Australian Business News and Times

Business News ,Reports and Times of Australia

2012

Australia: One of the greatest places in the world to live but at what cost?

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New Cost of Living Comparison data reveals exactly what prices people are paying across the UK, America and Australia and shows just how expensive Australia’s cost of living is.

numbeo compariosn cost of living by budget direct us uk australia

Whether it’s surfing the net, grabbing a bite out with friends after work or going to see the latest blockbuster movie, on average Australians are paying some of the highest prices in the world.

Cost of living – World  and Australia comparison

One of the standout differences was the cost of a pre-paid mobile phone tariff. Australians are paying on average nearly four times more for this than the US and nearly three times more than they are in the UK. When comparing the individual cities LA costs $0.11 per minute compared to Sydney, which is nearly 9 times more at $1.00 per minute.

Clothing prices also set an expensive trend in Australia with Aussies paying on average 57 per cent more for clothes and shoes than they are in the US or the UK. One particular price comparison that stood out from this was a pair of Nike trainers. In the US and UK these would sell for approximately $90 where as in Australia they would cost approximately $150, a staggering 60 per cent more. No wonder Aussies like to go online to stock up on their favorite wardrobe essentials.

An individual bottle of your favourite soft drink, like Coke or Pepsi, may not go down as smoothly knowing that it costs less than half price in some parts of the US than it does in Australia.

The comparison tool, which uses data collected primarily from Numbeo; the world’s largest database of user-contributed data, allows users to compare three cities across a number of key categories including their Weekly Shop, Living and Getting Around.

Aussies will be pleased to know that one of their beloved simple pleasures, coffee, was cheaper on average than the UK and the US.

To see how much your weekly shop costs in Sydney compared to London or to see how much a night out would cost in Melbourne compared to Los Angeles please visit the cost comparison tool which can be found here.

Show Your Appreciation: Five Tips for Corporate Gift Giving Finesse

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Use corporate gifts to solidify the relationship you have with your existing clients and reconnect with long lost customers. “Corporate gifts”, given at an appropriate time, may also serve to demonstrate your appreciation to the people who chose to do business with you.

gifts galore in australia dia

How to give corporate gifts

In any industry, there’s bound to price based competition. But since you can only discount your products so far, you’ll have to resort to other ways to show your appreciation to customers who remain loyal to your business. Giving corporate gifts such as gift boxes or hampers, designed with your message in mind, is just one way to reward your customers.

Sometimes the lines between gift giving and brides can become blurred, and your generosity can leave your business vulnerable to accusations of being unethical. This is why it is necessary to follow a few basic rules in your gift giving. Even more crucial, you must keep in mind that your gifts represent your business, so they must be of the highest quality. Here are some basic rules for corporate gift giving.

Maintain the Standard

Cheap and low quality gifts could tarnish the image you’ve worked so hard to build. If you’re investing in gifts to send to your customers, make sure that they’re made of the finest materials. Pens should be quality pens that work, mugs should be made from the finest quality materials, and gift baskets should be assembled using the best quality products.

Make It Personal

While you might be tempted to give your corporate clients business gear with your name engraved on the packaging, a self-indulgent gift makes a bigger impression on the client’s mind. Gourmet, bath and body, or wine gift baskets are most appropriate for momentous occasions.

Think about the Recipient

Consider the appropriateness of the gift for the recipient. Corporate gift giving policies and cultural barriers will influence your decision, but you should also know something about the person you’re giving the gift to. For instance, an alcohol wine basket may not be appropriate for a non-drinker. So make a few observations and ask questions –maybe with check the client’s secretary- before you purchase the gift.

Include a Handwritten Message

The courtesy of hand written messages seems to be a long forgotten art. Write a pleasant note to your client to identify yourself as the sender, and don’t make the mistake of signing the gift with the Happy Holidays greeting. A hand written note thanking the client for their business and explaining why you chose to send the gift will remove any doubt and opportunities for baseless accusations. More than that, a handwritten note, because it’s so rare, will leave a positive impact on your client’s mind.

