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England manager Gareth Southgate hopes Watford move helps Nathaniel Chalobah’s "personal development" – Watford Observer

Posted: July 30, 2017 at 11:33 am


England manager Gareth Southgate says he is hopeful Nathaniel Chalobah's "personal development" will benefit from joining Watford.

News of the Hornets' move for the England Under-21 international surprised many given his 13 years at Stamford Bridge, and his growing reputation despite remaining on the fringes of the Blues' squad.

But Southgate was impressed with the 22-year-old's desire to prove himself despite a new contract offer from Antonio Conte, and is hopeful the move will prove fruitful.

Chalobah partnered fellow Watford new-boy Will Hughes during the Under-21s' run to the semi-finals in this year's European Championships, with both already tipped for a senior squad call-up should they enjoy profitable seasons.

Southgate said: "I think that with Nathaniel, its always going to be harder to break into the top six than further down the league because the level of player needed is high and the opportunity to get in the best from around the world is there.

"I think if Nathaniel had stayed at Chelsea this year he might have got more matches and progressed.

"But hes taken the decision to look elsewhere and maybe get a guarantee of more games and, hopefully, for his personal development thatll prove to be the right decision."

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England manager Gareth Southgate hopes Watford move helps Nathaniel Chalobah's "personal development" - Watford Observer

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July 30th, 2017 at 11:33 am

Young people in Thornbury celebrate a year of personal development at Krunch summer party – South Cotswolds Gazette

Posted: at 11:33 am


MORE than 50 people came together last week to celebrate the personal achievements made by young people in a Thornbury youth club over the past year.

The Krunch South West summer party, which was held at Turnberries Community Centre, saw the club members come together with their families to enjoy a fun-filled evening, with plenty of games, an inflatable assault course, and barbecue.

Presentations of certificates and other awards were also made to several people in the club, having worked hard towards qualifications and accreditation to show their progress, with some having struggled in the school environment in the past.

I am really proud of these wonderful young people, said Krunch project manager Penny Baker.

We have had a really successful year, with the group taking big steps and accomplishing a lot.

People are often quick to point out the negatives of youth in the town, but they rarely see the positives.

But the work that goes on behind the scenes here is something they do not see.

The party made for a really great evening, and this event was a wonderful way to celebrate those milestones.

Having joined the club for a picture on the inflatables in her full mayoral robes, Cllr Helen Harrison said how delighted she was to present certificates at the party, but that she found it a little nerve-wracking to wait at the bottom of the slide for everyone to join her.

The visit to Krunch was really good, she said. It was lovely to hand out the certificates to young people who have overcome a lot of obstacles and demonstrate some amazing personal development.

It was also a great opportunity to thank Penny and the team at Krunch for the amazing things they do week-in-week-out for the young people at the club.

"They offer a very important service to our community and I am honoured to have been invited to join in with their celebrations.

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Young people in Thornbury celebrate a year of personal development at Krunch summer party - South Cotswolds Gazette

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July 30th, 2017 at 11:33 am

Nathaniel Chalobah’s decision to quit Chelsea could accelerate his personal development, says Gareth Southgate – Evening Standard

Posted: at 11:33 am


England manager Gareth Southgate is hopeful Nathaniel Chalobah's decision to leave Chelsea for regular game time will pay off.

Chalobah completed a permanent move to Watford for a fee in the region of 5million after making just 15 appearance for the Blues last term.

As a former England Under-21 manager, Southgate knows how difficult it is for young players to force their way into the first team at club level.

He urged them to rise to the challenge and is confident that, over time, the senior England side will feel the benefits. Southgate said: Weve really improved the games programme and experiences for the young players and also due to a lot of the work going on in the clubs, we are starting to see a better, more rounded type of player coming through. Its not just about what were doing just as England, but also the work thats going on in clubs. To have a successful national team, those things have to be aligned.

