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  • Pixel trackers: Invisible e-mail tool  tracks you

    Pixel trackers: Invisible e-mail tool tracks you

    3 min read

    Superhuman uses invisible pixel trackers

    Is it sure that an app named Superhuman allows me to spy on people using their email?

    Yes, it is true. If you have this app, meaning you pay that $30 per month, your new app automatically tracked every single recipient to whom you send an email. Moreover, you can see the recipient’s location. Superhuman uses invisible pixel trackers, revealed Mike Davidson, former VP of design at Twitter, on his blog. 

    You’ve been spied too if your sender uses the same app.

    What Superhuman was doing with email trackers is despite your intention. It did it thanks to tracking pixel.

    What are the Pixel trackers?

    Superhuman uses invisible pixel trackers

    Let’s explain! Every image across the internet is stored on the server. While you browse, your computer automatically downloads them. Well, some artist found that automatically downloads can let the same servers to track you and follow you all over the web. Whatever you do, your downloads, your browsings. And emails are not excluded. These trackers provide your sender to see when you open the received message by stealing in an image. 

    It’s so simple when you open a received email you practically open the image and download it. At the same moment, the server knows what are you doing and provide that information to the sender. You cannot lie you didn’t have time to open their messages. They know you did. That is exactly what tracking pixels do to you.

    That is one problem. The other is how to spot them.

    Tracking pixels could be found under the names: a web-beacon, web bug, tracking bug, tag, web tag, page tag, tracking pixel, pixel tag, said Wikipedia.

    You will probably never see the tracking pixel with your eyes because they can really be an only 1 x 1-pixel image.

    Usually, it is hidden someplace in an email or webpage. Moreover, they are transparent, so we can say they are totally invisible. And where to look for them? They can be anywhere from the sender’s name to the font they use.

    Anything that delivers a request to a faraway server can be recognized as a tracking tool.

    Are there additional sorts of pixels tracking us?

    Maybe your phone via Google Pixel?

    This was years old, we said that. So why to be upset about this old technology now?

    Somewhat because a lot of people don’t understand that tracking pixels breathe. It’s okay, there is nothing wrong with that.

    But when Twitter VP wrote a blog post he spotted that Superhuman was giving users information about people’s locations. And this tool did it just by transferring them an email by default.

    So, what’s wrong to know if people have viewed your emails? You send them with such purpose, right?

    All messaging apps have read receipts and they are helpful.

    Messenger has something similar to tracking pixels. This means you and the recipient can certainly see whether your messages are being read or ignored. That’s okay, too.

    But using Superhuman, we are allowing a complete stranger to have the ability to send us an email and force us to reveal our location every time we open that email. Moreover, without our permission and knowing. This sounds reasonably bad.

    How do pixel trackers operate? How they can recognize our location?

    Via IP addresses, probably. That tracking pixel from a server registers your IP address, that is how the internet knows where your computer is situated materially and digitally. And it isn’t so complicated for someone to find your home address by using your IP. Creepy, indeed. 

    There is a potential danger.

    For example, if it is so easy to reveal are you at home or not, you might become a victim of thefts.  

    Spamming and phishing can utilize the system to know which email subjects force you to click. Do you really want to let some random character on the internet tracking your moves by sending some emails?

    There is no need for triangulation the data. Your browser cookies can apparently pass along your online profile. Sounds scary, really.

    Superhuman isn’t the only company practicing pixel trackers.

    Gmail users are pretty safe because Google reroutes everything through its own proxy servers.

    Tracking pixels will still know when you’ve read an email, but they will not be able to see your location or your profile because they can’t see your IP or cookies. All they can see is Google’s IP. 

    TP found some good instruction on how to protect your privacy. Yes, you can always use browser extensions like Ugly Email and PixelBlock. They will find pixel trackers before you open your email. Moreover, they will eliminate them completely.

    But, also, you can use this instruction How to Stop Email Tracking.

    Meanwhile, Superhuman has issued an excuse, states it will no more track location, and will turn read receipts off by default, active immediately.

    Keep your eyes on them, anyway.


  • How well are you doing?

    How well are you doing?

    5 min read

    How well are you doing?
    Hans Stam

    by Hans Stam – Trader, Mentor, Author 

    Impressive

    In my journey as a Forex Trader, I come across many different ways of thinking. 

    Some really think they are the only ones that are right, and everyone else is wrong. 

    Some contact me and tell me my claims are false or I do them on hindsight trading. 

    When I show my live accounts where they can see live trading and history, I’m usually getting a response like… Impressive.

    Others I never hear from again.

    It’s really our loss if we let ego dominate our thoughts.

    Always keep an open mind as there might just be something to learn.

    Spreadsheets

    When you are trading, we like to succeed at a given goal.

    One thing that happens a lot is that traders see a certain return, and start calculating. 

    Some make a spreadsheet and calculate their returns as being static.

    Then on their spreadsheet, you can see they are 5-10 years ahead and often millionaires.

    Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that in real life. 

    Long term goals are good once you have reached short term goals.

    What is realistic and doable for you?!

    Algorithms

    Now that you are all set up, you probably have developed your style of trading.

    It’s normal to want an outside opinion on your trading so some sign up for a company that has algorithms running. 

    But be aware, you might do perfectly in one group and totally fail in another.

    How is that possible?!

    Algorithms are being programmed by the opinion of the Programmer/Company.

    There’s a lot of difference on where their focus is and their results on your trading might be way off.

