Cashflow

Australia’s services sector continues to contract as the Federal Government’s fiscal stimulus dries up and the Reserve Bank’s interest rate increases impact the services sector.

Hills Industries, best known for manufacturing the Australian icon the Hills Hoist has announced a net profit of $40.2 million for the year ended June 30 up 43.3 percent.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has held interest rates at unchanged at 4.5 percent for the third month running, with the RBA signaling its plans to hold rates unchanged until 2011.

Clive Peeters senior accountant Sonya Causer plead guilty to 24 counts of theft in the Victorian Supreme court yesterday amounting to some $20 million stolen from Clive Peeters accounts.

The ACCC believes an agreement between Suncorp-Metway and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank not to charge each others’ cardholders fees on each other’s ATM’s is good for competition.

Auditors have reported a 40 percent increase in suspected breaches of the Corporations Act to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission in the last financial year.

Australian businesses spent $75.4 billion on energy during 2008-09, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The other day I was asked why some small businesses fail and others succeed and it got me thinking about the defining characteristics of Australian small businesses.

Women are proving to do better when investing in the share market than their male counterparts, if one leading analyst is to be believed.

Credit card holders have long been seduced by the lure of a free toaster, frequent flyer miles or cash back — and small businesses are no exception, with many using personal credit cards for regular business expenses.

As a nation of innovators, we are very good at coming up with great business ideas. Transforming those ideas into a successful business – and raising funds to get that business off the ground – is where the challenge lies.

More than half of Australian executives are being negatively impacted by late payments even though payment behaviours improved slightly during the June quarter.

The Reserve Bank of Australia looks set to rule out an increase in interest rates at its August board meeting after the ABS released it’s June quarter inflation (CPI) data today.

Virgin Money’s launch of new credit cards and an online savings account is good news for consumers who have been victims of gouging by the four major banks.

Ongoing uncertainty over the tax treatment of trusts has emerged as the top election issue for Australia’s taxation professionals.

eChoice, the national online mortgage broker eChoice (eChoice.com.au) is predicting a flood of refinancing activity over the next 24 months, should the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) review of mortgage fees help to deliver a healthier playing field for borrowers, searching for a better deal on their mortgage.

Debt collection agency Collection House haave announced a 21 percent higher net profit for the last financial year as calls for debt collection post-GFC soar.

In the 2009 Australian Graduate Survey conducted by Graduate Careers Australia, female bachelor degree graduates were found to be paid around 3 percent less on average than their male counterparts.

Christopher Koch, formerly a high profile motivational speaker, has been sentenced to 13 years jail after being found guilty in the Melbourne County Court on charges brought by ASIC. Christopher Koch, formerly a high profile motivational speaker, has been sentenced to 13 years jail after being found guilty in the Melbourne County Court on charges brought by ASIC.

Westpac’s Melbourne Institute Leading Index has peaked, but will remain well above the long term trend of 3 percent over the next three to nine months, triggering fears of a rate rise in August.