By now you’ve heard about the potential of social media marketing. This article has the numbers to prove how big the opportunities are.If your business operates in Toronto, you’ll want to pay close attention. A study in 2007 showed that this city had more Facebook members than any other North American city, with 13% of Torontonians signed up. With Facebook the most popular social networking site by far, it offers a captive audience too important for your Toronto business to ignore.Social Media – Exponential Growth Around the WorldNeilsen – the same company that determines the ratings of your favourite TV shows – has an online division that tracks Internet behaviour. Here are some of the findings from their most recent report. Released in March, 2009, the report summarizes global Internet activity from December, 2007 to December, 2008. Here’s what they found:o Visits to “member communities”, i.e. social networking sites, surpassed email in terms of Internet popularity. Using the measure of time on site, the Neilsen study shows that member communities have a global active reach of 66.8%, compared to 65.1% for email. In other words, two-thirds of global Internet users belong to a social networking site.o The study also notes that people are spending more time on social networking sites. In prior studies, the numbers showed that one of every 15 minutes online was spent on a social networking site. That number is now one in every 11 minutes. In the UK, it is one in every six minutes, and in Brazil, it is one in every 4 minutes.o The Neilsen report also shows the changing demographics of social networking, primarily on Facebook. The largest growth by age group was in the 35-49 demographic, which saw 24.1 million people join Facebook in the year of the study.These numbers make clear how valuable social media marketing has become. What’s more, another study from eMarketer shows that advertising-spending growth on social networks is dropping. The company’s original projection of 32% growth in spending was downgraded in March, 2009 to about half that – 17%. The drop indicates that companies are not interested in buying advertising on social networking sites but, rather, in building their own communities to attract attention and customers.Where to Start with Your Own Social Media Marketing PlanThere are many social media sites around, but the biggest one is (no surprise) Facebook. In 2008, the site saw an increase of 566% in time spent on the site, with an incredible total of 20.5 billion minutes logged over the course of the year.The Neilsen study shows Facebook’s dominance over one-time leader MySpace. Facebook had a change in active reach of 168% between 2007 and 2008, while MySpace’s active reach was -3%. Another site with an impressive increase in reach was LinkedIn, with 137% growth.If you are looking for a place to start, Facebook and LinkedIn are probably your best bet. Keep in mind that, as with any form of marketing, it is best to have a clear strategy for social media marketing. With the right planning and the right approach, you’ll be able to maximize the marketing potential of social media sites.
Social Media Marketing – Explosive Growth Means New Opportunities For Business
SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls
Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio
By Rob Isbitts
Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.
The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.
SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.
Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.
Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense
Segment: Inverse Equity
Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500
Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)
Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)
Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.
Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.
Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.
Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.
Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.
Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy
Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy
Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.
ETF Investment Opinion
SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.
Learning More About Telecommunications Consulting Firms
Learning more about telecommunications consulting firms can be of great benefit to your business or organisation. With a better and more well rounded understanding of how an outside firm can be of assistance to you, you should be able to find the best available resources and assistance. Outlining your options can allow you to find and make use of those that offer the most advantage.An outside consultant can bring the short term expertise you need to overhaul your business model or working process. Making your staff and their efforts more efficient can ensure that your business is a more successful one. Overlooking the potential advantages such resources make possible could be a very costly mistake for any business seeking a competitive advantage.Arranging for a consultant or other professional to assist you in your efforts to streamline your business can be an important step. Even the best efforts of owners and in-house management teams may be limited due to a lack of skills or understanding. Short term assistance from the right consultant may be able to provide you with the results you have been searching for.Contracting a firm or professional to assist you with your efforts may allow you to get more for your efforts. Lacking the specific skills and specialized understanding that such professionals have to offer could leave you unable to produce the level of results your business is seeking. Talent, skills, and resources that can allow you to better work with your staff could make a real difference.With so many professional services to consider, finding the right one can become more of a challenge than it needs to be. There may be many ways that you can make a more effective and thorough exploration of your consult options. With greater insight about where your business may be able to seek the assistance it is in need of, you should be able to enjoy a more successful search.Speaking with other professionals and those who have been clients of the firm you may be considering may provide you with an abundant source of information. Networking and word of mouth recommendations can be of great assistance to you in your search. Simply speaking with those who are more experienced in such matters could be enough to help you locate the right consultant.Online research is of particular value when you are attempting to locate the right consultant. Professionals who advertise their services over the Internet allow you to compare many available options in a very short amount of time. Undertaking a search without use of online research tools could leave you unable to find the best solution for your needs.Telecommunications consulting firms can offer you superior insight and a range of resources to improve your business’s communication and working process. The invaluable assistance that can be offered from the right professional may be just what you need to stay ahead of your competitors. Working with the best consultant may be able to offer you superior benefits.