    I have had discussions with some of them, and in many cases, they had to agree they did not think of other things after seeing my live trading. 

    So, in the end, your results are just based on their opinion and how well you agree with them.

    Performances

    My suggestion would be to trade for a year and keep an eye on your results Quarterly, Six Months and annual returns. 

    Keep an eye on the DrawDown and Risks you took by exposure to the market. 

    Goalsetting is a tricky thing to do when Trading. 

    It might be best to focus on the number of deposits you are willing to make and set it as being a goal regardless of performances.

    You are the one that decides what you do and why. 

    It’s your money on the line so if you keep on losing ask yourself who you are following. 

    Is this really your plan or someone else’s plan?

    Nothing wrong with that, but it has to be your decision as well.

    Don’t just pick a trade because someone tells you if you don’t agree!

    So… How well are you doing?

    No matter what others say, you are the only one that can determine if you are doing well or not. 

    You have your own algorithm to perform to.

    What are your intentions?

    Is it you want to deposit $100 every month for a  year? 

    Is it you are focussed on not having a bigger drawdown than 25%? 

    So my guess is that you are the one that determines how well you are doing. 

    Did you reach your goals? 

    What works and what doesn’t? 

    Probably the profit-taking results will not work as the market is depending on movement, so maybe it’s better to focus on what you can control.

    Opinion

    When it comes to trading, you are your own boss. 

    Only your opinion counts as you are the one making the trades. 

    Now, that does not mean you never listen to anyone.

    Weigh the information, see if it makes sense, apply what is useful!

    Sometimes I get good ideas presented, and it doesn’t take long before seeing the goal which supports that idea.

    The idea itself may be good, but it doesn’t always apply to my goals.

    When I would try different outcomes for different goals, it might become mixed up which makes both goals fail. 

    Some people lose money fast, and they get very frustrated because their opinions were not their own.

    When you find yourself losing money because of someone else’s ideas, review and see why you are losing. And see how well are you doing.

    I’m lost?!

    When you are doing your thing and just came across a new idea, you might want to throw everything overboard and go for this new idea.

    You might feel you are lost once that is not working out. 

    What you could do is demo test this new idea first, but most don’t have the patience because of their excitement. 

    What you might do when you find yourself in that place is to open a subaccount and usually it is easy to transfer from one account to the other. 

    Use your idea on the new account if you don’t choose demo first and let your initial strategy run as usual. When this new idea is producing what you want to do, it will grow on its own, but you will always have a backup from where you already are having experiences.

    Easy

    It’s easy to do well as long as you have a clear target in front of you which you can control. 

    When you can’t reach your targets, don’t try to catch up, reduce the targets to a smaller target. 

    If your first targets failed, then catching up is even more difficult. 

    Adjust to what is doable for you, and keep the goals closeby and short. 

    If you commit to depositing $500 a month for the next 5 years, you might want to adjust to depositing $400 for the rest of the year and review in December. 

    Did your circumstances change? Was it easy to do? Do you want to dedicate more?

    You might have lost your job, or got a raise? Lot’s of things can happen in between the plans you make. 

    Keeping your goals close makes you reach them faster, if you fail the goal, reduce the goal to what fits you at that time. 

    You can do this!

    All the best,

    Hans Stam
    [email protected]

  • How to Become the Billionaire

    How to Become the Billionaire

    How to Become the Billionaire

    There is nothing wrong with being poor. Many circumstances may cause that. Lack of opportunities because of the place where you are living, the poor economy in your country, but anyone should try to change that. Even if you feel you are not capable to run that long way, just make that one – the most important first step. Find the strength to reach what you want. The life you are seeking is the life you deserve. 

    TP is giving you a few stories about poor people who became billionaires. We want you to know something, they came from nothing.  Some of them have a really impressive life story. 

    So, who they are?

    Jan Koum WhatsApp founder

    Jan Koum

    Jan Koum was born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1976. He lived in the house outside the Kyiv, without running water.

    Koum has memories: “It was so run-down that our school didn’t even have an inside bathroom. Imagine the Ukrainian winter, -20°C, where little kids have to stroll across the parking lot to use the bathroom. Society was extremely closed off: you can read 1984, but living there was experiencing it.”

    When he was 16, he moved with his mother to Mountain View, California. They lived in an apartment secured by government assistance. In order to survive, he cleaned floors at a local store.

    Koum developed computer skills on his own. In 2009, he co-founded mobile messaging service WhatsApp and sold it Facebook for $22 billion in 2014.

    Net worth:$9.1 billion

    Ken Langone, Investor

    Ken Langone

    His father worked as a plumber and mother was a school cafeteria worker. They lived between two paychecks. 

    But Langone wanted a better life and that desire was supported by his family. 

    In order to contribute to paying scholarship at Bucknell University Langone worked different jobs. His parents also mortgaged their family house. 

    In 1968, Langone in associate with Ross Perot took Electronic Data Systems public. Later it was acquired by Hewlett Packard. Two years later, with Bernard Marcus, he started Home Depot. This company also went public in 1981.

    Despite his huge business success, Langone still is cautious with his money. He still calls the cable company when he considers his bill is too big.

    Net worth: $3.6 billion

    Howard Schultz, Starbucks founder

    How to Become the Billionaire

    Howard Schultz was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 19, 1953.

    Schultz grew up in a housing complex for the poor.

    When he was 3 years old he moved with his family to the Bayview Housing in Canarsie, a neighborhood in southeastern Brooklyn.

