Cocoa

Have you ever had a craving for a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven on a cold winter’s day? Most of us have. You can always make easy cookies from premade dough, but it is not as good as homemade cookies. If you want to learn how to make easy, delectable chocolate chip cookies from scratch, you’ve come to the right place. With this simple recipe, you’re cookie craving will always be satisfied.

Hough, Andrew. "Eating Chocolate 'can Help Relieve Pain', Study Claims." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 14 October 2009. Web. 28 July 2015.

The New York Stock Exchange has been a part of the United States financial landscape almost as long as the country has existed. Less than twenty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the forefathers of the American dream started what would become the most dominate stock exchange in the world. “The history of the New York Stock Exchange begins with the signing of the Buttonwood Agreement by twenty-four New York City

Chocolate has been a very important part of my life since I was growing in my mother's belly (she used to eat lots of chocolate while she was pregnant). That's why, I decided to do some research, and then selected 5 facts so I could show them to you.

The New York Stock Exchange traces its origin back 200 years. Centuries of growth and innovation the NYSE remains the world's foremost securities marketplace. Over the years its commitment to investors has been unwavering and its persistent application of the latest technology has allowed it to maintain a level of market quality and service that is unparalleled. The NYSE has grown to become the global marketplace of today.

“The Dark Side of Chocolate” is a documentary that explores the underlying issues prevalent in the cocoa trade. For most first world countries chocolate is seen as an accessible treat, however in third world countries, the production of cocoa creates social issues that must be eliminated. Cocoa trade is one of the largest industries in West African countries, but the issues that arise from such trade do more harm than good. The cocoa plantations are trafficking humans to work on their plantations. Furthermore, most instances suggest that these workers do not receive any compensation for their work and most importantly some of these slave laborers are children. Thus, the three issues that the cocoa companies routinely commit in exchange for lower costs are human trafficking, slave labor, and child labor. These companies are aware of such issues but refuse to actively combat them because they are better off financially. It can be argued that these issues can be mitigated through various social, governmental and political policies aimed at combating these problems. The three main issues will be addressed and the various stakeholders affected by these issues will be analyzed. Then this paper will look at the possible solutions to these issues, whereby through government, social or political means.

Swap is defined as an agreement or contract between counterparties for the purpose to manage their exposure to risk. Our paper will specifically discuss about one of the commodity derivatives called as Agricultural Swap and referring to the the Agriculture Swap Contract Product (ASC) Disclosure Statement issued by Westpac Banking Corporation dated in 10 February 2016. The main purpose of entering into Agricultural Swap is to manage the exposure of the agriculture price’s movement by locking the price of the agriculture for a long period (Barned 2012). Agriculture seller or buyer is entitled to exchange a floating price for a fixed price for a specified commodity (Westpac Banking Corporation 2016).

Chocolate. It is an American necessity. The prominence of chocolate in the American lifestyle is anything but new; it is a “go-to” gift for Valentines Day, Easter, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and was recently named the top snack in a global survey (Wong). The evolution of the cacao plant into chocolate exhibits ongoing cultural and economic effects that cacao has and have had on Latin America and its import countries, from the use of cacao in ceremonies and rituals and for medicinal purposes, to colonial cacao plantations, and finally to present-day mass production of chocolate and chocolate products. Long-term high demand for chocolate has kept the market for cocoa beans open; today, there exists various fair trade agreements between

Trade refers to the activities of different parties that involve voluntary negotiations and exchange of goods and services between them . Trade has existed traditional with an evolution of the conventions of exchange through that different period. Initially, people exchanged goods to receive others or to gain a service from another person. The name for this strategy of business is barter trade, but it has faded considerably in the modern markets . The traditions have changed since the advent of money and currencies that now serve as the central medium for trade. Despite the evolution of the mediums of exchange, the principles of trade have remained the same where different parties offer some commodities in return for others. The theory opens up to the idea of the international trade that refers to the exchange of goods and services between the borders of two or more countries . The argument behind the establishment of trade is to ensure that the commodities get a way of distribution around the market so that different people can access them. The technique gives an opportunity to people to satisfy the demand that others have in different regions and gain other goods or services from them. It enables people to substitute the products they have in surplus for those they do not have.

Choose any futures exchange and elaborate on its characteristics and give a detailed description of its activities.

Are you a fan of dark chocolate? If you are, here’s a piece of good news for you. Research has shown that dark chocolate can lead to enhanced memory. Dark chocolate contains a substance known as Epicatechin (Epi). Through a research done using snails as test subjects, it has been proven that these substances are powerful bio-active substances that help to alter cognitive ability. It has been proven that Epi has led to lower rates of cognitive impairment whereby the improved cognitive performance is most significant in older people.

Futures are defined as an agreement that obligates the buyer to purchase an underlying security at a specific price in the future (Bodie, et al, 2011). The contracts are standardized and guaranteed by the exchange clearing house because they trade within secondary markets and also often get settled with cash (Donohoe, 2015). Futures trading is considered significant for those products whose demand and actual supply has a lag between such as agricultural and base metal products. A commodity that is purchased on the delivery date indicates that the trader has taken a long position well as the trader who commits to delivering the commodity at the maturity date is said to be in the short position

I. Securities Markets A) Types of Securities Markets 1. The Primary Market a. Going Public: The IPO Process b. The Investment Banker’s Role 2. Secondary Markets B) Organized Securities Exchanges 1. The New York Stock Exchange a. Trading Activity b. Listing Policies 2. The American Stock Exchange 3. Regional Stock Exchanges 4. Options Exchanges 5. Futures Exchanges C) The Over-the-Counter Market 1. New Issues and Secondary Distributions 2. The Role of Dealers 3. Nasdaq 4. Alternative Trading Systems D) General Market Conditions: Bull or Bear Concepts in Review II. Globalization of Securities Markets A) Growing Importance of International Markets B) International Investment

Futures predate stocks by several thousand years. One of the earliest recognized futures transactions was the Chinese rice futures of 6,000 years ago. In the seventeenth century, Japan instituted the first organized rice futures exchange. Japanese merchants would store rice in warehouses for future use. Warehouse holders would in turn sell receipts against the stored rice. Gradually, these "rice tickets" became accepted as general currency, and rules were developed to standardize their exchange. The agricultural problem that existed 6,000 years ago in China-maintaining a year-round supply of a seasonal product-reared its ugly head in the U.S. Midwest of the 1800s.

The most actively agricultural futures are traded on the CME, and it is in the very hours of the trading session on the Chicago Stock Exchange experienced traders advise to make deals.