Building approvals slump; QLD retailers benefit from rebuilding

From

Building Approvals; Retail trade; Private Sector Credit Council approvals to build news homes fell by 7.4 per cent in February after sliding by a revised 11.6 per cent in the... Read more continue reading

Mining drives Aussie sharemarket

From

Financial market trends The mining sector is now the primary driving force behind the Australian sharemarket. In terms of volumes of shares traded in March, mining volumes were double that... Read more continue reading

Manufacturing contraction… again

From

Performance of Manufacturing The Performance of Manufacturing index fell from 51.1 to 47.9 in March – marking the sixth contraction in the sector in the space of seven months Key... Read more continue reading

Count announces appointment of new Senior Executive

From

Leading accountant-based financial planning group Count Financial Limited (Count) has today announced the appointment of Lee Tonitto to the role of Senior Executive – Business Development, Marketing & Events. Reporting... Read more continue reading

Investor Signposts: Week Beginning March 27 2011

From

The big picture There is an old adage in economics – there are lies, damned lies and statistics. And when it comes to the issue of housing valuations and affordability,... Read more continue reading

AMP AXA merger takes effect

From

The merger of AMP Limited (AMP) and AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Limited (AXA APH) Australian and New Zealand businesses has been implemented today. AXA APH is now wholly owned by... Read more continue reading

Investor Signposts: Week Beginning April 3 2011

From

The big picture The Reserve Bank Board meets again on Tuesday to decide interest rate settings. But this month – as was the case last month – there is no... Read more continue reading

House prices slide to near 2-year lows

From

House Prices Capital city home prices were unchanged in seasonally adjusted terms in February after a 1.5 per cent slide in the prior month according to the RP Data-Rismark Hedonic... Read more continue reading

Record migration slump dampens population growth

From

Population Australia’s population grew by 345,500 people over the year to September. Population growth increased by 1.57 per cent over the past year – the weakest growth rate in four... Read more continue reading

SPAA says raise the caps or exclude non-concessional contributions

From

If the annual $50,000 cap can’t be raised for everyone aged 50+, then exclude non-concessional contributions from the mooted $500,000 threshold super balance. The Self Managed Super Fund Professionals Association... Read more continue reading