The Alternative Broadcasting Online News Station

Just the thought of a duel-boot scares many people away, but over the years it’s developed into an easier process. Most people are running Windows, so I’m assuming it’s your choice of preference:

1.Re-install Windows. Look for a three line menu that reads something like; Do you want to install NTFS. Do you really want to install NTFS. The third line should read, Install FAT 32. These are just partitioning schematics.

Note: If you can’t locate FAT 32, reboot and look for FAT 32 again. If you don’t succeed the second time, repeat until you can locate it. At the current (07.27.05), installs tend to work in this manner. It’s there, but you must go through this reboot procedure. When you locate FAT 32, install it. You will see it on a three-line menu, usually at the bottom. Install normally takes about 30-60 minutes.

After installing Windows, install the Linux CDs. It should recognize your FAT 32 Windows partition. On a three or four line menu screen it should ask you if you want to keep the FAT 32 partition. Click yes. It’s that simple, with a good distribution of Linux.

When installing, always study the different installation screens whenever the system ask you if you want to install to a, b, c…drives. Writing this information on scratch pads, in case of mistakes, is also a good idea. With a good Linux distribution, you should be able to sail through the installation with nary a problem.

Patrick Sadler has over 12 years of past Internet experience. He is sole proprietor of Knowledgeworks, Inc. Knowledgeworks manufactures and produces Developers Linux CDs, specializing on the latest stable versions of the Linux Networking Operating Systems. You are able to reach him at the factory website: http://knowledgeworks.org.uk

We are in a transition phase in the Managerial Administration models of any company or Government, because three factors are summing for that:

1. The new powerful business Information Technologies and its more and more smaller costs, like ERP, CRM, BI, etc.,

2. The creativity of the new MBA to generate value and its corresponding engineering - for example, Feedback Control System - in the administrative and managerial fields,

3. Several different layers in the companies in what refers to its managerial and administrative automation levels.

This created not very orthodox solutions, and one of them is the installation of a Front-End System above the Transational System already existent in your company that - by any reason - cannot be substituted by a “pure” ERP System.

Inside the existent tools and for reasons that will be exposed, we choiced the IBM Lotus Notes software for that purpose, briefly Notes as it’s widely known.

The Notes has the following programmable structures that can be used to change and to use in a Front-End System of any online managerial or accounting System that already exists in your company, like ACCPAC/SBT, Macola and others 150 companies:

• It can be integrated into the Internet, to enlarge the area of the DAS/DDC functions at the regional, national or world levels.

• He has the so called Replication, that allows the Head office of a company in New York to change an only field in its local database, and automatically and in Real-Time that same field assumes the same value in the local database of a Branch in Chicago or Tokyo. And vice-versa. That means to have a national database - or regional or world - and not only local. This Replication can be programmed, a field or a group of fields can be Replicated or not, in agreement with the goals of the company.

• Theoretically that would create problems - for example, simultaneously an operator in New York change the content of the local field “m” and an operator in Chicago change the content of its same local field “m” - but Lotus Notes will solved this problem in a transparent way to both users with the use of the Replication, and the conflict doesn’t exist.

• Therefore, concisely we are speaking about an only online national database and in Real-Time.

• He has an own Intranet e-mail System and/or through the Internet. This e-mail System differs from the traditional ones because he could be integrated automatically with the Notes database. For example, he can be programmed to send an e-mail to other operator, if - a condition - the field “m” of the database reach the value of “x”. Or any input/output field of any mathematical model.

• It allows to create sophisticated electronic Forms, to be used by its Workflow. The whole operational flow of a company - besides at the national or world levels - can be executed through this electronic Forms - freely created and scheduled - which can also be integrated in the e-mail System.

• The whole management approvals flow can be programmed through the Notes Workflow.

• Its Agents automatically can detect operational conditions in order to generate the corresponding actions. By corresponding actions understand any administrative or managerial functions in Real-Time, DAS or DDC or both.

• He has its own methods to acquire data and/or information from the Back-End Transational System using any ODBC System and also it’s possible to use several Add-Ons softwares for that purpose. Evidently if Notes will be used as a Font-End System above the Transational System of the company, he obligatorily should have means to acquire/send data from/to the Transational System, in Real-Time or not.

• He has its Script Language, for general programming of its commands, its functions, etc.

• He has a hierarchical Password System for controlled accesses to its Views, Forms, Agents, etc.

• Through its Views can transform the original data of the Transational System into high level information.

