Fantasy Sports Industry today is growing at an incredibly fast pace. In July 2008 it was a $800 Million Industry with over 29.9 Million players. It has a total market impact of $4.48 billion dollars. Consumers spend $800 million directly on fantasy sports products, but also use an additional $3 billion worth of media products related to the hobby.

For the uninitiated, Fantasy Sport is a game where the player/ user chooses his team of players from amongst the real life players in a sports event – he selects a team and based on the actual performance of his chosen ones on the field, he/she scores points. The Fantasy sport events are played in tune with the real life sports events.

The most popular Fantasy Sports today include Fantasy Cricket, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Tennis, Fantasy Golf, Fantasy Baseball and the like.

These games are not just popular for the kind of big prizes that they offer but also for the reason that these are very challenging and test one’s understanding of the game and the strategy skills pitted against the best from all over the world!

These are played online within communities and allow the user to socialize and network online. These surely add a new dimension to enjoying sports.

One of the major portals in India offering a wide range of Fantasy Sports is the Indian Fantasy League. It has for its users Indian Fantasy Cricket, Indian fantasy Football, Indian Fantasy Tennis and Indian Fantasy Golf. During the Olympics this portal ran a very successful Indian Fantasy Olympics as well.

The users find this very Indian and can relate to the Fantasy Sports offered. Anuj Uppal, a Fantasy sports player for over three years remarks – “Earlier I used to play the European and American Fantasy sports but I always found it tough to follow the matches and the schedules plus baseball and basket ball are not my strong interests but now with sites like Indian Fantasy League – I’ve become a total Fantasy Cricket addict! Every major match in and involving the Indian Team is on it! I’ve even tried out tennis and golf!”

So the Fantasy Sports Industry which is now getting a strong foot hold in the Indian Market has come as a boon to the Indian Fantasy Gamers. And visa versa the good response from users is surely an indication of good times ahead for the Gaming and Sports Industry.

Investors who want to beat the market should be followers of the business cycle. The business cycle is a long-term pattern of changes in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that follows four stages: expansion, prosperity, contraction, and recession. After a recessionary phase, the expansionary phase can start again.

 

Business Cycle Phases

The phases of the business cycle are characterized by changing employment, industrial productivity, and interest rates. Some economists believe that stock price trends precede business cycle stages. As a result, the phases of the business cycle provide the strategic framework for economic activity and investing. The business cycle affects employees, employers and investors. For example:

·         The economy is strong; people are employed and making money. Demand for goods — food, consumer appliances, electronics, and services — increases to the point where it outstrips supply. This demand fuels a rise in prices, or inflation.

·         As prices increase, people ask for higher wages. Higher employment costs translate into higher prices for goods, fueling an upward spiral effect.

·         When prices get too high, consumers decide goods are too expensive and demand decreases. When demand decreases, companies lay off workers because they do not need to make as many goods or provide as much service.

·         Decreasing demand fuels declining prices, which means the economy is in a recession.

·         Lower prices spur demand. As demand picks up, people begin buying again, fueling the need for greater supply. The cycle goes back to the beginning.

Government Intervention

 

When the business cycle does not run smoothly, it can have consequences as disastrous as the Great Depression. That is why governments intervene to try to manage the economy. For example, if it appears that inflation is rising too quickly, the Federal Reserve (the central bank of the U.S. charged with handling monetary policy) may decide to raise interest rates to curtail spending. On the other hand, if the economy is performing poorly, the government may lower taxes and increase spending to spur consumption and investment.

 

Interest rates and the yield curve play a very important role in determining economic activity and the performance of the stock market. Higher interest rates increase the costs to businesses and individuals. Companies must pay more to borrow money for capital investments or to fund daily business operations. Individuals pay more for mortgages as well as other loans they may take out to purchase products. Higher interest rates also increase the demand for money to invest in bonds taking money that could or was invested in the stock market.

 

The yield curve is a plot of the yield on bonds with the same credit quality across different maturities. The basic assumption is you get more interest on your investment in a bond by holding it longer. The theory states there is more risk for holding a bond for 10 years than for 5 years, or for 5 years than for 90 days. Bloomberg provides a current chart of the yield curve for U.S. Treasuries at Bloomberg, an interesting interactive model of the \”living\” yield curve.

 

Implication for Investors

The business cycle has implications for markets and investors. Broadly, a recession often corresponds with a sustained period of weak stock prices, or a bear market. A healthy, expanding economy that keeps inflation from rising too quickly often corresponds with a bull market, or period of sustained market growth.