Don’t wait for Special Occasions

You don’t have to wait for a special time of the year to show your appreciation to your corporate clients and customers. In fact, giving a gift outside of special occasions generally has a bigger impact than those holiday gifts your clients will receive gifts from everyone else.

William Dawson is a former corporate officer and grandfather of seven. Now retired, he spends his days boating, but when the weather won’t permit that, he likes to share what he has learned on various Internet blog sites. He recommends corporate gifts for your loved ones.

Spending Money to Make Money; The Advantages and Benefits of a College Loan

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Education is of vital importance to the success of any economy, local or federal. A higher level of education will drive the overall skill set of a labor force. This helps to stimulate job growth.

student loans and benefits australia and US grants

A higher skilled work force will also increase employment and wage rates. However, a college education is extremely costly. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the average annual cost to attend a college was $22,261 for an in-state public school, and $43,289 for a private school. In a stagnant economy, these prices can seem very daunting, and the ability to attain an education may not be thought as possible. However, the federal government also recognizes this problem, and as a result, has constructed a student loan program that offers a variety of benefits and breaks for people wanting to get a college education. This has enabled countless individuals to successfully meet their educational goals, and obtain the college degrees that they desire.

Benefits of taking a Student loan

There are five major benefits that generally come with taking out a student loan. The first of these benefits is that a federal loan has a fixed interest rate. This means that the interest rate of the loan will not fluctuate during the fixed rate period of the loan, no matter what condition the economy may be in. This allows borrowers to accurately predict their future payments, enabling them to financially budget their future efficiently.

A major concern amongst borrowers is that if they are disabled or pass away while they have an outstanding loan, that their debt will be transferred to their family members. This is not be a concern among people who have a federal student loan, because the second major benefit to a federal student loan is that the government provides free loan insurance. This means that in the unfortunate event that an individual either dies or becomes disabled while their loan is still outstanding, that the federal government will cover the cost of their debt.

Another common concern amongst borrowers is that they will not be able to financially balance their loan payments while they also attend their college classes. This brings us to the third benefit of student loans, which is that the government will allow students to defer loan payments as long as they are enrolled as a half-time student. However, this benefit can be risky depending on the terms of the loan. Borrowers should be aware of this, and know the terms of their loan well before considering this benefit.

Sometimes, it is difficult for recent graduates to find employment in today’s economy. A major concern is that a person will not be able to find a job post-college, and will not be able to make payments on a loan. The federal government understands that job searching is difficult, and students may not always land the job that they desire. That is why the fourth benefit of student loans is that students who are expecting to go into a low-paying job can choose to participate in a program known as Student Loan Consolidation in order to lower their monthly payments to better match their monthly income. These programs often require post graduates to pay no more than 15% of their income. In 2014, these programs are predicted to lower this number to only 10%. It is an excellent way for graduates to customize, and extend their repayment plan to meet the demands of their post-collegiate life.

The final major benefit to taking out a federal student loan is that the government will not charge borrowers any extra money for repaying their loan ahead of schedule. Many money-lending companies will financially penalize individuals who make early payments, because this lowers the overall interest that the borrower will pay at the end of the loan’s lifespan. This is not the case with most federal student loans, because the government has a large interest in educating the population, so graduates who use a federal student loan do not have to worry if they come more money than expected, and wish to pay off their loan ahead of schedule.

In general, the annual income of a college graduate is double the income of a person who only has a high school diploma. Going into debt is a risk that nobody wants to endure. The benefits of a federal student loan helps to ease the negativity of debt by giving the borrower more control over the terms of borrowing, and their payment plan. Sometimes it is required to spend money in order to make it.

http://www.studentloansconsolidationservices.com/ offers information and articles on student loans and student financing.

