Daily Archives: June 25, 2013

Law

US Chamber of Commerce Facebook Ad Backfires

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With the US Chamber of Commerce (202-659-6000) recently announcing a seven digit advertising purchase featuring Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) trying to sell the illegal immigrant amnesty legislation found in Senate Bill 744 to conservatives, some of the ads are running on Facebook and receiving the opposite response the Chamber of Commerce and Marco Rubio hoped to elicit.

Raleigh, NC, USA (June 25, 2013) — CONTACT: Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) Press@alipac.us / (866) 703-0864

With the US Chamber of Commerce (202-659-6000) recently announcing a seven digit advertising purchase featuring Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) trying to sell the illegal immigrant amnesty legislation found in Senate Bill 744 to conservatives, some of the ads are running on Facebook and receiving the opposite response the Chamber of Commerce and Marco Rubio hoped to elicit.

At the time of this release, the Facebook ad tied to the US Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page and launched on June 24 had received over 1,100 comments of which more than 95% are negative in nature! A review of the comments makes it clear that the ad has backfired and that the vast majority of people commenting oppose the bill Marco Rubio and the Chamber of Commerce are attempting to pass!

“It is clear from the fervent angry responses on Facebook that the US Chamber of Commerce ad has backfired and that Americans exposed to the ad are going to hold this support for amnesty for illegal aliens against the group in the future,” said William Gheen, President of ALIPAC. “We need to find out where all this money the Chamber is spending is coming from and work as a nation to put an end to these groups trying to sell the American public a bill that will cost Americans our jobs, wages, taxpayer resources, lives, and national sovereignty!”

The ad reads, “Call your member of Congress today to support conservative immigration reform. 202-224-3121,” and features a video of the commercial with Marco Rubio claiming that amnesty legislation is needed to prevent “Defacto Amnesty.”

Here are some of the last few comments at the time of this release that are similar to 95% of the current 1,100+ comments left beneath the Chamber of Commerce Ad…

–Carol D Williams I don’t support ANY immigration reform until the borders are 100% secure!
— J.w. Mayfield No…no amnesty, no immigration bill….use the laws we have already on the books. We cannot afford 11 to 30 million more “citizens” we can’at even take care of the ones we have…
— Jason Cordova Call to support!? You’re nuts. Call that number and demand your senator votes NO.
–Keith Turney I support physically securing the border, enforcing the laws that are already on the books, and THEN having a discussion regarding the people already here.
–Clifford Krimmel I’m going to urge any member of the chamber to NOt rnew it’s membership, if the Chamber continues to support such harmful bills.

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC would like to know if Facebook is giving the US Chamber of Commerce special ad rates or free advertising since both Facebook and Google are supporting the amnesty too?

The significant, intense, and graphically one sided backlash against the US Chamber of Commerce ad featuring Marco Rubio on Facebook shows that the Chamber and Rubio are attempting to use their deep pockets and influence with large corporations to pass a bill (S. 744) that is opposed by most Americans and most conservatives due to the harm it will cause them and the nation!

The US Chamber of Commerce expensive ad has backfired just like Senate Bill S. 744 will backfire on the American public if it is ever signed into law.

Please review all of the comments at this link…
https://www.facebook.com/uschamber/posts/10151768908464529

ALIPAC calls on all current members of the US Chamber of Commerce to drop their membership in the organization in response to this betrayal of public trust by pushing amnesty for illegal immigrants at the expense of American workers and taxpayers. For more information or to schedule interviews with William Gheen please visit http://www.alipac.us.

Business

In Search of Liquidity at Tech2Trade 2013, World’s Most Influential High-frequency Trading Conference

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Golden Networking brings Tech2Trade Expo 2013 (www.Tech2TradeExpo.com), World’s Most Influential Alternative Investments Conference Series, including High Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2013, “Strategic and Tactical Insights for Investors, Speed Traders, Brokers and Exchanges,” New York City, London, Chicago, Singapore and Frankfurt (www.High-Frequency-Trading-Conference.com).

