Medicine For Daily

Prices Are Relative in Forex Trading

2012-01-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Let’s pick up where we left off in the last article on the basic happenings of the foreign exchange market. We mentioned that people buy and sell currencies for one another, but we need to establish how these prices are set.

In forex, prices for currencies are relative to one another.

How forex prices work

It’s hard to imagine giving a price for a currency in another currency. That just doesn’t make sense; it’s much easier to understand currency value as what we can exchange it for.

We can easily know that 1.25 US Dollars is enough to buy a soda–a Coca-Cola. However, how can traders know that $1.25 is equal to 1 Euro, .80 Pounds, or 10 Mexican Pesos?

It’s the economy!

In many ways, the value of each currency is tied to the performance of the economy it represents.

When the American economy is performing well, the dollar is likely to rise in value against other currencies. Thus, holding dollars is very much like investing in every person, company, and government in America, since the value of the dollar is dependent on everyone’s success.

Isn’t it great we all benefit from the success of everyone else? A strong economy almost always leads to a stronger national currency.

Taking that point to its logical conclusion, it would make sense that when the US economy is strong, so too is the dollar. Thus, the dollar’s value rises against other, weaker economies. A new perspective: if the US economy is growing and Mexico was experiencing a recession, the US dollar would likely be a stronger investment than the Mexican Peso. The market would reflect this, and it would take more Pesos to buy a dollar.

Investors who notice this trend can profit by speculating on the changes in currency values. If the dollar is soon to rise against the Peso, a trader could exchange Pesos for dollars through a currency broker. This trader would make a profit after the exchange rates change in his or her favor.

For example: Assume that we borrow 10 Mexican Pesos and trade them for 1 US Dollar.

If the currency rates change so that now it takes 11 Pesos to buy 1 US Dollar, we can exchange our US Dollar for 11 pesos, pay back the 10 pesos we borrowed, and enjoy a 1 peso profit. That one peso profit, at the current exchange rate of 11:1, is worth $.09. We made a 9% return on our dollars!

This is the very simple core of the foreign exchange market. When traders speak of buying and selling currencies, they’re really just talking about swapping one currency for another to make a profit. Of course, the full story is slightly more complicated, but keep reading and we’ll share all the nitty-gritty details.

What is Forex?

2012-01-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

To put it in very simple terms, the foreign exchange market is a currency market, where investment banks, institutions, commercial companies, and individual investors go to buy, sell, and ultimately swap one currency for one another.

Different currencies are used in different places around the world. In the United States, we use the US dollar, which is our currency. In Australia, the official currency is the Australian Dollar. In Great Britain, they use the Pound. Europe uses the Euro.

All of these currencies have a different value, which is dependent on other currencies.
So what is forex?

Forex is the foreign exchange market. The foreign exchange market is a virtual market where investors buy and sell currencies for other currencies.

If you’ve traveled out of your home country before, you’ve interacted with the foreign exchange market and you didn’t even know it.

If you were to travel from the United States to Canada, you would trade your US Dollars for Canadian dollars at a bank, airport teller, or any currency exchange service. In trading your US dollars for Canadian Dollars, you participated on the global forex market.

But we’re just small fry in this massive global market.

You see, we’re just individuals. We don’t have tons and tons of money like banks, institutional investors, hedge fund managers, or mega-corporations. In comparison to these oversized professionals, we’re merely a drop in the bucket.

Mega-corporations rely on the foreign exchange market to trade in their currencies that they earn all around the world. Walmart, one of the largest retail companies in the world, has stores in 44 countries around the globe, even though it is based in the United States.

When it earns money in France, the company isn’t paid in dollars. Walmart gets paid in Euros. The company has to trade its Euros in for dollars to account for profits and losses.

Naturally, Walmart participates in the foreign exchange market to convert its foreign currencies into its home currency.

You Don’t Have to Be Big to Trade Forex

But you don’t have to be a Fortune 500 company to trade on the foreign exchange market. In fact, many traders make money in foreign exchange in buying and selling currencies for a profit. We’ll get to this in the following tutorials, but the point needs to be made that:

There are many reasons currencies are swapped for one another
You don’t have to be a millionaire or billionaire to trade forex

By now you’re probably wondering how we establish a price for money. We’ll get to that in the next tutorial…

forexonlinelearning

Why Rewards Credit Cards?

2011-08-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Why Rewards Credit Cards?

We all already use credit cards. They’re a part of our daily lives. If you’re like most people, chances are, you even have more than one. Given that we’re all already using credit cards in our daily lives, rewards cards are an optimal means to get extras out the plastic cards we use unthinkingly. Rewards cards provide all the convenience and benefits of a typical credit card with the chance to capitalize on free flights, hotels, meals and more.

Creditors offer rewards cards for every lifestyle. Frequent flyer mile cards are the most well known rewards credit cards. For regular travelers, miles cards offer a great means of accruing free flights and travel benefits. For those that stay closer to home, many rewards programs offer points that can be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise and services such as rental cars or hotel stays. There’s always the option of a cash back rewards card too—they typically refund 1% of all purchases you make with the card.

Rewards benefits and limitations vary from card to card, but there are some disadvantages of rewards cards to consider. Many rewards cards require that you pay an annual fee. Additionally, rewards cards don’t typically offer the low APRs of standard cards. Be sure to read the fine print before you commit to any rewards credit card.

On the whole though, rewards cards are a sound alternative to typical credit cards. We’ve taken a look at leading rewards credit cards and compiled our top ten picks. With side-by-side feature comparisons and in-depth reviews, we’re confident you can find the card that is right for you.
What to Look for in a Rewards Credit Card

Depending on your credit rating, lifestyle and desired rewards type, there are many features to consider as you select the best rewards credit card. For our top ten rewards card selections, we considered the benefits of their respective awards programs first and foremost. Our reviews also account for interest rates, annual fees, customer support and extras. A good rewards card should excel in the following categories:

Rewards Features: Rewards programs typically operate on a point-based system where one dollar spent earns you one rewards point. A good rewards card will offer bonuses such as double points at selected retailers or on certain types of purchases. Expiration dates and point limits are important elements of a rewards program.

APR
While rewards programs are a nice bonus, we still expect rewards cards to offer reasonable interest rates to applicants with good credit ratings.

Fees/charges
Many rewards programs charge annual fees. We looked for rewards credit cards with low or no annual fees. Further, we considered international transaction fees, late fees and other fees for our rankings.

Key features
Trustworthy creditors provide cardholders with zero liability coverage in the event of unauthorized transactions. We also expect to see good online banking options, free account alerts and travel insurance benefits with rewards credit cards.

Customer support
From telephone customer support to emergency card replacement. Good customer support is a must.

U.S. futures sharply lower as Fed rally short-lived; Dow drops 1.5%

2011-08-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Forexpros – U.S. stock futures pointed to a broadly lower open on Wednesday, after rallying sharply the previous day on the Federal Reserve's pledge to keep rates at ultra-low levels “at least” through mid-2013.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a loss of 1.5%, the S&P 500 futures fell 1.3%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1.9%.

The Federal Reserve pledged on Tuesday to keep its benchmark interest rate at an all-time low, adding that it will maintain a loose monetary policy until “at least through mid-2013.”

In a statement, the Fed said growth was much slower than expected and the labor market had deteriorated, underlining concerns over the U.S. economic outlook.

The Fed also indicated that it “discussed the range of policy tools available to promote a strong economic outlook recovery in a context of price stability” and said it was prepared to employ the tools “as appropriate”.

Meanwhile, shares in Walt Disney tumbled 4.3% after the company reported restructuring and impairment charges totaling USD34 million in the third quarter.

On the upside, department store operator Macy’s saw shares climb 3% after reporting a 64% increase in second quarter profit. The upbeat results prompted the company to raise its full-year earnings forecast.

Clothing retailer Polo Ralph Lauren saw shares surge 10.2% after it said fiscal first quarter net income rose 52% to USD184.1 million. Revenue in the quarter rose 28% to USD1.49 billion, above expectations for revenue of USD1.43 billion.

Other notable earnings scheduled for Wednesday include, technology firm Cisco Systems and media giant News Corp., which were both slated to report results after the closing bell.

Meanwhile, shares in Bank of America could be active, as chief executive Brian Moynihan was scheduled to face an investor conference call later in the day with Fairholme Capital, which owns around 92 million shares in the bank.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets posted sharp losses, as mounting fears over sovereign debt contagion weighed. The EURO STOXX 50 tumbled 1.7%, France’s CAC 40 fell 1.5%, Germany's DAX shed 0.5%, while Britain's FTSE 100 edged 0.25% lower.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index jumped 2.1%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.9%.

A report from China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed that China’s trade surplus widened to USD31.5 billion in July, the highest level in more than two years. Analysts had expected China’s trade surplus to widen to USD27.4 billion.

Later in the day, the U.S. was to produce data on the federal budget balance as well as reports on crude oil stockpiles and wholesale inventories.

U.S. federal budget balance falls less-than-expected

2011-08-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

Forexpros - The U.S. federal budget balance fell less-than-expected last month, official data showed on Wednesday.

In a report, Department of the Treasury said that U.S. federal budget balance fell to a seasonally adjusted -129.4B, from -43.1B in the preceding month.

Analysts had expected U.S. federal budget balance to fall to -140.0B last month

Forex - EUR/USD down on economic data

2011-08-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Forexpros - The Euro was lower against the U.S. Dollar on Wednesday after the release of U.S. data on Federal Budget Balance.

EUR/USD was trading at 1.4226, down 1.04% at time of writing.

The pair was likely to find support at 1.4070, Friday’s low, and resistance at 1.4426, Monday’s high.

Earlier in the day, official data showed that The U.S. federal budget balance fell less-than-expected to a seasonally adjusted -129.4B last month from -43.1B in the preceding month.

Analysts had expected U.S. federal budget balance to fall to -140.0B last month.

Meanwhile, the Euro was down against the British Pound and the Japanese Yen, with EUR/GBP shedding 0.14% to hit 0.8798 and EUR/JPY falling 1.26% to hit 109.24.

Forex: Commodity currencies erased daily losses

2011-08-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – High-yield currencies moved considerably during the American session, as initially reached fresh highs against the Dollar but then turned lower, to new monthly lows to then bounced sharply back to the upside erasing losses. The Kiwi is outperforming the Loonie and the Aussie on Friday.

Commodity currencies are moving in line with Wall Street main stock indexes. The Dow Jones bottomed earlier at 11,140, the lowest level since early December but then jumped more than 300 points and currently is rising 97 points or 0.86%.

AUD/USD bottomed at 1.0375, fresh 4-month lows but then rebounded sharply to test daily highs at 1.0525. Currently it is struggling to close the week above 1.0500.

NZD/USD reached the lowest level on Asian hours at 0.8275 but currently is testing levels on top of 0.8420.

USD/CAD is trading at 0.9780/85, just a few pips below the price it had at the beginning of the day after peaking at 0.9852, the strongest level since June 29.

Market sentiment improved after reports suggested that the ECB was willing to buy Italian bond and following a press conference where Italian Premier, Silvio Berlusconi, announced a G-7 meeting of Finance ministers and also said that the budget will be balanced by 2013.

S&P downgrades US credit rating to AA-plus

2011-08-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Barcelona) - The United States lost its AAA debt rating, on late Friday, from Standard & Poor’s for the first time in history. The credit-rating agency said the political system of the world’s top economy has become less stable and is still concerned about the government's budget deficit and rising debt burden.

"The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium-term debt dynamics," S&P said in a statement.

The outlook on the new U.S. credit rating is "negative," S&P added, which means another downgrade is possible in the next 12 to 18 months.

US government says S&P is wrong

The White House reacted with indignation to Standard & Poor's credit rating downgrade from AAA to AA-plus. A government spokeswoman said to media that S&P was wrong in its calculation, the debt value was overestimated by 2 billion, she stated.
Republicans asked President Obama division.

Global Trade Desk- Bull or Bear? It Does Not Matter

2011-07-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Daily Client Note

Global Markets Review

Bull or Bear? It Does Not Matter

The topsy-turvy world of global trade continues its path of one day up and one day down, in reaction to breaking news sentiment. The unique set of fundamental circumstances unfolding as a consequence of years of miss-directed fiscal policies and institutional investment faux pas is likely to continue throughout the summer.

Wall Street opened lower which dragged the USD higher, while bullion was bought in the daily tango of global trade. It will be a relief to get the push-me pull-you farcical debt issues out of the way so that focus can switch to mid-term momentum reads.

Patience is required as the mid-term global charts go through a sideways spiral. We have been here before, many times, but this period of trade does seem to be going on forever.

Whether equity bull or bear, bullion buyer or seller, or a bond investor on the long or short end of the curve, the outlook remains the same; intra-day volatility as fair value is sought in milliseconds rather than historically over a period of days and weeks.

There are near-term trade opportunities in all markets when buying at the low of the previous session and selling at the high. These trades are available as a strategy because of the lack of mid-term chart directional sentiment and momentum.

The USD/S&P 500 inverse correlation remains strong, with equity and bond markets dominating intra-day direction across all global asset classes. Gold and Oil have started to form a near-term inverse correlation, with gold buying being met with oil selling, and vice versa. Silver trade does not yet have the strength of upside momentum seen in gold, but that may be more to do with Exchange floor margin requirement threats more than anything else.

The trade desk has highlighted over the last four years the changes that have happened in regard to electronic trading dominance, and the increase in algorithm trade that tracks momentum, headlines, price action, and sentiment. Who would have thought that Buy-and-Hold would so quickly cover just few days as a strategy, rather than the previous connotation that buying-and-holding could last decades.

Traders and investors have not been in such reactive market arenas before, which is a pure reflection of the technical advancements globally that has all aspects of daily life impacted by the speed in which information now travels.

The relentless desire to get information quicker than yesterday, in an effort to respond sooner, has transposed itself into traded markets that are truly 24-hours and are so completely globalized now that regional 9-to-5 trading is virtually obsolete.

Those looking for a flowing bell curve effect on their investment portfolio will not get it by trading and investing in regional markets only; gaps in closing/opening prices due to global momentum swings are prevalent. The long-term investor will have to introduce a near-term mix of global exposure to their portfolio.

Global exposure can be achieved via futures trade, which most see as specialized market verging on the dark side of the moon, via overseas accounts, which the US administration is determined to end, or via currency trading which remain the most liquid of all global traded markets.

As a balance to equities and bonds held over the longer term, exposure to forex offers easy access, low margin requirements, and access to global momentum. Equity and bond sentiment leads, and historically forex follows, creating a tradable balance to the buy-and-hold swings and dips.

Whether equity markets go on a bull run that has S&P 500 breaking 1350 and 1370, or has a bearish reversal that tests 1295 and 1275 is literally a coin-flick in the current headline-dominated trading environment. The reaction to either move however is tradable, via the currency markets that will track both bull and bear equity trade with a high daily correlation.

USD/JPY: finished the week lower amid a weaker USD

2011-07-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

EUR/USD

The pair finished the week higher after Eurozone leaders put forward plans that will permit the financial rescue fund to take advantage of new powers to prevent contagion and help Greece overcome its debt crisis. The move higher came in spite of somewhat mixed macro-economic data releases, as well as less than impressive demand for government debt sales.

In terms of technical levels, support levels are seen at the 21DMA line at 1.4283 and then at the 10DMA line at 1.4178. On the other hand, resistance levels are seen at 1.4400/40 and then at 1.4496.

GBP/USD

Despite the release of dovish BoE minutes from the most recent monetary policy meeting, the pair finished the week higher following renewed risk appetite as investors speculated that policy makers on both sides of the pond will put their differences aside and provide the much needed clarity on debt problems.

