Expense ratio decline for Vanguard’s International Shares ETF

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Vanguard has announced the expense ratio for the Vanguard All-World Ex-US Shares Index ETF (VEU) has declined from 0.22 per cent p.a. to 0.18 per cent p.a*. Keeping investment costs low... Read more continue reading

Could ASEAN stocks outperform for a fifth year in 2012?

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ASEAN economies are expected to grow between 3% and 5% this year – will their sharemarkets echo this? Many of Asia’s biggest stock markets had a poor 2011. That helped... Read more continue reading

Battle-scarred companies winning the fight – corporate profit season

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CommSec has assessed the results of 131 companies from the ASX 200 index that reported half-year (HY) results to December 2011 (results for the six months to December) and 24... Read more continue reading

Oliver’s Insights: will the world slip up on oil again?

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World oil prices are rising again. Since its low last October, US West Texas Intermediate is up 40% and Asian Tapis oil prices (which drives Australian petrol prices) are up... Read more continue reading

RBA Testimony conveys confidence in domestic economy

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The Reserve Bank Governor has delivered the clearest message yet that the Central Bank has a strong degree of confidence in the outlook for the domestic economy. The tone and... Read more continue reading

Weekly economic and market update

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Euro-zone finance ministers agreed to Greece receiving a second bailout. However, the Greek tragedy is far from over. Greece has to implement agreed policy actions, private investor haircuts need to... Read more continue reading

Wages winners & losers

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Average weekly ordinary time earnings rose by just 0.5 per cent in the December quarter with private sector wages up 0.4 per cent and public sector wages up 0.7 per... Read more continue reading

The low return investment world 10 years on…

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A decade has now passed since I first wrote a note suggesting that we are coming into an environment of low and volatile investment returns. At the time I and... Read more continue reading

Industry authority launches ETF Global Insight

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Award-winning ETF authority, Deborah Fuhr, together with her long-established team, announced today the formation of ETF Global Insight, an independent research and consultancy firm aimed at providing services to the... Read more continue reading

TAL is the AFA/Plan for Life’s 2011 Life Company of the Year

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As well as taking the top award TAL also took out the Life Insurance/Total and Permanent Disability (Life/TPD) product award and was runner up in three other categories: the Trauma... Read more continue reading