering.

Best answer:

Answer by kork
De ms are nuts. The simplest thing in life are to much for them . They think men should marry men, killing babies is not murder and grade 3 math doesn’t make sense to them.
We are in trouble!

Add your own answer in the comments!

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tips on saving money or spending money smartly?

September 11th, 2010 by Bank Loan | 5 Comments | Filed in Bank
saving
by Thom Watson

Question by IdoCare: tips on saving money or spending money smartly?
Plz let me know on tips about saving money. What do u do? How do u take advantage of bargains and spend smartly? Plz let me know.

Best answer:

Answer by hirebookkeeper
Before you buy something always ask yourself, do I really need this?

Give your answer to this question below!

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