Snake on a plane in Australia

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A Qantas Boeing 747 airliner got disrupted  due to a  snake being found in the Qantas flight in Sydney.

snake in qantas plane in australia

Staff in Sydney,Australia luckily discovered a 20-centimetre (8-inch) Mandarin Rat Snake in the passenger cabin just before passengers were due to board the flight bound for Tokyo, Japan-  Qantas said in a statement.

The tiny exotic snake was said to have arrived aboard the jet in a flight a day earlier from Singapore. Qantas had to give passengers hotel rooms overnight and passengers left Sydney on a replacement plane Monday morning.

Snakes on a Aeroplane in Sydney

Australian authorities seemed to be concerned about the reptile harbouring  pests and diseases not present in Australia

In a previous snake incident involving Qantas , a 3-meter (10-foot) python in January clung to the wing of a Qantas flight from the northeast coast city of Cairns to Papua New Guinea. The python died during the flight but was suprisingly  still attached to the aeroplane wing when the two-hour flight ended in the national capital Port Moresby.

In a unrelated incident in India  a snake was found in a mango juice softpack

Trading Signal Services: Evaluating Your Options

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We all want to make money trading the market and trading signal services seemingly make that a lot easier. You simply follow the trading signals provided and (ideally) make a shed load of cash.

trading analysis forex signals

But with so many people offering trading recommendations, who do you choose? First and foremost, you need to make sure that the individuals at the company are reputable.

Trading Analysis Signals and performance

Lookup people of interest on LinkedIn, check their endorsements and true work history. Google their name and see what you can find out about them. If possible, also try and arrange a catch up with them over the phone or in person to really get to know them.

In addition to that, you’ll also want to look at past performance. Although past performance isn’t necessarily a guide to future returns, it’s a damn good indicator!

You’ll want to see performance going at least 18 months back. Furthermore, check to see if the return figures have been externally audited. For individual and “small traders”, that may not be possible. However, they should provide some way for you to verify their claimed returns.

For example, if they provide Dow Jones forecasts they should show the past recommendation documents that backup their analysis, gains and losses. Although it may be tedious, look back at market prices to see if in fact they did make the gains that they claim.

The third key feature to evaluate is the “trading style”. Do they aggressively trade in and out of markets? Or do their positions last a few weeks? If their style doesn’t match your style or what you’re looking for, move on. Signing up to a Forex signal service that provides 20 updates throughout the night can become overwhelming if you’re just getting started.

And finally, evaluate their process. One of the reasons why Madoff got away with his elaborate trading scam for so long is because people didn’t question his trading strategy. Ask questions, understand the process and if things seem too good to be true, they probably are.

An Introduction to Forex Trading

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The Forex market has some of the highest potential for profit in the world. It’s also easily accessible – anyone can trade Forex from their laptop or smartphone.

australian forex trading strategy

Photo courtesy of Epsos.de

But there is a steep learning curve: on average, private traders lose money for the first two years at least.

What is Forex?

Forex is short for Foreign Exchange. Forex trading is the speculative buying and selling of national currency for profit.

Since 1971 currencies have floating values, i.e. their value is relative to other currencies rather than pegged to a tangible asset – how much gold is in the central bank’s vault. This means their values go up and down, and these movements can be exploited for profit.

At its simplest, this means trading £65 for $100 and waiting until either the dollar strengthens or the pound weakens, and trading your $100 for £70 at the new rate. The trick is watching economies and predicting whether currencies will strengthen or weaken.

Currency pairs

Since currencies are all relative, every trade involves buying one currency and selling another. As such, all currencies are quoted in pairs. For example USD/GBP (US Dollars and British Sterling) and EUR/JPY (Euros and Japanese Yen). These express the value of any given currency.

The first currency in the pair is the ‘base currency’ or ‘long’, and is the currency you’re buying, and the second is the ‘quote currency’ or ‘short’, against which the base is valued, and is what you’re selling. So in the USD/GBP example, you’re buying US Dollars and selling British Sterling at a rate of £0.65 to the dollar (at the time of writing).