"Moving forward (it will have an impact) on the senior squad. How quickly that will happen depends on those players getting an opportunity at their clubs and being able to stake a claim at a higher level. Obviously to impact the senior team, those boys will need to be playing Premier League football and doing well.

Thats the challenge for them, they cant just say were World Cup winners now, everythings going to fall into place. We wouldnt hesitate to involve them in that (the senior team), and as weve shown already, were quite prepared to put young players in.

The lack of first-team football is why Chalobah, Englands most capped player at youth level with 97 appearances, left Chelsea for Watford this month. The England Under-21 midfielder spent six spells on loan while at the club, including one at Watford. I think that with Nathaniel, its always going to be harder to break into the top six than further down the League because the level of player needed is high and the opportunity to get in the best from around the world is there, said Southgate. I think if Nathaniel had stayed at Chelsea this year he might have got more matches and progressed. But hes taken the decision to look elsewhere and maybe get a guarantee of more games and, hopefully, for his personal development thatll prove to be the right decision.

Nathan Ake, the 22-year-old Holland defender, and Dominic Solanke, player of the tournament at the Under-20 World Cup, are other young players to have left the Blues this summer. Chelsea have won the FA Youth Cup for the past four years but John Terry is the last Academy graduate to establish himself in the first team. Englands age-group teams have benefited from Chelseas youth talent and Southgate said: The success of our junior teams this year, theres a big debt to what Neil Bath (head of youth development) has done at Chelsea.

Gareth Southgate was speaking at an FA Lidl Skills coaching day. The programme aims to give children and families better access to football.

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Nathaniel Chalobah's decision to quit Chelsea could accelerate his personal development, says Gareth Southgate - Evening Standard

Written by simmons |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:33 am

Online Education A broader solution – Republica

Posted: at 11:33 am


Online Education is one of the most necessary yet undermined topics in the field of education. Online education is the process of attending college through internet. It basically means that a student can sit in his computer and earn college equivalent degree without even leaving their room. As marvelous as it sounds, online education courses are far from being taken in by the students. The traditional belief of education by person to person interaction seems to be one of many problems.

The world population is ever increasing, while schools and colleges are getting crowded. The concept of mass education compromises the quality of education. Students also travel to their respective colleges in their vehicles. The gasoline demands are forever increasing and with the growing population, it is set to get even higher than ever.

In such a scenario, online education courses serve as an efficient and easy way of minimizing such problems. Colleges are expensive as they have to encompass a large housing space for their dorms and classrooms. As a result, more barren land is created by demolishing forests which inevitably points toward the danger of global warming, climate change and many other problems. Online education courses also provide a solution to this problem. When students use such courses, there is no need to create huge housing spaces for college and dorms. Hence a large portion of the forest can remain unharmed.

Online education courses can also limit the flow of immigrant students who leave their country for education. As the colleges are less crowded, teachers will have a less student to deal with, enabling them to pay much closer attention to details, ensuring a higher quality of education. It can also help financially backward students to attend courses of their choice. As they can just stay at home and get education, the cost of travelling and accommodation can be saved.

However, online education courses also have disadvantages. For instance, the only medium to attain online courses is computer and internet, and youll have nothing in your hands if these mediums somehow get disrupted. Online education can also be annoying for some who do not want to sit on their computers for hours and take lessons.Digital divide, lack of computer education and other factors can also make online education inaccessible. Meanwhile, electronic devices can also be distracting for some. Students might move on to playing online games or watching videos when they are studying online.

Although the concept of online education courses is promising, its implementation is complicated. Such courses can save time, money and fuel. But it is not a realistic idea for underdeveloped countries. People have yet to understand that education can also be completed beyond the four-walled classrooms.

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Online Education A broader solution - Republica

Written by grays |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:33 am

Posted in Online Education

Is Online Education a Jobs Engine? – Inside Higher Ed (blog)

Posted: at 11:33 am


I like nothing better than getting things wrong. When we are wrong, we learn something.