    A football scholarship helped him to move from Canarsie to Northern Michigan University in 1970.

    Schultz found work as a salesman for Hammarplast, a company that sold European coffee makers in the United States. Schultz remarked that he was selling more coffee makers to a small enterprise in Seattle. It was the Starbucks Coffee Tea and Spice Company. 

    “Every month, every quarter, these numbers were going up, even though Starbucks just had a few stores,” Schultz later remembered. “And I said, ‘I gotta go up to Seattle.’”

    At that time, 1981, Starbucks didn’t exist outside Seattle. The company’s original owners, old college buddies Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker and their neighbor, Zev Siegl, had founded Starbucks in 1971. The three friends also came up with the coffee company’s universal mermaid logo. 

    Howard Schultz joined them. The rest is history.

    Net worth:$2.9 billion

    Kenny Troutt, the founder of Excel Communications

    Kenny Troutt

    Troutt grew up in a poor family. His father was a bartender. So, Kenny Troutt had to pay for his own education at Southern Illinois University. He did it by selling life insurance. He made most of his money from phone company Excel Communications, which he founded in 1988 and took public in 1996. Two years later, Troutt became a billionaire when Excel was sold to Teleglobe for $3.5 billion. 

    This a self-made billionaire owns WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. He’s now retired and invests massively in racehorses.

    Despite his allergy to horse hair. 

    Net worth: $1.4 billion

    The bottom line

    So, how to become a billionaire? It looks there is no universal formula for that. But there is something common for all of them who raised in poor families. All of them wanted changes, worked hard, had a desire to make success. And they were not afraid to take advantage when it came to it. To become a billionaire you must have passion, you must be curious and have opened eyes. In order to recognize the right opportunity. Never hesitate to start this journey. These guys made a success, so why wouldn’t you?

  • Money Management

    Money Management

    Money Management
    Hans Stam

    by Hans Stam

    A little off topic but well received within my group how I manage money.

    So I decided to put this in writing to your benefit. 

    Many don’t know where all the money went at the end of their month. 

    Usually, they have a bit of month left at the end of their money. 

    Others make a lot of money but always seem to have a shortage anyway. 

    Some are doing just fine but don’t seem to get ahead in their finances. 

    The process of Money Management

    Here is the process I went through personally.

    I had one account at my bank as most people have. 

    All my money came in on that account and all payments were made from that account. 

    I started to write down all my expenses.

    Then I noticed I was overpaying for some services like my phone, so I contacted the phone company for a better deal and instantly got more than 50% discount. That was my first step in money management. 

    Same with other bills, I noticed some things I spent but didn’t really need or that could be done differently. 

    When I had a complete picture of all my expenses per month, I divided it into daily portions. 

    2nd Account in the process of Money Management?

    I opened a second bank account at another bank, and whatever income I had I placed at that central account. 

    Not only the usual income but also whatever money I got like tax returns or bonuses, etc.

    Then I set up automated daily payments from that central bank account to the initial bank account where most bills were deducted automatically. 

    The way it was set up plus perhaps a few bucks a day was taking care of the bills and it grew a bit every day. 

    Why another bank? 

    Anything can happen, and when it hits the fan, you better keep control yourself instead of letting the bank decide for you!

    3rd Account?! 

    Then I set up a third Bank account. I decided on a number I needed to do groceries on a daily bases.

    So from my central account, I got daily payments to use for shopping.

    Now I knew what was there every day to use and not overspend.

    4rth Account!!

    I also got Gas money from jobs I do.

    So I opened a Fourth Bank account.

    Every time I’m getting gas money, I deposit it in that account. 

    Most times I’m getting more than needed so all other car bills like taxes and maintenance are being paid from that account. 

    Central Account for Better Money Management

    When I did set it up that way, all I needed to focus on was the central bank account and I knew exactly what I needed a day, week, month. 

    I noticed at first it wasn’t easy but I was determined to get it right.

    So then I realized I needed a buffer of 3-6 months based on my daily payments. 

    I knew what I needed to survive 3-6 months without any income in case something happens. 

    This has saved me several times as I do not have a steady income. 

    Interest

    I noticed I was paying interest on open balances.

    So how did that happen? 

    I was in need of a car, and that’s a huge sum for most people. 

    So that had to be paid from the Gas account, but there wasn’t enough. 

    So I had to loan from a bank, but I paid more due to interest. 

    I decided to calculate the interest and paid the same interest amount into my central account as well. 

    Basically, I was paying back the bank, and now also myself. 

    Over time I needed more money on bigger spendings.

    So I loaned from the central account and paid it back from the account I needed it for with interest!

    How does that work?

    When I saw something in the shops I really wanted to have, I just paid it from the central account to my Groceries account. 

    Same goes for Gas-account when in need of more cash instantly like buying another car.

    Then by the daily income, I was getting on those accounts, I paid it back to the central account with interest.  

    It also made me aware that at times I did not really have to buy whatever it was I wanted, so it kept me from buying the item. 

    All I need to watch for is the buffer on the Central bank account to keep my internal economy going. 

    But before there was a buffer, I took care of small bills that were past due and made them disappear quickly. 

    Doing that gave me more and more control to work towards my buffer.

    Investments as the best way for Money Management

    When I wanted to start investing, I didn’t really have much money to do it with. 

    So I loaned money from my central account, and whatever money went out, I paid back with interest from my income. 