Forward trades

A forward trade is buying currency at a pre-agreed rate on a future date, regardless of what the rate on that day is. By speculating on the future rate, profit can be made. If the currency is worth more on the day of the trade, the buyer wins. If it’s worth less, the seller wins.

For example, I agree to buy $100 from you for £65 next Tuesday. On Tuesday the rate is £0.70 to the dollar. I can now sell my $100 that I just bought for £65 elsewhere on the market for the current rate of £70. I made a profit of £5, you made a loss of £5.

Carry trades

Carry trades are one of the most popular Forex trading strategies. In a carry trade, the trader seeks to exploit the interest difference between the two currencies in a pair (the ‘yield spread’) as well as capital accumulation.

Every currency is pegged to an interest rate set by the national central bank. At the time of writing, the Bank of England base rate is 0.5%. When buying currency, you receive interest payments, when selling, you pay interest. The first goal in a carry trade is to invest in a currency pair with a positive yield spread i.e. buy currency with a higher interest rate, and sell with a lower.

Currently the USD rate is 0.25%. So, if buying GBP/USD, you would have a positive yield of 0.25% – the difference between the two rates. If you were buying USD/GBP you would have a negative yield of 0.25% – you’re paying out more interest than you’re making.

The second goal is to buy a pair where the yield spread is set to increase. Pick a currency pair where you buy currency with an interest rise, sell an interest rate fall, or ideally both.

The third goal in a carry trade is to successfully predict a rally, so you also experience a capital gain.

For example, between 2003 and 2004, the AUD/USD currency pair offered a positive yield of 2.5%. In the same period, the value of the Australian Dollar rose 56 cents, closing at 80 cents. This represented a 42% appreciation in the currency pair, and meant that traders and hedge funds who were in this currency pair made huge capital gains, as well as profiting from the interest rate differential.

Leverage

One of the chief reasons Forex trading can be so profitable is that it’s a highly leveraged market: ratios of 100:1 are not uncommon i.e. you buy $100 for $1 of capital.

Broadly speaking, leverage is betting against future profits. In its simplest form, you borrow money to make a trade based on your prediction of how that trade will go. If it goes in your favour, you make a much higher return than if you only invest your own capital. If it goes against you, you make a much higher loss. Every transaction is amplified when leveraging.

The returns in Forex trading can be very small without leveraging. Caution should be exercised, but leveraging should be used. Set a rule for how much capital you’re willing to risk with each trade. A good rule of thumb is never to risk more than 3% on a single trade.

Forex trading is fast moving and complex. There is a steep learning curve, but the rewards can be enormous.

Penny Atkinson writes about various financial topics including saving money, debt issues and forex education. For more information about forex trading visit http://gomarketsaus.com/.

UK in broil over supply of chemical to syria

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The Daily Mail reported on Sunday that UK companies sold deadly poisonous chemicals to the Bashar al-Assad-led Syrian government that could have been used in the alleged chemical weapons attack in Damascus, killing around 1,400 people.

gas masks chemical attacks and gas

$14.69 Gas masks

In the period between July 2004 – May 2010, the British government had issued five licences to two companies that allowed them to sell to Syria sodium fluoride, a chemical used to make the known deadly sarin that can be used in chemical attacks, the ndtv report and UK daily reports said.

Chemicals used in attack -Sarin

Sarin, or GB, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [(CH3)2CHO]CH3PF. It is a colorless, odorless liquid, used as a chemical weapon owing to its extreme potency as a nerve agent.
‘
Sarin can be lethal even at very low concentrations, with death following within one minute after direct ingestion due to suffocation from lung muscle paralysis, unless some antidotes, typically atropine or Biperiden and pralidoxime, are quickly administered to a person.[4] People who absorb a non-lethal dose, but do not receive immediate medical treatment, may suffer permanent neurological damage.