Finally, technical studies indicate that supports are seen at the 21DMA line at 1.6074 and then at 1.6069. On the other hand, resistance levels are noted at 1.6344 and then at the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level of the 1.6747-1.5781 move.

USD/JPY

Despite the renewed sense of optimism over the state of the peripheral Eurozone, the pair finished the week lower amid a weaker USD, which fell around 1.5% as policy makers in the US failed to agree to debt reduction plans. Of note, DPJ's Naoshima said that government efforts to counter JPY strength have been "inadequate".

In terms of technical levels, supports are seen at 78.22/00 and then at the historic low at 76.25. On the other hand, resistance levels are seen at 78.74, 79.03 and then at 79.32, which is also the Tenkan Line.

Forex Flash: EUR/USD looks set to recover lost ground – Commerzbank

2011-07-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) - Greek insolvency has been averted for now, sparking relief in the FX markets, so the euro looks set to recover lost ground in the week ahead, according to the Commerzbank analyst team.

"With only a few days left to reach a breakthrough in the US debt limit stalemate, however, it is still too early to sound the all-clear, as a failure by Congress to hike the debt ceiling would result in default on the other side of the Atlantic", said the Commerzbank team. "Against this backdrop, the focus of the FX markets should shift towards the US dollar in the coming days, which will benefit the euro".

The Commerzbank team expects EUR/USD will trade higher in the week ahead. "The only risk to the euro's recovery could be particularly weak US data and a renewed sparking of recession fears – with regard to the USA in particular but also for the world as a whole. Ironically, the subsequent increase in global risk aversion and the resulting flight into safe-haven investments would then send the dollar higher", they added.

Tug of War: Growth vs. Inflation

2011-07-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com's analyst Valeria Bednarik says in the article below that the UK "monetary independence is both a blessing and a curse", good point given the problems over the Eurozone periphery. It seems to be accepted by the market that the BoE is focused on inflation and not the recovery, as the BoE´s governor Mervyn King and Chancellor George Osborne have been busy these last six months.

Looking at the numbers, year-over-year inflation was up around 4.2% in June, leading to speculation of a rate hike which could threaten the economic recovery, as growth remains stagnant with the quarterly GDP at mere 0.5% in Q1.

What happened during the first half of 2011? Too much news and too many decisions from the market, What will happen in the second half? Valeria tell us in the article below “TUG OF WAR: Growth vs. Inflation”. This is the fifth issue of our FXstreet.com mid-year check up series, today delving into the situation in the UK with the Pound as the main character.

Tug of War: Growth vs. Inflation

By Valeria Bednarik, Forex Analyst for FXstreet.com

With the crisis the world is living through right now, if there is something to say about the UK it is that their monetary independence is both a blessing and a curse. Back in 2008 when the financial world collapsed following the US housing mortgage crisis, that economic independence had let the UK act in proper manner, and the BOE quickly reacted by cutting rates, creating the assets purchase facility program, and in general favoring a re-balancing of the economy. Problem is, things haven´t gone according to the plan, despite the huge devaluation the UK is still struggling to recover.

And with growth still remaining mostly stagnant, the recovery path seems harder day after day with overwhelming negative fundamental data and rising inflation.

At one point, we may wonder whether the UK is actually advancing or at the verge of a another financial collapse. Especially if things remain unchanged and Chancellor George Osborne continues to insist that the government hold its nerve by not deviating from his plans to cut borrowing, despite the increasing evidence that this policy may be damaging growth.

Economic Growth Stagnant

The United Kingdom GDP expanded just 0.50% over the first quarter of 2011, compared to the previous quarter. From 1955 until 2010 the UK´s average quarterly GDP Growth was 0.59% reaching a historical high of 5.30% in March of 1973 and a record low of -2.50% in March of 1974.
While among the worlds' most developed economies, it´s growth has never been close to outstanding, as we see from the previous figures, yet the main reason of the latest disappointing results may be found in a stalling manufacturing sector, a contraction in construction, and a sharp drop in oil and gas extraction. If something is giving support to the Pound these days, it is the strong oil near $100 a barrel. The bottom line is that when it comes to economic growth, the risk remains to the downside in the UK.

When it comes to the labor sector, the unemployment rate was 7.7% back in May. That's barely above the 7.22% average from 1971 to 2010, so despite it being not a positive figure, at least the sector is among one of the better all things relative. The latest reading in June showed the unemployment rate was down 0.1% over the quarter and 0.1% on the year. Still the report showed there where 1.52 million people claiming unemployment allowances which was an increase of 24,500 from May. In particular, the number of men claiming allowances increased by 15,000 to reach 1.03 million and the number of women claimants increased by 9,500 to reach 493,900, the highest figure since August 1996.

The Minister for Employment Chris Grayling said this month: "There continue to be some encouraging signs in the labor market figures, particularly with the continued rise in private sector employment. It's really important that we continue to support the economy and encourage businesses to invest and create jobs. However, we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge that we face to help people into employment.”

Inflationary Pressure on the Rise

While the UK has cut down their interest rate benchmark to 0.50% where it has remained steady since March 2009, inflation keeps rising above the BOE´s tolerance limit and was last reported at 4.2% in June over the year. From 1989 until 2010, the average inflation rate in the United Kingdom was 2.72% reaching a historical high of 8.50% in April 1991 and a record low of 0.50% in May of 2000.

While back in May this year, the BOE's governor Mervyn King said that inflation was “uncomfortably high,” and officials signaled they may need to raise interest rates later this year even as the economy struggles to build momentum. Interestingly however, the fact is that just one month later the central bank turned back towards it´s prior dovish stance, with 7 out of 9 members voting to keep rates on hold. The flip from hawkish to dovish, has come after the committee lost its hawkish member, Andrew Sentance, in May this year.

And while the idea of keeping rates low to jump-start growth remains, inflationary pressure keeps rising. The thing is that the BOE would rather focus on containing inflation, rather than stimulating employment or growth. If inflation keeps rising towards 5.0% as Governor King expects, the BOE will may have no choice but to rise the benchmark in an attempt to control it. At the same time, economic growth will hardly gain traction without the help of the central bank, while the UK continues applying their assets purchase program, or QE, as they can't remove it but only extend it: the quantitative easing program is another inflation generator for the economy. Up to this point, the tug of war the bank is trapped in will not result in a positive outcome no matter which side wins.

The BOE will have no choice but to sacrifice growth to contain inflation. While a rate hike may be expected by the end of this year, and we usually understand rate hikes as positive for a currency, I won't be expecting too much strength for the Pound, not even after a rate hike. Unless some signs of recovery start improving the sentiment over the UK economy, the Pound is set to extend its losses over the second half of 2011.

Repeat: China Offl PMI Seen Resilient Despite Weak HSBC

2011-07-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Repeat: China Offl PMI Seen Resilient Despite Weak HSBC

BEIJING (MNI) - A sub-50 reading for a China flash purchasing managers index released Thursday doesn't mean the government's index due for release on August 1 will also suggest that Chinese industry is in contraction.

While it wasn't a vote of confidence for the health of the Chinese economy, analysts said the weakness seen in the HSBC flash PMI today probably won't be reflected in the PMI that is issued by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

Risk currencies and equities sold off immediately after HSBC said its flash purchasing managers index for July fell to a 28-month low of 48.9 and points to a reading under 50 when the UK-based bank reports the final reading on August 1.

The official PMI, a collaboration between CFLP and the National Bureau of Statistics, dropped to 50.9 in June from 52.0. Its last sub-50 reading was in February 2009 and fell to as low as 38.8 in November 2008, at the height of the global financial crisis.

Markets would likely react negatively again on August 1 if CFLP announces the first reading below 50 in 28 months (the PMI is released at 0900 Beijing-time 0100 GMT.)

But analysts said that's unlikely to happen, arguing that the official PMI tends to survey larger state-owned firms, which are in better health than their smaller, often-privately held, peers captured by Markit, which compiles the PMI for HSBC.

"We don't believe that the official PMI would fall below 50 in July," said Ken Peng, a Beijing-based economist with BNP Paribas.

Even HSBC urged caution and dismissed concerns about a hard landing. Economist Qu Hongbin acknowledged that 70% of the HSBC survey panel comprises small and medium-sized firms and argued that the reading below 50 still points to industrial output growth of around 13%.

"Don't panic. Despite the slowing of manufacturing activity, resilient consumer spending and continued investment in thousands of infrastructure projects will continue to support GDP growth rate of almost 9% for the rest of this year," he told clients in a note.

At the same time that HSBC was releasing its survey, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesman Zhu Hongren was telling reporters that industrial output will grow by 13% to 15% in the second half of this year, compared with 14.3% in the first six months.

He acknowledged that small enterprises faced "outstanding difficulties" owing to financing problems, but denied there were waves of closures in southern China.

Today's data revived concerns about a hard economic landing in China, just a week after the government said the economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 9.5% y/y in the second quarter, powered by 15.1% jump in industrial output in June.

Both HSBC's Qu and BNP's Peng said the June data reflected easing electricity supply after the government allowed tariffs to rise. Peng said slightly easier credit conditions and better trade numbers also helped quarterly growth.

"Both the power and the trade boost should fade in coming months and that could tighten business environment further," he said, arguing that data support selective policy easing.

Despite the industry ministry's bullish outlook, pressure is mounting on the central government to further relax at least some of the slew of measures it has introduced since October to battle inflation.

Today's PMI reading may reflect seasonality -- Societe Generale's Wei Yao noted that the PMI last July also fell below 50 -- but it is also evidence of the pain being felt in more vulnerable parts of the economy as liquidity dries up and financing becomes increasingly hard to come by.

The credit availability index in the Market News International China Business Sentiment Survey fell to 33.33 in June, the third lowest on record (the China Business Sentiment Flash Survey is scheduled for release at 0935 Beijing time, 0135 GMT on July 22 and the final survey on July 29.)

Analysts said that Beijing could be forced to respond if the CFLP reports a lower-than-expected reading on August 1.

"No doubt, the growth momentum continues to soften. We expect the official PMI to come in at 50," said SG's Yao. "If official PMI comes in below 50, PBOC will probably be very cautious in tightening further."

beijing@marketnews.com ** Market News International Beijing Newsroom: 86-10-5864-5274 **

$100/day. KILLER AFFILIATE SITE + Your products = Instant Cash flow daily

2011-07-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

“KILLER AFFILIATE SITE”

Dear Valued Customers,

“Have you tired of chosing best WordPress's theme or set up much Plugin?”

How to make money but you know what tools to assist you?

If using Wordpress, You have to ask or buy someone to do all things for you. It's waste a lot of money to do various parts.

DON’T WORRY.

We provide solutions to solve all problems. Just Paid-one-time.
You can get MORE . . .

That’s true.

OFFER ONLY $ 77

Instead you install WordPress, install theme, plugin settings. It will take time and make you lose money.

Our package is All-in-one. You do not need technical skills. Very simple and easy-to-use.

FEATURES KILLER AFFILIATE SITE:

- Unlimited products.
- Building site fast, less than 10 minutes. Only to take 1-2 minutes to post your article or ads.
- Awesome theme, Not using Wordpress.
- GeoIP system with targeted-country.
- Anti-Fraud with Proxy Ips Module included. Recommend using Proxstop. It’s safe for sales
- Unlimited sites with your own domains.
- 100% open source code.

HERE'S WHAT IS INCLUDED:

* Installation Guide plus User Guide
* GeoIP system (Worth $7)
* Free e-book “Get More Traffic” (Worth $17)
* BONUS: Submission to Google/Yahoo/ Bing (Worth $5)
* BONUS: 3000 backlinks with high PR (Worth $130)
* BONUS: Site pinged and bookmarked ( Worth $5)
* BONUS: Free setup first site plus Add Ads (Max 5 Ads) (Worth $20)
* 1 year support.

Use for:
- Adsense
- ClickBank
- Amazon
- CPA Offers
- Affiliate’s Program: WSO, PayDotCom, Forex, etc
- What you want…

You earn over 5 figures a month. AWESOME!!!

View Sample:

ALSO MUST KNOW

1. Domains and hosting are not included.
2. Setup within 48 Hours After You give us your cPanel, domain info (optional). Please give us your information about hosting and domain.
3. You will not receive a backlink report because we use a private network to build the links and the terms and conditions of this network does not allow us to report.

Okay… it’s time to take action NOW.…

So, click on the “BUY NOW” button below . . .

Click here to BUY NOW

Best Wishes,
Steven Carter

I will verify USA paypal account instantly for $10.0

2011-07-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Verify your US PayPal Account Today with vccandbank.com! It's easy. Are you tired looking where to buy a VBA for US PAYPAL VERIFICATION? Well, you are in the right place. Our accounts work no matter what your name is. You will get the following details delivered to your email: Bank Details, this bank works with any name and address on paypal account NAME OF THE BANK TYPE OF ACCOUNT ACCOUNT NUMBER BANK ROUTING NUMBER

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Business/155/verify-USA-paypal-account-instantly

I will give complete coffeeCup bundle for $100.0

2011-07-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

I will give an Internet pioneer in Web design-coffeecup bundle

I will sell you the registration key for tweet adder unlimited profiles for $5.0

2011-07-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

do you have the software twitter adder but just have the free version want to upgrade get the registration key today and upgrade instantly to unlimited profiles. Order with confidence.

http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/291/sell-you-the-registration-key-for-tweet-adder-unlimited-profiles-

I will give you one of my 11 PDF romance novels for $5.0

2011-07-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have been writing for many years, always romance until recently. I've added children's books. But 5 of my books are published now, and I am willing to send to your email a PDF of one of my 11 novels. They are not hot, spicy, but romantic and will keep you turning the pages. You might choose Texas Prisoner or The Love Withing for a first. See my blog at:

http://www.buckspaid.com/Ebook-Forex/259/give-you-one-of-my-11-PDF-romance-novels

I will send you my Adsense manuals which will help you to earn double figure from Google Adsense daily for $5.0

2011-07-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

I will send you my Adsense manuals which will help you to earn double figure from Google Adsense daily. This Is The Opportunity To Discover How You - Or Anyone - Can Earn A Comfortable Living From Adsense by using my Adsense manuals. You can View the list here:-

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Programming/278/send-you-my-Adsense-manuals-which-will-help-you-to-earn-double-figure-from-Google

I will teach you how to make money on Ebay by selling nothing for $5.0

2011-07-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

I will teach how to meake real money on ebay by selling nothing. Take money from the big business.

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Business/279/teach-you-how-to-make-money-on-Ebay-by-selling-nothing

I will give you 36 Google Adwords Coupon for your website advertising for $5.0

2011-07-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have a $36 Coupon. Never used. Expires: on July 30, 2011...Hurry! For availability, please contact me before placing your order. With Google AdWords, you can advertise to people searching for products and services that your business offers. Make your company or message stand out!