So I interested to read a NYTimes piece on 7/10/17 on e-commerce, the tech sector, and job creation.

For a while now Ive thought that the growth of online shopping is killing retail jobs, and that this trend would inevitably result in overall job losses as less the role of sales people and cashiers is eliminated.

But maybe Ive been wrong.

And if online shopping is really a jobs engine, couldnt online learning also be a job creator for educators?

The Times article summarizes research from Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at the Progressive Policy Institute, that makes the case that online shopping has created more jobs than it has displaced in bricks-and-mortar retail stores.

According to Mandel, in the decade between 2007 to 2017 the e-commerce industry created 397,000 jobs in the United States. This compares to loss of 76,000 jobs in the traditional retail industry. Even better, the jobs created in e-commerce fulfillment - such as warehouse jobs - pay on average 30 percent more than retail positions.

The article is quick to point out that Mandels findings are controversial. It is difficult to assign job creation directly to the growth of e-commerce, as it is not always clear what tasks employees of Amazon or Google or other tech companies are assigned. Nor is it certain that warehouse job creation will not plateau, as productivity around online shipping grows as the sector grows, and as warehouses themselves become more automated.

Might online education be operating in some similar ways as online shopping?

How many good jobs in education have been created by the growth in online learning?

From 2002 to 2014 the number of students who took at least one online course rose from 1.6 million to 5.8 million. The bulk of all online learning programs are concentrated in non-profit institutions, accounting for over 2 million of the total 2.8 million enrolled in online only programs. From 2012 to 2014 the percentage of 4-year schools offering online degree programs rose from 46 percent to 59 percent.

Has anyone counted the number of jobs, and what types of jobs, that the growth in online education has created?

Conventional wisdom would hold that online learning has the potential to displace full-time residential faculty with contingent online instructors. But is this really true?

Many schools that I know of draw their online faculty from the same pool of full-time and tenure-track/tenured faculty as their residential programs - as well as from the same pool of part-time and adjunct faculty teaching in-person. If anything, Ive seen online learning offer more opportunities for teaching gigs for all higher ed teachers.

Has anyone been able to count the number of instructional design and other non-faculty educator jobs that have been created by the growth of online education? Quality online programs require a team approach to course development. Faculty (subject matter experts) are paired with experts in learning design and technology.

The indirect impact of online learning on higher education employment may also be under-appreciated. Id like to see some national level data on the revenue impact of online programs on the budgets of non-profit institutions. How much cross-subsidization of residential programs is occurring from online units? How many higher ed jobs have been saved or created by profitable online units?

Where would one start in unpacking the higher education employment impact of online education?

Can we interest Michael Mandel and the Progressive Policy Institute in taking up this question?

Is this a question that WCET, OLC, EDUCAUSE, or the National Council for Online Education could answer?

When have you been wrong lately?

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Is Online Education a Jobs Engine? - Inside Higher Ed (blog)

Written by simmons |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:33 am

Posted in Online Education

Extreme Commuting and Online Education – Inside Higher Ed (blog)

Posted: at 11:33 am


How long is your commute?

Do you think that educators involved in online education think differently about commuting - including telecommuting?

Might the growing reach and acceptance of distance learning change how we think about commuting?

Ive been thinking about the relationship between commuting and online education after reading anarticle in this past Sundays NYTimes on extreme commuting.

According to the Times, the number of people who commute two hours or more (each way) to work is increasing. While solid data on the growth of extreme commuting is lacking, the consensus is that the trend towards long-distance commutes is accelerating.

Reasons for the growth in extreme commuting include:

Am I missing any of the reasons for the growth in extreme commuting?

In reading the Times article, my response was 'this is crazy'. A 4+ hour commute - even one by train that allows an extension of the workday into commuting time - just seems insane.

How much of my reaction against extreme commuting is driven by my experience with online education?

The one big thing that Ive learned in two decades of work in online education is that online education is really good. Done well, and for the right students and the right programs, online education is just as good as face-to-face.