Other than sarin, VX and Mustard Gas are otehr chemical that have been used in  chemical attacks

Chemical attacks History

 

The March 16, 1988,(Saddam Gasses The Kurds) attack came during the Iran-Iraq war. Saddam’s cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, who ordered the attack on Halabja, came to be known as Chemical Ali. He was executed in 2010 following the U.S. invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam.

Chemical weapons were used sporadically after the war, including by the Soviets againstrebelling peasants; Spain and France against Rif rebels in Spanish Morocco; Britain in Mesopotamia; and Italian Fascists during the invasion of Abyssinia.

 

Most countries need to have checks , but in a clear breach of international protocol on the trade of dangerous chemicals and substances, the British firms delivered sodium fluoride to a Syrian cosmetics company.It is alleged that Assad’s government uses such sham companies to divert chemicals into its weapons programme in syria as reported by the newspaper.

"Previously we thought that while export licences had been granted, no chemicals were actually delivered. Now we know that in the build-up to the Syrian civil war, British companies – with the backing of our government – were supplying this potentially lethal substance as reported by Docherty.

This has created a flurry of questions in British parliament in relation to their accountability in this chemical attack

Results: Liberals win Australian Elections 2013

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The Australian elections 2013  is over   with the Liberals winning the election and  as  the new PM has announced  “The country is under new management”.

kevin rudd defeted by tony abott 2013 elections result australia

After  a long term by John Howard, its Tony Abbots turn to take the mantle  for the liberals.

More than 14 million people were registered to vote in Saturday’s election. Voting is compulsory in Australia.

Elections results 2013 Australia

The Coalition (TONY ABOTT –Liberals) won the election with a national swing of 3.5 per cent, seizing a swathe of seats in Tasmania, Victoria and across New South Wales.

The House of Representatives contains 150 seats, 76 are needed for a majority and the coalition got  85 seats  with Labor taking 54 seats.

Mr Abbott began his first day as the nation’s leader with a bike ride and has since held a series of briefings with public servants. Outgoing PM Kevin Rudd earlier admitted defeat and said he would not stand again for the Labor leadership.

Australian elections 2013 in news

 

CNN

Cnn.com

Tony Abbott: Australia’s pugnacious new prime minister

He may have run a gaffe-prone campaign against the bookish Kevin Rudd, the incumbent Labor prime minister, but his knockabout style, which harkens back to older, safer times, proved popular with an electorate exhausted by years of Labor infighting.

 

Australian election sweeps conservative leader Tony Abbott to power

Abbott, a former boxer, Rhodes scholar and trainee priest, promised to restore political stability, cut taxes and crack down on asylum seekers arriving by boat.

 

Tony Abbott wins, but does Australia care?

Weeks before Saturday’s vote, the Liberal-National (i.e. conservative) coalition Tony Abbott leads commanded such a margin in the polls that the incumbent Labour party overthrew their own prime minister, Julia Gillard, and replaced her with Kevin Rudd, who Labour had overthrown three years previously when his popularity began to wobble.

 

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange missed out on a Senate seat in Victoria, where the final place was claimed by Rick Muir of the Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party.

Getting a insurance quote for your car

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Insurance for your car is one of the things that people don’t plan for when they plan to buy a car Buying a car can be a difficult task with heaps of research to be done and lots of different factors to be taken into account , like the mileage the car will give , the space inside the car and the what kind of car are you seeking sedan , 4 door , 5 door, small car , Hatch and many other factors. Often people don’t realise but just buying a car is not the only thing that you need to plan for when you decide to get a car, but there are things like Insurance for your car, servicing contract for your car also that needs to be planned and researched. Insurance for your car can be one of the major things you will need to research even more as this ensures the safety of your car in case of accident theft and incidents out of your control.