Check it at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/151/give-you-36-Google-Adwords-Coupon-for-your-website-advertising

I will Send you Desktop Computer Build Videos for $10.0

2011-07-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

See step by step just how easy it is to build your own desktop beginning with the bare case and ending with installing the Operating system and installing a home network. There are 2 videos, over 45 minutes long and show every computer component in detail. Install the Motherboard, the Hard and Dvd Drives, BIOS, Memory, its all here, and for just $10.00. Videos can be viewed online and/or downloaded.

check it at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Technology/234/Send-you-Desktop-Computer-Build-Videos

I will Send you Desktop Computer Repair Videos for $10.0

2011-07-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Don't pay to repair your desktop computer. Invest just $10.00 to download over 4 hours of videos. See how to identify every computer in the desktop computer. See how to install these components. And then see how to make most major repairs on your computer yourself and save. Videos can be downloaded and/or viewed online. Don't let the PC Tech see you coming.Fix your desktop yourself and save. The Video course have 3 videos, over one hour long

Check it at:
http://www.buckspaid.com/Technology/233/Send-you-Desktop-Computer-Repair-Videos

I will Send you Laptop Computer Repair Videos for $10.0

2011-07-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Laptop dragging the ground, creeping like a snail. Have Lcd problems? Need to upgrade your Hard Drive? Want to add more Memory? Its all here in our Laptop Repair and Maintenance video. The 45 minute video can be downloaded and/or viewed online. See it all in accurate, detailed, and up to date laptop repair training. See what to do should your laptop overheats, re-boot on its own and so much more. Don't let the PC Tech see you coming. You fix it

Check it at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Technology/235/Send-you-Laptop-Computer-Repair-Videos

I will sell you my eBook Top Five Fivver Gigs for $5.0

2011-07-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

I will sell you my eBook Top Five Fivver Gigs That Generate Income. It will show you how to dominate Fiverr and its clones so that you can make money. It is veteran and newbie friendly. The best part is the eBook has Master Resell Rights allowing you to resell it! That gives you 6 gigs to make your money back with. For a limited time I will include a 7th way by giving you my ebook how to make money giving away ebooks as a bonus to your order

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/95/sell-you-my-eBook-Top-Five-Fivver-Gigs

http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/98/promote-and-deliver-at-least-10000-unique-views-to-your-YouTube-channel

2011-07-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'll give your YouTube channel 10,000 unique visitors for $15. I will use my personal resources (my band's social media profiles and my personal pages) to promote your YouTube channel. I have a large fan base and you'll get well over 10,000 views on your channel. NOTE: THIS IS FOR CHANNEL VIEWS!

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/98/promote-and-deliver-at-least-10000-unique-views-to-your-YouTube-channel

I will give you an e-book where you can buy brand new laptop as low as $200 for $10.0

2011-07-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

NOTE: The Laptop has a webcam and Bluethoot 250GB Hard drive & 3GB RAM The Price still Remains N28,000 only Finally we've come to the end of the Guru's Kit Set up Congratulations to all those who took part in this Great offer

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Business/247/give-you-an-e-book-where-you-can-buy-brand-new--laptop-as-low-as

I will provide you 1000 Twitter Followers for $5.0

2011-07-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

I will provide you 1000 Twitter Followers for $5. I will use simple follow-back method to provide you quality Followers. I will require your log in details. XOXO

Visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/246/provide-you-1000-Twitter-Followers

I will Give you the 2 milion WORKING email list (United States) for $10.0

2011-07-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

2 milion working email list (United States) Nice Collection

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/242/Give-you-the-2-milion-WORKING-email-list-%28United-States%29

I will Give you the Tap iPhone and iPad Magazine July 2011 for $10.0

2011-07-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Tap iPhone and iPad Magazine July 2011

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Programming/241/Give-you-the-Tap-iPhone-and-iPad-Magazine-July-2011

I will Give you the Google Sniper 2.0 for $10.0

2011-07-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

ou’ll see $534k made without ANY traffic generation & a huge traffic giant everyone just *FORGOT* about.. If you are the kind of person who wants to break free from the daily grind of a regular job and finally get what you desire in life then Google Sniper 2 will set you free.

Visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/240/Give-you-the-Google-Sniper-20-

I will get you Thumbs up CTR Theme v1.4.0 updated - The Ultimate AdSense Wordpress theme for $10.0

2011-07-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

CTR Theme version 1.4.0 nulled updated CTR Theme (for WordPress) makes it easy to build informational websites monetized with AdSense that get awesome click-through rates (CTR). AdSense provides hands-off recurring income, but usually these sites leave a lot of money on the table by having bad designs or underoptimized ad placement.

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/221/get-you-Thumbs-up-CTR-Theme-v140-updated---The-Ultimate-AdSense-Wordpress-theme-

I will put your link with an annotation to your link on you tube video page which has about 500-1000 views daily for 10 days for $10.0

2011-07-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

I will put your link with an annotation to your link on you tube video page which has about 500-1000 views daily for 10 days for $10. That's about 5000-10000 potential views for 10 days.

Visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/222/put-your-link-with-an-annotation-to-your-link-on-you-tube-video-page-which

I will send you MagicTrafficBot for $5.0

2011-07-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

AutoSearch & Ping as many sites as you like, perfectly legally ......... ping a site once, 100 times, 1000 times, it's up to you. Trigger a Massive Chain Reaction that will Explode Your Traffic and send your page counter spinning. Generate a constant flood of TARGETED visitors each and every week ... and do it 100% completely FREE from your own computer!

visit at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Business/230/send-you-MagicTrafficBot

I will will share your music related link on my music facebook fanpages 22k plus us,uk and ca people for $5.0

2011-07-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

I have four main pages consisting of 22k+ Hiphop,rap,rnb and Raggae fans.I can post your music page,video and website link on my pages so that you can get some quick and quality exposure.

I will will share your link, video, pic etc with almost 50k FaceBook Fan Page Fan's US, UK and CA Fans for $15.0

2011-07-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Imagine the amount of exposure you can get in no time almost 50k fans eyin' on your link for 15$. Unlike other page services My pages are not bombarded with Spams/links/vids every hour of the day.I keep my posting frequency real low.so you get the max exposure.So no distractions It's just your Ad and the fans

check it at >> http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/56/will-share-your-link-video-pic-etc-with-almost-50k-FaceBook-Fan-Page-Fan%27s-US

I will give you Admin Spot Backlink Booster for $15.0

2011-07-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

this little tool will loop through 1.000's of links (115k+ to be exact), adding a backlink to your domain in most cases. This makes it a very handy Search Engine Optimization tool. Just click a button, sit back and relax.

Check it at: http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/88/give-you-Admin-Spot-Backlink-Booster

Make Money Like Pro

2011-07-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Learning when is best to leave the work to someone else is not easy and the skills for finding, managing and communicating with the people you hire don’t come naturally to me.

However, recently I found a website that makes some simple jobs incredibly easy to outsource.

Buckspaid.com is a service where everything is priced at $5 and more. So many of the things that people offer to be done on the site are things that would easily take me an hour or more to finish – if I could do them at all.

I recently used the service to get a logo designed. It turned out great! Getting a logo from 99designs might have cost multiple hundreds of dollars! At $5 it was worth taking a chance.

But there are a number of things offered on the site that I may get done in the future.

It’s easy to get this kind of stuff done:

video intros
voice overs
promotional videos
simple graphic work
transcription services
SEO backlinking
Social media help
articles written

There are lots of people on the site offering their services and at $5 it’s usually a very good deal.

It’s not the place to get big projects done. But there are always small things that take me more time than someone who is perhaps more experienced or already has a template ready to go. I’ll be getting stuff done there in the future for sure.

Paying $5 for a rendered video introduction for a video podcast adds a significant amount of professionalism and polish. Getting a professional voice artist to record an introduction at just $5 is a no-brainer.

BucksPaid is one of best site offer more than any site:

- Referral Program: I can earn more money from introduce yours friends to join and sell. 50% commission of site's selection from each gig selling. Eg: Your friend Gig sold that $5. Site's selection is $1. Site will share you $0.5 from $1

- Gigs on BucksPaid World can be sold any number what you think it's right's value

- Low threshold: You can start withdraw your money start from only $4 which mean first selling, you can get your fast cash when needed.

- Fastest Withdraw: only 12 hours after you reach $4

- Featuring easily: We do consider Featuring the new gigs specially the ones that are unique on our website. such as: The MRR Store, The PLR Store, Trading Sytem Forex

- Many method Paying: PayPal, AlertPay, Check (minimum $50, it takes some days)

- Live Chat Support

- Link to Earn Money Tips's Blog for Free.

You welcome to visit the website and check it out yourself: http://buckspaid.com

I will get you 500 targeted twitter followers in 72hrs for $10.0

2011-07-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

As a Social Media Marketing Expert I know what I am doing, and I will get you 500+ Twitter followers in 72hrs.

check it at:
http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/64/get-you-500-targeted-twitter-followers-in-72hrs

I will Install a script like Fiverr for $20.0

2011-07-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

I will install you a script like fiverr for $20 with any logo installed and updates

Check it at:
http://www.buckspaid.com/Programming/72/Install-a-script-like-Fiverr

I will give you a Mega PLR package having more than 149000 plr articles for $5.0

2011-07-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

I will send you 149000 quality plr articles to use in your websites or blog, build e-books, free reports for giveaways, can be offered as a bonus, can be added to paid membership, can be offered through auction sites or even resell it. Very effective for backlinking, article submission and various other purpose.

check it at :
http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/75/give-you-a-Mega-PLR-package-having-more-than-149000-plr-articles

How to make money fastest

2011-07-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Outsourcing is something that I have found difficult to do. I am the type of person that likes to know and do everything myself. It is actually something I take a lot of pride in having the expertise and experience to do everything from software programming to marketing to construction, car maintenance or electronics.

Learning when is best to leave the work to someone else is not easy and the skills for finding, managing and communicating with the people you hire don’t come naturally to me.

However, recently I found a website that makes some simple jobs incredibly easy to outsource.

Buckspaid.com is a service where everything is priced at $5 and more. So many of the things that people offer to be done on the site are things that would easily take me an hour or more to finish – if I could do them at all.

I recently used the service to get a logo designed. It turned out great! Getting a logo from 99designs might have cost multiple hundreds of dollars! At $5 it was worth taking a chance.

But there are a number of things offered on the site that I may get done in the future.

It’s easy to get this kind of stuff done:

video intros
voice overs
promotional videos
simple graphic work
transcription services
SEO backlinking
Social media help
articles written

There are lots of people on the site offering their services and at $5 it’s usually a very good deal.

It’s not the place to get big projects done. But there are always small things that take me more time than someone who is perhaps more experienced or already has a template ready to go. I’ll be getting stuff done there in the future for sure.

Paying $5 for a rendered video introduction for a video podcast adds a significant amount of professionalism and polish. Getting a professional voice artist to record an introduction at just $5 is a no-brainer.

Something to consider for your projects or marketing materials.

check out at http://buckspaid.com

I will urgently do your math homework for $5.0

2011-07-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

So... It seems like you won't have enough time to finish on time your mathematics homework? Mathematics are not for you and you don't plan to use them in your life? I'm your solution!. For $5 I will help you get rid of that!. I guarantee a 100% of effectiveness in subjects like trigonometry, algebra and calculus (both differential and integral). I'm always up for urgent cases!

buy at >>> http://www.buckspaid.com/Writing/65/urgently-do-your-math-homework

I will SMM my facebook and twitter accounts for 600 US Dollars for $5.0

2011-07-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

Facebook and twitter accounts promo with great growth of your site value.

buy at >>> http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/66/SMM-my-facebook-and-twitter-accounts-for-600-US-Dollars

I will SMM my facebook and twitter accounts for 600 US Dollars for $5.0

2011-07-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

Facebook and twitter accounts promo with great growth of your site value.

BUY IT NOW >>> http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/66/SMM-my-facebook-and-twitter-accounts-for-600-US-Dollars

I will make you look younger for $5.0

2011-07-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Don't like the way you look at some photos? Time's already done its work on your face -and definitely don't like the result? Don't worry! I can me you look younger at any photo, in ANY condition. Just send me the picture you want me to retouch and the specific things you don't like from it and leave the rest to me!. And... for $10 I'll retouch 2 more!!!

BUY IT NOW >>> http://www.buckspaid.com/Graphics/67/make-you-look-younger

I will send you SEO Elite for $10.0

2011-07-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

This software does search engine optimization for you.You will be in google rankings in just hours.It analyzes.backlinks using a specified search engine.Gets links to your Website.Finds where your site is ranked for a given keyword(s).Finds out how many pages are indexed.And finally Submits your articles to Article Directories.

BUY AT >>>

http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/153/send-you-SEO-Elite

I will give you 500 and more website visitors in just 3 days for $5.0

2011-07-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Real 500 and more visitors from around the world and you will see your website business flourishing , isn't it amazing

BUY AT >>>>
http://www.buckspaid.com/Advertising/154/give-you-500-and--more-website-visitors-in-just-3-days-

I will post 10,000 VERIFIED Scrapebox Blog Comment Backlinks with a Report for $10.0

2011-07-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

I will provide 10.000 backlinks for you GUARANTEED. Your link will be posted to 10.000 blogs or MORE, all unique URLs coming from several blogging platforms. After you purchase, send the URL and keyword (anchor text) for your desired site and I will begin working on it. A full report of all the links will be sent to you after the posting is complete

BUY AT >>> http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/132/post-10000-VERIFIED-Scrapebox-Blog-Comment-Backlinks-with-a-Report

I will create a logo/banner/header of any kind for $5.0

2011-07-02T02:41:00.000-07:00

I will create a logo/header/banner of any kind for $5. It can be as simple, or as complex as you would like. I work as a graphic designer for a digital consulting firm, and enjoy doing this on the side. You will be satisfied!

BUY AT >>> http://www.buckspaid.com/Graphics/79/create-a-logobannerheader-of-any-kind

I will teach you FACEBOOK Marketing, TWITTER marketing that gets hundreds of Real Targeted Fans or followers Fast for for $5.0

2011-06-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

There is only one real way to get Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers and this is it! More fans More followers it mean more chance to sell your product, service or anything. This video training step by step shows you how to use Facebook, Twitter to get Mass Targeted Fans/Followers for just Pennies. It really works. 1 bonus for you too : facebook-blaster, twitter-blaster, youtube bombers.3 softwares with active key to get more fans, follower,views

Buy at >>> http://www.buckspaid.com/Social-Marketing/81/teach-you-FACEBOOK-Marketing-TWITTER-marketing-that-gets-hundreds-of-Real-Targeted-Fans-or-followers

BucksPaid is one of site like Fiverr

2011-06-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

BucksPaid is one of site like Fiverr and more offer than any site

- Referral Program: I can earn more money from introduce yours friends to join and sell. 50% commission of site's selection from each gig selling. Eg: Your friend Gig sold that $5. Site's selection is $1. Site will share you $0.5 from $1

- Gigs on BucksPaid World can be sold any number what you think it's right's value

- Low threshold: You can start withdraw your money start from only $7 which mean after 2 sales, you can get your fast cash when needed.

- Fastest Withdraw: only 12 hours after you reach $7

- Featuring easily: We do consider Featuring the new gigs specially the ones that are unique on our website. such as: The MRR Store, The PLR Store, Trading Sytem Forex

- Many method Paying: PayPal, AlertPay, Check (minimum $50, it takes some days)

- Live Chat Support

- Link to Earn Money Tips's Blog for Free.

You welcome to visit the website and check it out yourself: http://buckspaid.com

New Image of BucksPaid.com

2011-06-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

New Image of BucksPaid.com. Earn money very fastest in your home

Earn Money Online with BucksPaid.com

2011-06-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

BucksPaid.com is one of the best and largest affiliates network

over the internet and provides a great opportunity to earn money

online. Basically when you accepted this program of

BucksPaid.com affiliates it means that you can send quality

traffic/users from your blog/site to BucksPaid.com and if any of

them purchase any product from BucksPaid.com you will get your

reasonable commission. By this program you can earn up to 10%

commission of the retail price of those products. This way you

can earn maximum money by placing different links on your web

page or blog and drive your quality traffic to BucksPaid.com and

paid.

The best thing of The best thing of BucksPaid.com affiliates

program is you simply place links on your web page and leave the

rest work to BucksPaid.com. All you have to do is to built a

good and attractive webpage or blog and create your own The best

thing of BucksPaid.com affiliates program is you simply place

links on your web page and leave the rest work to BucksPaid.com.