How many jobs are there that truly require everyone to be in the same physical place at the same time?

Yes, I want the person who cuts my hair to be in the office when I go for a haircut. I suppose that there are some jobs that require physical proximity, such as most health care providers and firefighters and cops and other first responders. Construction workers cant work remotely. Nor can mechanics. Who else?

And yes, all the educators and staff who make residential colleges go need to come to campus - at least most days. Professors need to teach residential courses in classrooms. Researchers who work in labs need to come to the lab. The academic library would be a shell of itself without the presence of academic librarians. All the people who make the physical plant of the campus run need to come to campus to do so.

For most of the work that most workers do, however, Id venture that telecommuting would be just fine.

What weve learned from online education is that with a combination of thought, investment, and a willingness to make data-driven continuous improvements - that distance is not a barrier to quality.

Weve learned through online education that distance need not impede collaboration, community building, or the development of relationships.

The most important element in teaching an online class is developing a sense of presence. The best online courses are set-up so that there is a density of interactions. And the best online faculty prioritize rapid feedback, clear communication expectations, and the use of different platforms and tools for rich interactions.

This prioritization of presence and collaboration in online learning would translate well into the world of work. The biggest obstacle for telecommuting would be, Id guess, a concern about all those hallway conversations and micro-interactions that might be missed if people were not in the same physical space.

This concern, however, is a solved problem in online learning. We know how to build community, presence, and collaboration online - and we can take our methods and tools to goal of improving the productivity of telecommuting.

Have we done enough to take what weve learned in online education to improving telecommuting?

Should the champions of online learning also be advocating for telecommuting?

It seems strange that as we get more experience and comfort with distance education that extreme commuting should also be increasing.

Maybe some workers have jobs that truly require face-to-face in office time. I doubt, however, that the majority of extreme commuters are employed in such jobs.

Are online learning people also natural champions of telecommuting?

How do you see the relationship between online learning and extreme commuting?

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Extreme Commuting and Online Education - Inside Higher Ed (blog)

Written by simmons |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:33 am

Posted in Online Education

Savvy Shopper: Education yourself about net neutrality it still matters – LubbockOnline.com

Posted: at 11:33 am


A couple of years ago, I received an email with the subject line Internet usage will cost you more.

With the words cost more striking terror in my savvy shopping heart, I opened the message. As it turned out, what I found was an articulate letter concerning the issue of net neutrality.

What I couldnt find was anything enlightening. Instead of an explanation of the pros and cons of this important topic, all I got were hot button words like liberty, bureaucrat and government takeover.

Since I couldnt rely on the email to make sense of things, I had to take matters into my own hands and find out the facts for myself. Back then, I shared what I found out to help inform savvy shoppers. As this important subject has been recently resurrected for proposed changes, I thought revisiting this issue might be timely:

Basics Before going too much farther, it probably a good idea to answer the question What is net neutrality?

In a nutshell, net neutrality is the idea that all internet traffic be treated equally. Whether you are checking email, shopping, posting to Facebook or streaming video, all the information you send and receive should be treated the same.

In other words, your internet service provider, or ISP, cant arbitrarily block or slow down your access to content.

Since its inception, the web has been operating according to this principle. However, in 2010, Verizon successfully persuaded the courts to overturn existing net neutrality rules. What resulted was a renewed debate over what net neutrality should be and how it should be implemented.

Although net neutrality rules were formalized in 2015, some now suggest that these standards should be relaxed or abolished altogether.

Why does net neutrality matter? On a societal level, open and equal access to the web has fostered an environment where innovators have had an equitable shot at establishing an online presence.

Without protection against artificial barriers, many argue that companies like Google and Facebook, which were recently small start-ups, might not be around today.

In addition, the idea of equal access helps assure that existing content providers have a level playing field. Otherwise, an ISP could use its control of the internet to capriciously create advantages for itself and its partners.