• Its Views are totally programmable - its columns are similar to the used un the spreadsheets - and they can be scheduled to have relationships with any other Views.

• Its Views are very similar to the Visual Basic Views - as a matter of fact already exists Add-Ons for the interconnection between Notes and Visual Basic.

• Its Views allows you to integrate in a column any mathematical functions or logical combinations as AND, OR, equality, larger than, smaller than, etc., and several other functions.

However is possible to use any System with the same capabilities of the Notes - specially with ODBC, Replication, Views and integrated e-mail - as a fully programmable ERP System.

In this first article we mentioned some capabilities to be used in a Front-End and in the next we will explain how to do your ERP Front-End.

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.

About The Author

J.C.Melo is a 73-years old IT professional with 54 years of experience in computer & technology entrepreneurship. He was the owner of the first minicomputer factory in South America and Consultant for the U.S. Government in several contracts. Now is the CEO of http://mba-open-university.net and http://erp-enterprise-resources-planning-courses.us.

This article shows you some of the most common reporting parameters to use in Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.

When you go to the http://reportserver/reportserver/foldername/reportname

The last command in the url is &rs:Command=Render

You can add some other commands as follows:

&rc:Parameters=Collapsed

&rc:Parameters=true

&rc:Parameters=false

&rc:toolbar=false

&rc:format=PDF

&rs:Format=EXCEL&rc:OmitFormulas=true

rs:ClearSession=true

* This is a very important parameter to know as more often than not, the report data doesn’t update immediately unless parameters are changed, and your report may show cached data if this is not set.

&rc:StyleSheet=MyCustomStyle

ReportServer Parameters:
If you add ?/FolderName/ReportName after the http://servername/reportserver you can run the report.
The same applies if you want to list the reports, then just type ?/FolderName after the http://servername/reportserver.
This is commonly used when the user only has permissions at the folder level, not the root level.
Attachments:

Disclaimer: This information is provided as is. It is intended as a guide only and should not be relied on in production unless extensive testing has been done.

Tom Bizannes (B.Business, MCP)
Microsoft Certified Professional
http://www.smartbiz.com.au
Specialising in:
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
Microsoft SQL Server Programming
Microsoft Access Databases
ASP.Net applications

In this day and age, when many corporations are requiring that their business divisions and subsidiaries become autonomous and self-sufficient, consolidating travel management throughout the company can have a dramatic impact on bottom line profits. Consolidated travel management does not necessarily mean corporate control and governance of travel expenditures. It means utilizing the larger corporate entity to bring travel buying power to all of the operations under the corporate umbrella.

The best way to achieve the savings and benefits that travel management will bring to the company is by outsourcing the services to a major travel management company. Many companies and individuals believe that by booking their own tickets, utilizing the multitude of online travel services saves them money. This is generally a misconception. A travel management company’s services will on average amount to 4% of a company’s travel budget. This 4% in service charges is generally offset by an average savings of 8% to 12% in overall travel expenditures through the savings that the travel management company will provide.

At the point when a company’s air travel expenditures exceed $250K a year, a travel management company can provide meaningful savings. These savings come to the company in many ways:

Adherence to company travel policies – travel management companies will provide systems that either prevent or advise should a traveler book air, hotel and/or car reservations outside corporate travel policies.

Best fare search capabilities – travel management companies have the ability to search, in seconds, to obtain the best possible airfares across, the GDS, charters and consolidators, low cost carriers, web-fares and scheduled airline inventories. There are also wholesale fares, especially on international flights, that an individual will not be able to identify on a personal Internet search. Every travel management company will utilize a different travel search engine, one of the best travel search engines in the industry is WebFLYR 4.0 recently implemented by TQ3 Navigant in the USA http://www.navigant.com or http://www.navigant.ca in Canada.

Hotel and car rental savings and promotions – a travel management company has a great deal of buying power and will pass the discounts and special promotions on to their clients.

Dynamic reports – no one can make informed decisions without information. Travel management companies have the ability to provide the necessary data that allows a corporation to set its travel policies in a manner that will not only save money but, allow for traveler efficiency.

Travel management companies also provide other benefits including promotional and group travel, 24/7 emergency services, assistance with visas and passports and post travel support.

Robert Berman is a business consultant specializing in business development, strategic planning, acquisitions & mergers and international sales & marketing. He has been a columnist for the National Post Newspaper under the byline of “The Business Doctor” and he has authored “The Business Buyer’s Manual”. He is available as a keynote speaker in many areas of business. He may be reached at Robert.Berman@businessbuyersmanual.com or visit http://www.businessbuyersmanual.com

Yes, there is a “Secret” to using Excel.