All you have to do is to built a good and attractive webpage or

blog and create your own BucksPaid.com affiliates account which

you can get free of cost by filling out a simple registration

form and accept their terms and conditions, then place different

and relevant links of BucksPaid.com and drive your quality

traffic to The best thing of BucksPaid.com affiliates program is

you simply place links on your web page and leave the rest work

to BucksPaid.com. All you have to do is to built a good and

attractive webpage or blog and create your own BucksPaid.com

affiliates account which you can get free of cost by filling out

a simple registration form and accept their terms and
conditions, then place different and relevant links of

BucksPaid.com and drive your quality traffic to BucksPaid.com

and got maximum commissions. For this purpose BucksPaid.com

provides different type of Affiliates tools and techniques to

its publishers you can choose either links & Banners, site

stripe or widgets. The good news is now BucksPaid.com offer up

to 15% commission in referrals by advertising BucksPaid.com

products and earn money online.

One more important thing BucksPaid.com is not only providing you

this Affiliates facility in which you work as publishers and

place their links on your webpage or blog you can also create

your own store and place your products for sale by using

BucksPaid.com because they provides you one of the largest and

most popular online shopping platform around the world. If you

start this business with full dedication and hard work you can

easily earn maximum dollars depends upon your work. and got

maximum commissions. For this purpose BucksPaid.com provides

different type of Affiliates tools and techniques to its

publishers you can choose either links & Banners, site stripe or

widgets. The good news is now BucksPaid.com offer up to 15%

commission in referrals by advertising BucksPaid.com products

and earn money online.

Let's make money online with $1000 per month in BucksPaid

2011-06-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Thousands of otherwise average Americans are now earning

significant part- and full-time incomes online. Many work at

home, having long said good-bye to the daily grind of commuting

to a job that may not be there when they need it most.

If you already earning online, congratulations. You have chosen

an industry that continues to confound analysts by its ability

to show strong growth despite the recession and difficulties

currently faced by most market sectors. If you are still part of

the "offline" work force, we have one question for you — why?

For those interested in exploring the possibilities of online

jobs, we suggest you start reading in www.BucksPaid.com was

designed for you. We are pleased to present only the best of the

best online income opportunities. There are no "bad choices"

here. Further, www.BucksPaid.com - this page will help you avoid

the setbacks and scams so many of us encountered in our initial

online efforts. when you place some effort in it, you are able

to certainly add an additional $100 as well as 1000's of dollars

for your monthly earnings.

Let's you start your business with www.BucksPaid.com

Forex: USD/JPY retreats and hovers near 80.50

2011-05-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) - After rising toward a 2-day high of 80.92 on risk appetite following the NFP report, USD/JPY has retraced part of the initial spike and is consolidating around 80.50.

According to Valeria Bednarik, chief analyst at FXstreet.com, "Despite recent spike, 4 hours chart shows price still contained below a bearish 20 SMA yet indicators had erased past days bearish tone and are now aiming higher, helping keep the downside limited. A recovery, as long as above 80.00 should then be expected for this end of the week."

With USD/JPY currently at 80.55, Bednarik sees next support levels at 80.40, 80.10 and 79.80, while she locates next resistance levels at 80.90, 81.15 and then 81.40.

Forex: EUR/USD drops 500 pips in 2 days

2011-05-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – The EUR/USD suffered one of the worst 2-day loss in history. The pair traded at 1.4900 on Thursday and finished the week around 1.4350. The decline started with Trichet words singling that the ECB is not going to raise rate in the next meeting and on Friday, rumors about Greece leaving the Eurozone accelerated the decline.

The pair bottomed in the last day of the week at 1.4313, 620 pips below weekly highs reached on Wednesday at 1.4933 when it traded at the highest level in 17 months. The Euro was the worst performer during the week among majors.

In the Eurozone, Greece denied that it is considering leavening the euro. There were also speculations about a debt restructuration. “Pending the substantiation of this speculation, the euro will remain under pressure; but it will also hold off from a major run”, said Senior Currency Strategist from Daily FX, John Kicklighter.

A confirmation that Greece intends to leave, would send the euro sharply lower according to the Daily FX analyst. “Alternatively, putting to rest this speculation could lead to a temporary bounce that unwinds this morning’s losses. However, that doesn’t mean that it will recover any more ground than that; as traders now realize that the market is highly sensitive to concerns over the region’s financial stability”, Mr. Kicklighter added.

“The euro sell-off could continue on further position unwinding – especially if the correction in commodity prices runs further – and even lower levels in EUR/USD in the short term cannot be ruled”, analyst at the Danske Bank wrote in a report before the Greece news hit the wires. They concluded that in the short term the pair could continue to go lower if the indications that the global economy is slowing down spreads to equity markets, but they still see the underlying trend for a higher EUR/USD. “Hence, on the back of ECB hikes and easy monetary policy in the US, we will look for attractive levels to reposition for renewed upside”.

Welcome to HDTaken.com!

2011-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to HDTaken.com! HDTaken.com is dedicated to saving you money on anything & everything by finding the best deals.

Every month we have lots of great new free and almost free items to choose from. Just click on the type of offers at left that you are interested in and follow the instructions for each offer.

About Our Offers

Please note that we don’t provide the free Offers that you find here. We simply link to freebies that we find on a daily basis for you to enjoy. We like to think of free Offers in terms of tiers. You know, tier 1, tier 2, etc. What does this mean? Well, let’s find out.

Tier 1 free stuff, freebies, free examples, etc. include computers, televisions, high dollar value gift cards and the like. With tier 1 free stuff, some program requirements are required in order to obtain your free stuff, but the dollar value of the requirements is typically much lower than what the item would cost if you were to purchase it outright. Thus, you receive a very valuable item with a lowered-value purchase on your end.

Tier 2 free stuff, freebies, free examples, etc. include lower valued gift cards, and items that are still awesome but not quite on the same level as an expensive TV. Other examples include free samples of small items and magazines. These items typically do not require a purchase, but you usually have to fill out a survey or questionnaire before the item is sent.

Tier 3 free stuff, freebies, free examples, etc. doesn’t rely on program requirements and may require that you fill in some contact information so that the item can be successfully sent to you. For other items, nothing at all is required. These include free downloads and other related freebies

Sincerely,

HDTaken.com

Forex: EUR/USD pulling back below 1.4500

2011-04-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – The EUR/USD peaked earlier at 1.4540/47, the highest price since January 14, 2010 but lost bullish momentum, moved in ranges for some hour and currently is testing levels below 1.4500. The pair is retreating after rising 200 pips from today’s opening price, extending to almost 400 pips the distance from Monday’s low.

The EUR/USD hit recently at 1.4987 the lowest price since early European session and remains hovering barely below the 1.4500 level.

Fan Yang, Chief Technical Strategist at FXTimes points out that the pair “is likely returning to its bullish mode”. “A swing projection seen in the daily chart is suggested by a positive reversal signal where the RSI low is lower, but the price low is higher”, Yang says. He affirms that the swing projection targets 1.4675, “this is the short-term target at the moment”.

US GOLD - Comex gold firmly above $1,500 on weaker dollar

2011-04-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

By: Tom Jennemann

New York 20/04/2011 - Comex gold was steady above $1,500 on Wednesday morning on a weaker dollar and governmental debt worries.

But prices have eased slightly from the morning's high following a flood of positive earnings reports and stronger equity markets.

Gold futures on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange for June delivery were recently trading up $9 at $1,504.10 per ounce in New York and earlier in the session reached an all-time record of $1,506.20.

"The impetus for the run-up early this morning was clearly the softer dollar, which is getting hammered and fell to its lowest level in the past 15 months [against the euro],” a US-based fund manager said. “When the dollar takes a beating like this, metals are going to rally."

The euro rose 1.4 percent to 1.4543 against the dollar this morning largely on increased risk appetite and after a successful bond auction in Spain.

But the yellow metal has edged down marginally from its intraday high since the open of equity markets in New York.

"We've seen some quite positive earning reports from the likes of Intel and Freeport-McMoRan, which had the Dow up by over 175 points," the fund manager said.

“Despite all the dire headlines of late, Wall Street doesn't think the economy is hanging off the cliff,” he added. “Some folks are looking at riskier assets this morning as the stock bulls have returned.”

Standard Bank echoed this sentiment in a note. "Fears that the global economic recovery might be in jeopardy, sparked by Standard & Poor's ratings outlook downgrade of the US, have been dispelled by strong corporate earnings results and a steady improvement in US housing data," analyst Marc Ground wrote.

Existing US home sales rose 3.7 percent in March to an annualised rate of 5.1 million units, slightly ahead of expectations, the National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday morning.

Nevertheless, many investors continue to express concerns about the burgeoning debt crisis in the US and Europe and inflation around the world.

Bolstering this argument was S&P's surprise outlook downgrade of US long-term debt to "negative" to "stable".

"This latest chapter in the saga of sovereign debt concerns highlights gold's benefits as a risk-hedge and currency diversifier. It also presents new challenges for investors who traditionally, in times of uncertainty, steer capital towards US Treasuries," Marcus Grubb, managing director of the Investment at the World Gold Council, said in a statement.

Additionally, the US government does not have a credible plan to cut the deficit, International Monetary Fund chief economist Olivier Blanchard said on Wednesday according to French paper Le Monde.

Comex silver for May delivery also soared on Wednesday - it was recently trading up about one dollar at $44.90 per ounce, which is a 31-year high. The closely watched gold-silver ratio has dropped to 33.5 - a 28-year low.

(Editing by Mark Shaw)

Forex: USD/CHF extends slide to fresh lows

2011-04-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – The Swiss Franc continues its rally against the Dollar. The USD/CHF fell further below 0.8900 and reached a new all time low at 0.8878. The pair remains trading near session low, holding a bearish bias. Greenback is headed toward the tenth daily decline out of the last 12 trading days.

The recovery of the Dollar earlier found resistance at 0.8930 and the pair resumed its downtrend as the Swissy strengthened across the board.

To the downside, support levels could be located at 0.8860 and below at 0.8820 while to the upside, probable resistance levels lie at 0.8890 and above at 0.8930 and 0.8965.

Wall Street jumps on optimism, Dollar slump continues

2011-04-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – Stocks rose sharply in Wall Street with the Dow Jones ending at the highest level since June 2008. Gold reached fresh record highs above $1,500 an ounce as the Dollar posted losses across the board.

The DOW rose 1.52% on Wednesday and has risen more than 300 point in three days. Earnings reports and better-than-expected housing data triggered optimism in Wall Street.

In the currency market, the Aussie and the Swiss Franc were among the best performers. The Yen trimmed losses on American hours but finished mostly lower in the market.

The EUR/USD reached fresh 15-month highs at 1.4545, pulled back afterwards to 1.4485 but managed to rise back above 1.4500. Cable remained steady on American hours consolidating around 1.6400, barely below April highs.

The USD/CHF extended its decline to fresh record lows at 0.8870/80 and remains under pressure. Greenback is also trading at record lows against the Aussie.

US yields continue to grind lower

2011-04-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

By: Jamie Coleman

Hopes for robust US growth have been dialed back further in the wake of the US trade data which has pressured US yields lower. The buck, which suffers from many woes, seems to latch on to the latest one to float across the screens, and yields are today's problem du jour for USD bears to hang their hats on... 10s are down 10 bp in yield with 5 over 12 bp lower.

Forex: USD/CHF steady near daily low

2011-04-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Buenos Aires) – USD/CHF remains steady around 0.8960, near daily low set at 0.8942 just around US opening. The pair has been falling straight for 5 days already, accumulating over 400 pips to the downside this month. All time low, set on March 16th following Japan’s earthquake, lies at 0.8860.

The pair, that seems extremely oversold according to Valeria Bednarik, Fxstreet.com chief analyst, holds its “bearish momentum intact both in 1 and 4 hours charts, and despite extreme oversold readings are clear in both, pair seems not ready for a bullish corrective movement. Lose of 0.8940 daily low, should accelerate the slide towards mentioned record low”.

Forex: Pound fails to recover, back under pressure

2011-04-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – Despite moving away from session lows against commodity currencies, Cable reached fresh lows against its European rivals and the Yen while GBP/USD failed to hold above 1.6300 and fell below 1.6270, approaching daily lows.

The Pound weakened earlier across the board following inflation data in the UK and after pulling back, started to fell once again as stocks in the US decline, with the Dow Jones reaching weekly lows.

The EUR/GBP broke above 0.8900 for the first time since October of last year and is approaching to 0.8940; if it rises further it would be trading at the highest level in a year.

Against the Swiss Franc and the Yen, the Pound is currently at daily lows. GBP/CHF has fallen more than 300 pips since the beginning of the week and at the moment trades below 1.4550 while GBP/JPY is back below 136.00, looking for a new low.

The Pound only managed to hold against AUD, CAD and NZD; the three currencies weakened considerably in the last hours amid a decline in commodity prices and risk aversion.

US GOLD - Comex gold still down but weak US GP data lends some support

2011-02-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

By: Tom Jennemann

New York 25/02/2011 - Gold on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange regained some of its footing on Friday after slipping overnight due to easing oil prices, benefitting when US fourth-quarter GDP revision came in below expectations.

Gold futures for April delivery were recently trading down $8.20 at $1,407.60 per ounce in New York.

But it had fallen as low as $1,400.10 in electronic after-hours trade soon after oil dropped by $3 per barrel based on news that Saudi Arabia will make up for any shortages resulting from civil unrest in Libya.

"Gold is lacking direction as traders are navigating some strong cross-currents," a US-based fund manager said.

"There's now a clear consensus that [Libyan ruler] Kaddafi’s reign is far past its expiration date and should end before he has the opportunity to so something truly insane,” he said. “This, along with the Saudi's pledge to support the supply side, has allowed crude prices to stabilise and has coaxed some risk back into to the market.

But there is still some real concern that the protests could spread across the region so safe-haven is still alive and well, he added.

Additionally, Comex gold has rallied by about six percent this month and climbed within about 1.5 percent of the all-time contract high of $1,432.50, which was set on December 7.

"The air was getting pretty thin, so there's clearly some element of end-of-the-week profit-taking," the fund manager said. “We're going to experience a slight lull and may even see a mild correction before making a run towards the record in the coming days and weeks.”

Nevertheless, gold did find some support this morning after the US government revised its fourth-quarter GDP down to 2.8 percent - below a predicted 3.3 percent revision.

"Once news came out US GDP missed the mark, gold predictably firmed by a couple dollars. That news alone should allow the market to end the week above $1,400," the manager said.

In other precious metals, Comex silver for May delivery was down 32 cents at $32.86 per ounce. Trade has ranged from $32.06 to $33.13.

Platinum for April delivery on the Nymex was up $10.20 at $1,797.00 per ounce, while the March palladium contract was up $7.50 at $785.25.

(Editing by Mark Shaw)

Forex: USD/JPY holds above Thursday’s low

2011-02-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – The USD/JPY is moving sideways in a small range between 81.85 and 81.65 (daily lows). Yesterday the pair fell to the lowest level in 20 days to 81.62 and bounced afterwards but the recovery found resistance around the 82.00 level on Asian hours.

“Corrective attempt remains capped by 82.00 zone for now, with fresh weakness looking for test of 81.10/80.92, key higher lows, loss of which will signal an end of recovery phase and expose 80.24, 01 Nov 2010 15-year low”, said Slobodan Drvenica, analyst at Windsor Brokers Ltd said.

Greenback is headed toward the biggest weekly decline since the beginning of 2011 against the Yen after retreating further from 83.96 (Feb 16 high).

Forex: Dollar weakness to stay

2011-02-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

FXstreet.com (Buenos Aires) – As week comes to an end, dollar weakness turns more obvious despite current risk aversion environment, based on Middle East and African jitters; the American currency quotes quite near record lows against the two major safe havens, with USD/CHF at 0.9283 after failing to regain 0.9300 today, and USD/JPY around 81.80.

At the same time, and despite oil and gold have give up some ground today, both AUD and CAD held their strength as USD/CAD quotes around 0.9800, levels not seen since March 2008 and AUD/USD holds around 1.0150, barely 100 pips below the 35 year high set past December.