As one example, AT&T could contrive an edge for its movie services by throttling video signals from companies like Netflix and Hulu. Taken farther, an ISP could use their control over internet traffic to extort money from companies that want to maintain unfettered flow.

Over time, this lack of openness would probably alter the competitive landscape to a situation where business connections, rather than merit, determine a companys viability.

Cost On an end user level, I think the possible end of net neutrality carries implications that are huge in terms of cost and service.

In the first place, any development that decreases competition is bound to increase prices. At the same time, if competition somehow endures, the immense power that ISPs possess virtually assures that content providers like Facebook will experience substantially increased costs.

Why should you care? As the saying goes, any cost borne by a company ultimately gets passed to the consumer. In other words, get ready to pay for a lot of websites that are now free. In my opinion, everything from Ask.com to Youtube is at risk.

Complexity As much as I dont care for increased prices, this much I can almost stand. What I really dread about compromised net neutrality is the Pandoras box of complexity that is bound to open up.

If access to the internet can be variably priced and arbitrarily throttled for providers, whats to stop this from happening to consumers as well? In a word, nothing!

In fact, such opportunity for additional revenue streams would probably prove irresistible to the Viacoms of the world. Put another way, get ready for highly complicated billing that would make Einstein throw up his hands in despair.

For starters, rates could be variable based on the time of day, date, and your real time usage level. Suffice to say that the possibilities for complication are virtually limitless. Potentially, customers will experience exponentially greater time and trouble while paying more for internet access.

While everyone claims to be for an open internet, opinions widely differ on the best way to achieve this.

Recently, the Federal Communications Commissionvoted to overturn the existing rules for an open and unfettered web. Although the time for public comment has passed, many observers agree that this is a beginning of the debate rather than the end.

In other words, this issue is far from settled.

With the stakes very high for customers, I believe it is imperative for savvy shoppers to get acquainted with this issue, get involved and influence the outcome. In case you think you cant make a difference, it was public outcry that got net neutrality formalized in the first place. There is no better time to get involved. We have nothing to lose but incomprehensible bills and skyrocketing prices!

If you have thoughts on net neutrality or anything else, please visit and Like our Facebook site (Click https://www.facebook.com/LubbockSavvyShopper or log on to Facebook and enter Lubbock Savvy Shopper in the search tool) or write us at SavvyShopperLubbock@gmail.com and let us know your thoughts.

When you visit, you will find a lot of good information and people. Dont miss out!

SEAN FIELDS is the A-Js Savvy Shopper. Read his columns Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at SavvyShopperLubbock@gmail.com, like his Facebook page at Facebook.com/LubbockSavvyShopper, or see previous columns and deals at lubbockonline.com/savvy-shopper.

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Savvy Shopper: Education yourself about net neutrality it still matters - LubbockOnline.com

Written by grays |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:33 am

Posted in Online Education

Risky business: Keeping an eye on Chinese investment – POLITICO.eu

Posted: at 11:32 am


If money talks, Chinese money is particularly loud these days. In the past five years, Chinese investment abroad largely dominated by the countrys giant state-owned enterprises has tripled. Today, China accounts for nearly 10 percent of global foreign direct investment outflow.

In an era of austerity, influxes of investment are often appreciated. But not all Chinese money receives a warm welcome as evidencedby Germanys recent decision to limit investment into its strategic infrastructure. This is especially truewhen it comes to granting China access to Western infrastructure, sensitive telecoms and high-tech companies.

Western countries are right to pay careful attention to what Chinese companies do with their money. The trouble, however, is there is no agreed-upon standard for determining when an investment poses a security risk and no coordination even among the closest Western allies in deciding which investments should be blocked. As Chinese money continues to flow westward, the future of European and North American security could depend on governments in those regions coming up with a common policy on where that money can be spent.

Fortunately, governments are starting to take note of the problem.Earlier this year, France, Germany and Italy called on the European Commission to rethink EU investment rules in light of a lack of reciprocity, given that Beijing imposes tight restrictions on foreign companies looking to operate in China.