But what does that mean? Is this a gimmick? No, it’s honest to goodness advice from a computer training consultant. Be patient, read this page, and you will be a much stronger Excel user in the next 3 minutes. If I have only 5 minutes to give anyone an Excel tutorial, I would teach them the “Secret”.

I was amazed when I learned what I call the “Secret” to Excel. I was amazed that Microsoft hadn’t placed the feature as an icon on one of their toolbars. I was amazed that all of the “real” books I owned regarding Excel failed to mention the “Secret”. Finally, in an Excel reference book, I found the “Secret” to Excel somewhere on page 350. The “Secret” had been buried so deeply in the book no one would ever read, see, or use the “Secret”.

A Brief History Lesson.

When you inherit someone’s “old” spreadsheet you need to analyze the formulas of the spreadsheet to see what they are doing. Even if the spreadsheet is one you created, you may have created the spreadsheet so long ago that you have forgotten what formulas you used.

Over the years Excel has improved its quality control features for analyzing formulas. But even today, 95% or more of all users research their spreadsheet formulas the old fashioned way. They click on a cell to see if it’s a formula. Then they study the formula. Then they might click on another cell to see if it’s a formula. And do the same thing over and over again.

Checking formulas with the mouse-click method is slow, tedious, and not thorough. It’s a bad process. But that’s the way over 95% of all Excel users research their spreadsheets. But there’s a much better way. It is the “Secret” to using Excel.

Life with Excel spreadsheets when using the “Secret”

After using the “Secret” the spreadsheet makes sense again. I can remember all of my formulas. Since I can’t use pictures in this article, read this next passage carefully:

Learning the “Secret” to Excel helps you display all your formulas not as numbers but as logical text. You can see the logic of every single formula on your spreadsheet.

The “Secret”

The “Secret” to using Excel is a keystroke command named CTRL gravé. This is pronounced “control gra-vay”. (Gra rhymes with the word pa, and vay rhymes with the word bay).

Because I can’t use pictures in this article, I need to write some steps for you. Don’t skim over these steps, do them. You’ll be glad you did. (It’s really quite simple, it’s a CTRL gravé.)

First, open up an Excel spreadsheet file that has formulas in it.

Second, using your Windows (non-Apple) keyboard, look to the lower left hand corner of the keyboard.

Third, hold down the CTRL key with any finger.

Fourth, locate the number 1 key towards the upper left hand corner of the keyboard.

Fifth, find the key one key left of the number 1. It has the symbols ` and ~. The first symbol, the ` is called a gravé.

Sixth, still holding down the CTRL key, tap the gravé key.

Seventh, see that all your formulas now have logical text. So instead of saying 150, a cell might display =a1+a2

CTRL gravé is a toggle. Do it once to see your formulas in the spreadsheet. Do it again to display the numbers again.

Do you remember how when you were little you learned how to read at age 4, 5, or 6? Wasn’t it fun beginning to understand what all those neat symbols meant on the white paper? It was like discovering some secret code the grownups used.

That’s what the “Secret” to Excel is like. Every time someone gives you a spreadsheet, just use the “Secret” on the spreadsheet to understand its logic. You’ll enjoy this technique so much you’ll start showing it to your friends.

Best wishes from Chicago, IL USA.

To see the “Secret” to Excel training video, go to http://TheWorldsShortestExcelBook.com Read the first page to find the 5 minute training video on the “Secret”. You can also sign up for Richard’s free Excel courses delivered to you once a week.

Richard Kraneis is an author of Excel e-books and training videos. If you need on-site advanced Excel training for your company, please visit http://www.techspectrum.com/AET.html for further information. Thank you.

Anti-Virus on the Cheap

For some odd reason, I have this image of George Foreman in my mind, saying “I’m not gonna pay a lotta money for this virus scanner!” But I have good news for you… I just saved a load of money on my, oh wait… wrong commercial. There *are* some excellent free virus scanners, and some can even be run online.

I recommend Trend Micro’s Housecall for starters, which will scan your computer for viruses directly from the web. They also offer a free online spyware scanner. This site is trustworthy and uses an ActiveX applet to do the scanning. If you have trouble starting the scan, your security settings may be too high. Follow the instructions on the site to modify your settings and things should work fine.