    So even if that investment was not working out, it was covered by future manageable income, bit by bit. 

    Whatever the investment did produce was placed back into the central account which also helped to pay off the initial loan. 

    If the investment made more, I was free to either let it grow or to fund the central account after the internal loan was settled. 

    When I invested more I considered it to be a separate loan which re-entered the process. 

    No logic

    It doesn’t seem logical to work with your money like that, it seems too complicated.

    But what it did do for me was that it gave me control over my bills which all happens automatically and it made me think twice before spending outside the balance on the cards. 

    So in a way, it made me focus and I know what I have to do next. 

    If my investments are not providing enough for my buffer, I know I need to get another job and quickly maintain my Central Account.

    Anything can happen in life, and I never really valued stability really going day by day without much thought until the day came I got stuck financially.

    So through desperation and a whole lot of debt, I decided to set it up to the way I have it now. 

    And although it did not help me overnight, the action alone to contact another bank and set up the accounts gave me a feeling of control.

    It also made me go look for other ways to make an income like another job to maintain the central account. 

    This got me moving with a plan in action and it has given me many benefits in my financial life.

    Back on control

    I took back control, and I crawled back from a deep hole which made me an investor and Trader. 

    Hopefully, you are not facing that mountain of debt in your life and you might not give this a second thought as long as you always have enough, but even millionaires can go bankrupt if they don’t pay attention. 

    Be wise, don’t let money become a problem where it doesn’t have to be. 

    I surely hope this off-topic article will benefit you, as money is not everything and it should not control your life. 

    Yes, we need it, so let’s deal with it and go on with other important things in life. 

    If you can support my work as a Mentor, please click here for a donation

    I really appreciate your encouragement. 

    Also, any support you like to show through PayPal is very much appreciated!

    to your success,

    Hans Stam

  • The Questions You Want to Ask Your Broker about Start Trading

    The Questions You Want to Ask Your Broker about Start Trading

    Questions to ask a broker
    This is the full explanation of what you have to do in your first contact with the broker.

    By Guy Avtalyon

    We assume you already made your decision to start investing or trading but you don’t know how to start and what to ask a broker. That is the situation where you would need a broker’s help. You already examine and find several and it is time to contact them.

    What you have to do that before you open an account.

    Before you open an account, you should use the internet browser. Traders-Paradise’s advice is to visit the web pages of every brokerage company you want to analyze. That first feeling about the brokerage’ site will be maybe the most important part if you want to start trading online. You must feel comfortable while you are checking section after section and it has to be user-friendly for you and you will find if the broker has a free demo account and how long you can use it before the switch to the real.

    Some websites may be slower at the first visit but try them again, maybe when you first visited them the traffic was high. A large number of visitors can make the website operate slower sometimes. This doesn’t mean the broker isn’t good.

    OK, you picked several brokers. So what is the next step?

    First of all, you have to make the first contact. The best way is to make some phone calls or to fill a contact form and let them call you.

    Be prepared, on the first call, they will tell you precisely what you like to hear. It will be so good but also, it might not be a truth. You must be aware. So, never play on the first hint. Try them more.

    Always keep in mind, you need to find the right broker for you. So, you have to talk.

    What to ask the broker?

    You will pay for financial advice, and you will entrust your hard-earned money to some person who will act as a genuine servant of your financial future. So, you have to ask, you have to talk.

    Ask if the firm has possible conflicts of interest regarding reasons to sell particular funds or products. Just ask. If you get a precise response, then the answer will satisfy many of the next questions.

    Ask the broker about trading commissions.

    It might be surprising but lower commissions are not always the better.

    Take care of it and examine all the information you can get.

    The price per trade may explain the level of customer service. If you don’t want to trade so often it shouldn’t be the subject of your consideration. In such a case it isn’t the primary if you need 30 seconds or 3 minutes to execute your trade, so the difference in commissions isn’t important too much. Will it be $5 or $25 per trade isn’t important if you don’t plan to trade very often, for example, 15-20 trades per year. But if you plan to trade on a daily base it is important.

    Training and education

    Also, you would like to know what kinds of training and education do they provide.

    Traders and investors, both advanced and novice need constant training and education to stay up to date with the laws and practices in the trade. This includes mentorship and copy trading. Mentorship is extremely important. The legal field is changing and you would need a good mentorship to follow the best practices in order to keep mistakes minimal. On the other hand, copy trading is good for novice traders and investors but leading traders may make mistakes too. At the beginning level, they are good. After you master the trading, you should build your own strategy and approach to the trade. That will depend on your personal goals, risk tolerance, and character.

    Also, important information is about other fees.

    Ask the broker about them. That is information about costs of account-maintenance and inactivity fees. So, it is good to make a list of services and transactions you might need before you start the conversation with the broker. Ask them how much all of them will be a charge.

    Ask a broker about the minimum initial deposit

    Minimum initial deposit is something you should know before you open the trading account. We assume you know how much you can invest but does it meet the broker’s regulation? Some brokers have account minimum and you have to know is it adequate for you. This minimum has to matches your budget.

    Withdrawals

    You need to know how much you can withdraw and how much time it will take. On some websites, you will find wonderful information about it but once when you talk with a live person you might find there are so many differences for almost every case. For example, on the website brokerage can write the withdrawals take a few days. That is true but sometimes it isn’t. Very often it depends on how big withdrawal is or in which circumstances you want to withdraw. Ask for every single detail about it.

