Energy Watch accused of deceptive conduct

The competition and consumer watchdog has launched legal action against price comparison service Energy Watch and its founder Ben Polis for "deceptive conduct".

Energy Watch assesses a household's energy costs and consumption and advises customers on whether they can get a better deal elsewhere.

Is it safe to Buy Gold Now?

Gold is a very safe form of investment amid the global economic crisis. However, people should still be cautious in investing.
"Gold (is) a very safe investment. Moreover, the current global crisis, U.S. and European debt to trillions," said Chairman of the Association of Gold and Jewels Indonesia (APEPI) Jeffrey Thumewa to Kompas.com via telephone on Friday (12 / 8 / 2011).

Myer woos online shoppers with free shipping

MYER wants shoppers back and is prepared to suffer for it.

Slashing prices hasn’t stemmed the flow of Aussies to overseas websites, where the goods are cheap thanks to a strong Australian dollar, so the department store is trying another strategy: free shipping.

Property prices Increase in Vancouver because of the Chinese People

VANCOUVER - Chinese lifestyle has changed a lot. China is no longer reflects the underdeveloped countries and poor people. China's increasingly affluent people, not only in his country, but also abroad.

The proof, property prices in Canada increasingly expensive as more and more Chinese people to buy property in the city of Vancouver. Property prices in the city rose at least 50 percent in the last three years.

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Weekend, JCI Potentially Back to 4000

Composite stock price index (CSPI) on the Indonesian Stock Exchange re-entrenched in the positions predicted 4,000, or the psychological level as well as new record highs in the history of trade that was achieved last Friday, July 8, 2011.

Property Purchase Dominated by The Speculator

Jakarta - Real Estate Indonesia (REI) Jakarta noted there has been growth in the capital of a significant property. Despite growing, but property buyers in Jakarta is dominated by speculators who expect higher yields.

ASEAN Choose Japan For Partner

ASEAN countries agreed to develop together into the center of world economic growth. To that end, ASEAN chose Japan as the country's strategic partner. Although the Japanese economy is on the rise after the earthquake and tsunami, Sakura is committed to spurring economic growth in ASEAN.

China Sluggish Economy, Oil Prices Depressed

NEW YORK Oil prices fell Monday, pressured by increased market concerns China's economic slowdown and the euro zone debt crisis. New York's main contract, light sweet crude or West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for August delivery, closed at 95.15 dollars a barrel, down 1.05 dollars from Friday's close last week.

US jobs market at near-standstill

US stocks dropped sharply as markets opened last night, wiping out the previous day's gains, after disappointing data on unemployment dashed hopes that the economic recovery might be regaining speed.

Le Nouvel Ardmore, This Apartment Floating in the Air ...

A new apartment called The Le Nouvel Ardmore, by Jean Nouvel, the world renowned architect and winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2008 and the Wolf Prize in Arts 2005, is present in Singapore. Nouvel designed the apartment with the concept bungalow which floats in the air (elevated bungalow).

Expanxion Sinar Mas Paper Factory

In the country ( Indonesia ), Sinar Mas oversees a number of paper companies namely PT Tjiwi Chemical Manufacturing Paper Tbk, PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk, PT Pindo Deli Pulp & Paper Mills, and PT Lontar Papyrus Pulp & Paper Industry. The company produces various brands of paper as Sinar Dunia, Bola Dunia and Paperline.

Rivals fume over Telstra prices

THE imminent migration of broadband customers to a new Telstra fibre network in South Brisbane has the telco's rivals fuming that the wholesale offers will not allow retailers to offer services at competitive rates.

Carbon tax to hit profits and growth

Source: The Daily Telegraph
JULIA Gillard's carbon tax will create an instant inflation spike, slow the domestic economy's already tepid growth and make a dent in company earnings at a critical time in the nation's recovery from the global financial crisis.