Use an Offline Virus Scanner

For maximum protection, I recommend that you also install a good anti-virus program on your computer, which will scan your system at startup and continuously thereafter. McAfee virus protection is now included with AOL membership, and Road Runner offers their users the EZ-Armor package at no charge. If your ISP isn’t offering any freebies, check out the free AVG package from Grisoft at http://free.grisoft.com

Want to learn more about viruses and spyware? Read my article How Can I Avoid Computer Viruses?

BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

The Missouri State Agency that oversees the collection and reporting of State income taxes deducted from payroll checks is:

Department of Revenue
Division of Taxation and Collection
Withholding Tax Section
P.O. Box 3375
Jefferson City, MO 65105-3375
(573) 751-5752
http://www.dor.mo.gov/

Missouri requires that you use Missouri form “MO-W4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate” instead of a Federal W-4 Form for Missouri State Income Tax Withholding.

Not all states allow salary reductions made under Section 125 cafeteria plans or 401(k) to be treated in the same manner as the IRS code allows. In Missouri cafeteria plans are not taxable for income tax calculation; not taxable for unemployment insurance purposes. 401(k) plan deferrals are not taxable for income taxes; taxable for unemployment purposes.

In Missouri supplemental wages are taxed at a 6% flat rate.

You must file your Missouri state W-2s by magnetic media if you are have at least 250 employees and are required to file your federal W-2s by magnetic media.

The Missouri State Unemployment Insurance Agency is:

Division of Employment Security
Unemployment Insurance Department
421 E. Dunklin St., P.O. Box 59
Jefferson City, MO 65104-0059
(573) 751-3215
http://www.dolir.mo.gov/ls/wagehour/

The State of Missouri taxable wage base for unemployment purposes is wages up to $8000.00.

Missouri requires Magnetic media reporting of quarterly wage reporting if the employer has at least 250 employees that they are reporting that quarter.

Unemployment records must be retained in Missouri for a minimum period of three years. This information generally includes: name; social security number; dates of hire, rehire and termination; wages by period; payroll pay periods and pay dates; date and circumstances of termination.

The Missouri State Agency charged with enforcing the state wage and hour laws is:

Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
Division of Labor Standards
P.O. Box 449
3315 West Truman Blvd.
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0449
(573) 751-3403
http://www.dolir.mo.gov/ls/wagehour/

The minimum wage in Missouri is $5.15 per hour.

The general provision in Missouri concerning paying overtime in a non-FLSA covered employer is one and one half times regular rate after 40-hour week.

Missouri State new hire reporting requirements are that every employer must report every new hire and rehire. The employer must report the federally required elements of:

• Employee’s name
• Employee’s address
• Employee’s social security number
• Employer’s name
• Employers address
• Employer’s Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)

This information must be reported within 20 days of the hiring or rehiring.
The information can be sent as a W4 or equivalent by mail, fax or electronically.
There is a $25 penalty for a late report and $350 for conspiracy in Missouri.

The Missouri new hire-reporting agency can be reached at 800-585-9234 or 800-859-7999 or on the web at http://www.dss.mo.gov/

Missouri does allow compulsory direct deposit but the employee’s choice of financial institution must meet federal Regulation E regarding choice of financial institutions.

Missouri requires the following information on an employee’s pay stub:

• Gross and Net Earnings
• Straight time and overtime pay
• Hours worked
• Itemized deductions

Missouri requires that employee be paid no less often than semimonthly; every 15 days for manufacturers; monthly for FLSA-exempts.

Missouri requires that the lag time between the end of the pay period and the payment of wages to the employee not exceed sixteen days after pay period; five days for manufacturers.

Missouri payroll law requires that involuntarily terminated employees must be paid their final pay on the day of discharge or within 7 days if employee requests it by mail.

There is no provision in Missouri law concerning paying deceased employees.

Escheat laws in Missouri require that unclaimed wages be paid over to the state after five years.

The employer is further required in Missouri to keep a record of the wages abandoned and turned over to the state for a period of 5 years.

Missouri payroll law mandates no more than 50% of minimum wage may be used as a tip credit.

In the Missouri payroll law there is no provision covering required rest or meal periods.

There is no provision in Missouri law concerning record retention of wage and hour records therefore it is probably wise to follow FLSA guidelines.

Missouri statute requires that wage and hour records be kept for a period of not less than three years. These records will normally consist of at least the information required under FLSA.