EUR/USD had finally been on corrective mode today, although well above 1.3700 ahead of next week key events, ECB monetary policy announcement, and US Nonfarm Payrolls. Indeed, market expects some hawkish tone pointing for a rake hike in the euro zone, while again will be looking for disappointing readings in the American employment situation. Could news be shocking enough to revert current trend? Possibilities seem quite small right now, although anything could happen in the forex market.

Forex: Swiss Franc posts weekly gains across the board

2011-02-27T08:16:00.000-08:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – The Swiss Franc and the Yen were the best performers during the week as unrest in North Africa and Middle East continue. USD/CHF fell to new all time lows on Thursday and despite rising slightly on Friday, posted the lowest weekly close ever and lost more than 150 pips for the second week in a row.

According to Fan Yang, Chief Technical Strategist at FXTimes, in the short term the pair has a potential to recover further ground but in the long term the bias remains bearish. “The 4H chart shows further upside potential towards 0.95-0.9560 zone. But such a sharp retracement would suggest ranging action as opposed to bearish action. We might still get a decline from 0.95 or 0.9560, but from there, the 0.89 target should be shelved. On the other hand, respect of 0.94 shows that bears are dominant and strengthens the case to 0.89”.

The Swissy retreated in the market on Friday, probably on profit taking and amid an improvement in market sentiment but the decline was not enough to erase gains.

GBP/CHF fell 500 pips from Monday’s opening at 1.5360 and reached weekly lows at 1.4890 while EUR/CHF declined for the second week in a row and moved further away from the 1.3000 level. Against commodity currencies the Swiss also rose but finished far from the highs.

Forex: USD ends week with mixed results

2011-02-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

FXstreet.com (Córdoba) – The Dollar finished the week with more losses than gains in the market. EUR/USD fell on Friday after being unable to hold above 1.3800, to end the week hovering around 1.3730/60. Despite the retreated from 3-week highs at 1.3839, the Euro managed to finished above 1.3700, posting the highest weekly close since early November.

The Euro finished mixed across the board. Next Thursday the ECB will decide on monetary policy. According to the Danske Bank, the ECB Governing Council meeting looks set to be unusually interesting: “We will find out if the ECB plans to continue with full allotments in its market operations”.

USD/CHF fell sharply and posted the lowest weekly close on history while GBP/USD failed to hold to gains and finished the week lower, around 1.6100, on retreat after hitting at 1.6271 on Wednesday, the highest price in 20 days. The Swiss Franc and the Yen were the best performers during the week.

Among commodity currencies, the worst performer was the Kiwi that sank across the board affected by an earthquake that shook New Zealand on Tuesday. AUD/NZD rose to 1.3547, hitting the highest price in 10 years

Forex Trading Weekly Forecast - 02.28.2011

2011-02-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

DailyFX provides forex news on the economic reports and political events that influence the currency market.

FOREX: US Dollar Poised to Capitalize as Tensions Mount in the Middle East

2011-02-26T05:16:00.000-08:00

Overnight Headlines

US Dollar Gains vs Euro, Pound on Safety Demand as Stocks Decline
New Zealand Dollar Outperforms on Rising Payouts for Dairy Farmers
UK House Prices Surge in February, Overall Trend Still Disappointing

Critical Levels

CCY	SUPPORT	RESISTANCE
EURUSD	1.3574	1.3745
GBPUSD	1.6165	1.6328

The Euro and the British Pound declined, falling as much as 0.3 and 0.2 percent respectively against the US Dollar as stocks sold off in overnight trade, boosting safety-seeking demand for the benchmark currency. We remain short EURUSD.

Asia Session: What Happened

CCY	GMT	EVENT	ACT	EXP	PREV
JPY	15:00	Cabinet Office Monthly Economic Report	-	-	-
NZD	21:30	Performance Services Index (JAN)	50.8	-	52.1 (R-)
GBP	0:01	Rightmove House Prices (MoM) (FEB)	3.1%	-	0.3%
GBP	0:01	Rightmove House Prices (YoY) (FEB)	0.3%	-	0.4%
NZD	2:00	Credit Card Spending (MoM) (JAN)	3.8%	-	-1.7% (R-)
NZD	2:00	Credit Card Spending (YoY) (JAN)	5.6%	-	2.1% (R+)
JPY	4:30	All Industry Activity Index (MoM) (DEC)	-0.2%	-	-0.2% (R-)

The New Zealand Dollar outperformed in overnight trade, overlooking mixed economic data and a selloff across Asian stock exchanges, amid speculation that Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd – the world’s largest dairy exporter – may raise its payout to farmers after milk powder prices hit a 31-month high. Higher payouts promise to boost hiring and spending in New Zealand’s top export industry, adding fuel to the sluggish economic recovery. The currency rose 0.5 percent on average against its major counterparts.

The New ZealandPerformance of Services Index slid to 50.8 in January, showing the non-manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace in 15 months. Meanwhile, Credit Card Spending soared 5.6 percent from the preceding year, showing the fastest annual growth rate since May 2008. The MSCI Asia Pacific regional benchmark index fell as downward pressure from last week’s Chinese RRR increase was compounded by spreading tensions in the Middle East, with uprisings spreading to Libya, Bahrain and Iran.

UK House Prices surged in February, rising 3.1 percent from the previous month according to report from Righmove Plc, an online listing of for-sale properties. The increase is the largest in four months. Looking past month-to-month volatility however, the trend in house prices remains troubling. Indeed, the same report showed prices added just 0.3 percent from a year before, putting the annualized growth rate at the slowest in 16 months.

Euro Session: What to Expect

CCY	GMT	EVENT	EXP	PREV	IMPACT
CHF	8:00	Money Supply M3 (YoY) (JAN)	-	6.6%	Low
EUR	8:00	French PMI Manufacturing (FEB P)	55.3	54.9	Low
EUR	8:00	French PMI Services (FEB P)	58.0	57.8	Low
EUR	8:30	German PMI Manufacturing (FEB A)	60.3	60.5	Medium
EUR	8:30	German PMI Services (FEB A)	60.2	60.3	Medium
EUR	9:00	German IFO - Business Climate (FEB)	110.3	110.3	Medium
EUR	9:00	German IFO - Current Assessment (FEB)	113	112.8	Medium
EUR	9:00	German IFO – Expectations (FEB)	107.5	107.8	Medium
EUR	9:00	Euro-Zone PMI Composite (FEB A)	56.9	57.0	Medium
EUR	9:00	Euro-Zone PMI Manufacturing (FEB A)	57.2	57.3	Medium
EUR	9:00	Euro-Zone PMI Services (FEB A)	55.9	55.9	Medium

Risk sentiment is likely to remain a key catalyst for currency markets in European hours as investors continue to fret about mounting tensions sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. Stock index futures ticked lower and stocks sold off in Asia after Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, spoke out on state-run television warning of an impending civil war as Tunisian- and Egyptian-style protests were met with a harsh response from security forces. Libya is the world’s 12th-largest oil exporter.

On the data front, Germany’s IFO Survey of business confidence is expected to show sentiment soured a bit, with the closely-watched “Expectations” index down to 107.5 in February having hit a record-high 107.8 in the previous month. Meanwhile, February’s preliminary Euro Zone Purchasing Manager Index figures are set to reveal region-wide economic activity decelerated for the first time since October, driven by a slowdown in manufacturing-sector growth.

US Dollar Recovery Depends on Nonfarm Payrolls, Dow Jones

2011-02-26T05:10:00.000-08:00

The US Dollar finished the week lower against almost all G10 counterparts, continuing its multi-month downtrend ahead of a critical week of economic event risk. A fairly disappointing revision to Q4 GDP capped a week of mixed data, and all eyes now turn to the coming week’s critical US Nonfarm Payrolls report. The NFPs release needs little introduction as one of the most market-moving reports across global financial markets, and February’s result will be particularly significant given January’s sharply below-forecast jobs figure.

A busy week of economic event risk will shape expectations and likely force sharp short-term moves ahead of the NFP release, and it will be critical to monitor financial market moves as the US Dollar nears significant lows against major counterparts. Consensus forecasts currently call for a respectable 190k jobs gain through the month of February—consistent with expectations of substantial improvements on January’s clear disappointment. We will watch earlier-week ISM Manufacturing, ADP Employment Change, Initial Jobless Claims, and ISM Services results to gauge the likelihood that February payrolls meet lofty forecasts. Uncertainty surrounding the future of US Federal Reserve monetary policy puts all eyes on whether a broader economic recovery will be enough to produce similar improvements in the domestic labor market.

The US Federal Reserve shows little urgency in withdrawing extraordinary monetary policy stimulus amidst generally weak inflation and lackluster jobs growth. Controversial Quantitative Easing measures have been a major driving force behind US Dollar weakness, and it could arguably take a substantial shift in the Fed’s stance and rhetoric to force a sustained Greenback recovery. In the absence of such a change, the US Dollar may need a broader shift in financial markets to drive a major reversal.

The S&P 500 saw a sharp pullback on a broader flight to safety on geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East, and the USD rallied as one of the world’s foremost safe-haven currencies. Yet a later bounce in stock markets suggests bulls have yet to give up the fight, and we may need to see a more sustained shift to make any serious argument for a market top (and US Dollar bottom). CFTC Commitment of Traders data shows that Non-Commercial traders (typically large speculators) remain heavily net-short the US currency on a steady downtrend. And though such one-sided sentiment typically occurs near major market turns, sentiment extremes are only clear in hindsight and extremely difficult to time.

Trend traders will likely favor continued US Dollar weakness into the week ahead, and it is difficult to make the case for a substantive turnaround absent a material improvement in USD sentiment. FX Options market risk reversals likewise suggest that many traders have continued to bet on and hedge against Greenback weakness. It would likely take a material improvement in US economic data or a similarly large turn lower in ‘risk’ to force a substantive USD bounce. Given that the first week of the month quite often sets the pace for subsequent trading, we will pay special attention to whether the US currency shows any real signs of recovery through March.

Drug Reverses Diabetes-Related Vision Loss

2010-05-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

Federal researchers say a new treatment can reverse vision loss in many patients with diabetic macular edema, a leading cause of blindness in people with diabetes.

In a news conference yesterday, researchers announced findings from a government study comparing treatments for swelling of the retina caused by leaking blood vessels in the eye.

Nearly 50% of patients given eye injections of the drug Lucentis along with laser treatments showed improvement in vision after a year of treatment, compared to just over a fourth of patients treated with laser alone.

For several decades, laser has been the standard treatment for diabetic macular edema, or DME, in which fluid builds up near the center of the retina.

"For the first time in 25 years we have definitive proof that a new treatment can lead to better results for the eye health of people with diabetes," said Neil M. Bressler, MD, who oversaw the study as chairman of the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network.
Lucentis Approved for Macular Degeneration

Lucentis is a genetically engineered drug derived from the cancer drug Avastin, which was the first targeted biologic treatment approved by the FDA.

The newer biologic was approved in June 2006 for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

Bressler said the clear superiority of Lucentis with laser over laser alone in patients with diabetic macular edema should have an immediate impact on clinical practice, even though the biologic treatment is not approved for this indication.

"We expect the results of this study to have a major impact on how ophthalmologists treat macular edema in people with diabetes," he says.

The study included 691 diabetic patients with macular edema in one or both eyes.

The patients received either standard laser treatment alone, Lucentis plus laser treatments in different dosing schedules, or the injectable steroid drug Trivaris with standard laser therapy.

Lucentis injections were limited to once a month, but most patients ended up having no more than eight or nine injections over the course of a year.
Few Complications, Better Outcomes

After one year, nearly 50% of the Lucentis-treated patients could read at least two additional lines on an eye chart or letters that were one-third smaller than could be recognized before treatment.

Vision loss, defined as loss of two or more lines on an eye chart, was seen in less than 5% of the patients treated with the biologic drug.

Patients treated with injections of the corticosteroid Trivaris and laser showed no greater improvement in vision than patients treated with laser alone.

These patients did have greater reduction in retina thickness, but they also experienced more treatment-related complications than other study participants.

About 30% developed potentially serious eye pressure requiring medication and 60% developed cataracts.

Few eye-related complications were reported in the Lucentis-treated patients, and these patients appeared to have no greater risk of heart attack or stroke.
Genentech: Long-Term Safety Unknown

The study results were published in the April 27 issue of Ophthalmology.

"These findings provide hope for a new treatment beyond laser for patients with diabetic macular edema, which may improve their chances of (maintaining) healthy vision," says National Eye Institute (NEI) Clinical Director Frederick Ferris III, MD.

But a spokeswoman for Genentech tells WebMD the company has no plans to seek approval for Lucentis as a treatment for DME until its own phase III studies of the drug are complete.

Findings from two such studies are expected in the first half of 2011.

"While the results from this (newly published) study are very encouraging, we believe it is important to understand the long-term safety and efficacy of this drug and to study it in patients for longer than one year," Nikki Levy of Genentech says.

It is also not clear if the company's older and much cheaper biologic drug Avastin would be as effective as Lucentis for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, Ferris said. NEI is conducting a trial comparing Avastin to Lucentis in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

A dose of Lucentis costs about $2,000, compared to $50 to $200 for a dose of Avastin. Levy said the annual cost of Lucentis is about $15,500, assuming seven doses over the course of a year.

SOURCES: Elman, M.J., Ophthalmology, April 27, 2010, online edition.

News conference, National Eye Institute.

Frederick Ferris III, MD, clinical director, National Eye Institute.

Neil M. Bressler, MD, chairman, Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network; chief of the retina division, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

Nikki Levy, spokeswoman, Genentech.

News release, National Eye Institute.

Foot-and-mouth disease still uncontained, says official

2009-12-04T08:37:00.001-08:00

Vietnam is yet to curb the foot and mouth disease among cattle, which has recently recurred in 15 provinces, Hoang Van Nam, deputy head of the Animal Health Department said on Tuesday.

The viral disease is spreading strongly mainly because of the low rate of vaccinations and the lack of proper checks on cattle transported among localities and across borders, Nam said at a meeting on controlling bird flu and foot-and-mouth diseases held in Hanoi.

Nam said the department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has established four teams of inspectors to check the epidemic status in the affected localities, mainly in the northern and central regions, and seek solutions to control it.

For the moment the National Committee of Bird Flu and Foot and Mouth Disease Control has asked the provinces to quarantine sick cattle instead of killing them, and strengthen vaccination at the same time, according to the meeting.

In June the department had said that Vietnam had successfully curbed the spread of the foot-and-mouth disease as well as bird flu and the blue ear pig diseases.

Source: VNA

City closes four gruel makers after chemical scandal

2009-12-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Four “nutritious gruel” producers in Ho Chi Minh City were closed temporarily Wednesday as they were found operating in unhygienic conditions.

The city Health Department checked ten producers in Districts 7, 12, Go Vap and Binh Tan, and all were found violating hygiene requirements.

The four firms asked to shut down are: Anh Kim, Nang Huong, Vu Hoang Mai and Baby.

The inspection was carried out after gruel samples collected by Tuoi Tre from four stalls last Tuesday tested positive for sodium benzoate which is banned from the cereal but was being used to keep the gruel fresh for days in normal condition.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, one gram of sodium benzoate per a kilogram of body weight can kill the person.

Nguyen Minh Hung, chief inspector of the city Health Department, said the department had visited 88 gruel household producers in two inspections this year, blacklisting 39 and imposing fines worth a total of VND148 million (US$8,300).

Hung said the stalls were fined for using dirty equipment and not having employees examined at medical centers or trained in food safety and hygiene.

A total of 27 gruel samples were taken during the second inspection for testing their ingredients.

