Many small businesses operate from the owner’s home. This could mean the factory is a shed in the backyard and the office a corner of the kitchen or dining room table. For others the business can have a separate section of the home or permanent structure on the property used exclusively by the business. [...]

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The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut interest rates by 50 basis points in an unexpected move that should provide welcome relief to many homeowners. The reduction takes the official cash rate to 3.75 percent. Damian Smith CEO of financial comparison site RateCity called the RBA’s decision "a very big move". "They haven’t moved rates [...]

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Buying your first home is a combination of nerves and excitement. Is now the right time? Is this a good buy? Are we doing the right thing? These are just a few of the myriad of questions going through a first home buyer’s mind. Madeleine Hicks of LJ Hooker believes that first home buyers only [...]

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Foreign investors have “very odd” views about Australian property and fret that housing prices may yet collapse, according to a senior Australian banking executive. “Overseas investors have a very odd set of views about Australian property prices,” Phil Chronican, ANZ’s chief executive of its Australian operations, said today. “They on one hand look at the [...]

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The board of the Reserve Bank of Australia has left the official cash rate at 4.25 percent for the second month in a row. The move was widely expected with inflation at the bottom of the RBA’s target band of 2-3 percent and global economic conditions improving. However, the news may not be met with [...]

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  With the recent rise in interest rates many borrowers are looking at changing lenders. The importance of keeping your credit rating squeaky clean cannot be under estimated. “Most of us stumble from time to time, perhaps being late with a telephone account or minor bill. The problem for many consumers is that as banks [...]

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The decision of the “Big Four” banks to lift interest rates independent of the Reserve Bank has left mortgage holders bewildered and wondering “will they do it again?” “Whilst we are thankful that our banking industry is stable and profitable it seems like a cheap shot at mortgage holders, many of whom are already struggling,” [...]

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The Reserve Bank of Australia board has kept interest rates on hold, leaving the official cash rate at 4.25 percent. The shock move comes as many parts of the economy continue to struggle with the side effects of the mining boom. Data published yesterday showed retail trade contracted 0.1 percent in December, traditionally the sector’s [...]

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  The Board of the Reserve Bank meets tomorrow. In July last year Westpac forecast that the next easing cycle would total 100bps beginning near year’s end. Subsequently, the Board decided to ease the overnight cash rate by 25bps in both November and December. Based on current information, we continue to expect a further 50bps [...]

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Ongoing discount loans lose momentum Borrowers’ preference for fixed rate home loans is continuing at an unrelenting pace regardless of recent cash rate cuts, national loan approval data from Mortgage Choice has revealed. Fixed rate loans accounted for 24% of all new home loan approvals during December 2011, up from 21% in November and well [...]

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