Financial News Headlines
Financial crisis 'a bonanza' for big banks Finance, 08 Mar :: The Australia Institute has picked the week of another increase in mortgage rates to launch what it claims to be a comprehensive history of the price gouging habits of the big four banks... read more Savings make a comeback Financial Planning, 08 Mar :: Spending up big was all the rage in the noughties but attitudes are changing, say the experts. You've got to hand it to the banks... read more Fast-track your home deposit Home Loans, 08 Mar :: Special-purpose savings accounts can earn up to 34 per cent thanks to government incentives. Surprisingly few people have taken advantage of the new First Home Saver Accounts (FHSAs) despite the lure of a federal government co-contribution and a tax break on interest earnings... read more Ten-year ban for insurance representative Insurance, 08 Mar :: A Victorian insurance representative has been banned from providing financial services as a result of action pursued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)... read more Broad gains cap winning week Sharemarket, 08 Mar :: Gains by resource stocks helped lift the main share index to its biggest weekly advance since Christmas... read more Fees on super funds could soar to $8.2bn Superannuation, 08 Mar :: Australians could be paying $8.2 billion in superannuation commissions a year, triple what they pay now, if the Rudd government fails to stamp out the many hidden commissions that investors unwittingly pay financial planners... read more Banks holding RBA line - for now Home Loans, 03 Mar :: MORTGAGE holders can breathe a guarded sigh of relief after the first official rate rise of the year... read more Rate rise a 'headache' for business Investment, 03 Mar :: The Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decision to lift its key interest rate again is an "unwelcome headache" for business, a business lobby group says... read more Not meeting super obligations can be an expensive mistake Superannuation, 03 Mar :: Small business owners who try to avoid their employee superannuation obligations can now be reported to the Fair Work Ombudsman... read more Prudential buys AIA Insurance, 03 Mar :: American International Group (AIG) has sold its Asia Pacific life insurance business, AIA, to UK-based insurer Prudential for US$35... read more Profitability analysis key to fee-based model Financial Planning, 03 Mar :: Financial planning practices need to properly analyse profitability before they can come up with a fee-for-service remuneration solution... read more Taxpayers to foot $1b bill for under-insured families Insurance, 03 Mar :: A new report reveals the Federal Government will spend more than $1 billion supporting under-insured working families over the next 10 years... read more Rates hike: it's all uphill from here Finance, 03 Mar :: The Reserve Bank has signalled more interest rate rises are on the way after it yesterday lifted the cash rate to 4 per cent... read more Shares shrug off RBA decision Sharemarket, 03 Mar :: The Australian sharemarket has ended the day 0.3 per cent higher, shrugging off the Reserve Bank's decision to raise the cash rate by 0... read more Spare change can liberate your mortgage Home Loans, 26 Feb :: Don't let your spare cash sit idle. Use a home loan offset or redraw account to earn the equivalent of 12... read more Where Centrelink and the taxman differ on super Superannuation, 26 Feb :: ALTHOUGH the new superannuation system is simpler and better, if you get it wrong it can cost you dearly... read more Financial reforms off target Finance, 26 Feb :: Several industry commentators have expressed concerns in recent days that the financial reforms around the world will fail to deal with the real problems that led to the financial crisis and consequent corporate collapses... read more Red flag raised on emerging markets Investment, 26 Feb :: Emerging markets might be the investment theme du jour, but Australians could find chasing this theme exposes them to unnecessarily higher levels of risk, according to research house Morningstar... read more Suncorp life business takes a hit Insurance, 26 Feb :: Suncorp’s life insurance business took a hit in the half year to December 31, 2009, with the Queensland-based bank reporting a 23 per cent fall in net profit for that business arm... read more IAG posts profit surge Insurance, 26 Feb :: Australia's top home and car insurer, Insurance Australia Group, has enjoyed a massive surge in its first-half profit to $329 million... read more Shares plunge amid Greek concerns Sharemarket, 26 Feb :: The Australian sharemarket has closed lower on broad-based falls after fresh worries about Greece’s debt problems and as the bourse digests local earnings results... read more Aussie women seek advice from friends Financial Planning, 23 Feb :: Australian women are more likely to seek financial advice from friends and family, while men are more likely to get advice from the media or a professional, according to new CoreData research... read more Housing affordability plunges on rising prices, rates Home Loans, 23 Feb :: A leading industry group says housing affordability has slumped more than 20 per cent in the past year due to rising interest rates and house prices... read more Convenience at a high price Insurance, 23 Feb :: Direct life insurance can cost up to 8.5 per cent more and offer less. Insurance companies are taking advantage of the more cautious mood of consumers and their underinsurance to crank up the marketing of direct life insurance ??? but the explosion of choice makes it difficult to work out if that special offer you receive in the mail or see on television provides value for money... read more Planners weigh in against Cooper plan Superannuation, 23 Feb :: THE superannuation industry's attack on a controversial proposal for a universal retirement fund has widened with financial planners arguing that the market, rather than the government, was best placed to determine super products... read more NIB steps up asset hunt Insurance, 23 Feb :: PRIVATE health insurer NIB is to make an effort over the rest of this calendar year to secure a highly prized acquisition, otherwise it will hand back its ''war chest'' of cash to shareholders in 2011... read more Investors take heart from Fed's interest rate move Investment, 23 Feb :: INVESTORS have put a positive interpretation on signs that the US Federal Reserve is winding back measures put in place to support US banks during the global financial crisis... read more Shares surge as optimism rebounds Sharemarket, 23 Feb :: Australian stocks closed sharply higher today, powered by banks and resources stocks on fresh economic optimism and upbeat comments from companies reporting results... read more Recovery bolsters mortgage competition Home Loans, 22 Feb :: A RECOVERY in securitisation markets is gathering pace with an increasing number of banks and financiers managing to get away issues that are bolstering competition in the home loan sector... read more Reward skill, not risk-taking Investment, 22 Feb :: The structure of performance-based fees is increasingly coming under fire. Investors who put money into hedge funds, long-short equity funds or other alternative assets in recent years are almost certainly paying too much in investment-management fees... read more |