Understanding Below-Market Sea Freight Rates: Opportunity or Illusion?

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In the highly competitive world of global trade, the cost of shipping plays a crucial role in determining a company’s profit margins and supply chain efficiency. As businesses search for ways to lower logistics costs, many are drawn to below-market sea freight rates that promise significant savings. But what exactly does “below market” mean in this context, and are these deals too good to be true?

What Are Below-Market Sea Freight Rates?
Below-market sea freight rates refer to prices that fall significantly under the prevailing shipping cost for a particular route, container size, and time frame. These can be offered by freight forwarders, carriers, or digital platforms seeking to attract volume or offload unused capacity.

Typical reasons for reduced rates include:

Excess shipping capacity

Seasonal demand slumps

Consolidated or shared containers (LCL shipments)

Promotions by new carriers or digital freight marketplaces

Why Carriers Offer Below-Market Rates
In certain regions or times, container ships may run under capacity, especially on backhaul routes (e.g., U.S. to China after peak season). To recover fuel and port fees, carriers may sell space at lower rates rather than let it go empty.

Digital freight forwarders may also offer lower rates by optimizing logistics through automation, AI-powered route selection, or bulk contracts with ocean carriers.

Benefits to Shippers
For businesses, tapping into below-market rates can:

Improve cash flow by lowering logistics costs

Allow more price competitiveness in the end market

Encourage smaller exporters or startups to enter international markets

Support inventory flexibility by enabling more frequent shipments

Caveats and Limitations
However, below-market pricing isn’t always sustainable or transparent. Shippers must be aware of:

Hidden surcharges (e.g., fuel, port, customs fees)

Lack of tracking or customer support

Longer transit times or fewer service guarantees

Unreliable delivery windows, which can hurt supply chain planning

Conclusion
Below-market sea freight rates can offer real cost advantages but they aren’t without risks. Shippers should evaluate providers carefully, read the fine print, and consider both short-term savings and long-term supply chain stability. When used strategically, low freight rates can be a competitive edge rather than a logistical liability.

Litecoin Now Supported by StormShop

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StormShop now supports Litecoin (LTC), the world’s fifth-largest cryptocurrency. The e-commerce platform lets consumers earn cryptocurrency rewards for shopping online. Finally, users get a chance to gain upwards of 40% back in LTC. This can happen if they shop at top retailers like eBay, Macy’s, GameStop, Princess Cruise Lines, and Microsoft.
StormShop is a reward-based e-commerce web plugin from Seattle-based StormX. They integrated the plugin with more than 290 merchants across some industries, such as travel, food, and entertainment.

Once users shop online at the participating retailers, they could earn cashback in Litecoin for every purchase anywhere and using any device.

StormX CEO Simon Yu stated they designed the platform to enable users to monetize their online activities. He explained, “Getting the chance to work with Charlie and the Litecoin Foundation to reward our users with Litecoin is another step towards mass adoption. Consumers spend so much time and money online.”

Yu also added that users share their data freely, which ensures they don’t leave any cash on the table with their online interactions is a core tenet of what they are building at StormX. In addition to that, they can now reward users with an increasing number of the most secure and popularly adopted crypto globally for their online interactions.

For quite some time, the firm has been ramping up joint efforts. It plans to make crypto a famous payment method for everyday items.

Then, StormShop revealed that they’d added brands in the platform such as Tom and Teddy, Halo Hair, Designed by Humans, JClub.com, Makeup Eraser, Maurices, Orig3n, Saucony, and Ooh La Luxe.

In the announcement, the integration of Litecoin will also merge with StormPlay. So far, it has earned users 249 BTC, 843 ETH, and 843.7 million STORM for finishing microtasks. Binance.US iOS Apps

More on crypto news, Binance.US, a trading platform of Binance in the U.S., is asking its users to beta test the soon to come Binance.US iOS app. On December 18, Binance.US tweeted the announcement that the iOS app is now in the beta testing phase. And now, the firm is inviting its active community to help in testing the app.

Moreover, the beta testing phase will provide Binance.US the possibility to address potential flaws. Following this, they will have them resolved before launching the app to a broader audience. Then, beta testers will use the app in a specific period. They will report any bugs or issues encountered and give feedback about the app. This will help Binance.US to think whether the app is ready for full release or not.

Now, interested people who plan to participate in the beta testing phase can apply at the Binance.US Twitter account. The date is not clear on when the beta testing will be available for Android mobile phone users.

Also, Binance.US has not given any specifics about the iOS app.

Furthermore, in early November, Binance.US revealed that the exchange offers its customers the opportunity to buy cryptocurrencies with a debit card. And this joins existing U.S. dollar on-ramp and off-ramps, including the automated clearinghouse (ACH) and bank wire.

Get the latest economy news, trading news, and Forex news on Finance Brokerage. Check out our comprehensive trading education and list of best Forex brokers list here. Subscribe now and receive FREE updates on the market today!

The Serious Job of Protecting Client Information

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6 Important Small Business Cyber Security Tips
Chances are, you think twice before entering your credit card information online to buy something, watch out for malicious links in emails and keep your PC updated against viruses, spyware and hackers.

However, how much thought do you put into your small business data security and protecting client information?

Hopefully a lot, because according to Microsoft: • An attacker resides within a network for an average of 146 days before detection • The average cost of a data breach to a business is $3.8 million • The total cost of cybercrime to the global community in 2016 was $500 billion • 63 percent of attacks are the result of compromised user passwords and usernames

As these threats continue to become more sophisticated, legislation must too. ]

In Canada, many government departments such as the Department of Justice, RCMP, Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada work together with international, federal and provincial law enforcement agencies against cybercrime. That’s great, but you want to stop any potential attacks before your clients’ data security is breached!

