Bloomberg News reports that Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen refuses to be paid in dollars. In addition to landing undefeated (9-0) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady -- although that relationship could be on the rocks -- she is one savvy currency trader.

Gisele Bundchen is proving to be a shrewd analyst of the U.S. dollar's weakness. When Bundchen signed a contract in August to represent Pantene hair products for Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG), she demanded payment in euros. She'll also get euros for the deal she reached last October with Dolce & Gabbana SpA in Milan to promote the Italian designer's new fragrance.

"Contracts starting now are more attractive in euros because we don't know what will happen to the dollar," Patricia Bundchen, the model's twin sister and manager in Brazil, said in a telephone interview in September from Sao Paulo.

Those Bundchens are smart cookies! Too bad I can't say the same for Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and his strong dollar policy.

Continue reading Gisele Bundchen dumps the dollar, demands payment in euros

Gisele Bundchen dumps the dollar, demands payment in euros originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The credit spigot continues to flow into the market.

Earlier this morning, Central Bankers in Europe loaned 47.7 billion euros to banks, down from 61 billion euros on Friday, according to Bloomberg News. The Bank of Japan added 600 billion yen, the Wall Street Journal said. Investors are betting that the Federal Reserve will likely follow the European's lead which is why stocks are trading up in pre-market action. Plus, the Federal funds matched the Federal Reserve's target of 5.25 percent. Whether that gain can be sustained will depend on how the market reacts to several key economic reports.

First, the Commerce Department reported a modest rebound in retail sales in July compared with June when they fell. The Labor Department's Producer Price Index and Consumer Price Indexes are due to be released Wednesday.

The news wasn't all bad though.

Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) today reported that its net income more than tripled.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) said that had gotten $3 billion in new capital for its Global Equity Opportunities Fund. The company's strategist Abby Joseph Cohen told clients that fundamental investors now see value.

President Bush's political guru Karl Rove plans to resign at the end of the month, according to media reports.

Before the bell: Watching the Fed, investors prop up Goldman fund originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ted Allrich is the founder of The Online Investor and author of the just released book: Comfort Zone Investing: Build Wealth And Sleep Well At Night. In this weekly column, he'll offer advice to investors who are just getting started.

As of this writing, a Euro costs $1.37. That's the most one has ever cost. A pound costs $2.02, not seen for decades. What's with the dollar, and as an investor, should you care?

The answer is, of course you should. You know the BMW you lust for? That will cost you more. It's paid for with Euros. How about Earl Grey tea? That will be going up in price, too. You need pounds to buy that. Not here in the U.S. We still transact with good ol' greenbacks here. But the store selling the tea or the auto dealer prepping your new ride has to pay the manufacturers in Pound Sterling and Euros respectively. That means less of those items will be sold because the law of supply and demand says that when prices go up, fewer things are sold.

As an investor, you have to check your portfolio for any holdings headquartered in Europe. If they have large sales to the U.S., those revenues are going to shrink. Profits will follow.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: What the falling dollar means to you

Comfort Zone Investing: What the falling dollar means to you originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.