The Missouri agency charged with enforcing Child Support Orders and laws is:

Division of Child Support Enforcement
Department of Social Services
P.O. Box 2320
227 Metro Dr.
Jefferson City, MO 65102-2320
(573) 751-4301
http://www.dss.mo.gov/

Missouri has the following provisions for child support deductions:

• When to start Withholding? 2 weeks after mailing.
• When to send Payment? Within 7 days of Payday.
• When to send Termination Notice? “Promptly”
• Maximum Administrative Fee? $6 per month.
• Withholding Limits? Federal Rules under CCPA.

Please note that this article is not updated for changes that can and will happen from time to time.

Charles J. Read, CPA has been in the payroll, accounting and tax business for 30 years, the last fifteen in private practice. Mr. Read is the author of “How to Start a New Business”. For Professional Payroll services at a Budget Price go to http://www.PayrollonaBudget.com a Paperless Payroll Company. Go to http://www.CustomPayroll.com For a full service payroll service bureau with CPA’s on staff. See an excerpt of Mr. Read’s interviews from William Shatners “Heartbeat of America” television show on the websites linked above.

As you are aware, vandals are at work creating new computer viruses all the time. We mostly hear about the big, awful, scary viruses on the news and we hurry to take the appropriate action, but the large majority of infections are quiet and anonymous. We should give these little termites no less attention as often time they are doing much damage before they are even detected. Their effects run from mostly benign to potentially fatal to their unwilling and unwitting hosts. There are two different approaches to dealing with them: Prevention and Cure.

Preventing virus infection begins with guarding the portals of contact. Do not open suspicious e-mails or attachments without scanning them first. Most anti-virus programs have a right-click option to scan a selected file for viruses, which makes scanning easy. When you download software, eBooks or other items, always save to a file, then scan the file before opening. If you bring in data or software by floppy disk, CD or other portable media, the same rule applies; always scan it first!

Getting a good firewall can help in keeping viruses at bay, but there are too many ways to hide them in regular data or software transfers for a firewall to catch them all. A firewall can help, but don’t count on that alone. Sooner or later, viruses are going to get through your defenses somehow, and you will need to turn to cures.

When and if that day comes, you could lose most of your files before you know that there is a problem! So prepare well in advance by backing up your files for easy recovery. Set up your computer with a small hard drive (4-10giga) for your C: drive and a much larger hard drive for all your data. Use your C: drive for programs only. Keep copies of your software purchase receipts, registration and activation codes and setup info in a file on your data drive. You can always download them again, if you can give the seller your purchase info to show that you already bought. Almost all virus infections will be in the program section of the C: drive, so scan it daily. This won’t take much time since you have arranged for it to be relatively small. Then scan your (larger)data drive once or twice a month.

Back up your data files frequently. If you cannot backup everything, at least backup the crucial information that would be difficult or impossible to replace. CD and DVD burners are a good way to do this backup, as are removable hard driv es. You require a good anti-virus programs to go after the viruses and either quarantine or (preferably) destroy them. There are many anti-virus solutions being touted and hyped out there. Some are good, most are not. Here is how to find the good ones:

1. Look for programs that offer both active and passive protection. Active protection means that part of the program remains memory-resident, actively watching for potential incoming viruses. When they detect a virus they can sound an alarm and give you a series of options for dealing with it. Passive or on-demand protection will let you ask for a scan of specified areas when you want it, but it waits for you to ask.

2. Select your anti-virus software based on the recommendations of independent testing agencies. Checkmark (by http://westcoastlabs.org), http://AV-test.org and PC World magazine are among the most respected independent testers of anti-virus software. For ratings of anti-trojan software, check with Anti-trojan - Forum. Use more than one anti-virus and anti-trojan program. Very few detect all problems, but what one program misses, another may seek and destroy.

3. Keep your anti-virus programs up to date. There is a running battle going on between virus writer-disseminators and virus catch-and-destroy experts. New viruses are found; new anti-virus program patches to find and destroy them are usually ready within hours or days. Until your software is updated, you are still vulnerable to the new viruses.

Consider using anti-virus software on your personal computer, consider using an Internet Service Provider or e-mail service that includes server-side anti-virus and spam e-mail filtering as a third layer of protection.

In summary, the urgency was best said by Eugene Kaspersky, Kaspersky Lab Virus Research, in a November 23, 2005 article posted in Security News, said, “The number of new viruses and Trojans is now increasing every day by a few hundred. (Our) virus lab receives between 200 and 300 new samples a day.” That is not a misprint. He said 200-300 per day so we must be sure to keep ourselves aware and make the necessary changes in a timely manner to stay ahead of these viruses. Be assured, it is an ongoing battle!