While reciprocity may at first seem to have little to do with access to sensitive infrastructure, the two issues are in factintricately linked.Both are core components of Chinas economic strategy: Made in China: 2025.

Beijings economic strategy, announced in May 2015, is to strengthen its hand in global production chains. It is aiming to raise the proportion of core components that are made in China to 40 percent in 2020 and 70 percent by 2025, and it is targetingin 10 core areas, including aviation, new materials, high-end manufacturing, integrated circuits and next generation information technology.

Even when one country determines that a Chinese buyout of a Western firm is OK, others might view it as a security risk.

As some observers have pointed out,the strategy could have serious consequences outside China. The plan relies on three pillars: first, to create a basic sanctuary for Chinese companies, using non-tariff barriers to bar competition from Western multinational companies; second, to subsidize Chinese companies to better compete in international markets; and third, to enable Chinese companies to dominate certain key sectors related to national security, and smart technologies and manufacturing. According to the research center MERICS,Western decision-makers should be aware that Chinas long-term goal is to replace foreign with domestic technology.

At Davos in January, Chinese President Xi Jinpingpromised to open Chinas mining, infrastructure, services and technology sectors to foreign investment, and many western firms are now waiting to see how the issue is tackled domestically this fall. Xis pledge is already looking shaky. A new cybersecurity law passed in Beijing earlier this month walls off foreign investment into Chinas critical information infrastructure and indicates skeptics may be right about Beijings overall direction.

Many Western governments including the U.K. have discovered that it is very difficult to accurately assess risks that come with accepting investment from Chinese firms, because of uncertainties around state control and state subsidies and concerns about private companies acting as proxies for the Chinese government.

It is still unclear how much power Beijing wields over both private and state-owned enterprises. They cannot act against the wishes of the Ministry of State Security or other similar agencies, but does that mean they should be seen as vessels for state espionage or subversion?

The result can be a lack of consistency. Even when one country determines that a Chinese buyout of a Western firm is OK, others might view it as a security risk.Canada, for example, green-lighted the purchase of Norsat, a Canadian satellite communications firm, by the giant Chinese telecoms firm Hytera. Several weeks later, the U.S. Pentagon decided to review its contract with Norsat over concerns that a political desire for more investment could have taken precedence over a proper review.

Similarly, the U.K. allowed a Chinese consortium to acquire a 49 percent stake in Global Switch, a British-based cloud computing center. After a Chinese financial firm within the consortium, AVIC Trust, was found to be a subsidiary of a Chinese defense industrial giant, the Australian defense department decided to withdraw as a client from Global Switch.

In an age in which military advantage can be upended by technologies arising in Shoreditch and Silicon Valley, better monitoring of foreign investment is indispensable to security.

The two cases reveal a lack of communication even among the Five Eyes allies Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. andthe U.S. that make up the most interconnected intelligence-sharing alliance in the world. It also demonstrates the complications that can arise when one ally does not agree with anothers assessment.

To be sure, any international dialogue that sets out to restrict investment can only be advisory; in the current economic climate, countries will not agree to anything that waters down their right to accept foreign investment. But Western countries, beginning with the Five Eyes allies, would be wise toquickly create a common mechanism to appraise investment from China and elsewhere.

Regular dialogue between foreign investment officials in allied countries would serve their shared security. The U.K., particularly, needs to establish a government agency responsible for screening foreign investment. Sharing data and communicating about trends related to the latest investment surges into key sensitive technologies will allow also governments to develop a more holistic view of what foreign states are targeting in any given investment cycle.

In an age in which military advantage can be upended by technologies arising in Shoreditch and Silicon Valley, better monitoring of foreign investment is indispensable to security.

John Hemmings is director of the Asian studies center at Henry Jackson Society.

