The quest for cheap health care products has led many customers to the doors of pharmacy shops based in Canada. While there has been some hue and cry in the United States over the safety issues pertaining to the drugs imported from Canada, many states of the US have already gone ahead and tied up with Canadian pharmacies licensed by Canadian provinces and governed by the laws and regulations of that country.The justification given for such a move is to make health more affordable and to ensure that much needed drugs are made available to the customers. States like Wisconsin have already short listed pharmacies based in Canada to provide mail order drugs to people back home. The short listing process included a visit to study the pharmacy’s facilities as well as the protocols used for filling prescriptions. The applicable Canadian laws were also studied to gain better insight into the measures adopted to ensure regulation of the industry and to discourage compromise on quality for commercial gains.Tying up with licensed pharmacies in Canada will definitely help in curbing the import of drugs from unlicensed firms there. It will also discourage sales of spurious counterfeit drugs. It will also mean that licensed Canadian firms can concentrate on doing business with assured business margins, without worrying about competition from unlicensed pharmacies. These unlicensed vendors will then be forced to obtain license if they are to stay in business.Some US firms have now launched a service which allows customers to verify the credentials of Canadian pharmacies before purchasing drugs from them. These firms provide information about the legal status of a pharmacy online. Pharmacies interested in going through this verification process are to first approach these sites and fill in a form that certifies that they are operating within the framework of laws of applicable jurisdictional laws. These pharmacies should comply with laws in both the city from where they are operating and the area where they are selling their products. The verification agency will then independently investigate the pharmacy and find out if the details furnished in the form submitted are true or not. One being cleared, the pharmacy website will be allowed to display a seal which indicates certification by the verifying agency.Many licensed pharmacies in Canada believe this is another step in increasing the customer base in US. These pharmacies can look forward to a entering into a long partnership with many customers and enhancing the trust factor in their relationship. Once a customer is assured of the quality of the product he is ordering, he can go ahead in confidence by being assured about the business credentials of the company he is dealing with.The licensed Canadian firms now want to increase the volume of business and transactions carried across the border. At the same time they don’t want the reputation of licensed Canadian pharmacies being soiled by the unlicensed ones selling drugs of inferior quality. These initiatives may just be the medicine that the licensed pharmacies were waiting for.
The Four Most Effective Ways to Consolidate and Repay Your Debt
We all know how difficult it is to stay ahead of everyday bills. Perhaps you are finding it difficult to stay one step ahead with payments to creditors? As with most of us, I daresay you find you have too much month and too little money! There are ways of reducing your burden of debt and taking advantage of low interest rates, however – methods such as consolidating bills which have high interest rates into a single, affordable payment.Consolidating your debts will go a long way to avoiding the harassment from creditors and collection agencies alike and put you firmly back in the driving seat – in full control of your finances and payments to your creditors. There is a plethora of different methods of consolidating your debts and paying off bills: this will become clearer as you read on. Basically, there are 4 ways to consolidate multiple debts into a single monthly payment. Below I have provided you with an overview of each consolidation methods:1. Balance Transfer
2. Debt/Bill Consolidation Program
3. Personal Debt Consolidation Loan
4. Secured Debt Consolidation LoanBalance TransferThis option is meant specifically for individuals who need to consolidate personal credit card debts. If one of your credit cards has a low interest rate but carries a large credit limit then it is possible to transfer balances from other credit cards to this one, thereby helping to reduce your debt burden to some extent. It would be advisable, however, to ensure you read through the terms and conditions associated with the balance transfer thoroughly, prior to transferring any balance onto another credit card.These credit cards with low interest rates, invariably offering 0%, enable you to transfer balances from other cards: when you do this you will be charged a balance transfer fee which is generally in the region of 2 to 4% of the balance transferred. The 0% rate usually lasts for the period of 6 to 12 months, after which the interest rate is likely to be increased. It is at this time, when interest rates increase, that you look to transfer the balance on this credit card onto a new credit card offering 0% interest. This is how you make your credit card work to your benefit.You do have to adhere to certain regulations when you transfer your balance to a credit card offering 0% interest. As an example, you may not be able to purchase goods with this credit card and if you attempt to do so, the 0% interest rate becomes null and void and you will find, as a result, the interest rate on this card will probably go sky high!Debt/Bill Consolidation ProgramYou may not be in a position to apply for a