    Customer support

    This is a huge question. Ask a broker’s about customer support and services before you sign up. Is it easy to find what you want on their website or you will need to spend the whole day and click through 100 pages? Can you access to their customer support fast? Does your broker have live chat? Is there any possibility to talk face-to-face?

    Banking services

    Maybe this isn’t a big deal but still, you have to know all about payment methods.

    The best choice is a brokerage account that can serve your banking need. The brokers now offer Visa or Master cards, direct deposit, ATM cards, etc.

    Ask a broker about investment assets selection

    All brokerages offer stocks traded on the major exchanges. But if you’re interested in options, bonds, currencies, cryptos ask if certain brokerages offer them. They’re not available in all brokerage.

    A good broker will set realistic expectations in front of you. They will provide some valid information from their experience. They will be based on the current market and on details about your goals.

    Beating the market is hard but at the same time exciting. Since it is hard for the majority, you need to add some weights to your portfolio. Without a broker, it is even harder. Statistics show that only 5% of market participants are successful. It is smart to use the best brokerage to be one of them.  

    Traders-Paradise recommends you to ask these questions as far as possible. Your broker has to truly serve you well. So, they should have no problem to give you honest answers.

    To get started on your broker research, use our Walls

    Traders-Paradise Team wishes you successful trading and investing.

     

  • Slack Technologies Inc rose 48% on Thursday after its Wall Street debut

    Slack Technologies Inc rose 48% on Thursday after its Wall Street debut

    2 min read

    Slack Technologies Inc rose 48% on Thursday after its Wall Street debut

    This start-up company started in a direct listing rather than an initial public offering.

    The company decided to appear on a direct listing on the stock market, refusing the use of conventional advisers to manage the price of new stocks.

    That initiated the chance of wild swings in the price. The traders always try to estimate where the shares force settle.

    This increase in the share price placed the value of the company at $25bn.

    In an interview on CNBC, Slack chief executive officer Stewart Butterfield said:

    “The big thing for us was in the traditional IPO, it’s the company that’s offering shares, you might raise, you know, a billion dollars or something like that. When you raise a billion dollars, you dilute existing shareholders, by issuing new shares. So, we are not doing that. We’re just opening it up for trading.”

    This approach takes some risk

    We must say that listing shares straight brings some risks. For example, Slack chose not to engage underwriters to hold shares that a company is incapable to sell through its IPO to guarantee a triumphant debut.

    Shares of Slack began trading above the $26 reference price. The price was settled by the NYSE. As of 1:23 p.m. ET, the shares were higher by 60.15% and jumped to $41.62. Still, the stock reversed to close the session with up $12.62, or 48.54% to $38.62 a share.

    Slack is not the first company that chose this method. It is the second big tech firm to go the shortest path. Spotify used this way to appear to the market last year.

    Slack is the unicorn

    Slack is one of the unicorns that surpassed market expectations on their first day of trading. Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND), Chewy (NYSE: CHWY), CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD), Fiverr (NYSE: FVRR), Pinterest (NYSE: PINS), and software company Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ: ZM) also went public in past several weeks and had solid debuts.

    Following the example of many tech companies, Slack debuted with a dual-class structure. Class B shares holding 10 votes per share to consolidate voting power among its top shareholders. According to Slack’s prospectus, Accel is the largest shareholder at 24%. The other is Andreessen Horowitz with a 13.3% stake and Social Capital at 10.2%. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield holds an 8.6% stake and SoftBank holds 7.3%.

    Slack has never made a profit.

    Although revenue rose 80% to $400m in 2018, losses were $144m.

    Slack announced a net loss of $138.9 million on the income of $400.55 million for the last year. From the beginning of this year, Slack told it had over 10 million daily active users and that number of paid clients increase 49% year over year. Slack also has large growth from its highest-paying customers. Their customers pay over $100,000. The number of customers in that class increased 93% last year in comparison with fiscal 2018, according to the prospectus.

    Slack’s profile

    Slack Technologies Inc is a business technology company. Its offer is Slack app that supports people, devices, and data to cooperate and run the businesses.

    Slack is useful to overcome communication and coordination works in order to manage the company’s activity. It provides to diversified industries: Engineering, IT, Customer Support, Project Management, Sales, Marketing and Human Resources.

    Slack started as an in-house tool for Butterfield’s company Tiny Speck through the development of Glitch, an expired online game.

    risk disclosure

  • Forex market today: Mario Draghi has guts

    Forex market today: Mario Draghi has guts

    4 min read

    Mario Draghi has guts

    EU Forex market

    Mario Draghi has guts

    Mario Draghi, the ECB President, declared that the asset purchase program still has significant capacity. Draghi is well-known as a man who talks down the euro even when Interest rates could drop more. The euro is dropping a 1/3 of 1% against the dollar which is around 50 pips. The stock markets are moving healthily into the green.

    Forex market Mario Draghi has guts Traders Paradise's Market overview and Forex Edu series

    On the 4-hour chart from Wednesday, 19/6/2019, we can see a break of the 61.8 fib level. This may submit the downtrend continues but after this a downturn, it wouldn’t be surprising that an early reversal correction may hit the 78.6 fibs, around 1.1150.

    Forex market Mario Draghi has guts

    Symptoms of trend exhaustion could be attractive.

    The bond yield is falling, and the German 10-year running record is low. This trend is continuing from early October last year.