Bmw Hommage latest car model super sports notop

BMW Hommage car

Insurance for your car often comes as an afterthought after the car is bought and often ignored, however if proper research is done regarding what sort of insurance you want you can save money over the long term with proper planning. Nowadays getting a car insurance quote has been made easy by many online websites that just allow you to just input details of the car you are buying and get a approximate quote for insurance instantly, rather than doing the old fashioned way of visiting or calling insurance company.

With a car insurance you are protected in the event of unforeseen events and you can hit the road secure in the knowledge you have reliable and cost-effective comprehensive car insurance

Things to keep in mind while getting car insurance

You can vary your excess or simply adjust your excess on the online quote form or with insurance company, and see the change in price on your premium.

Some companies give you discount or provide cheaper quotes when your policy is bought online as they tend to save on processing and manpower costs.

Some insurance companies offer a new car discount if you get a policy before your car turns two years old

How are Insurance Premiums for cars worked out?

The “insurance company” gather large amounts of historical data so that the patterns of insurance payouts can be calculated accurately in case of a payout is needed. When you enter your individual details into the insurance company automated system, the computer databases compare this with other people who match your profile and the also the risks that are associated with them.

Factors that re taken into account when your quote is given

· Your age

· The make and model of vehicle

· Annual mileage

· Whether the driver is male or female

Getting a car insurance quote online is simple if you do a little preparation for the questions you’ll need to answer.  Refer questions above. To obtain your instant car insurance quote online and purchase a policy, you’ll need to provide information for each driver on the policy you are taking including address, driving record, and driver’s license number. You will also need to provide the Vehicle Identification Numbers for the cars you want to insure, if not available automatically based on your address and vehicle records. Get a online car insurance quote here

Is Your Small Business On Google+?

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The last few years have seen a trend where more and more companies like Zippy are setting up business pages on social network sites. With millions of people now signed up to these sites it makes sense to advertise your business to such a large potential customer base. If you’ve already set up a business page on Facebook and Twitter you might see little reason to join relative new boy Google+ but this would be a big mistake, for both you and your business.

ScreenHunter_24 Aug. 31

Small business, Internet and Social Media

Although Google+ was only set up fully in September 2011, it is already comfortably the second biggest social network site in the world, second only to Facebook. Research by Janrain shows that, of the people using social network sites to log into other websites, 46% of people use Facebook while a surprising 34% use Google+. These figures are made even more impressive when you consider that Yahoo is the third most popular site with just 7% of social logins while Twitter manages just 6%.

At the start of 2013 Google+ had over 500 million registered users and 343 million active users. Searchmetrics also estimates that sharing on Google+ is actually increasing more rapidly then even Facebook. Figures show that people using Facebook are sharing on average 10% more each month, while people using Google+ are sharing 19% more each month.

When Google+ first launched many people believed it was designed to work like (and compete against) Facebook but it has now evolved into a far different social network platform. Google+ is designed to link all the Google sites together, such as Google Maps, images, books, Youtube…etc, with Google+ at the top controlling the whole package.

So, apart from a large potential customer base, why else should a small business owner use “Google+?” If you write your own blog then Google+ allows you to link your account to the content you create, so every person reading the blog knows you were the person who created the original material.

Google+ also allows you to set up a local business page. This then appears on Google Maps and Google Local and immediately tells people searching for your services: the location of your business, the opening times, what you sell, customer reviews, photos, videos…etc and all in one place.

Google+ also plays an important role in the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) of your business website. Pages with a social profile on their network are rewarded with better search results. If you also add your ‘Google Place’ to your Google+ account you will see just how much easier it becomes to find your website using Google.

Don’t forget that Google is also the worlds most popular search engine (just think how many people now say ‘Google’ it) and, according to the companies research, 97% of consumers now search online for local businesses. If your small business has a Google+ account and your competitors don’t, potential clients and customers are going to find your business before theirs.

So, with such impressive membership figures and growth, an easy way to link your business to all of Google’s sites and improved SEO, the question is – can your small business really afford not to be on Google+?