This article is part of an occasional series: China looks West

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Risky business: Keeping an eye on Chinese investment - POLITICO.eu

Written by simmons |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:32 am

Posted in Investment

Investment prosperity can make investors complacent – The Seattle Times

Posted: at 11:32 am


Volatility is just volatility; the market has gone through both bull markets and bear markets during times of low volatility and high volatility. It would be wrong to assume that low volatility means bad times are coming.

The thing were supposed to be worrying about now is that no one seems to be worried.

Seriously, thats what Wall Street has come to, a point when The Wall Street Journal is running concurrent headlines saying that short-sellers investors betting that the market will go down are giving up, while wary investors have piled nearly $10 billion more into global stock funds in the week ending July 19.

Wall Street has always been a place where good news is often treated like its bad, and vice versa. But no one was squawking that the Dow Jones industrial average, the Standard & Poors 500, the Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 indexes all hit record highs just as that fresh flood of money was peaking.

No one seemed concerned about buying high and selling low at a time when the skeptics are having a tough time finding a catalyst for a long-awaited market meltdown.

And so the worry du jour becomes that no one is worried.

The statistics show just how calm the market has become.

According to Terri Spath of Sierra Investment Management, it has been more than 260 days since the last time the Standard & Poors 500 went through a correction of 5 percent (which is more like a hiccup than a correction), and the first half of 2017 registered the second-smallest drawdown for the S&P 500 a decline of 2.8 percent since 1950.

In a normal year for the market, Spath noted, theres a drawdown of 14 percent somewhere.

The CBOE Volatility Index or VIX the so-called fear gauge which attempts to measure the expected volatility of the S&P 500 for the next 30 days has closed under 10 a total of 13 times since May 8. It closed below that level on just 20 days in the preceding 27 years.

But volatility is just volatility; the market has gone through both bull markets and bear markets during times of low volatility and high volatility. It would be wrong to assume that low volatility means bad times are coming.

Investors have plenty of legitimate reasons to be anxious: global politics, tax reform and health care all are concerns.

Many experts believe that if the current administration fails to show significant progress on its political agenda, the Trump bump could turn into a Trump dump.

The market, to this point, is having none of it; nothing has derailed the bull market.

Investors should be concerned and nervous in all market conditions, but fearing that a lack of worry is the sign of a market top is a waste of energy and emotion.

Worry instead about whether all of this investment prosperity has made you complacent.

The no-worry worry will disappear with a few bad days on the market.

End that string without a 5 percent downturn or suffer that normal 14 percent drawdown, and some investors heads will explode before they can even make a rational decision about whether this is a bear market or just another buyable dip.

Spath noted in an interview that the markets signs are all saying stay invested but that investors senses should be tingling and reminding them to stay alert, revisiting their sell disciplines and setting stop-losses to protect against a downturn.

Complacency in this market is having let your winners run to where your portfolio is out of balance.

If you have been overweight in domestic stocks and are worried about the market here going back to your planned allocations will smooth out the ride whenever the market turns. It will also expose more of your assets to emerging markets; Europe and other asset classes that have been better performers year-to-date than domestic stocks.

For all of the success that buy-American investors are enjoying, the home field has not been the most profitable place to invest this year and many observers believe that trend will continue.

The bullish run will end at some point, but the chief investment officers and market strategists I talk with daily dont think the end is near. The consensus isnt always right the general view for 2017 didnt include double-digit market gains by midyear, nor the ability to defy the gravity of bad news but the easy case for analysts now involves the markets run continuing for at least another year.

Whenever the run-up ends, it wont be a lack of worry that kills it. Bull markets dont die of old age or investor complacency; they end when the numbers stop adding up.

But complacency can kill a portfolio, especially when it reaches a turning point; worry enough now in good times so that it doesnt happen to you.

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Investment prosperity can make investors complacent - The Seattle Times

Written by simmons |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:32 am

Posted in Investment

MARKET MATTERS: When life throws a curveball at your investment timeline – New Haven Register

Posted: at 11:32 am


You are the type of person who always likes to plan: at what age you will marry, when you will buy your first home, how many children youll have, where your career will be in ten years, and when you can look forward to retirement. But sometimes, life throws a curveball, and your best-laid plans including your investment plans get sidetracked.

