Exploring the CleanTech ETF

PowerShares Cleantech Portfolio Exchange Traded Fund – (Ticker: PZD)

Traded since October of 2006, PZD tracks the Cleantech Index (CTIUS) and trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). PZD provides investors with the only easy-to-access, low-cost, and liquid means to invest in a broad range of leading cleantech companies across the various cleantech sub-sectors. Options on  PZD are also available.

The CleanTech ETF gives investors an easy way to invest in the broad cleantech investment category – and with less risk than previously possible.

The index is comprised of 78 companies that are global leaders in cleantech across a broad range of industry sectors, from alternative energy and energy efficiency to advanced materials, air & water purification, eco-friendly agriculture/nutrition, power transmission, and more.

Similar to the Dow Jones 30 Industrials Index, CTIUS contains leading cleantech companies that we believe have staying power and the ability to exploit rapidly growing and evolving markets. CTIUS is a growth stock index of leading clean technology companies worldwide – not a ‘laundry list’ of every company in the sector or companies recently re-branded as ‘green’.

Google responds to Chinese Web Attacks – How Google Will Move Foreward

Google (GOOG analysis discuss) – Below is the official response about the Chinese Attacks and how the search giant plans to approach China moving foreward.

reprinted from the Official Google Blog

1/12/2010 03:00:00 PM Like many other well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident–albeit a significant one–was something quite different.

First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses–including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors–have been similarly targeted. We are currently in the process of notifying those companies, and we are also working with the relevant U.S. authorities.

Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.

Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users’ computers.

We have already used information gained from this attack to make infrastructure and architectural improvements that enhance security for Google and for our users. In terms of individual users, we would advise people to deploy reputable anti-virus and anti-spyware programs on their computers, to install patches for their operating systems and to update their web browsers. Always be cautious when clicking on links appearing in instant messages and emails, or when asked to share personal information like passwords online. You can read more here about our cyber-security recommendations. People wanting to learn more about these kinds of attacks can read this U.S. government report (PDF), Nart Villeneuve’s blog and this presentation on the GhostNet spying incident.

We have taken the unusual step of sharing information about these attacks with a broad audience not just because of the security and human rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech. In the last two decades, China’s economic reform programs and its citizens’ entrepreneurial flair have lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty. Indeed, this great nation is at the heart of much economic progress and development in the world today.

We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results. At the time we made clear that “we will carefully monitor conditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on our services. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectives outlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China.”

These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.

The decision to review our business operations in China has been incredibly hard, and we know that it will have potentially far-reaching consequences. We want to make clear that this move was driven by our executives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvement of our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to make Google.cn the success it is today. We are committed to working responsibly to resolve the very difficult issues raised.

Posted by David Drummond, SVP, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer

Google may pull out of China after Web Attacks

Google (GOOG analysis discuss) is considering shutting down its China operations and website after hackers in China coordinated a “highly sophisticated” cyber-attack on the Internet search giant in December and targeted at least a score of other major corporations, it said on Tuesday.

Google [GOOG 590.48 -10.63 (-1.77%) GOOG analysis discuss ] said the hackers had tried to access the Gmail email accounts of Chinese human rights activists, but only managed to access two unidentified accounts, and then only headlines and other data such as when an account was created.

It did not say what information the hackers tried to access from the other corporations, nor which they were. Google said it was working with the U.S. authorities. Click here for after-hours Google stock quotes.

“We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all,” Google said in a statement.

“We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”

reprinted from AP & CNBC

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Why Join INO Market Club? – Here’s Why

I am tired and frustrated by seeing individuals getting ripped off with all these get rich quick systems that look great on paper, but fail miserably in the real world.

Call it my personal crusade to help others become better investors and traders.

I have just finished a new video on the logic that I want to share with you to kick off this crusade.

You can watch the video here with my complements.

Twtter.com down – again

Just checked my twitter account and it’s down. This time it appears Iranian Hackers have claimed responsibility and according to TechCrunch the site was defaced with the following message…

THIS SITE HAS BEEN HACKED BY IRANIAN CYBER ARMY

iRANiAN.CYBER.ARMY@GMAIL.COM

U.S.A. Think They Controlling And Managing Internet By Their Access, But THey Don’t, We Control And Manage Internet By Our Power, So Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples To….

NOW WHICH COUNTRY IN EMBARGO LIST? IRAN? USA?
WE PUSH THEM IN EMBARGO LIST
Take Care.

 According to an article about the recent defacement of Twitter.com on iTechReport.com – Twitter has always had scalability issues – leading to downtime frequently. Recently however, on the back of more funding and more employees the service has managed to scale up and remain up more often than it is down.

Stock Message Boards are the Best

stock-message-boards.com

I just wanted to take a moment to announce something I’ve been working diligently on over the last few weeks. Now that I think it’s ready for prime-time, let me say thanks to my regular visitors for supporting my efforts to do what I love to do. You’ve made StockChartGrabber.com a success and with your continued support, this new effort will be just as grand.

Oh yes, the new site… it’s called Stock-Message-Boards.com So why another stock message board site? Let me answer this way… Aside from the fact that stock message board sites seem to be an extremely popular hang-out for many traders, SMB is a natural addition to my stock market info-related efforts. I think it will be a nice fit over time. But I’ve also got a sort of complainy reason for doing this so here it is. I’ve found many of the boards I frequent are plain difficult to work with. For instance, on the google finance message board, If I feel like posting a comment nowadays there’s this labyrinth of clicks and tricks to navigate just to post a question. The entire operation should be taking a minute and a half, not five. So enough complaining from me…Not saying I’m giving up on it entirely, I’ve got pals on there. I just want to have an alternative…

So I built this stock message board with ease and speed in mind. I don’t have TONS of financial content, just the basics, news, charts quotes (real-time of course) and  it’s super-easy to post, which I like and I think you will like too. My favorite feature is that you will likely have already logged into one of the many social apps that we support. What’s that do for you? You won’t need to log in when you want to post a comment or question. If you use Facebook, twitter, open-id and a handful of other sites, you’ll already be ready to post as soon as you punch in your favorite stock ticker.

Even though getting a new message board under way will be a huge effort long-term, I think we can do it. So let’s get it started by visiting and post a comment or two while you’re there. We’ll see how it goes…