Do Thi Tuyet Lan, head of brand development at Song Kim Joint Stock Co. that provides Cay Thi “nutritious” gruel, was quoted by Tuoi Tre as saying her gruel used a very little amount of sodium benzoat around two months ago as an experiment but had not done it since.

Cay Thi gruel is being sold at the Children’s Hospital No.2.

Vu Ngoc Tan, director of Vu Hoang Mai company that produces Hoang Mai “nutritious” gruel - also admitted having tried the chemical “to offer a better product to customers” but have stopped that recently.

The two producers have never listed the chemical on their package, saying it was only used as a trial.

Le Truong Giang, deputy director of HCMC Health Department, said the department inspectors had never checked the ingredients of the rice gruel that is sold to so many children in the city because they (the inspectors) were very busy with other works.

Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre

Big pharma offer H1N1 vaccines at US$6.5-10 a dose

2009-11-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

Four pharmaceutical multinationals have offered to sell swine flu vaccines to Vietnam at US$6.5-10 per dose.

Truong Quoc Cuong, Vietnam Drug Administration Director General, said on Wednesday that his office is assessing the applications submitted by Baxter, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Novatis.

The National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biological Agents, will test the vaccines’ safety.

Vietnam wanted to import 500,000 doses of vaccines in addition to 1.2 million sponsored by the World Health Organization, which is expected to arrive next month, Cuong said.

Also on Wednesday Nguyen Van Kinh, director general of the Hanoi based National Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, told a meeting that the number of swine flu patients in critical condition was increasing.

It is estimated that 10 percent of the 100-150 H1N1 positive patients admitted to hospitals every day are in critical condition, he said.

Since it was first detected here in May, swine flu has claimed 42 lives nationwide with a 23-year-old woman from the southern province of Binh Phuoc the latest victim, the Department of Preventive Health and Environment reported at the meeting.

Reported by Lien Chau

Optimism but no end in sight after HIV vaccine trial

2009-10-23T10:47:00.003-07:00


Injecting drug users rehabilitation at Tien Lang-Hai Phong.

There was cautious optimism in Vietnam last month when a trial HIV vaccine in Thailand appeared to provide some protection against the deadly virus.

Vietnam country director of UNAIDS Eamonn Murphy said he and his Vietnamese colleagues were confident that a fully effective vaccine could be developed in the future.

However, he qualified that optimism: “I do not see an end in sight.”

Released on September 24, the results of the three year trial found that the chances of catching HIV, a retrovirus that causes AIDS, were 31.2 percent less for those who had taken the vaccine. Among the heterosexual Thai volunteers, 74 people who did not get the vaccine were infected, compared to 51 percent of the vaccinated group infected.

“Ultimately we still need to rely on comprehensive HIV prevention,” Murphy said.

Improvements

The trial was the first time in the virus’s 28 year history that a potential vaccine had shown any efficacy but the call for celebration was only momentary, as the limited effectiveness of the vaccine was a sobering reminder of the need for vigilance.

"The numbers are small and the difference may have been due to chance, but this finding is the first positive news in the AIDS vaccine field for a decade," said Dr. Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet medical journal in a BBC report.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said governments and stakeholders should “prepare today for tomorrow” when a vaccine becomes available. “We must not allow cost to deter people from access to a vaccine.”

Sidibé also asked civil society to keep breaking down the social barriers to vaccine uptake.

Murphy added that it was too early to talk about introducing a vaccine and many more studies needed to be done.

“We have seen improvement in prevention in Vietnam and that’s what we need to focus on.”

There were major challenges ahead, Sidibé said in a statement, adding that less than half the people who need treatment have access and a lot has to be done to strengthen HIV health services and make antiviral drugs and a vaccine - when it comes - affordable for everyone.

Talking of those challenges, Murphy said there was a long way to go reducing stigma and discrimination in Vietnam before high risk individuals would access a vaccine. He added that governments should provide more funding to find a vaccine.

Epidemic figures

Murphy said official figures showed that at the end of March 2009, more than 42,000 people “that we are aware of” had died in Vietnam from HIV or AIDS related illnesses.

“But this figure is probably too low because many people would not want to identify that their family members have died of AIDS due to the stigma and discrimination associated with this,” he said.

“The challenge in Vietnam is that the epidemic is concentrated among groups like injecting drug users, sex workers and their partners and men who have sex with men (MSM) and you can not identify people easily in communities who may be at risk.”

UNAIDS figures on the epidemic show that 30,996 people are currently living with AIDS in Vietnam and 243,000 have HIV. Every province is affected with concentrations in high risk groups in the cities. One rehab for drug addicts in HCMC reported that two-thirds of their clients were positive for the virus while an NGO working in the central provinces said one third of injecting drug users there tested positive.

Between 2003 and 2006 more than 16,000 Thais from the provinces of Chonburi and Rayong volunteered to take part in the trial, which was run jointly by the Thai government and US military.

The researchers tried a combination of two vaccines, ALVAC and AIDSVAX, each of which on their own had previously not worked.

Reported by Michael Smith

Southern hub to test milk after children hospitalized

2009-10-23T10:47:00.001-07:00

Ho Chi Minh City’s health department will test batches of milk suspected of sending five local children to the hospital over the past week, the local inspectorate said on Tuesday.

However, very little is known about when the inspection, proposed by HCMC’s Children’s Hospital No.2, will start.

According to a report made by the hospital to the department and the city’s Preventive Health Center, from October 13-19 it admitted five children with rashes, swollen eyelids, purple lips, tiredness and respiratory difficulties.

The children, who come from different districts, were all found to have consumed Vivinal GOS milk by Dutch Lady Vietnam ten minutes before developing the symptoms.

Reported by Thanh Tung

Senate May Seek Greater U.S. Carbon Cuts Than House

2009-09-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) -- A Senate measure to slow global warming calls on U.S. power plants, factories and refineries to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent through 2020, a deeper cut than approved by the House, according to a draft.

The target is part of legislation prepared by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee staff for release tomorrow, said a person familiar with the process who asked not to be identified before then.

Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest U.S. energy company, along with American Electric Power Co., the nation’s biggest producer of power from coal and thousands of polluters for the first time would be forced to have permits to release gases blamed for climate change. The draft doesn’t say how many free allowances, worth billions of dollars, would be granted to the companies.

“I’m surprised they didn’t mock out an allocation scheme,” said Michael McKenna, president of MWR Strategies, a Washington energy consulting firm, in an interview. The draft “is really more of a shell than anything else.”

Allocating free permits, which sparked weeks of debate in the House, would function as an economic “stimulus” to companies that receive the most, said Kevin Book, the managing director for energy analysts ClearView Energy Partners LLC.

“As long as we’re still losing jobs, there’s room for this bill to be a stimulus package,” Book said in an interview from Washington. “It’s monetary policy pure and simple: You create a new currency and then you start giving it away.”

Carbon Price Falls

Carbon permits for December in the European Union, operator of the world’s largest greenhouse-gas exchange, fell 3 percent to 13.10 euros on London’s European Climate Exchange.

Both versions of the climate legislation use 2005 as a base year for carbon-emission cuts, with the House measure approved in June mandating a 17 percent reduction in the 15-year period.

The Senate bill would cap emissions and allow trading in permits in a plan similar to the cap-and-trade system approved by the House. In the first year of trading in 2012, greenhouse gases would be capped at 6.6 billion tons, according to the draft. By lowering that figure over time, total emissions would be reduced.

In quarterly auctions starting in 2012, bids must be at $10 per ton of emissions or higher, and no buyer could purchase more than 5 percent of permits offered in any single auction, under the draft measure.

Allowances issued by states that already have established cap-and-trade programs may be exchanged for use in the federal program, under the proposal. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission would regulate the carbon market.

The bill has a 60 percent chance of being approved by the Senate this year, Book said.

E.ON, RWE Rise as Merkel Win May Extend Nuclear Life (Update2)

2009-09-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) -- E.ON AG and RWE AG, Germany’s biggest utilities, jumped in Frankfurt trading on speculation Chancellor Angela Merkel’s favored coalition government will scrap a law to phase out nuclear power in the country.

E.ON climbed 4.5 percent to 29.48 euros, while RWE advanced 4.2 percent to 64.80 euros. EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG, the country’s third-largest utility, gained 2.5 percent to 41 euros in Frankfurt trading.

Merkel’s Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats, her preferred allies, won enough votes to form a government in yesterday’s elections. Merkel may abolish a law that required Germany’s 17 nuclear plants to shut by 2021 after the Social Democrats thwarted earlier attempts to repeal the legislation.

“This is a very positive outcome for E.ON and RWE given that nuclear life extensions should become a reality in Germany,” Peter Crampton and Per Lekander, analysts at UBS AG, said today in a note to investors.

Merkel’s Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, won almost 34 percent in elections to the lower house of parliament, according to provisional results. The Free Democrats won almost 15 percent.

Support for the Social Democrats, or SPD, Merkel’s previous coalition partner, fell by about 11 percentage points from 2005, the biggest drop for any party in postwar history. The SPD imposed reactor-closure deadlines in 2002 when it was in power.

‘New Coalition’

“The new coalition will almost certainly now seek to extend the lifecycle of the younger atomic plants,” said Claudia Kemfert, an analyst at the Berlin-based DIW economic institute. “The nuclear bogey plainly didn’t help the SPD, for it played no role in this election.”

German businesses had expressed concerned that the cost of keeping lights on would soar if nuclear plants were turned off. Atomic-power stations run by Dusseldorf-based E.ON, RWE of Essen, Vattenfall AB and EnBW generated 23 percent of Germany’s electricity last year. Seven plants, producing 10 percent of Germany’s power, are scheduled to close by 2014.

“We’re proud of the nuclear phase-out and we will fight for its continuity in opposition,” SPD Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier said after conceding defeat yesterday.

Solar-power companies including Q-Cells fell on concern the new government may scrap so-called feed- in tariffs used to help new technologies get off the ground.

Culture digger

2009-09-01T03:06:00.000-07:00


Doan Ngoc Khoi (R) at an excavation site in Quang Ngai province

Archaeologist Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi has spent so much time digging in the fishing village of Sa Huynh that local residents call him a Sa Huynh “native.”

The village on the coast of the central province of Quang Ngai is so named as it is home to the country’s most significant collection of relics from the ancient Sa Huynh civilization, a likely predecessor to the Kingdom of Champa. Sa Huynh is thought to have flourished between around 1000 BC and 200 AD in central and southern Vietnam.

Veil of history

As a young doctoral candidate in 1988, Khoi studied the hill tribes of Ta Nung commune in the central highlands province of Lam Dong Province. It was then that he made his first major archeological discovery: several centuries’ old pieces of pottery from the graves of the Cham people, which he stumbled upon almost accidentally.

After graduating university, Khoi found a job at the Quang Ngai Province Museum and became increasingly intrigued by Sa Huynh culture, especially as he would visit the fishing village personally to visit relatives.

It was in Sa Huynh that the first artifacts related to the ancient culture were found by the French at the turn of the last century. As findings progressed, it came to be known that Sa Huynh lived before the Cham people in societies based around iron tools, jade and glass work and elaborate cremation and burial rituals.

However, the study of the civilization was all but halted from 1945-1975 as three decades of brutal war ensued.

On his visits to Sa Huynh, Khoi would often ponder the mysteries of the ancient land that Vietnamese, and indeed the world, still knew little about.

“Many things in this region remain under the veil of history,” Khoi said.

As he continued to work at the museum, he began riding his bike to Sa Huynh every chance he got. He eventually began excavating there and soon made his second major finding: a stele and a well from the Cham people, who inhabited the land just after the Sa Huynh civilization.

Khoi presented his Sa Huynh discovery at an annual archaeology symposium in 1989 and received high praise from the experts in attendance.

Based on Khoi’s findings, a team was assembled to further excavate the Sa Huynh site, a project that unearthed many valuable relics, including invaluable ceramic jars used to bury the dead.

‘Cannot escape the story’

During a 1996 visit to the section of Sa Huynh fishing village on Ly Son Island, Khoi found several broken pieces of old pottery in a pile of soil dug up by local residents. He reported the finding to the Quang Ngai Museum and an official excavation then began at Oc hamlet on Ly Son.

The dig unearthed several jars containing the remains of women and jewels made from shells and fish bones.

Khoi is now heading up a provincial-level study on Sa Huynh culture in Quang Ngai, and is also conducting project to preserve and promote the region’s indigenous agricultural knowledge.

He has co-written a book about Quang Ngai Province as well as a book about Sa Huynh culture in the central region and a book titled Traditional Culture on Ly Son Island.

“This is my passion,” he said. “It seems I cannot escape the story of the Sa Huynh culture, even in my dreams.”

The archeologist also said that all he needs in life is his discoveries, not riches or fame.

“This is the choice I’ve made.”

After all his years of hard work and his constant visits to Ly Son, Oc hamlet residents still consider Khoi one of their own.

He visits every fourth day of the Lunar New Year to celebrate Tet with them.

One chief villager said that when Khoi dies, he’ll be prayed for at the communal temple dedicated to the founders of the village and other local notables.

The discovery of Sa Huynh culture

In 1909, French archaeologist M. Vinet dug up a group of burial jars containing stone beads and pots in the sand dunes near what is now known as Sa Huynh.

Fourteen years later, the site was further investigated by Mme La Barre, the wife of a French tax official in Sa Huynh, who was fond of gems and glass jewels. Her team unearthed 240 burial jars in Phu Khuong and Thanh Duc villagers.

In 1934, archaeologist Madeleine Colani conducted major excavations in neighboring areas like Phu Lu and Dong Phu (in Quang Ngai Province) and Tang Long and Phu Nhuan (in Binh Dinh Province). Hundreds of burial jars were unearthed.

In 1935, Colani announced her discoveries and previous Sa Huynh finds at a conference in Manila, the Philippines, the first time Sa Huynh culture was introduced to the world.

However, excavations at the site all but halted during the Vietnam War 1945-1975.

After liberation and reunification in 1975, Vietnamese archaeologists began continuing excavations and studies aiming to better understand Sa Huynh.

Source: Tuoi Tre

Vietnam awaits swine flu vaccine

2009-09-01T03:02:00.001-07:00

Vietnam needs some five million doses of H1N1 influenza A vaccine for people at high risk of infection, according to National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology director Nguyen Tran Hien.

The people most at risk are pregnant women, the elderly, children, and those with cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, diabetes, obesity and other chronic ailments.

However, the first batches of vaccine cannot be imported until next year, according to Nguyen Ngan Quyen, director of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Vietnam.

GSK anticipates having its first batch ready in September, and will give priority to countries that placed the first orders. Vietnam is not yet on the list, Quyen said.

“But, GSK Vietnam is willing to apply to the Ministry of Health for a permit to import H1N1 vaccine into Vietnam once a source is available, which will be in 2010 at the earliest,” she said.

In the meantime, Vietnam is researching its own vaccine production and hopes to bring out the first batches by 2011, said Nguyen Thu Van, director of Vaccine and Biotechnology Products Company No. 1.

Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, told AFP last week that it could be months before sufficient vaccine was available to combat swine flu

She put world production capacity at 900 million doses a year, for a global population of 6.8 billion.

Britain and France has already received their first batches of swine flu vaccine. Australia is gearing up for a massive vaccination program set to start in October, and Turkey hopes its first supplies of the vaccine will arrive by that time.

Vietnam’s health ministry on Sunday reported another 155 cases of H1N1 infection nationwide, with more schools closed down in the central and southern regions.

It was the second day in succession of more than 150 new cases turning up in a single day.

So far, 2,724 people have tested positive for swine flu in Vietnam since the first case in May. Two have died, while more than half have been discharged from hospital after full recovery.

Worldwide, some 209,000 people have caught the virulent flu strain since it emerged in April, and 2,180 have died from the virus, according to the WHO’s latest figures.