Fortunately, there are investment strategies for all parts of the business cycle, thanks to the diverse economy we have. Companies that do well when the economy is experiencing good times are called cyclical stocks. Industries that fall under this group include travel and leisure companies, airlines, consumer electronics firms and jewelry makers. Companies that make goods that are necessities, such as food and health care are called non-cyclical stocks. These stocks tend to provide more stability during an economic downturn. During an economic expansion, one should invest in cyclical stocks. On the other hand, during an economic contraction one should consider investing in non-cyclical stocks.

Sam Stovall\’s Sector Investing, 1996 states that different sectors are stronger at different points along the business cycle. Be forewarned, this is a very expensive book, however it is worthwhile, as it is the best explanation of sector rotation.

The hard part is to identify phase of the business cycle. As you might realize, this is no easy matter and many economists get it wrong. Many indicators are published on a regular basis that people use to monitor the economy. Unfortunately, there is not a simple way to make this strategic decision. The best policy is to try not to predict the business cycle, but rather to monitor the economy looking for signs that it is change in leadership. This change takes several months, so you have time to make your assessment. Keep in mind that the stock market is a leading indicator and will attempt to forecast that the economy is beginning to level off or contract and pull back. Unfortunately, these can be false indications as well.

Sector Rotation Strategy

As an investor, I seek to understand where we are in the business cycle to help guide me where to look for opportunities. However, I do not try to forecast the cycle since I realize I am no better than many economists who make it a full time job to make these predictions. Sector rotation can produce excellent opportunities and must be carefully examined when evaluating the business cycle. Just keep in mind that many investors and gurus are wrong when they claim that we are entering a new stage in the business cycle. Fortunately, one strategy works and is simple to implement.

Identify the most significant fundamental factors that influence each sector. For example, in healthcare, the aging population and expansion of healthcare coverage by the U.S. government are major drivers for the sector. These factors should help push the healthcare to be one of the top sectors. Each sector has their factors that are the major drivers. This type of review gives improves your chances to identify which sectors have the most potential and which ones do not. Using this type of analysis, you can rank each sector based on its fundamentals.

A sector tends to stay in a trend for a number of months. Moreover, when a sector starts to trend, up or down, it tends to stay in that trend for many months. Using technical analysis, you can see the trend changes in each sector, as well as, compare the performance of all the sectors over different time periods. This gives you a view of the sector that are leading and the ones that are trailing. You can also rank the sectors based on your technical analysis.

Finally, you can combine the fundamental and technical rankings into a blended order that provides a simple way to see which sectors are expected to do well and which ones are not. Moreover, if you maintain this list over time adjusting for changes in the ranking factors, you can see which sectors are improving and which ones are falling back. This gives you an opportunity to anticipate where you should start to place capital and where you should start to close out positions.

The Bottom Line

The business cycle offers investors a good way to beat the market. A sector rotation strategy that follows the business cycle, offers an excellent way to align one’s portfolio. It also provides a way to create some diversification, since you should invest in several sectors that span the current stage of the economic cycle, rather than just one. This provides your portfolio some diversification while still following the sector rotation model.

 

Ice hockey has been around since 1800, when it was called “Hurley on ice” up in Nova Scotia. However, the game was played on frozen over ponds. There was no such thing as an ice hockey rink. It was something that didn’t occur until 1875, which was when the first organized indoor game of hockey was played. This happened in Montreal at the Victoria Skating Rink. And then it was 1893 when the first Stanley Cup was won, so hockey definitely has quite the amazing history.

But there is a business that has taken off throughout the years and that is ice hockey arena rentals.

The ice hockey arena rental business consists of the ice hockey arena renting out their space for individuals and groups to enjoy some skating time.

When did ice hockey arena rentals begin?

The truth is that it is hard to say when the ice hockey arena rental business began. Back in the late 1800s when there were more than 100 ice hockey teams in Montreal alone, most of them were skating on frozen ponds and lakes. Nevertheless, some of these teams began actually playing rather large tournaments, hence the first Stanley cup in 1893. Since there was a shortage of ice hockey rinks, it is fair to say that the indoor rinks that were established were renting out their spaces. It is also possible that rentals began before that in the pond and lake days because many of these ponds and lakes resided on private property. The owners were not going to let these individuals use their property for nothing, so they most likely let them use it at a cost. This is when everyone on the teams would pull in their money to pay the owner so that they could use their property for the day.

It is really hard to say exactly when ice hockey arena rentals began because there are no official records to go by. Many of the owners would rent based on their own discretion and would just let it go from there. However, it is fair to say that this is something that has been occurring for quite some time.

Modern day ice hockey arena rentals

Now you can rent virtually any ice hockey arena for a price. They are not cheap, but you can rent them to practice if you are into figure skating, if you just want to have fun with your friends, or if you want to have an ice skating event.