    Mario Draghi said that the Eurozone economy would need new expansionary actions if its future growth and inflation forecasts turned out to be just as weak. The ECB is ready to reduce interest rates and resume asset purchases.

    UK market

    The British pound is still suffering due to the possibility of “hard” Brexit. The attitude of financial markets will depend on upcoming economic events. Today, the Bank of England will decide on the interest rate.

    US Forex market

    The US dollar dropped lightly against the basket of major currencies. It is expected the regulator to hold the interest rate at the current level of 2.25-2.5%. Yet, it is likely that in July the Fed will decrease the interest rate due to the situation in the global economy which shows all signs of weakness. The US dollar index was closed in the negative zone (-0.25) on Wednesday.

    US President Donald Trump accused the ECB, and the Chinese government, for the effort to reduce their national currencies to obtain a rival advantage over the US.

    Many people are asking themselves is Forex market a scam. We provide you the answer from a professional trader.

    The Forex market isn’t a scam it is an important part of our lives

    by Hans Stam

    Many people are asking if Forex is a scam, so it might be a good thing to take a look at this Question.

    Currency Trading in itself is not a scam, however, that answer really is too short.

    There are some things you really should know.

    Forex trading is a way to trade currencies against each other and that in itself is Legit.

    This is just a matter of Trading Currency value against each other.

    Then there are Brokers who offer you the Platforms to actually Trade.

    All I really like to say about that in public is that there really is a reason the FCA regulations are in place.

    Once you have opened and funded an account, you are ready to go

    Then why?

    … do people think it is a scam.

    Many, many Traders lose a lot of money and I do know why.

    Most of the time you will get answers like, you really need to work hard, or you have to study until you drop.

    But really, where are their credentials?!

    And once they are starting to make some money, most blow it by becoming too confident and greedy.

    You do not have to be one of them.

    As you may have read in the previous post about mentorship, you can skip all the nonsense and go right for the profit.

    Unfortunately not many are actually prepared to do what needs to be done and rather stay ignorant and keep on trying to let others think for them.

    It’s a waste of your time and money!

    Action!

    There is an incredible amount of information about Trading Forex, but it all starts with you taking action.

    What do you want to do, and how would that influence your life?

    Will you set up a plan of action? Who will you contact, and what are you prepared to do to reach your goals?

    In previous articles, there are already a lot of tips on how to start, and it would take you less than a day to read and understand it.

    It will change your life if you take yourself seriously and take action.

    I advise you to look for the best info you can gather and make a decision, is this for you or not?

    If it’s not, then don’t do anything, but if it is, start making contact and go from there.

    Help!

    There are good people here willing to help you, so why not take advantage of the opportunity presented to you?

    You can always decide later if this is a golden opportunity for you or that you have lost faith in the jungle of opinions.

    Right now, all the articles you can read here are free, all it takes is a bit of your focus and time to help yourself.

    Will you become one of the few percents of people who have read this information, and actually took the help that’s here for you?

    Most of you don’t so, let this be a very personal question to you.

    Are you the one?

    Are you the one of the very few that is ready to go for it?

    Are you ready to spend the next 20 years creating something amazing?

    Time will pass no matter if you do or don’t. So it really is a matter of you choosing today what you will be tomorrow.

    If Forex is not for you, are you already satisfied with the research you have done to base your opinion on?

    Will you join the crowd that thinks Forex is a Scam or will you start your plan to change?

    I do realize this will take you out of your comfort zone, and not many have the courage to do that, but if you want to change, that’s exactly what you will need to do.

    Educate yourself, read the articles, take action.

    The bottom line

    The forex market is the biggest, most liquid global market with an average daily trading volume exceeding $5 trillion. All the world’s stock markets together can’t even come close to this. The tremendous number of $5 trillion covers the complete global foreign exchange market. But daily trading volume from retail traders makes up between 5-6% of overall volume, or between $300-400 billion. So, you see, there are so many spaces for new traders.

    Bookmark Traders Paradise for new articles, contact whoever can help you, start today or put it back on the shelf to forget about it. And don’t  forget to follow the Educational series by Hans Stam

    To your success!






  • Facebook’s Libra – Is it Cryptocurrency at all?

    Facebook’s Libra – Is it Cryptocurrency at all?

     

    Facebook’s Libra - Is it Cryptocurrency at all?
    The doubts due to Facebook “Project Libra” are understandable because it looks Libra won’t be decentralized as a regular cryptocurrency.

    Facebook’s Libra could be the new digital currency. Facebook finally announced its cryptocurrency plans. “Project Libra,” a new variety of digital money created for Facebook’s apps and social network users. That means we would be able to make purchasing and send the currency Libra on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Also, MasterCard, Uber, and Spotify should give such a possibility.

    Some other merchants are involved too.

    But, Libra isn’t as decentralized as a regular cryptocurrency. Hence we can talk about trust in new crypto. We all know that crypto is all about trust.

    Satoshi Nakamoto wrote about the Bitcoin system. “The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work. The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust.”

    The basic sense of using crypto is that we don’t trust financial authority.

    Libra is a totally Facebook project. Facebook experts created the blockchain and selected the associates that will handle it. Libra wallets will be installed in Facebook apps.

    What does it mean?

    The trust in Facebook’s Libra

    After all, we experienced it? Don’t we? Facebook has a lot of problems with trust. But let’s stay with Libra.