While 90 percent of severe and fatal seasonal flu cases occur in people aged above 65, most of those who die from swine flu are under the age of 50, the agency said.

Source: NLD, Thanh Nien

WB HIV toolkit set for Mekong Delta infrastructure project

2009-08-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

A national HIV awareness raising program for migrant workers on infrastructure projects is poised to start in the Mekong Delta, awaiting approval from the Transport Ministry.

The World Bank, which is funding the program, and other stakeholders met Friday at the Duxton Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss launching the toolkit, which was developed and piloted last year in China to address HIV transmission among migrant workers on large infrastructure projects around the world.

The initial activity of this project is a baseline assessment and pilot of a draft toolkit full of activities which people can do to learn more about HIV and how to protect themselves, a press release about the meeting said.

The other stakeholders include the HIV prevention NGO, PACT, representatives of Transport Ministry and Project Management Unit 1 (PMU1), representatives of construction companies and Ca Mau Province government officials.

Hoang Anh Dung from the transport sector of the World Bank Vietnam told Thanh Nien after the meeting Friday that the PMU1 representative was waiting for confirmation from the Vice Minister of Transport before finalizing the deal with WB and PACT to launch the initial stage at an infrastructure project in Ca Mau Province.

Dung said the Mekong Delta was chosen to implement the HIV prevention toolkit, because many workers in the Delta travel from place to place to work.

He said, “We have to raise awareness of the relative parties - the representatives of the Transport Ministry, PMU1 and the construction contractors. In this meeting we have done that.”

A six bridge construction package in the province had been chosen by the World Bank as the most appropriate site, based on the construction time line, the cost of the project and the large number of migrant workers at the site available to interview.

To adapt the existing “Road to Good Health” education, communication and information toolkit to the context of Vietnam, PACT will conduct a base line assessment at the construction sites from September to December.

PACT was selected by the World Bank to conduct the baseline assessment of the target groups working and living at the new bridge sites who are most at risk of getting HIV.

Once the assessment is complete and the toolkit adapted, it will be applied all over Vietnam and WB will recommend that all infrastructure projects over US$10 million must factor the toolkit into the costing as a measure against HIV transmission.

According to PACT, the survey, which has been funded by WB for $40,000, will entail interviews with construction managers, supervisors, construction workers, truck drivers, female sex workers and residents.

The data will be used to identify information gaps in the target population and adapt the information toolkit to suit the target groups’ needs to raise HIV awareness and affect behavioral change to reduce transmission of the virus.

“Most construction contractors care about safety but know little about HIV, while some workers don’t even know how HIV is transmitted,” PACT’s project manager Nguyen Anh Thuan said.

“The most at risk of HIV are intravenous drug users and sex workers but research shows that migrant workers are also at high risk,” Thuan said, saying that these workers live away from home in groups and have sexual needs so they see sex workers and have an HIV impact on local residents.”

Without projects and intervention like this toolkit there would be more negative impacts on residents, he said.

In August 2006, six development agencies including the World Bank and Asia Development Bank signed the Joint Initiative by Development Agencies for the Infrastructure Sectors to Mitigate the Spread of HIV/AIDS.

Thuan said, “This toolkit is the initial step to realize the banks’ commitment in Vietnam. It’s a great commitment.”

Reported by Micheal S. Smith

Unsalable meat on sale in Vietnam; food inspectors unequipped

2009-08-31T19:58:00.001-07:00


Containers of imported meat at a southern Vietnamese port

Food regulators don’t have the resources needed to inspect imports thoroughly, said experts as a local official proclaimed that other countries were dumping their unsalable meat here.

Speaking at an online teleconference on Thursday, Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) Deputy Director General Nguyen Thi Khanh Tram said VFA’s latest survey of 63 localities showed that most were unable to inspect imports for certain dangerous chemicals.

The survey showed that only one locality could detect antibiotic surpluses and only eight were able to record micro-fungus toxins, Tram told the country’s first-ever meeting on food inspection.

Most of the surveyed localities could not detect preservatives or antioxidants either, she said, adding that 70 percent of them even could not verify foods’ nutrition facts due to a shortage of necessary equipment.

The survey also pointed out that several areas, including the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, only checked imports’ documentation, rather than actual samples of the goods themselves.

Delta provinces like Tra Vinh, Kien Giang and Vinh Long had failed to fine violators and issued light warnings instead, according to the survey.

The survey even found that food inspectors in the Mekong’s Ben Tre Province had on at least one occasion found Pseudomonas aeruginosa – a common bacterium that causes fatal infections – in a local bottled water brand without making the information public. Inspectors in charge said they believed the organism was harmless, according to the survey.

After a review of these failures, participants in the meeting couldn’t help but raise their eyebrows at VFA statistics that showed only 11 batches of substandard imported food had been found over the first half year, compared to 32 last year.

It will take more time to improve food quality management, said VFA Director General Nguyen Cong Khuan at the meeting.

Meat matters

At another meeting chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Animal Health of Vietnam presented several suggestions concerning the control of meat imports.

Above all, the department suggested a temporary suspension on the import of viscera and cattle and poultry byproducts. The department said it would also be necessary to only allow companies meeting certain standards to import meat and animal products.

According to the department, many companies were importing and trading frozen meat even though it wasn’t their main line of business. Ministry representative said this would jeopardize food safety; however, they did not give specific figures of how many companies were doing so.

The department also suggested that all imported meat be tested by animal health agencies before customs clearance and that foreign companies committing more than one violation be suspended from entering Vietnam.

Nguyen Xuan Binh – vice director of the Animal Health Agency Zone No.6, said related agencies would also conduct inspections of meat storage facilities once every 2-3 months.

“Local agencies may even send representatives to check exporters’ slaughterhouses,” said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural development Diep Kinh Tan.

The meeting was held following the recent exposure several imported frozen meat safety violations.

Unsalable meat dump

Due to the global crisis, many countries are dumping unsalable goods, including meat and other animal parts, into others by selling them very cheaply, according to Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy director general of Animal Husbandry Department.

With the lax management of imports, Vietnam has seen a sharp increase in frozen meat imports over the past three years, according to participants at the meeting.

Statistics from the animal health department showed that meat imports had almost tripled in volume last year from over 44,000 tons in 2007.

More than 57,000 tons of meat imports were brought in from other countries during the first half of this year, it added.

However, many of the imports were found to be of bad quality like being expired or contaminated, it said.

“We have long believed that meat imported from other countries is better than the domestic meat, but it now turns out that the former is much worse,” Son told the meeting.

“Vietnam’s market is becoming a market for many countries to dump their unsalable goods.”

Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre

Filthy conditions at Can Tho abattoirs

2009-08-31T19:54:00.001-07:00


Workers at a slaughterhouse in Cam Tho City

Motorbikes carrying uncovered butchered pig carcasses that drag on the ground are familiar scenes at a slaughter house in Can Tho City.

All the slaughter activities at the slaughterhouse of Food Processing Factory No.1 are carried out on the floor which is always soaked in blood, guts and pig bristles.

Nguyen Van Danh who manages the abattoirs at the Mekong Delta’s Ninh Kieu District said the only six or seven pigs of the factory are processed there every day, while most of the floor space is rented out to slaughter 400 pigs brought from outside.

The shop provides water and waste pits at a price of VND12,000-20,000 a pig, but the waste pits are old, open and attract flies and mosquitoes.

Danh said the facilities have not been upgraded because there are plans to move the slaughter house but he doesn’t know when.

The city Animal Health Agency claims to control around 95 percent of the animals slaughtered to sell at local markets, but said all the abattoirs in the city were manually operated instead of using hygienic assembly lines.

Tests by the agency during 2009’s first seven months on 132 fresh meat samples at abattoirs, stores and restaurants found that 112 samples, or more than 89 percent tested, were contaminated with microorganisms.

In a recent visit to the city, Luong Le Phuong, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, told the city authorities to order that the work be done at benches off the floor to reduce microorganism contamination.

Phuong also asked the city to open short courses on butchering and hygiene for workers.

Source: Tuoi Tre

Daily aspirin may do more harm than good: study

2009-08-31T19:53:00.001-07:00


A Bayer employee holding some Cardio-Aspirin tablets at the company's plant in Bitterfeld, eastern Germany.

Healthy people taking a daily dose of aspirin to prevent heart attacks may be doing themselves more harm than good, according to a new study by British scientists.

Researchers found that the risks of bleeding from taking aspirin were such that its routine use in healthy people "cannot be supported" -- although they did not dispute its use in patients with a history of vascular problems.

The results of the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis (AAA) study add to a long-running debate about whether the potential dangers of taking aspirin could outweigh the benefits from reducing the risk of clots.

"We know that patients with symptoms of artery disease, such as angina, heart attack or stroke, can reduce their risk of further problems by taking a small dose of aspirin each day," said Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation which helped fund the research.

"The findings of this study agree with our current advice that people who do not have symptomatic or diagnosed artery or heart disease should not take aspirin, because the risks of bleeding may outweigh the benefits."

The study was led by Professor Gerry Fowkes from the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases in Edinburgh, Scotland, and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona Sunday.

It involved 3,350 men and women aged 50 to 75 years who tests revealed may have a condition where the arteries in their legs were furred up -- but who had no symptoms of heart disease or history of heart attack.

They were given either a daily 100 mg dose of aspirin or a placebo (a dummy pill) and monitored over eight years.

While there was no difference in the number of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events suffered, major bleeding occurred in two percent of the aspirin group compared to just 1.2 percent of the placebo group.

Source: AFP

City suspends three mineral water producers

2009-08-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Three mineral water producers in Ho Chi Minh City were suspended Thursday as their water contained harmful microorganisms.

The firms are Hong Phi in Binh Tan District whose unsafe Liwe 21-liter bottles will expire this December, Hoai Nhan also in Binh Tan that produced Nanisa 21-liter bottles that will expire next July, and Tran Ngoc Chien whose Water City 20-liter bottles also expire next July.

All the bottles that failed quality standards have been seized and will be safely disposed of.

Reported by Thanh Tung

Japanese woman detected with swine flu in Can Tho

2009-08-30T02:20:00.000-07:00

A Japanese woman in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has tested positive for the H1N1 influenza A virus, a medical officer said on Friday night.

The city’s first swine flu patient is in the isolation ward of Can Tho Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital, Can Tho Preventive Health Center director Nguyen Trung Nghia said.

Earlier the same day, Ho Chi Minh City’s health department reported the virus had been found at two more schools, and that 38 more people had been diagnosed with H1N1.

In adjacent Tay Ninh Province, five students at one school have tested positive for swine flu, while in Hue on the central coast, 18 infected students of Nguyen Hue High School have been placed in quarantine.

So far Vietnam has recorded 2,412 cases of H1N1 in 44 of its 63 provinces and cities, including the 100 new cases on Friday, the Ministry of Health said.

Reported by Thanh Nien staff

Swine flu spreading at 'unbelievable' rate: WHO

2009-08-30T02:17:00.000-07:00


People wear protective masks in New Delhi on August 18.

Swine flu spreads four times faster than other viruses and 40 percent of the fatalities are young adults in good health, the world's top health official warned in an interview appearing Saturday.

"This virus travels at an unbelievable, almost unheard of speed," World Health Organisation Director General Margaret Chan told France's Le Monde daily in an interview.

"In six weeks it travels the same distance that other viruses take six months to cover," Chan said.

"Sixty percent of the deaths cover those who have underlying health problems," Chan said. "This means that 40 percent of the fatalities concern young adults -- in good health -- who die of a viral fever in five to seven days.

"This is the most worrying fact," she said, adding that "up to 30 percent of people in densely populated countries risked getting infected."

Chan's warning came a day after the WHO said the virus had overtaken others to become the most prevalent flu strain.

"Evidence from multiple outbreak sites demonstrates that the A(H1N1) pandemic virus has rapidly established itself and is now the dominant influenza strain in most parts of the world," the UN agency said in a statement.

"The pandemic will persist in the coming months as the virus continues to move through susceptible populations," it added.

Chan underlined that emergency and healthcare services in several countries had come under strain and stressed that resources allocated for cancer patients and those suffering from heart disease should not be diverted.

"One must not rob Peter to pay Paul," she said. "All governments must prepare for the worst."

She said the most important thing in the battle against the virus was "political leadership."

More than 2,180 people around the world have died from the virus since it emerged in April, according to the latest WHO figures.

Chan also said that it could be months before sufficient vaccine is available to combat the pandemic.

She put world production capacity at 900 million doses a year, for a global population of 6.8 billion people.

Even if this was an unprecedented effort, and authorities were speeding up procedures for getting vaccines to the market, there should be no question of compromises on their safety and effectiveness, Chan said.

Britain and France received their first batches of swine flu vaccine this week. Australia on Friday said a massive swine flu vaccination programme would start in October and Turkey hopes the first supplies of the vaccine will come by that time.

While 90 percent of severe and fatal cases occur in people aged above 65 in seasonal flu, most of those who die from swine flu are under the age of 50.

A "very severe form of disease" affecting the lungs and causing severe respiratory failure among young and healthy people was being reported, WHO said Friday, adding that highly specialised care was required.

Large numbers of such patients could therefore "overwhelm" intensive care units and disrupt the provision of care for other diseases, it warned.

In the southern hemisphere where the flu-prone winter season is tailing off, the WHO said cities in several countries had reported that nearly 15 percent of hospitalised cases required intensive care.

Source: AFP

Vietnam’s diabetic numbers growing unnoticed: project

2009-08-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

The number of diabetes patients in Vietnam is increasing at one of the highest rates in the world with around 65 percent of people with diabetes unaware they are affected, health experts said Thursday.

The number of diabetics increases 8-10 percent every year, Vietnam Medical Association and the Construction Informatics and Consultancy Joint Stock Company said in their national communication joint-project on how to fight and prevent diabetes.

Pham Song, chairman of the association, said 4 percent of urban residents in Vietnam have the disease with 2.5 percent in rural areas, accounting for 4.5 million patients across the country.

The project aims to raise around US$5 million from individuals and businesses to establish consultancy channels and stronger connections between doctors and patients.

The funds will also be used for public education specifically targeting the most vulnerable such as overweight children and people who don’t do physical exercise.

Reported by Nam Son

City suspends three mineral water producers

2009-08-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

Three mineral water producers in Ho Chi Minh City were suspended Thursday as their water contained harmful microorganisms.

All the bottles that failed quality standards have been seized and will be safely disposed of.

Reported by Thanh Tung

WB HIV toolkit set for Mekong Delta infrastructure project

2009-08-29T16:50:00.001-07:00

A national HIV awareness raising program for migrant workers on infrastructure projects is poised to start in the Mekong Delta, awaiting approval from the Transport Ministry.

Dung said the Mekong Delta was chosen to implement the HIV prevention toolkit, because many workers in the Delta travel from place to place to work.

He said, “We have to raise awareness of the relative parties - the representatives of the Transport Ministry, PMU1 and the construction contractors. In this meeting we have done that.”

PACT was selected by the World Bank to conduct the baseline assessment of the target groups working and living at the new bridge sites who are most at risk of getting HIV.

“Most construction contractors care about safety but know little about HIV, while some workers don’t even know how HIV is transmitted,” PACT’s project manager Nguyen Anh Thuan said.

Without projects and intervention like this toolkit there would be more negative impacts on residents, he said.

Thuan said, “This toolkit is the initial step to realize the banks’ commitment in Vietnam. It’s a great commitment.”

Reported by Micheal S. Smith

Unsalable meat on sale in Vietnam; food inspectors unequipped

2009-08-29T16:49:00.000-07:00


Containers of imported meat at a southern Vietnamese port

Food regulators don’t have the resources needed to inspect imports thoroughly, said experts as a local official proclaimed that other countries were dumping their unsalable meat here.