Door opens to European wines

French champagne is all the vogue   Source: Supplied
AT a time when per capita beer consumption is at a 62-year low, Australian drinkers seem to be developing a taste for finer things, such as French champagne.

news.com.au: Prices drop: Sold on saving not spending

Going, going, going ... potential home buyers are choosing to save their pennies rather than bid for real estate.Picture: File
Source: Herald Sun
Capital city house prices fall 2.7 per cent Sydney the only market to record a rise Brisbane, Perth house price fall biggest
HOUSE prices have fallen almost three per cent so far in 2011 as potential home buyers choose to save their pennies rather than bid for real estate.

news.com.au: Loan pain as mortgage entry fees explode

Mortgage exit fees are causing huge increases in loans / File
Lenders lift "front-end" fees Reaction to ban on exit fees Costs spread across new borrowers
NEW home loan customers are being hit by massive increases in upfront mortgage fees because of the Federal Government's ban on exit fees.

news.com.au: Backyard blitzed as Aussie dream shrinks

House prices in Australia's capital cities have fallen 2.7 per cent through the first five months of 2011.

 Roxanne Lawrence, Enrico Sedita and son Jordayne, 15 months, at their 266sq m Maroochydore house block. Picture: Megan Slade Source: The Sunday Mail (Qld)

THE great Australian dream faces a major reality check, with new home buyers being offered house blocks a quarter the size their parents bought.

news.com.au: Ads help NAB claw back mortgages

NAB has made a post-financial crisis resurgence after an advertising campaign featuring a "break-up" with rivals / File Source: Bloomberg 

NATIONAL Australia Bank chief Cameron Clyne's fight for a larger share of Australia's mortgage market continues to bear fruit.
NAB increased mortgage lending 15.8 per cent in May compared with the same month a year earlier, according to Credit Suisse analysts.
Rivals Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and ANZ posted slower growth in mortgages, which account for 63 per cent of all lending.

news.com.au: ABS data won't change rate outlook

THE outlook for interest rates is unchanged despite the release of weaker than expected retail trade and building approvals data, economists say.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) last increased the cash rate in November 2010 from 4.5 per cent to 4.75 per cent and most economists expect the next rise to be in August.
Australian residential building approvals data was released today, showing a fall of 7.9 per cent in May, much larger than the 0.5 per cent drop economists were expecting.
In the year to May, building approvals were down 14.4 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said.

news.com.au: Builders worried as stimulus fades

BUILDERS are worried there will not be enough private sector work available when the Federal Government stimulus programs end.
Releasing the latest Master Builders Australia (MBA) national survey, chief economist Peter Jones has also warned of anecdotal evidence of uncertainty in the industry due to the government's proposed carbon tax.
"The survey shows work on builders' books holding up reasonably well in the June quarter, but it remains to be seen for how long this can continue given the winding down of stimulus projects and a less than positive outlook for new work," Mr Jones said today.

news.com.au: 'Interest rates on hold until August'

Cash rate steady in July - economists RBA eyes weaker domestic, global data Rate rise forecast for August
THE Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to hold interest rates steady when it meets tomorrow but a hike is tipped next month to temper the effect of the aggressive growth of the mining boom.

news.com.au: Caution keeps loan ratios down

Smaller mortgages are in vogue as house prices soften in Australian capital cities / File Source: The Daily Telegraph
AUSTRALIANS are borrowing less as house prices slide, further entrenching the culture of debt reduction set in train by the financial crisis.
People taking out mortgages last month signed up for smaller loans relative to the value of their property than at any time during the previous six months, according to data from Australia's biggest mortgage broker.
Australian Finance Group statistics show that the average loan-to-value ratio was 64.2 per cent nationally, and the average ratio fell in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Smaller mortgages are in vogue as house prices soften, and in June the average mortgage across Australia was $384,042 - about 1.1 per cent lower than the previous month.

Shares recover from Portuguese downgrade to close higher

By finance reporter Jesse Leary

Posted 1 hour 4 minutes ago

Local shares finished the day slightly ahead, recovering from early falls which were led by the banking sector.

The All Ordinaries closed up 7 points to end up at 4,664, while the ASX 200 also added 7 points to close at 4,605.

The big banks weighed on the market after ratings agency Moody's downgraded Portuguese banks to junk status.