Super Lead News

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson made history by posthumously winning four American Music Awards on Sunday night, but he couldn't beat Taylor Swift as the year's favorite artist and the evening's top winner.

The 19-year-old took the show's top award, giving Jackson his only loss of the night, and giving her five trophies in all.

"Music has never been ultimately about competition," she said as she accepted the top prize via satellite from London, where she is to perform Monday. "To even be mentioned in a category with Michael Jackson, who we will miss and love forever, is an unimaginable honor."

BROMONT, Quebec – A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she appeared to be having fun.

Nathalie Blanchard has been on leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, for the last year.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday she was diagnosed with major depression and was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits from insurance giant Manulife.

But the payments dried up this fall and when Blanchard called Manulife, she says she was told she was available to work because of Facebook.

She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday.

Blanchard said Manulife told her it's evidence she is no longer depressed. She's fighting to get her benefits reinstated and says her lawyer is exploring what the next step should be.

Blanchard told the CBC that on her doctor's advice, she tried to have fun, including nights out at her local bar with friends and short getaways to sun destinations, as a way to forget her problems.

Manulife wouldn't comment on Blanchard's case, but did say they would not deny or terminate a claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook.

Your credit score is likely the most important three-digit number in your life.
Your score affects how much you pay for credit, and it can affect other bills you pay, where you live and where you work.

• Banks and credit card companies review your score when deciding whether to extend you credit and how much interest to charge. (See "What bad credit really costs you.")
• A high score can lead to lower car- and home-insurance premiums, a deposit waiver from utility companies and a better service package from the cell-phone company. (See "5 people who check your credit.")
• Many landlords check credit scores before allowing you to sign a lease. (See "Credit checks: A civil rights issue?")
• Many employers -- 35% in 2003 -- are doing credit checks on prospective employees, particularly those who would deal with money. Employers need your written permission to make the check and must give you a chance to respond.

With so much at stake, it's wise to find out where you stand and take steps to raise your score if it's below 700, particularly before you apply for a mortgage or other loan. Above 760 and you're in the upper echelon. A score below 620 tells people you're not a good risk and destines you for credit denial or subprime interest rates. (See "Raise your credit score to 740.")

What is a credit score?

The three major credit-reporting agencies -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion -- use software developed by Fair Isaac Corp. to rate your risk for assuming debt based on your credit history. The result is commonly known as a FICO score. This year a long-delayed update to the scoring formula is rolling out, and there are a few advantages to consumers -- and some serious new risks. Here are three scenarios to help you understand the changes.The score is based on five factors, including payment history, the amounts you owe and the types of credit you've obtained. Personal information like income, occupation, age and marital status are not considered. (See "Credit bureau move creates 'secret' scores.")

3 quick tips for better daytrading technique in currency

The most exciting thing about Forex daytrading is that “daytrading” is a relative term when you’re speaking in terms of international commerce. The foreign currency market changes, spikes, and falls 24 hours a day. This means that even insomniacs, people who work long hours, and others with busy schedules can literally trade - the day, or night, away.

Three important tips for Daytrading in Forex

Moving into day trading may be a challenge, but it is much easier to make decisions by sticking to a plan that you’ll operate from. Here are a few important tips to get you started:

Understanding 3 Basic Forex charts

How to use them to see trends in Forex rates

You can view Forex charts to navigate trends in a variety of formats. Usually, your analysis tools will by supplied by your broker. Come traders also purchase software solutions for technical analysis online.

There are many types of charts for the Forex trader to use, but this article is going to give you insight into the basics. If you are familiar with the stock market, you may be familiar with some of these charts and how they are used.

Ask your foreign exchange dealer about the spreads

Finding a foreign exchange dealer with a good spread policy can result in a big payoff. Normally, the cost of switching brokers is relatively low. Proper research on the competition is well worth the time, effort, and investment.

Before you make the decision to switch brokers, you need to understand what spreads are really costing you. Then you can begin to see how lower spreads can improve your returns. When choosing a foreign exchange dealer, you also will want to ask the right questions and understand different brokers' quality of execution--given your trading style.

Wading through a sea of Forex brokers

Choose the right foreign exchange dealer for your success

Many investors who trade in currency use a Forex broker. A broker is an individual or company who makes trades according to their clients’ wishes. A good brokerage company wants to help you manage your trades to increase your success – not only because it is their job, but because they usually make a decent commission when you make a particularly successful trade. Choosing the right foreign exchange dealer can be very rewarding – establishing a symbiotic relationship that builds financial success for years to come.

