Don’t listen to the panic merchants
The world is going to end but you can save yourself by subscribing to… These self-help newsletters, websites and email lists are getting a little bit carried away with themselves.
international finance
Wine the big winner post 2011 Budget night
Yes, that’s right. You heard all about it here first. The good news of the day is the successful launch of Fosters’ wine business as a company of its own – Treasury Wine Estates. I for one, intend to celebrate that with a lovely glass of red at the earliest convenience. And while i’m at … Read more
Come and hear a personal account of overseas volunteer work
You may recall a previous post in which the idea of international volunteer work and overseas philanthropy was discussed. Following on from that post, you now have an opportunity to have an informal chat with Mark and Mar and find out first hand some of the benefits and brickbats a commitment to volunteering can deliver. … Read more
Making Sense of Interest Rates, China and the Australian Sharemarket
The Reserve Bank today released the minutes of its Monetary Policy Meeting held on the 5th April. You may recall that the end result of that meeting was that rates were left alone, much to the relief of borrowers around Australia. The commentary was interesting, even if only for the suggestion that interest rates were … Read more
The Global Financial Crisis Exposed
Money, power, bias – and truth. The Global Financial Crisis (now simply designated ‘the GFC’) brought all of these priorities, and the conflicts they cause, into stark view. A new movie “The Inside Job” successfully highlights the interplay of vested interests, hidden compensation and regulatory policy stupidity that suggests not only that the eventual crisis … Read more
RBA Rate Rise – “Just in case”
The RBA has increased interest rates by another 0.25%. Most people won’t notice for a while, as they are still busy enjoying Melbourne Cup luncheons and the like. It is an interesting move, this one. Obviously, any move of rates is a keenly watched event – much like the 150 year old horse race – … Read more
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
Charles Dickens penned these words as the start of his ‘Tale of Two Cities‘ – a stark portrayal of social, political and economic contrasts so vivid that it remains, even today, one of the biggest selling English novels. Why the literary reference? Apart from enjoying the novel immensely, the key phrase most clearly elucidates my … Read more
Let’s look at the global position…
i don’t know about you but at this time of the year i don’t sleep all that much. A financial planner looks at the end of the financial year as a one-way farm gate – if you don’t get all of your clients’ assets and details through that gate then there are opportunities that are irretrievably … Read more
People in glass houses…
Who are YOU calling “PIG”? There is a demeaning acronym given to Euro countries under the spotlight at the moment – “PIGS” (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain). This labelling fuels the feelings of superiority on the part of the finger-pointers and the feeling of oppression by those being pointed at. But how valid are those pointy … Read more
Hot money abandons Australia
Do you think that Governments in Australia will ever realise the impact their decisions can have in a country to relies on foreign capital to the extent that Australia does? In the face of wildly flutuating commodity prices – driven by massive, temporay global stimulus efforts and a surfeit of hot and fast speculative money – … Read more