So, get good software, run it often and update it often.. stay alert to new developments! The struggle between new viruses and better anti-virus software is ongoing, and developing steadily.

Sintilia Miecevole at www.fmlasoftware.com provides information or resources from
software, software downloads, software services and computers to virus software and more. Be sure to visit www.fmlasoftware.com for further information.

If you don’t have the time to write web content, it is essential for you to find a trusted person who can do the work for you. However, not everyone who calls themselves an “article writer” is one or, if they do write articles, they may not be familiar with the special techniques needed to make an article “sing” online. As a professional who writes extensively for the web, I am about to share with you some tips to help you find and have a good relationship with a web content writer. You may not choose to use my services, but your professional should be someone whom you can work with.

Do Some Research. Getting the best professional for your job will involve some research on your part. If you locate a particular writer, contact him or her and ask for samples of their writings. Article directories feature the works of many writers who are eager to share their abilities with you.

Get References, Check Sources. Ask your writing candidates for references and check links online. By entering a person’s name in parentheses on the Google search bar, you can uncover a wealth of information about that person. If this person has been writing web content extensively, the search returns should be bountiful. In addition, your writer should have a web site and their site should feature samples of some of their best writings. Read their writing blog too, if they have one.

Check the Professional Sites. Elance, Guru, and Writer’s Write are several sites that are popular for freelancers. Your writer paid to have access to that site, so you know that you are probably dealing with serious writers only. For your part, you can list your project, accept bids, and choose the writer who fits your project best. Typically, you don’t have to pay to belong to one of these sites.

When you find a writing professional, you must then reach some sort of agreement on the work to be done. For instance, you must ask yourself the following questions when crafting a proposal:

Once you have come to terms, ask your writer to submit one or two articles to you. Use these first articles to evaluate their work and to help direct them to write according to the style you desire. Communication is very important, so make certain that everyone understands what is expected.

It may take some time before you reach a level of comfort with your new writer. You have every right to require that the terms you have agreed upon are properly followed, however by showing some give and take with personal styles [and perhaps, deadlines] you will go a long way in keeping an excellent writer at your side. Conversely, pay your writer on time and make certain that you follow your side of the agreement too.

Finally, as much as possible, limit your communication to emails [with only an occasional phone call] as we writers are often so immersed in our work that a phone call ends up being an intrusion — honest! At the very least, your writer can return your call a day or two later. Enough said!

Copyright 2006 – For additional information regarding Matt Keegan, The Article Writer, please visit his blog for wit, quips, and freelance writing tips.

Futures trading software plays an important role in the economics of speculation. Speculation brings about a gradual adjustment of prices to the contingencies foreseen by the speculator. If a speculator foresees that the market situation after six months will warrant a rise in prices, he begins to make purchases with the objective of selling the commodity at a profit. The price begins to rise gradually, as more and more of the commodity is purchased by the speculators.

It follows from the above that speculation steadies the trend of prices and restricts the movement of prices within a narrow range. The peaks and valleys of price fluctuations are made considerably smoother by the activities of speculators who buy in anticipation of a rise in prices and sell in expectation of a decline therein. Speculators usually take these decisions with the help of futures trading software.

Speculation welds various markets together by keeping prices between different markets at a normal parity. This is achieved through specialized speculative operations called arbitrage operations. When the price of a commodity or a security in one market is higher than that prevailing in another market, the speculators, with the help of futures trading software, will at once take the opportunity to make a profit. They will naturally make their purchases in the market at a lower price, to sell it at a profit in a market where the same thing fetches a higher price. In this way, speculation acts as an equalizer, or leveler of prices between various markets.

In spite of the well-recognized benefits of speculation outlined above, such activity comes under fire quite frequently. The main theme of attack against speculation generally is that it is an evil practice, like gambling. In theory, it is assumed that the speculators speculate only if they possess the necessary skill, foresight, intelligence and finance to do so. In practice, however, all sorts of people speculate on exchanges. Many of them proceed recklessly and without adequate finances, with the result that they come to grief and may lose more than they can afford.

Futures Trading provides detailed information on Futures Trading, Online Futures Tradings, Futures Trading Software, Commodity Futures Tradings and more. Futures Trading is affiliated with Stock Day Trading.