For instance, many companies may have ice hockey teams and they will play the ice hockey teams of other companies. When they do this, they need the entire arena staff to help them conduct their game because there will be people watching. This also means operating the concession stands in many cases. This is a great way for the arena to make even more money and it is a great way to make a company look great to all of those who hear of and attend the event.

So although it is hard to tell how long ice hockey arena rentals have been going on, they are definitely a great thing. This means that you don’t just have to be on a professional hockey team to experience the rink. You can be anyone with the cash to rent the arena and give a lot of people a good time. So check with the ice hockey arena in your area and see if you can arrange something for your business, your church, or for personal use. The individuals at the ice hockey rink will quote you prices and you can take it from there.

South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite–ncluding President Barak Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey–Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.

Bookmakers offered odds on the host city choice, with Rio listed as second favorite at +200. Chicago had been the wagering favorite at most books, particularly after President Obama got involved personally in the US bid effort. Chicago was bet as high as a -300 favorite, while Madrid and Tokyo were priced in the +250 range. Some suggest that Tokyo didnt deserve to have such short odds, but was the beneficiary of regional pride from the notoriously enthusiastic betting population of Japan.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, got the better of his US counterpart Barack Obama The Brazilian leader stressed the unfairness that South America had never hosted the games in his speech to the committee;

“It is a time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.”

The Olympic committee was apparently swayed by this presentation and paid no mind to Rios many downsides. It is without a doubt the most dangerous of the finalist cities, where drug cartels and armed bands of thugs roam without impunity. Well do to Rio citizens are used to removing watches and jewelry before they drive anywhere lest they be targeted by carjacking brigands. Rios murder rate is also one of the highest in the world. Brazilian bid officials have stressed that security will be a priority at the games and it better be lest the Olympics turn into a bloodbath. For the time being, however, the mood in Rio was one of celebration with over 50,000 residents dancing and partying in the streets.

Some IOC members suggested that the summary dismissal of Chicagos bid was more of a rebuke of the notoriously corrupt USOC. The last two Olympics held in the US were tainted by crime and corruption. The’96 Atlanta Olympics were disrupted by a terrorist bombing, while the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games were marred by a well known bribery and corruption scandal. Some suggested that US President Obama’s quick and perfunctory visit was taken as more of an insult by the delegates than anything else.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The retirement and un-retirement of Brett Favre is becoming an annual rite of the NFL preseason, and this year is no different. A few months after retiring from football after playing last season with the New York Jets, The Gunslinger is back in the NFL. This year he’ll be slinging balls for the Minnesota Vikings, who’ll pay Favre $12 million bucks if he’s on the opening day roster.

Favre made his announcement at a Tuesday press conference:

“I felt I did everything I possibly could do to get where I need to be. You’re 39, your arm may not feel like it did at 21. But the pieces are in place that you don’t have to do that much and I agree with that. If they were willing to take that chance, I was, too. I don’t know how I’ll feel a year from now, five years from now, but I didn’t want to say what if.

The Vikings will pay Favre $12 million this season and $13 million next season. If he makes the opening day roster in either year, he gets the full amount of the contract though the payments themselves will be deferred. If his level of play isn’t up to par, or should he get injured in training camp the Vikings are still on the hook for $6 million.

Favres mother was even asked for her comment by the Biloxi, MS newspaper. Bonita Favre gave her thoughts on the matter:

“I have mixed emotions, but I have always loved to watch him play. This time, however, I thought he would stay retired and stay home. I guess he could not do it. They Minnesota seem to have a good team in place, and he liked that. I guess I need to get a Vikings jersey now.”

Favre initially decided to not return to the NFL due to a torn rotator cuff suffered last season. After consulting with noted sports physician James Andrews, he had a change of heart:

“I just kept thinking I didn’t want to go through what I did last year. Between three weeks ago and the phone conversation yesterday [with Vikings coach Brad Childress], I talked to Dr. [James] Andrews and he assured me it wouldn’t be an issue. I felt if everyone was going to take that chance, I was to. As friends and family has told me, you never know until you take the chance,”

Favre said that he’s optimistic that the Vikings can make a deep run in the NFL playoffs:

“I felt from my standpoint that I could offer some experience and leadership, and I have to admit through this whole process after I said no three weeks ago, sometimes I was OK with it, and other times I said. I can really help this team.”

Favre will wear his iconic #4, thanks to Vikings fourth string QB Josh David Booty who graciously gave up the number. Booty will wear #9. Viking QBs Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson who were competing for the starting job will now be relegated to backup status.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.