Year: 2007

Window Dressing to push stock prices up?

Today, December 28, is the last trading day of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). On Monday and Tuesday next week, the markets are closed for New Year celebrations, and the first trading day in 2008 is on Wednesday, January 2.

Is the market set to close higher today because portfolio managers and traders might try to “window dress” their portfolios in time for year-end 2007?

A bit likely. In a previous article, we explained that Window Dressing is a strategy employed by fund managers wherein they try to make their portfolio look as attractive as possible before presenting it to clients or stockholders.

In the days leading up to the end of the quarter or the year, fund managers would purchase recent winners while selling old holdings at a loss, in an attempt to show that they own the best-performing stocks of the period.

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Funny, odd news this Christmas

It’s Christmas time now but that doesn’t stop people from making weird or absurd things. Here’s a collection of funny and odd stories related to Christmas that we spotted on several news websites.
Enjoy the holidays and enjoy these holiday stories!
#1 – Thieves steal Noche Buena Christmas food

Three men held up a Goldilocks store in Pasig City just before closing time on Christmas Eve, taking with them not only cash and personal belongings of the victims, but also a large box of puto, a type of rice cake considered to be one of the store’s specialties.
In a separate incident, a taxi cab driver ran away with a lechon (roast pig) that was supposed to be delivered to a house in Quezon City on December 24.

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Trojan infects Google Adsense

If you clicked on a Google Adsense advertisement and strangely landed on a site that promotes Viagra, gambling, or pornography, chances are you have been infected by a trojan that targets Google Adsense ads.

Anti-virus software company Trend Micro reported that a Trojan called TROJ_QHOST.GC has managed to hijack Google’s text advertisements which prevents users from connecting to page2.googlesyndication.co which is the server that directs to Adsense advertisements.

When installed, the trojan points a user’s browser to another IP address that “functions as a rouge server to third party advertisements about gambling and pornography.”

To avoid having the trojan infect your computer, refrain from downloading or installing any file sent by an unknown sender.

Trojans, as well as viruses, are also easily transferred via peer-to-peer networks (such as BitTorrent, etc.) so make sure that you scan your PC every time you connect to those systems.

If you clicked on a Google Adsense advertisement and strangely landed on a site that promotes Viagra, gambling, or pornography, chances are you have been infected by a trojan that targets Google Adsense ads.

Anti-virus software company Trend Micro reported that a Trojan called TROJ_QHOST.GC has managed to hijack Google’s text advertisements which prevents users from connecting to page2.googlesyndication.co which is the server that directs to Adsense advertisements.

When installed, the trojan points a user’s browser to another IP address that “functions as a rouge server to third party advertisements about gambling and pornography.”

To avoid having the trojan infect your computer, refrain from downloading or installing any file sent by an unknown sender.

Trojans, as well as viruses, are also easily transferred via peer-to-peer networks (such as BitTorrent, etc.) so make sure that you scan your PC every time you connect to those systems.

If you clicked on a Google Adsense advertisement and strangely landed on a site that promotes Viagra, gambling, or pornography, chances are you have been infected by a trojan that targets Google Adsense ads.

Anti-virus software company Trend Micro reported that a Trojan called TROJ_QHOST.GC has managed to hijack Google’s text advertisements which prevents users from connecting to page2.googlesyndication.co which is the server that directs to Adsense advertisements.

When installed, the trojan points a user’s browser to another IP address that “functions as a rouge server to third party advertisements about gambling and pornography.”

To avoid having the trojan infect your computer, refrain from downloading or installing any file sent by an unknown sender.

Trojans, as well as viruses, are also easily transferred via peer-to-peer networks (such as BitTorrent, etc.) so make sure that you scan your PC every time you connect to those systems.

If you clicked on a Google Adsense advertisement and strangely landed on a site that promotes Viagra, gambling, or pornography, chances are you have been infected by a trojan that targets Google Adsense ads.

Anti-virus software company Trend Micro reported that a Trojan called TROJ_QHOST.GC has managed to hijack Google’s text advertisements which prevents users from connecting to page2.googlesyndication.co which is the server that directs to Adsense advertisements.

When installed, the trojan points a user’s browser to another IP address that “functions as a rouge server to third party advertisements about gambling and pornography.”

To avoid having the trojan infect your computer, refrain from downloading or installing any file sent by an unknown sender.

