Number 2013-10 Date 7 May 2013 Embargo For Immediate Release. Statement by Glenn Stevens, Governor: Monetary Policy Decision At its meeting today, the Board decided to lower the cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 per cent, effective 8 May 2013. The global economy is likely to record growth a little below trend this year, before picking […]

Lessons from global interest rates Every month economists scramble to predict what the Reserve Bank will do with the ‘official cash rate’.  Since August 2013 the answer has been nothing – with the rate staying at 2.5%.  The cash rate is the interest rate which banks use to borrow from or lend to other banks […]

Share markets continue to be volatile and uncertainty continues to plague global economies. It is difficult to overcome the fear of investing when you are ‘once bitten, twice shy’. Furthermore, the idea of trying to pinpoint the exact time to jump back in to the market really falls into the category of speculation. The aim […]

The power of compounding Compounding isn’t a new concept – many of us will remember studying it back in our school days. Legendary scientist Albert Einstein famously called it ‘the most powerful force in the universe’, while American business magnate John D Rockefeller suggested compounding is the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. These might sound […]

In general, share markets have been strong over the past 12 months. This is reflected in the performance of the MSCI World Net Total Return Index in Australian dollars, which has risen by 20.3 per cent. The current investment environment is extraordinary. Many world share indices ended June at or near all-time record highs. We […]

It is now 25 years since the first ‘trauma or critical illness’ policy was issued in South Africa. Marius Barnard, a member of the pioneering heart transplant team saw patients dying when he believed they should have recovered.  A trauma policy pays out if you are diagnosed with a medical condition defined in the policy. […]

Going to the end of the world Antarctica has been called the last frontier – a continent with no permanent inhabitants and mostly untouched by human footprints.  Nowadays it is possible to safely get a flavour of this amazing place on cruise ships which reach the ice in the summer. Most cruise ships go to […]

        We must act. The past few weeks we have seen unprecedented events unfold before our eyes. These events serve to remind us how hard it is for the “many” doing the right thing to maintain the public’s trust in our profession when we are faced with the actions of a “few” […]

Click here to view our Budget update 2014/15, what’s in the Budget for you?

Australian growth The Australian economy remains in very good shape, both in the context of its own historical performance and when compared to other developed economies. Very few developed nations can match Australia’s combination of vital economic statistics: low unemployment (5.6%), solid credit rating (AAA rating), low government debt/GDP, low inflation (2.4%), solid economic growth […]