New York City, NY, USA (June 25, 2013) — A deeply liquid market is considered a sign of a healthy market with lots of participants, but Commissioner Bart Chilton, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, says all liquidity may not be the same and could be distorting markets. The CFTC is concerned that some of the liquidity that may be provided by high-frequency traders could be “fantasy liquidity created by ‘wash’ sales,” which is prohibited under both the Commodity Exchange Act and exchange rules.

High-frequency traders enter and exit the market quickly and can do so multiple times a day, helping to create a more liquid market. But they’re a relatively new addition to the trading world and Chilton said how they operate needs closer scrutiny, especially since at times they can be 30% to 50% of a market. The concern is over “wash” trades, which happens a trader trades with himself, in other words puts out a bid price and matches it. “If you’re trading with yourself, you have nothing to lose, you’re not taking a risk. If this was occurring a little bit, it would be no harm, no foul,” Chilton said.

However, he said, this is happening more than a little bit, calling the wash trades “voluminous.” Chilton said there may be two reasons why these wash trades are happening. One is to make it look like there is deep volume to entice other people to trade those markets. Second, these traders may be part of legitimate market-maker programs, which is when an exchange pays a market-maker to provide liquidity. “But it’s dangerous if you’re trading with yourself and taking no risk. It can also affect price discovery and hurts consumers,” he said.

To discuss the eternal liquidity challenge, Golden Networking is pleased to host Tech2Trade Expo 2013’s High Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2013 (http://www.High-Frequency-Trading-Conference.com), “Strategic and Tactical Insights for Investors, Speed Traders, Brokers and Exchanges”, this July 30 in New York City, September 18 in London., October 8 in Chicago, October 24 in Singapore and November 21 in Frankfurt.

“Strategic and Tactical Insights for Investors, Speed Traders, Brokers and Exchanges,” is the theme of High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2013, forum that will provide attendees in New York City, London, Chicago, Singapore and Frankfurt with the most up-to-date review of where this ever-changing industry stands through an insightful keynote speeches and thought-provoking panels with leaders in the field. “High-frequency trading will no doubt play an ever larger role as computer technology advances and the global exchanges embrace fast electronic access.” said Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders and the forthcoming Knightmare on Wall Street. Recognized experts, regulators, and strategists, will return to High-Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2013 to provide the information practitioners are looking for in an open and unbiased environment, highly conducive to the most efficient and effective networking.

High Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2013, co-located with Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2013 and Derivatives Trading Forum 2013, is produced by Golden Networking (http://www.goldennetworking.net), the premier networking community for business executives, entrepreneurs and investors. Panelists, speakers and sponsors are invited to download our Information Package or contact Golden Networking directly by calling +1-414-FORUMS0 or sending an email to information@goldennetworking.net.

Media Contact:
Julia Petrova
Media Relations Coordinator
Golden Networking
+1-414-FORUMS0
jpetrova@goldennetworking.net
http://www.goldennetworking.net

Business

New Regulatory Regimes for Derivatives at Tech2Trade Expo’s Derivatives Trading Forum 2013

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Golden Networking brings Tech2Trade Expo 2013 (www.Tech2TradeExpo.com), World’s Most Influential Alternative Investments Conference Series, including Derivatives Trading Forum 2013, “Global Implementation of Regulatory Reform in the $640 Trillion OTC Derivatives Market,” New York City, London, Chicago, Singapore and Frankfurt (www.DerivativesTradingForum.com).

New York City, NY, USA (June 25, 2013) — Over the past five years, the European Union and the U.S. have developed separate, new regulatory regimes for derivatives, aimed at protecting our financial systems, economies and taxpayers from a repeat of the 2008 crisis. European Markets and Infrastructure Regulation, the EU’s strict and comprehensive set of rules for derivatives transactions, became law in August and took effect in March. EMIR fulfills the commitments made by the leaders of Group of 20 nations to improve safety and transparency by requiring reporting and mandatory clearing for derivative trades. Trading rules will soon follow.