Trojans, as well as viruses, are also easily transferred via peer-to-peer networks (such as BitTorrent, etc.) so make sure that you scan your PC every time you connect to those systems.

If you clicked on a Google Adsense advertisement and strangely landed on a site that promotes Viagra, gambling, or pornography, chances are you have been infected by a trojan that targets Google Adsense ads.

Anti-virus software company Trend Micro reported that a Trojan called TROJ_QHOST.GC has managed to hijack Google’s text advertisements which prevents users from connecting to page2.googlesyndication.co which is the server that directs to Adsense advertisements.

When installed, the trojan points a user’s browser to another IP address that “functions as a rouge server to third party advertisements about gambling and pornography.”

To avoid having the trojan infect your computer, refrain from downloading or installing any file sent by an unknown sender.

Trojans, as well as viruses, are also easily transferred via peer-to-peer networks (such as BitTorrent, etc.) so make sure that you scan your PC every time you connect to those systems.

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ABA offers stock rights to shareholders

Abacus Consolidated Resources Holdings, Inc. (Stock Code: ABA) is offering additional shares through a 1:4 Stock Rights Offering to all stockholders as of ex-date of December 18, 2007.

Holders of ABA shares before the ex-date are entitled to the offering. Offer price is Php 0.01 per share.

Proceeds from the rights offering will be used to assist its operating partner in progressing the company’s mining interests.

More about stock rights after the jump.

Abacus Consolidated Resources Holdings, Inc. (Stock Code: ABA) is offering additional shares through a 1:4 Stock Rights Offering to all stockholders as of ex-date of December 18, 2007.

Holders of ABA shares before the ex-date are entitled to the offering. Offer price is Php 0.01 per share.

Proceeds from the rights offering will be used to assist its operating partner in progressing the company’s mining interests.

More about stock rights after the jump.

Abacus Consolidated Resources Holdings, Inc. (Stock Code: ABA) is offering additional shares through a 1:4 Stock Rights Offering to all stockholders as of ex-date of December 18, 2007.

Holders of ABA shares before the ex-date are entitled to the offering. Offer price is Php 0.01 per share.

Proceeds from the rights offering will be used to assist its operating partner in progressing the company’s mining interests.

More about stock rights after the jump.

Abacus Consolidated Resources Holdings, Inc. (Stock Code: ABA) is offering additional shares through a 1:4 Stock Rights Offering to all stockholders as of ex-date of December 18, 2007.

Holders of ABA shares before the ex-date are entitled to the offering. Offer price is Php 0.01 per share.

Proceeds from the rights offering will be used to assist its operating partner in progressing the company’s mining interests.

More about stock rights after the jump.

Abacus Consolidated Resources Holdings, Inc. (Stock Code: ABA) is offering additional shares through a 1:4 Stock Rights Offering to all stockholders as of ex-date of December 18, 2007.

Holders of ABA shares before the ex-date are entitled to the offering. Offer price is Php 0.01 per share.

Proceeds from the rights offering will be used to assist its operating partner in progressing the company’s mining interests.

More about stock rights after the jump.

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Widgetbucks’ advertisers don’t like traffic from the Philippines

It’s official. Traffic and clicks on Widgetbucks ads coming from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Egypt, and Romania are not credited and will not be paid.

That’s according to a post in the official blog of Widgetbucks:

What are the non-paying countries or regions?

We are finding that advertisers are not willing to buy traffic from Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Egypt, and Romania.

It’s really important to mention this is an advertiser decision regarding the value of that traffic, NOT WidgetBucks’ decision. We repeat: this is an advertiser decision regarding the value of that traffic, NOT WidgetBucks’ decision. I emphasize this because publishers, for whatever reason, will undoubtedly and incorrectly draw the conclusion it is solely WidgetBucks’ decision.

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Manila Bulletin vs. Inquirer, Philippine Star, Manila Times

Ah, the things that matter.
I skimmed through four Philippine dailies yesterday and was amused to see the varying front pages each newspaper had.
While the Philippine Daily Inquirer headlined the reversal of the United States’ position on a global warming pact at the end of a United Nations climate conference in Indonesia, the Philippine Star reported that convicted child rapist and former congressman Romeo Jalosjos was to be released from prison yesterday. The Manila Times, on the other hand, published a feature on poverty in the Philippines.
And what was the headline of the Manila Bulletin?
That the “Simbang Gabi,” a Filipino tradition of attending 9-day masses at dawn, has kicked off.

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