    Libra is announced as crypto, which should mean full decentralization. That is the power of cryptocurrencies. But Libra will be under Facebook’s control, under the control of one of the most powerful companies in the world. Can we still talk about the essence of crypto nature if Libra scores success in the future? From our point of view, it may be the end of one of the most important characteristics of cryptocurrencies – decentralization.

    Further, this new crypto operates via licensed blockchain which will cause that the right to mine Libra will have only companies included in Libra Association. So, what we have there? Libra Association as a central bank? The developers tried to explain that as an intention to avoid Libra to use so much power needed for bitcoin mining. The nice intention, but at the same time, it will provide the Libra Association in controlling the currency’s stability supported by a reserve of bonds and liquid money.

    The implementation of blockchain technology has sense. It will provide clear transactions fast.

    But, here is the point where the matter of trust in Facebook’s Libra arises.

    If you don’t trust your local central banks, why should you trust Mastercard?

    Libra will change its nature. It will not be permissioned forever, says the separated document, where the further plans are revealed. Libra Association will be open to more members. After five years, Libra would switch to the permissionless mode. That would happen after some problems with scalability have been solved. Can you point any example that blockchain has ever gone from permissioned to permissionless? This explanation looks more like buying time to solve the problem in the hope that the future will bring new solutions in technical improvements. That promise seems like a trick. Why?

    When you start using the centrally managed blockchain you must face that users will not trust you.

    This promise is actually selling the fog

    Why? Unlike Bitcoin and other public blockchains, only foundation members will be permitted to run a node.

    Facebook’s ambitious plan to bring cryptocurrency to the masses is recognized, and we don’t have a problem with that. But we have plenty of reasons to be skeptical. Why they are launching this crypto knowing that the problem of trust will arise? On what they are counting? Yes, they promise that the problem with centralized crypto will be solved later. So, if they are aware of it and know how to solve, why this rush? Guys, fix it, you already have a trustworthy model, just implement it.

    Facebook did not present specifics regarding when and how users will get ahold of the currency. All we have is the executive’s confirmation it will first be shared on Messenger and WhatsApp in 2020.

    The company also said something about a new digital wallet called Calibra. The digital wallet will be managed by Facebook as a separate subsidiary. It will have the possibility for users to store and spend Libra.

    Calibra won’t be accessible to the people for months

    Moreover, this digital wallet will not show you the value in Libra currency, the value will be displayed in your local fiat. The design will be similar to Venmo.

    According to David Marcus, who is on the head of Project Libra for Facebook, one of the main goals is to approach to 1.7 billion people globally who don’t have access to the banking system.

    “It’s an anomaly that the Internet has no protocol for money,” Marcus said.

    “You’ll see banks on this between now and next year, because if we bring on another billion people, they’ll need savings accounts, loans, and things banks are very good at,” Marcus says. Facebook also plans to reduce money transfer fees and transaction fees through Calibra.

    As a conclusion, it is very questionable if the Libra is cryptocurrency at all. It will have a very strong connection with the fiat. Moreover, it is backed by a reserve of low-risk assets to avoid volatility, as Facebook’s representatives explained. These “low-risk assets” are actually fiat: dollar, euro, Swiss coin.

    The point is that we can transfer our dollars or whatever to Libra, but the amount will ever be shown in given fiat, never in Libra. So we couldn’t talk about true crypto. It is digital money only because it is not tangible.

    And there is a wallet named Calibra where the Libra is supposed to be stored.

    Behind this, according to some experts, this system could provide Facebook access to extremely large financial information. Having Facebook’s reputation on our mind, can we trust that such information will not be misused? With very strong reason we have some doubts.

    On the other hand, we are dealing with the most powerful company in the world.

    Is it worth to take part?

    Libra can be useful for purchasing via FB apps and associates. We all can expect some discounts or something similar for users in order to promote the new digital money. And the other powerful participants are in play, as we mentioned above. So, for short term or periodical used, Libra is useful. As a long-term investment, we are not sure. But we are very sure that Facebook’s Libra is a manifestation of banks’ blemishes.

    Images Credit: Libra Association official website

  • Clients are Fleeing Neil Woodford Amidst Scramble for Liquidity

    Clients are Fleeing Neil Woodford Amidst Scramble for Liquidity

    2 min read

    Clients are Fleeing Neil Woodford Amidst Scramble for Liquidity

    Neil Woodford has frozen his flagship fund, the Equity Income Fund after it shrunk by ÂŁ600m during May and the Kent County Council attempted to pull out its ÂŁ263m investment

    Since May 3, when Neil Woodford has decided to suspend his flagship equity income fund, shares of the sister fund, the Patient Capital Trust Fund, have dropped for 25%. This underperformance of the stock market-listed fund was caused by concerns over bad market bets of the suspended equity income fund. Bad performance of Woodford’s healthcare investment, combined with more than £187m in redemptions, has shrunk the value of the fund’s portfolio from £4.3bn to £3.7bn. To those familiar with health-care investments records of once-lauded UK investor this may seem as expected. But for the general public, it comes as surprise news about the fund which was valued at one point in 2017 as much as £10.2bn.

    Surprising news

    According to regulatory fillings Woodford has found himself under mounting pressure to cash in investments in a scramble for liquidity. But already underperforming stocks see their prices pushed downward by these sales, which in turn forces Woodford to sell more. In the 6 months before the suspension of equity income fund, companies in which Woodford has positions have performed abysmally. E-Therapeutics has fallen 75%, Circassia 69%, Autolus 54%, Theravance 41%, IP Group 30%.

