La Niña weather event still dominates

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La Niña update Our last update on the La Niña weather event was published on February 14. At that time the Southern Oscillation index hit an 11-week low of +16.6

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Consumers start spending again

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CBA Business Spending index In line with anecdotal evidence, consumer spending strengthened in February. The Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI) rose by 0.5 per cent in trend terms in

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NakedFunds uncovers investment in Graincorp

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The NakedFunds Australian Share Fund (NakedFunds) has invested in Graincorp (GNC). Each month NakedFunds directly engages with its Members (investors and potential investors) while conducting detailed research and analysis on

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AustralianSuper welcomes launch of MoneySmart.gov.au

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Website will support consumers to make better financial decisions AustralianSuper today announced its support for ASIC’s new personal finance website MoneySmart, launched this afternoon by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.

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Credit cards on the outer; Petrol on the rise

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Credit card lending; Weekly Petrol Price Credit card balances are growing at the slowest annual pace in 16 months. The average credit card balance in January was up just 0.8

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The prohibitive cost of opt-in

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The cost of opt-in, estimated by Treasury and revealed in Senate Estimate hearings late last month, will effectively add around $100,000 to the running costs of an ‘average’ advisory practice.

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Construction lending hits two year low

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Consumer sentiment; Housing finance Lending to build new homes slumped in January. Loans to build homes fell by 9.4 per cent in January to their lowest level in two years.

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AMP welcomes AXA APH minority shareholder approval

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AMP Limited today welcomed the decision of AXA APH minority shareholders to vote in favour of the proposal to merge the Australian and New Zealand businesses of AXA APH with

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning February 27 2011

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The big picture The role of a business economist is to educate, inform and occasionally entertain. But most people merely want business economists to explain what key issues mean in

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CommInsure and Tower share line honours in AFA/Plan For Life 2010 Life Company of the Year Awards

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Two insurers have shared line honours in the prestigious AFA/Plan for Life 2010 Life Company of the Year Awards (the Awards). At the Awards presentation in Sydney today, CommInsure and

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