EMIR is stricter and broader in scope than the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, which regulates U.S. markets. For instance, in Europe, all financial companies regardless of size are required to clear their derivatives trades and report them to trade repositories, and there is no carve-out for foreign-exchange transactions. The EU’s capital standards for clearing houses are much tougher. EMIR’s transparency obligations, both pre-trade and post-trade, are more rigorous than those in force in the U.S.

Following the entry into force of these regulations, market participants are dealing with a complex list of requirements to be fulfilled at different deadlines in the coming months. For market participants, the key challenge will be to meet the central clearing and trade reporting obligations, while regulators strive to ensure consistency with foreign jurisdictions so as to limit the unintended effects of extraterritoriality.

Golden Networking is pleased to host at Tech2Trade Expo 2013’s Derivatives Trading Forum 2013 (http://www.DerivativesTradingForum.com), this July 30 in New York City, September 18 in London, October 8 in Chicago, October 24 in Singapore and November 21 in Frankfurt. Derivatives Trading Forum 2013, “Global Implementation of Regulatory Reform in the $640 Trillion OTC Derivatives Market”, aims at critically reviewing recent regulatory developments and identifying opportunities and challenges in the implementation process, which may influence its full entry into force in America, Europe and Asia. This recent regulation, with its implementing rules, will certainly reshape OTC derivative markets and produce structural changes in the financial industry, with effects for the real economy.

Golden Networking’s Derivatives Trading Forum 2013, “Global Implementation of Regulatory Reform in the $640 Trillion OTC Derivatives Market”, will provide attendees with answers to all their questions on how to successfully navigate the new regulatory landscape for over-the-counter and exchange-traded derivatives, devise profit-increasing strategies to enhance the performance of their trading desks and anticipate further developments in the industry. Recognized industry experts will provide attendees with the information they are looking for in an open and unbiased environment. Leaders in the industry will also discuss long-term market and industry perspectives, taking into consideration the interaction of the Dodd-Frank Act and EMIR with other pieces of legislation.

Derivatives Trading Forum 2013, co-located with Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2013 and High Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2013, is produced by Golden Networking (http://www.goldennetworking.net), the premier networking community for business executives, entrepreneurs and investors. Panelists, speakers and sponsors are invited to download our Information Package or contact Golden Networking directly by calling +1-414-FORUMS0 or sending an email to info@goldennetworking.net.

Media Contact:
Julia Petrova
Media Relations Coordinator
Golden Networking
+1-414-FORUMS0
jpetrova@goldennetworking.net
http://www.goldennetworking.net

Business

Chasing Alternative Investments Risk-Adjusted Alpha at Tech2Trade’s Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2013

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Golden Networking brings Tech2Trade Expo 2013 (www.Tech2TradeExpo.com), World’s Most Influential Alternative Investments Conference Series, now incorporating Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2013, “Getting Ready to Manage $5 Trillion by 2016,” New York City, London, Chicago, Singapore and Frankfurt (www.HedgeFundsLeadersForum.com).

New York City, NY, USA (June 25, 2013) — As hedge funds have matured as an alternative asset class they have been increasingly embraced by institutional investors of all sizes, as well as high net worth investors, Tim Ng, Managing Director, Clearbrook Global Advisors, says. Their very success or perceived non-success may also be creating confusion for some investors. This issue is more important than ever before due to the changing landscape of hedge fund investing that has shifted from predominantly an asset class filled with high net worth investors, to now being dominated by major institutional investors.

The growing dependence on hedge fund returns by institutional investors to provide alpha and downside risk mitigation versus traditional long only assets makes it more important than ever to properly identify, understand and employ the proper hedge fund to meet the specific return, risk and liquidity objectives of the institutional investors. Over many years and now decades, we believe that hedge funds have been a misunderstood asset class due to investors and advisors alike grouping hedge funds into a single melting pot and believing any hedge fund should be able to accomplish what the client needs.