balance transfer on your credit cards for one reason or another, in which case you would be better advised to seek professional help to consolidate your debts. Try applying to one of the online consolidation services to arrange to consolidate your bills. These services provide bill consolidation programs that will make it much easier for you to pay off your debts.The first step, once you apply for a bill consolidation program, is for a Debt Consultant to review your full financial situation. The Debt Consultant will then liaise with your creditors in an attempt to reduce the interest rates on your accounts. Reducing or freezing the interest rates on outstanding bills goes a long way to help make your debt repayments affordable. The best thing about these consolidation programs is that they relieve you from the stress of juggling several payments together.Personal Debt Consolidation LoanThe concept behind this kind of loan is to lump all your outstanding bills together – regardless of whether they are credit cards, payday loans, student loans etc – and then, from the money your receive from the personal debt consolidation loan, pay off each one in a single lump payment. The advantage of a personal debt consolidation loan is the single low monthly payment you make, together with an interest rate on a single loan as opposed to interest rates on a number of bills mounting up into lots of unmanageable payments.Secured Debt Consolidation LoanYou need to have collateral in order to be accepted for a secured loan. Basically, these are home equity loans which can be used to pay off all your debts using a large lump sum you obtain with this secured loan, effectively ending up with just a single payment – that of the secured debt consolidation loan. As long as you don’t subsequently take out further credit of any sort once you have paid off everything you owe, this loan would be an excellent idea to help you get back on your feet. You do have to be fairly disciplined with yourself and turn down the offer of any further credit, otherwise you will be back in the same situation you were in before. The main disadvantage of this secured loan is that, if you default on your payments, you risk losing your home if the bank or loan company applies for a foreclosure order.SummaryDiscipline is the key to getting rid of all your debts. You need to avoid re-using any of the accounts that you have just paid off, otherwise you will be exactly back where you started – with the addition of further debts in the shape of the secured or unsecured loan you took out to clear this plethora of bills. Do everything in your power to avoid getting back into the unmanageable situation you were in before: leave your credit cards in the drawer at home and maintain as much of a frugal lifestyle as you can until all your bills are completely clear. If, in the future, you take out credit to fund your lifestyle, ensure you pay your bills on time, with no late payments and no defaults. As long as you only take out the credit you can afford to pay back you can face the future without stress or worry.
S&P 500 Rallies As U.S. Dollar Pulls Back Towards Weekly Lows
Key Insights
The strong pullback in the U.S. dollar provided significant support to stocks.
Treasury yields have pulled back after touching new highs, which served as an additional positive catalyst for S&P 500.
A move above 3730 will push S&P 500 towards the resistance level at 3760.
Advertisement
Pfizer Rallies After Announcing A Huge Price Hike For Its COVID-19 Vaccines
S&P 500 is currently trying to settle above 3730 as traders’ appetite for risk is growing. The U.S. dollar has recently gained strong downside momentum as the BoJ intervened to stop the rally in USD/JPY. Weaker U.S. dollar is bullish for stocks as it increases profits of multinational companies and makes U.S. equities cheaper for foreign investors.
The leading oil services company Schlumberger is up by 9% after beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Schlumberger’s peers Baker Hughes and Halliburton have also enjoyed strong support today.
Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna gained strong upside momentum after Pfizer announced that it will raise the price of its coronavirus vaccine to $110 – $130 per shot.
Biggest losers today include Verizon and Twitter. Verizon is down by 5% despite beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Subscriber numbers missed estimates, and traders pushed the stock to multi-year lows.
Twitter stock moved towards the $50 level as the U.S. may conduct a security review of Musk’s purchase of the company.
From a big picture point of view, today’s rebound is broad, and most market segments are moving higher. Treasury yields have started to move lower after testing new highs, providing additional support to S&P 500. It looks that some traders are ready to bet that Fed will be less hawkish than previously expected.
S&P 500 Tests Resistance At 3730
S&P 500 has recently managed to get above the 20 EMA and is trying to settle above the resistance at 3730. RSI is in the moderate territory, and there is plenty of room to gain additional upside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge.
If S&P 500 manages to settle above 3730, it will head towards the next resistance level at 3760. A successful test of this level will push S&P 500 towards the next resistance at October highs at 3805. The 50 EMA is located in the nearby, so S&P 500 will likely face strong resistance above the 3800 level.
On the support side, the previous resistance at 3700 will likely serve as the first support level for S&P 500. In case S&P 500 declines below this level, it will move towards the next support level at 3675. A move below 3675 will push S&P 500 towards the support at 3640.