And, if you’re thinking that your site is too small to appeal to hackers, think again. Sometimes a cybercriminal’s intention isn’t to gather sensitive content, but to relay spam emails from your server. Let’s use the example of a membership site for these small business cybersecurity tips.

A membership website has specific resources available for members who generally pay a one-time or recurring fee to get content such as videos, eBooks, articles or tutorials. My AMPLiFY! Business Academy is an example of this type of website. Because people are entering sensitive information such as email addresses, passwords and payment information to access my content, we need to be vigilant about how we keep them safe from online threats. (A secure site is also more likely to earn trust, which in turn can increase revenue.) To help safeguard your clients’ data security, I suggest that you:

1. Choose a reputable web host. Don’t just go for the cheapest! I compiled a list of web hosting providers that I recommend; you can view it here.

2. Install an SSL certificate on your site. This means having HTTPS vs. HTTP in the URL. This is the prefix to your web address, and the SSL provides additional security and makes it harder for hackers to access.

You can often add this service to your web hosting package for free, or for a small cost. An added bonus: a secure site can actually rank higher in Google.

3. As soon as you see a new software update, install it. Many membership sites are built in WordPress, which lets you simply click the ‘Update Now’ button. This helps keep cybercriminals from taking advantage of security flaws in older versions. Similarly, look for plugins to help manage online security. 4. Enforce complex passwords. Request or even demand that users create passwords with a combo of upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. This will deter people from using ‘12345’ as a password. You can also install a plugin on your WordPress site that only gives someone a number of tries to log in to before they’re locked out. 5. Approve comments manually. Spammers love unattended comments! They can post links there that a) may drive traffic back to their site and b) may trick Google (however briefly) into thinking that their site has valuable content.

6. Clean up information that’s no longer relevant. Previous members, people who have cancelled, those who have completed your course… get rid of user info and payment info as often as you can. By following these small business cyber security tips, you can minimize the risk that your website is going to be targeted by scammers or cybercriminals.

Don’t cut corners when it comes to protecting client information, and you can create a safe space for loyal fans who feel comfortable handing over their personal and payment info.

Of course, there are many more components to maintaining a secure website. We’re experts at keeping our clients’ data secure so that they can focus on running an effective business.

Real Estate Investing Roadmap

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Many business people believe that real estate investing is one of the safest ways to make money, protect your assets and grow wealth. Investing in real properties has many different avenues, creative financing and various ways to diversify. The majority of new real property investors tend to start off buying single family homes because this is what they are used to. A real estate investing roadmap can be easier because these new investors generally understand how to finance and maintain single family homes.

Let’s start with the first piece of the roadmap and that is capital. There are many people who say that a home is the most important asset one owns. However what they leave out is the amount of capital needed to make it work. In general real estate investing in investment property often requires 30% down payment, which means 70% of the property is financed. So, if the property is $200,000, you are still putting down $60,000 with the majority of the home being financed.

Another component of the roadmap is learning about the market. Seminars are a great way to not only learn about real estate investing, but also about what are the best areas to invest. Many seminars are put on my brokers and some institutional lenders. Yes, their goal is to sell you on purchasing, but if you keep an open, yet cautious mind on the information, you can quickly deduce the best areas in which to invest. You should also double check their sales pitch and do your own offline research.

A great deal making opportunity in the real estate investing roadmap is to find motivated sellers. These are pretty easy to find right now, especially because of the market downturn. Foreclosure and short sale opportunities do exist. The best thing to do is to find these buyers BEFORE they become owned by the bank (REO). Although banks are pretty open now to give great deals on properties they own because they are not in the business of owning real estate.

Understand your market is a lesson your parents and my parents told me over and over again. If you just buy property without regard for location, local market dynamics, title ownership, etc., you will get burned. It doesn’t matter whether you are getting a great deal on a property; there are many external factors that can affect your ultimate sale. So make sure you know where you are buying and why defects there may be physically and on paper.

Your real estate investing roadmap should also include hiring a broker… and make sure they are reputable. The job of the broker is to help you wade through the above title, market dynamics, etc. And, generally speaking, you do not pay the real estate broker. They are paid by the seller. So, it really is a win for you as a buyer.

Finally, once you’ve decided that you’ve found a great opportunity, move on it. Chances are if you found a great deal, there will be others willing to move quickly as well. You should make sure you have all your ducks lined up ahead of time. This is especially true today since there are so many properties on the market due to the financial meltdown.

So, a real estate investing roadmap is key to finding success in real estate investments.

10 Fitness Tips

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In order to succeed in the world of fitness, you need to have a baseline of rules to follow when trying to reach your goals. In order to see maximal results on your journey to achieve your dream body, here’s a general outline to do so:

1. Wear loose, comfortable clothing if you are not exercising in leotards and tights.

2. Wear shoes that are comfortable to you, preferably sneakers.

3. Don’t eat a heavy meal for at least two hours before you exercise.

4. Exercise at least 3 times a week at a time that suits you best.

5. If you are not feeling well, conserve your energy for getting better. Leave your exercise program until you have recovered.

6. Always STOP if anything hurts – listen to your body.

7. Never strain. You will cause injury to your body if you push it too hard and over-achieve.

8. The key to total fitness is to build up gradually – find your own level to begin with. As you improve, increase the intensity/volume for each exercise.

9. If you are in any doubt as the whether you should be attempting these exercises, consult your doctor – particularly if you suffer from a heart condition, a serious weight problem, varicose veins or an asthmatic illness.

10. These exercises can be done to a strong rhythm, so choose a record that you will enjoy working out to. If necessary half-time your exercises to the music beat – slow exercises not only minimize the risk of incorrect form but take more effort to sustain!