Understanding Exchange Rates

Every day of the year, more than $1.2 trillion worth of foreign cash changes hands around the globe. This is an amount of money that that far exceeds the daily value of world trade. About 80 percent of these transactions involve U.S. dollars, but that doesn’t mean they all involve U.S. citizens.

The relatively small changes in the prices at which these trades occur are called exchange rates. Many travelers are familiar with the process of money changing from one currency to another when they cash in their foreign currency. The Foreign exchange market, however, involves these same transactions except on a grandiose scale. Foreign exchange rates, often calculated with a foreign exchange converter, can have immediate and profound effects on economic events – even for the foreign traveler. International transactions between corporations can stall or halt when their countries currency rate

Components of a Good Plan

When entering the world of Forex currency trading, it is important to have a well-defined strategy to minimize loss and maximize your assets. Trading currencies with a strategy helps you map out your financial goals and focus on success, rather than dwelling on losses, which are inevitable. There are plenty of variables that affect how a trader performs in the currency trading marketplace, but there are also some very important guidelines you should build into your strategy.

What to Look for in Your FX Provider

An automated Forex trading system can help a new trader practice discipline. The Forex market trades 24 hours a day and provides excellent leverage for every investor. Unfortunately, it can be challenging for the average investor to catch the trades they want if they need to get sleep in their time zone. Forex markets can move outside of their usual active timeframes. Without an automated trading solution, many investors miss valuable trades.

This is where auto trading comes in. Usually, the solution will be provided by your broker. You’ll have to customize your software to follow the methodology you use in your traders. With the right automated Forex trading software, you don’t have to focus on every detail – you just have to set it up in your application. Your software should place trades, monitor the markets, catch directional trades, and place the limits and stops once a trade is live. An automated system frees you up from the minor details and lets you focus on other areas of your trading strategy.

Subtitle: What to look for in online Forex systems


With all of the Forex platforms available, it can be difficult to actually know if your online system is actually creating a better performance for your trades. Technology can definitely assist the Forex trader in decision making through the use of charts, desktop trading, and analysis tools.

Standard Forex platforms are meant to optimize trading execution. Nowadays, traders have the power of direct order entry right through their desktop chart – in just a click or two. Trading platforms offer a variety of choices for the Forex trader. You can set up the number of lots to trade and specify an amount of leverage to use.

Basic information to get from your Forex broker.

Once you have decided that you prefer a managed Forex account, the next step is choosing the right Forex broker to fit your needs. Your broker needs to be a professional that you trust completely, so it’s important that you take the time to do your research.

Shop around, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to dig deep into your broker’s practices and terms of service. If there is something you don’t understand in the disclosure documents, pick up the phone and get the answers you need.

Elements of a successful Forex trading course.
When shopping around for Forex courses, it’s important to have a few concrete goals about what you want you want to learn about the Forex market. Foreign Exchange trading is the largest and least regulated market and the daily trading volume is about $1.5 trillion a day; that’s a lot of money to go around and a lot of markets to navigate.

To feel completely comfortable with such a massive trading system, and leverage its true potential, it’s important to know how to use all of the tools at your disposal. These tools will help you develop your own strategy for success. With the right course instruction, you can learn to make your trades with discipline, execute a viable trading plan, and use the technical tools that the professionals choose.

Choose and Use Your Forex Software Wisely

There are plenty of Forex systems available on the web. Choosing the right Forex software can sometimes be perplexing, even for the experienced trader. Most brokers offer a Forex software package as a premium for users of their trading accounts. Just because it’s free, however, doesn’t mean it’s the right choice. It is important to evaluate different software platforms and get experience in using it correctly.

Choosing the right Forex Signal Trading Provider

The Forex market is an extremely volatile and complex market – which is why so many professionals rely on signal trading providers. Signal trading providers assist Forex traders in keeping abreast of market changes – especially when you need to be able to monitor huge market moves in a matter of minutes.

How do signal trading providers work?

Forex signal providers usually send you their trading signals through charting software, e-mail or SMS. Signals come in at all hours of the day because of the nature of the Forex market. If you miss a trading signal, it can still work to your benefit. The great thing about the Forex market is that missing a trade can often help your positioning – you can take action on the signal at a later date based on your previous knowledge.