Institutional investors today are confronted with achieving acceptable rates of return and the need to mitigate downside risk. Pension funds in this low interest rate environment are seeing their underfunding status worsen, and endowments are needing to find other means with which to meet their annual spending needs. Therefore, Ng says, it is important for institutions to ferret out and employ investments that can meet their targeted rates of return without taking on an inordinate amount of risk. The choice of the appropriate hedge fund to either provide risk/adjusted alpha versus equities or a moderate fixed income like return can help institutions to reduce their volatility and enhance returns over time. Lower volatility and smaller potential portfolio draw-downs lead to a greater wealth effect and compounding of return for the institution.

The consistent compounding of returns will permit institutions to better meet their liabilities and spending needs, as hundreds of the most important players in alternative investments in the world will find out at Tech2Trade Expo 2013’s Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2013 (http://www.HedgeFundsLeadersForum.com), “Getting Ready to Manage $5 Trillion by 2016”, this July 30 in New York City, September 18 in London., October 8 in Chicago, October 24 in Singapore and November 21 in Frankfurt. A virtual who’s who will soon follow as one legendary manager after another will take the stage. Billions of investable assets will be represented by influential local and international investors who will listen with rapt attention as star managers and analysts discuss and debate the biggest issues facing the industry today.

Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2013, co-located with High Frequency Trading Leaders Forum 2013 and Derivatives Trading Forum 2013, is produced by Golden Networking (http://www.goldennetworking.net), the premier networking community for business executives, entrepreneurs and investors. Panelists, speakers and sponsors are invited to download our Information Package or contact Golden Networking directly by calling +1-414-FORUMS0 or sending an email to information@goldennetworking.net.

Media Contact:
Julia Petrova
Media Relations Coordinator
Golden Networking
+1-414-FORUMS0
jpetrova@goldennetworking.net
http://www.goldennetworking.net

Education

Varsity Tutors Expands Operations to San Francisco, Seeking 100 Tutors

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Premier tutoring service offering 1-on-1 personalized academic support for K-12 and college students in the Bay Area

St. Louis, MO, June 24, 2013 – Varsity Tutors, the leading private, in-home tutoring service with 25 metropolitan locations, is expanding its operations to another major metro area. As of June 2013, the company has started offering private tutoring services in the San Francisco Bay Area and is seeking 100 talented tutors for part-time roles.

The academic tutoring and test prep provider operates in many large markets including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Houston, and Atlanta. As college admissions has become increasingly competitive, the demand for top tutoring and test prep services, particularly for ACT tutoring, has increased. Varsity Tutors is responding to this demand by further expanding its geographic footprint. In addition to San Francisco, other expansion plans are in the works for the summer of 2013.

The new San Francisco tutoring location will cover the entire greater metropolitan area, including San Jose and Oakland. Expanding to the Bay Area had been on the company’s roadmap for several years as it grew into one of the largest private tutoring companies from its headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. Founder and CEO Chuck Cohn said he expects the Bay Area market to be one of Varsity Tutors’ largest centers of operation with 18 months.

“San Francisco was one of the last major U.S. cities left for us to enter. We are launching in three other major metro areas this summer, but my expectation is that San Francisco will be the largest of those markets for us,” says Cohn. “Expansion into locations where we can match the best tutors with students is key to our growth. We believe that we can offer a higher quality service at a lower cost than the existing tutoring companies in the San Francisco market.”

Varsity Tutors was started in 2007 by Cohn while an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. The small, college-based business quickly grew into a market leader with 2,000 tutors and 80 employees nationwide. The company’s tutors specialize in a wide selection of subjects including all academic areas of PreK-12, college, and graduate school courses, as well as test prep for entrance exams (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT). Tutors are chosen not just based on grades and test scores, but also on how effectively they are able to communicate challenging material.

Varsity Tutors’ San Francisco operations is open for business and taking inquiries.