In my experience, there are four major curveballs that can impact even the best of financial plans. These are unexpected job loss, unexpected health crisis, unexpected major home or car repairs, and poor portfolio design. While they may be out of your control to some extent, there are concrete steps you can take to mitigate the negative effects on your investment timeline.

Job loss. Last week, you were called in to the bosss office and informed that your position had been eliminated. You left in disbelief, wondering how you would meet all of your expenses, let alone continue building a portfolio. In a situation like this, you will need to sit down with pen and paper and look hard at numbers. Your current budget will have to change; you will have to prioritize your immediate expenses (rent, food, utilities, insurance, etc.) over paying down debt. You will need to rework the rest of your budget, trimming back to save on all unnecessary expenses (entertainment, dining out, clothing) and perhaps even eliminate some altogether (vacation, major purchases). Keep your savings and credit line open. As soon as you are eligible, apply for unemployment benefits. Importantly, make sure that your medical insurance doesnt lapse even though saving on monthly premiums might be tempting. Lastly, do not cash in your current 401(k); let it ride until you can compare plans with that of your future job. Try not to get too stressed. ... This might be the sort of surprising scenario wherein you find yourself better off in a new position than you had been previously.

Health crisis. One minute you are fine; the next, you or a family member are grappling with an unexpected health issue. If a long absence from work is required, consider returning to your job gradually. Research government programs such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and state laws to see whether you might be eligible for coverage. Carefully read over your insurance plan benefits. Do you have disability insurance, and what is the waiting period before you can collect?

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Major repairs. Your home has flooded, and youve never gotten around to purchasing flood insurance; or, perhaps youve had a car accident. This is where your emergency reserve comes in. You, the practical planner, have put aside a designated amount of cash for this type of situation. However, if you dont have an emergency stash, there are steps you can take to lessen the impact. Try to negotiate a payment plan with the mechanic or vendors; prioritize the necessary repairs. Youve remediated after the flood, but perhaps you can hold off on repainting or refurnishing for now. Or, your car radiator might need attention, but can you live with a dented bumper for a while?

Poor portfolio construction. Poor portfolio decisions often go hand in hand with an uncooperative investment climate, an example of which was the lost decade of December 31, 1999, through December 31, 2009, when the S&P 500s total return was less than zero percent over ten years. Too much stock in one company (i.e., most commonly, too much stock in your employer) or not being properly diversified (i.e., you are up to your eyeballs in tech stocks of the late 1990s) are examples of poor portfolio construction. Both of these mistakes can extend your working years because your investment portfolio value isnt adequate to fund your retirement through your and your partners/spouses life expectancy. At some level, it is out of your control even well-diversified portfolios were crushed in 2008 but by being diversified in a manner consistent with your risk tolerance, time horizon and liquidity needs, you can reduce this risk significantly.

Whatever your circumstances, try as quickly as possible to get back on track. Return to your dollar cost averaging. Stay the course and think of the long term. The worst thing to do is to act on emotion rather than the reality of your personal finances. Whether you are facing a true obstacle to your investing, or only if your anxiety level has increased because of media headlines, it rarely pays off to act impulsively which youve known all along.

Joseph Matthews is a Financial Advisor with the Wealth Management Division of Morgan Stanley in Fairfield. He can be reached at 203-319-5165 or by email at joseph.matthews@morganstanley.com. The information contained in article is not a solicitation to purchase or sell investments. Any information presented is general in nature and not intended to provide individually tailored investment advice. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be suitable for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investors individual circumstances and objectives. Investing involves risks and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against a loss.

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MARKET MATTERS: When life throws a curveball at your investment timeline - New Haven Register

Written by simmons |

July 30th, 2017 at 11:32 am

Posted in Investment


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