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Chase Flexible RewardsTM Platinum Visa

0% APR for up to 12 months*
No annual fee.
Earn 1 point for every eligible dollar spent toward travel on any airline, shopping at your favorite stores or cash!*
Earn 1000 bonus points after first purchase*


Why settle for a rewards credit card that limits your choice of rewards?
With the Flexible RewardsSM Platinum Visa® card, you can earn 1 point for every dollar spent1 and turn everyday purchases into extraordinary rewards:

• Merchandise - Choose from a variety of great brand name products.
  
• Travel - Earn airline tickets, hotel stays or car rentals.
  
• Cash back - Redeem 3,500 points and receive a $25 check.
  
• Gift cards - Get free stuff from your favorite stores and restaurants.
  

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	Personal loans provide solution to many problems these days and can be used for a wide range of reason. Personal loans provide great freedom to the borrowers to fulfill their needs, wants and desires. Personal loans provide a lot of support to the borrowers looking for financial sustenance. Personal loans are basically of two types – secured and unsecured. Secured personal loans require the borrower to pledge collateral to the lender. The collateral may be his home his car or any other of his assets. Unsecured personal loans do not require the borrower to pledge anything in return. Unsecured personal loans in today’s world are a better option than secured personal loans for those who can’t offer any security. No proof of any thing is required and also loans do get processed quickly. Unsecured loans typically have a higher APR then secured loans because the lender gets no security for his investment. Now days there are many lending organizations which are involved in providing loans to the people who need money. They provide all kinds of services to their customers from different quotes to expert advice by their counselors. Every thing is done in a very short time according to the need of the customer. Customers are given every thing they require to make themselves acquainted with the situation. Due to increasing competition there are many organizations making these offerings at very reasonable price. Which basically means customer is the king. The rates of interest can also be bargained upon providing options which would have been difficult to get earlier. Secured or unsecured personal loans through these organizations are approved very quickly. The organizations have relationships with banks which limit the time in which the loan is sanctioned so that the both parties are at ease with the situation. Apart from that there are few other benefits of personal loans through lenders · people who are not sure about their stance can get expert advice by the experts · the personal loan rates offered are quite low · people can choose their own repayment plans with the flexibility of payment While applying for loans online people must be careful. People often get charged extra commissions sometimes and get duped. Normally that sort of thing is very rare and depends on person to person and how they handle things. People usually get the best deals on personal loans which do suite their requirements. Previously people who had bad credit ratings such as people with county court judgments, (CCJs), defaults, arrears and also bankruptcy had difficulty in getting a loan. Now days they can also get personal loans very easily and at very appropriate terms. Lending organizations provide proper guidance to people with how to improve on their reputations and help build a favorable condition for the future. They help in building a good credit score and other facilities as well. The services provided are also one of the best apart from that there are several fringe benefits such as they save a lot of time, very little effort is required by the customer and everything is reliably done. You can use these personal loans both secured and unsecured for various purposes such as · For debt consolidation · For house construction · For purchasing any assets such as car or machinery · For purposes such as holidays · For pay day purposes · For wedding purposes · For education purposes The main aim of personal loans is to provide an option to the customers so that they can utilize their privileges and the opportunity that is available to them. To make their dreams come true and achieve what they want to achieve.

China has been the largest economy in the world for eighteen of the past twenty centuries and it is clearly determined to regain its role as the hegemonic power in Asia and then challenge U.S. global leadership. Will it be able to sustain its 10% economic growth rate, quell rural discontent, build a sound market-based financial system, privatize dominant state-owned enterprises and move towards openness and democracy? This is a tall order and you can put me in the skeptic column.

Nevertheless, China’s raw industrial power, momentum and the palpable ambition of the Chinese people could realistically yield a huge return. I advise my clients to go ahead and invest in China but emphasize that this is a speculative investment. It is smart to protect against the considerable downside risk.

Here is a simple plan you might want to execute to capture the upside while cutting your losses if the Chinese economy hits a speed bump.

First, you could take a broad stake in China through investing in the China iShare exchange-traded fund (FXI) that is comprised of 25 of the largest and most liquid China names. All of the 25 stocks included in the China iShare are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Some of them are incorporated in mainland China (H shares) and some of them are incorporated in Hong Kong (red chips). The China iShare has been picking up steam in the last few months and is up just over 12% so far this year.

The China iShare provides good exposure to three key sectors of China: energy (20%), telcom (19%) and industrial (18%). This concentration can be viewed as a plus or a minus depending on your perspective. For example, some smart investors are placing a bigger bet on China’s consumer markets. The top five companies represent 40% of the index. The annual operating expenses of the China iShare are only 0.74% compared to 2% plus for other alternatives out there including actively managed China and greater China regional funds. Keep in mind that most of these companies are still largely controlled and owned by the Chinese government.

Next, you could take out some insurance to protect this position by purchasing a put option on the China iShare (FXI). It sounds complicated but is actually very straightforward. An option is a right to buy (call) or sell (put) 100 shares of a security on a fixed expiration date at a set price (strike price). For this right an investor pays a fee or premium.

While you may grumble about paying the premium with cold hard cash when you might not need it, you probably have home insurance just in case disaster strikes and no doubt you have some life insurance as well. Why not protect your portfolio as well? It is especially important to consider hedging against more risky emerging markets such as China. While countries like China offer tremendous upside potential, the downside risk can be daunting and immobilize even the bravest investor.

Let’s look at a couple of examples. Say you buy 100 shares of the China iShare (FXI) which is trading at $62 per share. Your total exposure is $6,200. Then purchase a put option (right to sell the China iShare) that gives you the right to sell FXI at a price of $60 on the third Friday in January 2008. I think we all can agree that a lot could happen to China, good and bad, from now until January, 2008. If the price of the China iShare moves down toward the strike price, the value of the option will increase.

This will cost you a premium of a little over $500 but limits your potential loss to $2 per share plus the premium. Or buy a put option at a strike price of $50 and your premium drops to about $200 with a worst case scenario of a loss of $12 per share plus the premium.

Here is another example. You know Latin American markets are hot and believe the bull market will continue but are wary that there is the potential for a sharp pullback. You could buy 100 shares of the Latin America 40 iShare (ILF) giving you exposure to Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile at a price of $113 for a total exposure of $11,300. Then buy a put option giving you the right to sell 100 shares at a strike price of $100 in March 2006 for a premium of around $300. Your worst case scenario would then be a loss of 15% with unlimited upside.

Keep a cool head when investing in emerging market countries like China. They should represent only be a small portion of your portfolio and, whenever possible, take out some insurance.