    E-Therapeutics has fallen 75%

    And there are indications that other investors in these entities have planned to cut their positions in them even before Woodford’s sale pushed prices down. Market participants seem to be expecting a wave of forced sales from Woodford, with reports of some hedge fund managers taking short positions against his investments. Troubles for Woodford are very likely to get worse before it gets better.

    Troubles for Neil Woodford

    And those troubles are spilling over to the patient capital trust fund, FTSE 250-listed fund, in which at least three UK local government pension funds have investments. Around ÂŁ10m in investments which contribute to funding retirement benefits for former local government employees, such as school teachers, councilors, and so on. While the investments of council pension funds of Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, and Dyfed; are small compared to the overall size of their pension schemes, ÂŁ21.7bn, there is a considerable risk of posting a loss if the councils decide to sell before the price recovers. This risk is raising public concern over whether the local councils should be making decisions concerning large, risky investments. The concern which is in large informed by the experience of more than ÂŁ1bn lost in investments by local councils into Iceland banks in 2008.

    The Woodford’s reputation is questionable

    The suspension of equity income fund means that, for at least 28 days, the retail investors will be unable to cash out their investments. This development has prompted the stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown to remove Woodford’s fund from their Wealth 50 list of suggested funds. This move is a considerable blow to Woodford’s reputation as Hargreaves Lansdown only six months ago owned around 30% of fund’s shares.

    Many industry experts say that two reasons are to be blamed for Woodford’s malaise. First being the bad bets on UK stocks, which have taken a hit after the Brexit vote. One such is the investment in outsourcer Kier, whose stock fell by 41% on June 3 causing Woodford’s equity income fund £37m loss. The second cited reason is an investment in illiquid stocks. A situation which Woodford is attempting to rectify. According to the Reuters analysis of Woodford’s firm has already sold or transferred at least £808m in the UK listed companies.


    You would like to READ George Soros – The Man Who Broke the Bank of England



  • Bitcoin rose and hit One-Year High

    Bitcoin rose and hit One-Year High

    2 min read

    Bitcoin rose and hit over $9,000.  This is its highest since May 2018.

    This new high is perhaps caused by Facebook’s reveals to launch its crypto. Such an event added more optimism and confidence about the future of cryptocurrencies in general because it showed that digital money is going to be adopted by big companies.

    The biggest cryptocurrency climbed as much as 9.4%. Other crypto coins also rose: Litecoin for 4.4% and Ethereum for 4%.

    Cryptocurrencies price chart

    Let’s stay with Bitcoin.

    Bitcoin rose more than 130% in 2019  and has almost doubled in value. How did it happen?

    The big companies like Facebook expanded or revealed that have plans, to their offering of cryptocurrency services.

    It seems that Facebook’s plan to launch a digital currency is pushing people toward Bitcoin.

    June 18th is tomorrow ( the date that Facebook planned to reveal more details about new digital asset) and we will have full public information. Previously, Facebook announced the plan to release a white paper for “Libra” or “Globalcoin”. This should be on June 18th as they said.

    FOMO effect

    Jeremy Allaire, the chief executive of Circle, tweeted the launch of Libra (whitepaper) will be a “massive inflection point in the global adoption of cryptocurrency.”

    This entrepreneur said that by June 21st, he  expects for Bitcoin to be valued at $10,000, “marking [the] start of Crypto Summer.”

    Yes, $10,000 is a fine number, but many see it as a pivotal level for the Bitcoin price.

    When Bitcoin rose to this level, and that time isn’t so far, FOMO will favor the crypto market.

    Bitcoin chart

    If you can recall the time when BTC went over $4,500 you know what we are talking about. This means that the price of Bitcoin and other cryptos will go higher, more above $10,000 and they will do it very fast.

    For proponents, this is great news and event worth waiting for. There are so many emotions in the game. Just try to read everything on Twitter. Bitcoiners will be glad to see the opponents frustrated and to see FOMO from those who celebrated when BTC dropped about 90 %.

    What will they feel about those who believed that Bitcoin is dead forever?

    The Wall Street analysts stated that once $10,000 is broken trough, there will be a “fast and furious” progress to $20,000. Taking that new value as the new position, it looks more obvious that Bitcoin can double the price in the following several months.

    The price of $40,000 sounds pretty good, don’t you think?

    Some have a different opinion

    However, there are some that deny this pleasant emotion about Libra and bright influence on Bitcoin.

    Peter Schiff, investor, and libertarian-leaning economist speculated that Facebook’s Libra project will be “bad news” for Bitcoin.

    This famous cryptocurrency critic, who claims that BTC has no intrinsic value and thus is not better than hard gold (Schiff is a prominent gold investor), calculates that Libra will be much stabler, cheaper, and more easy-to-use than Bitcoin.

    And yes, that is exactly what Facebook promised about Libra,

    low fees, fast transfer and a level of stability not seen with Bitcoin.

    Behind this promise is the idea that the new cryptocurrency will be secured with traditional currencies and other ‘steady’ assets.

    The bottom line

    All is math. Bitcoin was $2,634 on June 16, 2017. Say you bought some BTC at that time. Now, you have an almost tripled return after 2 years. Bad investment? Never dare to say that. Sudden and fast ups and downs, yes. That’s the nature of Bitcoin and any other cryptocurrency.

    And speaking about Bitcoin’s future, as Nelson Mandela said: “It always seems impossible until is done.”

    risk disclosure