Hypo Venture capital asker: How can I prepare for retirement?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110520214423AAJjtwF


First off, start saving right NOW and keep going at it until you retire. You should also be aware of your needs once you've retired. You might also want to consider some investment plans to provide you passive income. And lastly, do NOT touch yourretirement savings.

Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Solar Power Market by PV, CSP Technologies by Installations, Price, Cost, Trade Trends & Global Forecasts (2011 – 2016)

http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/

Solar energy is amongst the most reliable and clean energy resources, and proves to be a viable alternative to fossil fuels that are currently responsible for polluting the environment and contributing to global warming. Solar energy is generated through various technologies viz. solar PV, solar thermal, concentrated solar thermal/power, and concentrated PV.

In all the four technologies mentioned above, solar PV is the biggest market; followed by concentrated solar thermal (CSP/CST). In the last five years, solar PV registered 60% average annual growth rate and CSP achieved 8%. Currently, the market for solar PV is bigger than CSP; thanks to huge investment, research and development, initiatives taken by the governments, and a number of projects in the pipeline. However, CSP technologies are expected to grow at a faster rate in future as new markets such as China, India, Brazil,Canada, Germany, and France open up. During 2011 – 2016, the CSP market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 44.9% and the solar PV market by 29.9%. At the end of 2016, cumulative installed capacity of CSP and solar PV is expected to be 8.6 GW and 219 GW respectively.

The most important factors that stimulate the growth of solar power market on the whole are unpredictable fossil fuel prices, need for disassociation of dependence on fossil fuel imports from areas of political volatility, environmental concerns over the green house gas emissions associated with fossil fuel use, government incentives, other support programs making solar power more cost competitive, and shift in consumer preference.

Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: Bank capital fight spills into U.S. Congress

http://hypoventure-capital.com/2011/06/hypo-venture-capital-headlines-bank-capital-fight-spills-into-u-s-congress/

The fight by big banks against higher capital standards came to the Congress on Thursday where Republicans held a hearing to air Wall Street concerns about regulation and its impact on profits.

Little more than two years since taxpayer bailouts were needed to firm up banks’ flimsy balance sheets, governments on both sides of the Atlantic are moving to force the banks to hold more capital and be better prepared for future crises.

Banks are resisting, however, and remarks made at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing showed they have support among many Republicans and some Democrats, with the 2007-2009 credit crisis growing fainter in the rear-view mirror.

Citing concerns about international competitiveness and the availability of credit in a fragile economy, JPMorgan Chase Chief Risk Officer Barry Zubrow told lawmakers: “The regulatory pendulum clearly has now begun to swing to a point that risks hobbling our financial system and our economic growth.”

Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: Sony insurer sues to deny data breach coverage

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One of Sony Corp’s insurers has asked a court to declare that it does not have to pay to defend the media and electronics conglomerate from mounting legal claims related to a massive data breach earlier this year.

The dispute comes as demand soars for “cyberinsurance,” with companies seeking to protect themselves against customer claims and associated costs for data and identity theft.

How to write such policies has become a huge subject of debate in the insurance industry.

Zurich American Insurance Co asked a New York state court in documents filed late on Wednesday to rule it does not have to defend or indemnify Sony against any claims “asserted in the class-action lawsuits, miscellaneous claims, or potential future actions instituted by any state attorney general.”

A Sony spokesman in Tokyo said his company does not comment on pending litigation.

Zurich American, a unit of Zurich Financial Services, also sued units of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, AIG and ACE Ltd, asking the court to clarify their responsibilities under various insurance policies they had written for Sony.

“Zurich doesn’t think there’s coverage, but to the extent there may be a duty to defend it wants to make sure all of the insurers with a potential duty to defend are contributing,” said Richard Bortnick, an attorney at Cozen O’Connor and publisher of the digital law blog CyberInquirer.

Bortnick, who is not involved in the case, said that while Sony may be able to claim there was property damage as a result of the data breach, Zurich is likely to argue that the sort of general liability insurance it wrote for Sony was never intended to cover digital attacks.

AIG declined to comment, and Mitsui Sumitomo could not immediately be reached.

In April, hackers accessed personal data for more than 100 million users of Sony’s online video games. Sony has said it could not rule out that some 12.3 million credit card numbers had been obtained during the hacking.

In May, Sony said it was looking to its insurers to help pay for its massive data breach.

Sony has said it expects the hacking to drag down operating profit by 14 billion yen ($178 million) in the current financial year, including costs for boosting security measures. The company said the figure does not include potential compensation.

Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Taliban Releases Disturbing Video Showing Horrific Group Execution

http://hypoventure-capital.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-taliban-releases-disturbing-video-showing-horrific-group-execution-2/

The notorious Taliban terror group has released a video Monday showing them brutally executing 16 Pakistani men who were captured in a raid last month.

The Taliban has claimed that the men were responsible for the deaths of six children in the Pakistan area.

The disturbing video shows the 16 men standing in a line with their hands tied behind their backs while four rebels stand in front them holding assault rifles with scarves hiding their identities.

As the 16 men stand timidly, one insurgent gives a speech before the shooting begins.

The speech which was given in a Pakistani dialect was translated by The Long War Journal, a website that specializes in reports on militancy.

The insurgent states, “These are the enemies of Islamwho originated from Pakistan…They are the Pakistani police, soldiers, and their supporters who recently lined up six kids in Swat and shot them execution-style… These Pakistanis are now our captives, and we will avenge the death of the children by doing the same to them.”

A video also surfaced last year showing men in Pakistani military uniforms killing six young men, but the Pakistani military denied the video’s authenticity.

As the Pakistan military continues to fight with insurgent groups, unrest and terror continue to bring bloodshed to the region.

Pakistani officials reported last month that hundreds of Taliban insurgents had crossed the border ofAfghanistan and attacked police precincts in Barawal, a village located in Shaltalo area of Dir. At least 28 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were reportedly killed in two days of fighting there, while at least 45 Taliban fighters were killed.

Pakistan has asked for Afghan and US military assistance in the fight against the Taliban rebels.