The survey showed that only one locality could detect antibiotic surpluses and only eight were able to record micro-fungus toxins, Tram told the country’s first-ever meeting on food inspection.

The survey also pointed out that several areas, including the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, only checked imports’ documentation, rather than actual samples of the goods themselves.

Delta provinces like Tra Vinh, Kien Giang and Vinh Long had failed to fine violators and issued light warnings instead, according to the survey.

It will take more time to improve food quality management, said VFA Director General Nguyen Cong Khuan at the meeting.

Meat matters

Nguyen Xuan Binh – vice director of the Animal Health Agency Zone No.6, said related agencies would also conduct inspections of meat storage facilities once every 2-3 months.

“Local agencies may even send representatives to check exporters’ slaughterhouses,” said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural development Diep Kinh Tan.

The meeting was held following the recent exposure several imported frozen meat safety violations.

Unsalable meat dump

With the lax management of imports, Vietnam has seen a sharp increase in frozen meat imports over the past three years, according to participants at the meeting.

Statistics from the animal health department showed that meat imports had almost tripled in volume last year from over 44,000 tons in 2007.

More than 57,000 tons of meat imports were brought in from other countries during the first half of this year, it added.

However, many of the imports were found to be of bad quality like being expired or contaminated, it said.

“We have long believed that meat imported from other countries is better than the domestic meat, but it now turns out that the former is much worse,” Son told the meeting.

“Vietnam’s market is becoming a market for many countries to dump their unsalable goods.”

National influenza A (H1N1) total up to 26, world steps up fight

2009-06-14T09:24:00.000-07:00


An influenza A (H1 N1) patient is treated at the National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases.

The Mekong Delta reported its first influenza A (H1N1) case Friday as a teenager in Tien Giang Province tested positive for the virus, adding to Thursday’s national tally of 25 cases.

Blood tests done by the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute on the 14- year-old overseas Vietnamese, identified only as Nguyen Tran D. C., showed the teen carrying the virus.

The patient was admitted to Tien Giang General Hospital on Wednesday with high fever, but escaped later in afternoon and had to be brought back on Thursday after the results.

A relative, identified as Tran Chanh D. of the same age, has also been isolated for treatment at the hospital, pending tests, after showing symptoms of high fever and coughing Friday.

The Tien Giang Health Department has listed 15 people who have had physical contact with the patient since the latter’s arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport last week. Two of them had left the province on a trip Friday.

The department has taken blood samples from all the patient’s family members for testing.

Before the case in Tien Giang, the Ministry of Health on Thursday reported 25 patients had been detected with the disease thus far, most of them people coming home from the US.

The number includes one person detected with the virus in Hanoi and others in Ho Chi Minh City.

Officials on Friday found 13 passengers at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport arriving with body temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius, and quarantined them in different hospitals in the city, pending test results.

Eight patients in the city have recovered and been discharged since the first case of the virus was found on May 31, the city Health Department said Friday.

The number of cases in Vietnam is still small, said department director Nguyen Van Chau, stressing that the country will continue observing individual cases instead of switching to community observation.

Response to global alert

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Friday called an urgent meeting with officials from the Health Ministry, saying the country should “try its best and take suitable measures to prevent a flu epidemic [in the country].”

The PM asked the ministry to keep the general public constantly informed of the latest developments regarding the flu and keep abreast of international action taken to contain the disease.

His orders came one day after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the influenza A (H1N1) threat to six, the highest level, branding it a global pandemic on Thursday.

Tien Giang on Friday announced it will spend another VND5 billion (US$281,000) on measures to contain the disease while Nghe An Province in the north-central region added VND7 billion for the purpose, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Health officials in Thai Binh Province not far from Hanoi have prepared enough medicines for 4,400 patients with the virus, they said.

Residents in Nam Dinh Province, also in the north, have been asked to call two hotline numbers 0350.3631.418 and 0350.3636.668 for instructions related to the disease.

Health minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu expressed concern that some people with the virus but showing no symptoms would refuse to limit physical contact with others and thus threaten to spread the disease.

Nguyen Tran Hien, head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said the influenza A pandemic was is still at a “moderate” level worldwide, but warned it spreads around 15 percent faster than normal flu.

Vietnam is facing the threat that H1N1 can combine with the H5N1 bird flu virus, or the normal flu to form a mutant that is more infectious, Hien said.

He said the virus strain is completely new and hard for communities to gain immunity against.

Vaccine in the making

The influenza A virus has so far infected almost 30,000 people in 74 countries and territories and claimed 145 lives since it was first detected in Mexico in April, according to WHO figures.

Mexico has been worst hit with its death toll rising up to 109 of 6,294 infections recorded this far proving fatal. The US comes next with 27 deaths out of 13,217 cases reported.

As governments stepped up precautions after the pandemic announcement, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis said Friday it has completed the first batch of vaccine for pre-clinical trials, AFP reported.

The batch has been completed successfully “weeks ahead of expectations,” the company said in a statement.

Novartis said it hopes to start trials on patients in July and gain a license soon after, adding that more than 30 governments had asked for the “vaccine ingredients,” according to the report.

British GlaxoSmithKline also said Friday it could produce a vaccine in four to six months and that it was ready to convert a donation of 50 million doses of vaccine against H5N1 bird flu for the WHO to swine flu doses.

Director General Margaret Chan of the UN agency said the flu pandemic declaration, the first one in four decades, should not spark panic and does not mean the H1N1 death toll would rise sharply.

The alert “means that the world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century,” AFP cited Chan as saying.

The southern hemisphere is currently heading into winter and the height of its flu season. Northern hemisphere countries could expect to see a swine flu surge when their winter starts later, it said.

Australia, the worst hit in the Asia-Pacific region, was considering adopting powers to cancel sports events, restrict travel and even shut national borders, although officials stressed extreme measures are unlikely.

In Hong Kong, which was hit hard by the 2003 SARS outbreak, authorities closed all primary schools after a group of children caught the virus.

Israel’s health ministry has ordered the stocking of vaccines to inoculate up to 25 percent of the country’s 7.2 million population while Canada is investigating possible swine flu outbreaks among aboriginal communities.

Britain is Europe’s worst hit country with 909 recorded cases, but the total has risen significantly in recent days.

In Spain, where there are 488 confirmed cases, Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez has called for calm after WHO raised its alert, saying that the symptoms were “slight” and the flu could be easily treated.

France and Germany, where there are 80 and 95 cases respectively, also said they are not changing their alert levels.

Source: TN, Agencies

Food safety at ‘alarmingly’ low levels

2009-06-14T09:22:00.000-07:00


A roadside bun rieu (crab paste noodle soup) eatery in Ho Chi Minh City.

Calling for new laws and more money to enforce rules, National Assembly (NA) members agreed at a meeting Wednesday that food safety measures in Vietnam are atrocious.

“Food safety regulations are being violated at an alarming rate in every sector: cultivation, husbandry, processing, and trade,” said representative Duong Kim Anh from Tra Vinh Province.

She said the Health Ministry was responsible for the problems, and added that she was worried tainted meals were showing up on the tables of local families.

Representative Dang Thi Nga of Lam Dong Province said local agencies knew about the violations but were doing nothing about it.

Nguyen Thi Hoa, a delegate from Hanoi, said regulations needed to state much more clearly and exactly what local agencies’ responsibilities were on the issue.

Many deputies agreed with Hoa and said the government needed to expedite the drafting of new law on food safety and hygiene.

Hoa also proposed stricter punishments for food safety violations, arguing that current fines were too low to act as a deterrent.

She said the fine for trading unsafe vegetables was VND100,000- 300,000 (US$5.5-16.70) and that those caught trading less than 5 kilograms of banned pesticides were fined only VND200,000-500,000 ($11- 27.80).

Strange fruit

Dang Vu Minh, chairman of the assembly’s Science, Technology and Environmental Committee, said Vietnam produces an average of 11.5 million tons of vegetables per year. But he said only 8.5 percent of the nation’s vegetable fields could be considered safe, according to government regulations on pesticide use, packaging and clean fertilizer. He said the rate for safe fruit orchards was just 20 percent.

Between 2007 and 2008, more than 90 percent of all fresh fruits and vegetables sampled b government agencies met food safety standards. However, in large cities like Ho Chi Minh City, agencies can monitor only 20-30 percent of fresh vegetables on the market, he said.

In the second half of 2008, nearly 11.7 percent of vegetable samples taken from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Tien Giang and Vinh Phuc provinces, or 48 of 412 samples, were found to have pesticide residues exceeding permissible levels. The rate among fruit samples was 15.2 percent, or 15 out of 99.

The country monitored only 58.1 percent of the total slaughtered cattle and fowl over the 2007-2008 period, down from 61.8 percent in 2004-2006. Only 617 cattle and poultry slaughtering establishments have been monitored this year, while 16,512 small establishments have gone unchecked.

In 2008, 11.08 percent of meat and raw meat products were found to contain chemical residues, Minh said, adding that it was the highest level in the last five years.

Only 11.2 percent of food processing and vending establishments met food safety requirements and hygiene in 2008.

Food poisoning killed 116 people in 2007 and 2008.

Show me the money

Delegate Truong Thi Thu Hang proposed that the government increase per capita investment in food management to VND9,000 ($0.50) a year, nearly nine times the current rate.

“It may be a burden to the state budget, especially in the difficult economic stage we’re going through now, but we should be determined toward having safe food resources for the health of the community and the future generation,” she said.

A recent government report said some VND329 billion ($18.3 million) in state funds had been spent on managing the implementation of food safety and hygiene regulations between 2004 and 2008. The investment equals 1/19 of the money Thailand spends per capita on the same issue, and 1/136 of the US Food and Drug Administration budget.

Deputy Anh said the country has focused more on food safety for exports rather than on the domestic market.

Many border gates don’t have enough equipment to test imported food products properly and surveillance is mainly done by the five senses of the custom officers on duty, she said.

Dodging bullets

Minister of Health Nguyen Quoc Trieu said local agencies must take responsibility as stipulated by the Food Safety and Hygiene Ordinance.

Agency leaders will have to take the greatest responsibility and the government will evaluate the job they have done, he said.

Each individual must do their job and they will be evaluated to produce better results in the future, he said.

Reported by Bao Van

Amphetamine use on the rise in Vietnam: conference

2009-06-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

The use of amphetamines by young people is on the rise in Vietnam while the country has no rehabilitation centers catering to addicts of the stimulant, experts warn.

Simon Baldwin of the Family Health International said a changing socioeconomic environment had pushed many local youths into using drugs as the face of daily life changes ever more rapidly.

Moreover, spillover from the Golden Triangle, eastern Asia's major opium-producing region in the mountains of Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and even Vietnam, had made drug use more common in the country.

He was speaking at the country’s first-ever international conference on the awareness and prevention of amphetamine abuse.

Participants at the conference in Ho Chi Minh City Friday said Vietnam had no rehabilitation center specializing in amphetamine addiction.

Le Tien Trung from the Ministry of Public Security said most amphetamine users that had been caught by police in Vietnam were young people, including university and high school students. Trung also said a large portion of users were long-distance drivers and taxi drivers who use the drug to stay awake through the night.

Some middle-aged women and students also use the drug to lose weight or to stay awake to study, he said.

He said the most common amphetamines seized were ecstasy (MDMA or 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine is regularly smuggled into Vietnam from the Golden Triangle both by road and plane, while the ecstasy found here usually originated in Hong Kong, Macau, Northern Europe, the US, Japan, Taiwan or Australia, said Trung.

He also said some shipments of ecstasy pills had entered Vietnam via airmail.

In 2008, police seized around 200,000 methamphetamine tablets, not including the average annual seizure of 8,000-10,000 ecstasy tablets.

In a huge haul on Tuesday the traffic police in the central province of Thanh Hoa caught a Lao man carrying nearly 500,000 ecstasy pills in his car destined for drug users in Vietnam.

Nguyen Thi Van of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Anti-Social Evils Bureau said most amphetamine users were from big cities and the children of wealthy families.

“A methamphetamine pill sells for between VND200,000 ($11) and VND500,000 ($28). The drugs are often used in bars, karaoke lounges and dance clubs,” she said.

Trung warned that amphetamine abuse often proved fatal by way of traffic accidents.

“Many young speed users speed on their motorbikes or have sex randomly. Many have been caught doing so during raids on bars and dance clubs,” he said, adding that such behavior could easily facilitate the spread of dangerous diseases.

Nick Thompson of the John Hopkins University in the US told the conference that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that around 25 million people worldwide were using amphetamines.

An increase of amphetamine users has led to the establishment of many rehabilitation centers, he said.

Thailand has opened a total of 84 amphetamine rehab centers and is scheduled to open 19 more in the next five years. Laos plans to open two more amphetamine rehab centers from the current nine, while Cambodia is expected to open five more from its current 14 in the next five years.

Early this year, the Ministry of Public Security signed an agreement with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to pilot a project to prepare strategies for the prevention of illicit amphetamine use in Southeast Asia.

The $300,000-project will be carried out in Vietnam through 2011.

Reported by Thanh Tung

Japanese doctor to hold charity party next week in HCMC

2009-06-01T19:58:00.001-07:00

Japanese ophthalmologist and philantropist Dr. Hattori Tadashi and Royal Trans Co. Ltd. will organize the second annual charity party in Ho Chi Minh City next Friday to raise funds for his volunteer work in Vietnam.

The event will take place on June 5 from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. at the Windsor Plaza Hotel in HCMC.

Organizers hope to double the US$10,000 they raised last year, with proceeds going to Dr. Hattori’s patients and the Prevention of Blindness Association in Vietnam.

Since 2002, Dr. Hattori has conducted eye treatment and surgeries for more than 7,000 Vietnamese patients nationwide.

To make a donation or purchase tickets for Friday’s party, contact Wendy Tour at Sheraton Hotel at 08-3821 9451; Yamaneko Restaurant at 13/1 Le Thanh Ton, Dist 1 or Royal Trans Co.,Ltd at 9A Thi Sach, Dist 1 at 08-3823 9566

Reported by Vinh Bao

Vietnam records first swine flu case

2009-06-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Vietnam has recorded its first case of swine flu after a man tested positive for the virus, the health ministry said Sunday.

"It is the first patient of the virus A(H1N1) in Vietnam," Nguyen Huy Nga, the ministry's spokesman, told AFP, adding the case was "confirmed officially by our ministry this morning."

An initial test conducted Saturday at the tropical diseases hospital in southern Ho Chi Minh City was positive, Phan Van Tu, a doctor with the city's Pasteur Institute, told AFP earlier.

The patient was in a stable condition with a slight fever, Tu added.

Local television reported that the patient is a 23-year-old student who returned home early last week from the United States via Hong Kong.

Emergence of the virus in Vietnam was "highly likely" given its international travel links, Shelaye Boothey, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO), told AFP.

"They've had some good detection measures in place," she said.

Vietnam has been monitoring the health of passengers arriving at its airports in a bid to detect swine flu.

Swine flu was first detected last month in the United States and Mexico.

In its latest update the WHO said 53 countries have reported 15,510 cases of swine flu, including 99 deaths.

Source: AFP

HCMC residents test negative for H1N1 virus

2009-05-29T19:00:00.001-07:00

All 18 people of Ho Chi Minh City who traveled on the same plane with an American Vietnamese woman who later tested positive for the influenza A H1N1 virus have been released after testing negative for the virus.

Le Thi Bich, who was quarantined while transiting through South Korea from the US, remains quarantined in Seoul.

Doctor Phan Van Nghiem from HCMC Department of Health said Friday that the 18 people are still under supervision at home.

In related news, the International Health Quarantine Center found three people with high temperatures at the HCMC International Tan Son Nhat Airport Friday.

Two Americans and a three+year-old from the Republic of Korea are under supervision at HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Children Hospital 1. Test results have not been released yet.

Reported by Thanh Tung