One might wonder if a new bull market surge underway will be lasting as the stock market has put on quite a performance over recent trading sessions.

Last Friday's trading sessions on the NYSE and the NASDAQ were attention getting amazing. CitiGroup reported a huge $13 billion write down for the first quarter and that it was cutting 9,000 jobs.

Since the last G7 meeting about two weeks ago the price action of the US Dollar suggests that an important bottom may have been reached against the Euro. The Euro made an all time high against the Dollar at just above 1.6000 only three trading days ago. The 1.6000 level was a widely anticipated one by forex traders. Early Thursday morning on April 24, 2008 we are just under 1.

What financial panic you might say? Hasn't the recent Fed actions, lead by Helicopter Ben Bernanke, poured enough taxpayer money, pardon me, that is printing press generated US dollars, into the hands of his Wall Street buddies, to ware off any potential panic?

Nope, afraid not. While the government line may be coordinated with the talking heads on MBNC and elsewhere, as to that a crisis and panic has been adverted and that we no longer need to worry, I fear that the truth is that the financial meltdown has barely gotten started as the problems of over leveraging and the necessary deleveraging are still very much with us.

There have been numerous initiatives by companies to develop the potential of different alternatives to crude oil such as natural gas and ethanol. In the bid for the world's search for alternative sources of energy ethanol has played a prominent role. Given the supply and demand factors of crude oil, time is running out to develop suitable alternative energy sources.

Stock is ownership in a company. Each share of stock represents a small piece of ownership. The more shares a person holds, the more part of the company he owns. The more part of the company a person owns translates to more dividends he earns when the company profits.

That is if the company pays dividends. Many do not these days as they want to use cash flow to build a bigger business rather than pay out cash to shareholders.

Forex currency trading is heavily advertised on the Internet. Some ads make it sound easy to make money by trading forex. However, like any activity that requires skill and judgement in order to be successful you had best prepare yourself before engaging in trading for real money.

The words forex currency trading are a bit redundant as forex stands for forex exchange and of course currencies are foreign exchange.

Is credit card debt counseling really beneficial?

Not everyone believes that credit card debt counseling is beneficial. There are various reasons for that. Some people read articles in the newspapers or find advice on the Internet about managing credit card debts and take that as the final answer. So they don't feel any need at all for debt counseling assistance.

Finally you have some extra money that you can call your own above that required for living expenses. Your extra money is true risk capital as you could lose it and not have to adjust your lifestyle.

Naturally, you want to see your extra money grow.

At today's low rates of interest saving your money in a bank doesn't entice you as it offers too little growth potential.

The old Wall Street saying "sell stocks in May and go away" may have more than the usual ring of truth to it this year. The unleashing of massive liquidity into the world's financial system lead by the United States Federal Reserve Bank has brought about a heady sense of euphoria among investors. The quarter of a basis point cut in the federal funds rate to 2% announced at 14:15 hours on Wednesday afternoon was enough to cause yet another celebration on Wall Street with the Dow advancing some 189.

Home foreclosure can be a major crisis for some unfortunate homeowners but it can be profitable for real estate investors who have maintained good credit ratings and who have some cash to work with.

The real estate arena can be extremely competitive but if you know your way around investing in foreclosed homes can be a lucrative prospect. If you're willing to work hard and do a lot of research you can make a huge profit.