About Varsity Tutors:
Varsity Tutors is a premier private academic tutoring and test prep provider designed to help students at all levels of education achieve academic excellence. Varsity Tutors delivers in-home, personalized, one-on-one instruction in any subject from STEM to the humanities and customized preparation for all standardized exams, including ISEE, SSAT, SAT, ACT and graduate exams such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT and GMAT. Students from elementary to graduate school are expertly matched with an exceptional tutor who is best able to address their unique needs and goals. To ensure satisfaction and safety, only the highest caliber tutors are selected to join Varsity Tutors following a rigorous screening process. Varsity Tutors currently serves 25 cities nationwide and offers a variety of tutoring packages. Students and their families interested in learning more about Varsity Tutors should visit varsitytutors.com. 

Contact:
Cathryn Sloane
Marketing Coordinator
Varsity Tutors LLC
St. Louis, MO
314-740-6075
press@varsitytutors.com
http://www.varsitytutors.com

Business

T5 Data Centers Projects T5@Dallas Customers Can Save Millions from New Texas Tax Incentive Bill

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Realize Substantial Savings from New HB 1223 Tax Legislation T5 Data Centers One of the Few Data Center Operators Prepared Today to Help Companies.

Dallas, TX, USA (June 25, 2013) — T5 Data Centers, innovators in providing state-of-the-art, customizable and highly reliable computing support environments for any enterprise, is advising clients to take full advantage of the new tax incentives offered in HB 1223, the new Texas sales tax exemption for data centers that goes into effect September 1. T5 sources estimate that companies leasing space in the new purpose-built T5@Dallas facility can realize savings from $30 million to $100 million depending on the number of critical megawatts (MW) needed and the length of the lease.

HB 1223 is a stimulus bill that exempts qualified companies from state sales taxes for the development, occupancy and operation of certain data centers. Based on internal estimates, T5 customers operating a data center at 6 critical MWs could potentially realize savings of $30 million over 10 years in tax on servers, software and energy. A company with 12 critical MWs could save as much as $101 million over 15 years in taxes on servers, software, and energy costs. Exemptions include the cost of gas and electricity costs, electrical systems, cooling systems, backup systems, servers, data storage, networking equipment, rack space, fixtures, and more. T5 Data Centers’ T5@Dallas campus has space available for lease in its 22.5 MW facility, and plans to expand with an additional 12.0 MW facility to be built in the near future. T5 customers investing a minimum of $200 million will qualify for a 10-year tax exemption; customers investing $250 million will qualify for a 15-year tax exemption.

“Today’s data center users are not only searching for robust and secure environments, but first class locations as well. These new tax incentives make Plano’s Legacy Business Park an even better location for an organization looking to install a mission-critical data facility. T5@Dallas, more than ever, is the best data center in the best location for business in Texas,” said Martin Peck, General Manager of T5@Dallas.

The new tax legislation includes a requirement for qualifying data center customers to create at least 20 new full-time jobs. Certified data centers must be specifically built to house servers, data processing, and data storage equipment. In addition, the data center tenant must occupy at least 100,000 square feet and the center must be used primarily for telecommunications services.

“With passage of this new legislation, Texas becomes the 25th state to offer tax incentives for new data center installations,” said Peter S. Marin, President and CEO of T5 Data Centers. “This is a proven means to stimulate technology growth, and as T5 continues to add new data centers around the country, we look at the local economic climate, including taxes, as well as geographic conditions, the cost of energy, and other criteria to make sure our customers have the most cost-effective, sustainable data center facilities available.”

About T5 Data Centers
T5 Data Centers (T5) is a leading national data center owner and operator, committed to delivering customizable, scalable data centers that provide an “always on” computing environment to power mission critical business applications. T5 Data Centers provides enterprise and wholesale colocation data center services to organizations across North America using proven, best-in-class technology and techniques to design and develop facilities that deliver the lowest possible total cost of operations for its clients. T5 currently has business-critical data center facilities in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Charlotte with new projects announced in Portland and Colorado. All of T5’s data center projects are purpose-built facilities featuring robust design, redundant and reliable power and telecommunications and have 24-hour staff to support mission-critical computing applications.

For more information, visit http://www.t5datacenters.com.

Contact:
Aaron Wangenheim
T5 Data Centers
(415) 292-7700
aaron@t5datacenters.com