Funding & Finance

In this podcast, Leon and Garry talk about the soaring Australian dollar with the NAB predicting it will hit $US1.10 in the next six months. Treasurer Wayne Swan warns that it could erode tax revenue with manufacturing, agriculture and tourism the hardest hit. Exporters are calling for government assistance to offset the impact of a strong dollar.

This year, rather than release the 2010 30under30 'massive' in one shot, we're releasing the names of this prestigious set, three a day, for the next 10 days. Why do this? Well, aside from the unplanned loss of a laptop, containing our deliberations and winner profiles, this suspense filled, masterfully manipulating traffic-fueling tactic just seemed too attractive to pass up. Can you feel the ant-icipation?

In this week's Talking Business interview, Leon and Garry speak with Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull, former Opposition leader and current shadow spokesman for telecommunications and broadband. He criticises the Government’s plan for the National Broadband Network as too expensive and lacking in any cost-benefit analysis. Calling the NBN an effective monopoly that will make any competition impossible, Mr. Turnbull endorses incremental improvements to the existing network as a fiscally responsible policy.

Last week, Anthill was the victim of a theft. The loss was felt immediately, not simply due to its effect on morale but also because the loss involved some important documents and many human hours of productivity. Now, there are two things that we can do: (1) Sulk; or, (2) Devise a way to turn a positive into a negative.

In this podcast, Garry and Leon look at the Reserve Bank’s decision to keep interest rates on hold – for now. But the big four banks will give the RBA until next month to raise rates, or they say they will go it alone. In other news, the Department of Finance looks at $2.4 billion in cuts to pay for the pledges it made during its negotiations with the Independents, and the Housing Industry Association predicts a steep fall in housing starts as the federal stimulus measures fade.

"Angels without Borders" will be the theme for the upcoming conference, which will feature an international guestlist of speakers and participants. Early-bird registration includes choice of accommodation and closes 26 November.

The Government of Victoria has launched a $6.5 million program designed to promote the use of small technologies, including nanotech, biotech and information technologies, among business organisations. It's doing so by offering vouchers.

The Australian Small Scale Offerings Board, the National Stock Exchange's largest capital-raising platform for showcasing unlisted companies for investors, posted a $186,000 profit for the fiscal year ended June 30, coming from a loss of $4.8 million the year previously.

They surf the cusp of legality and debt recovery. They know that what they do is illegal but they are happy in the knowledge that the cost versus benefit of chasing them is too high. They know too that these same things will keep them off debt registers. What do you do to rat out the rats?

Leon and Garry talk about the difficulty getting the legislation for the NBN through Parliament. But the Government needs to hurry as Telstra wants to have the NBN finalised by Christmas. Telstra has also released its latest renewal plan. Meanwhile, its share price has fallen to an all-time low.

RMIT economist Jonathan Boymal talks about the drop off in lending finance and dwelling unit commencements. Although the numbers send mixed messages, businesses and consumers do appear to be exercising greater caution in their financial practices of late.

In the first annual People's Choice awards for Australia's Best Bank, 23,000 banking customers cast their votes online for their most preferred financial institution. The voting was conducted by Mozo, an online finance comparison and reviews service.

Leon and Garry talk about how Australians should be bracing themselves for more interest rate rises, possibly four, as the RBA manages the largest minerals boom since the 19th century. Meanwhile, the Aussie dollar soars to a two-year high, and while Australia’s commodity forecaster predicts a jump in commodity exports, consumers continue to tighten their belts.

The value of Australia's private businesses are stuck in neutral as the global economy continue to grind its gears, according to a quarterly study.

Leon and Garry talk about rising business confidence masking patchy business conditions. Consumer sentiment has dropped and fewer people are taking out loans; however, more people are using their credit cards. Meanwhile, a new report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows Australians are wealthier and living longer.

Who should we blame when we find out that we’ve missed the boat on hundreds of thousands of dollars in guaranteed government R&D funding? Ourselves? The Government? Or our Accountant? In other words, who has the responsibility and duty of care to ensure we make our R&D tax claim at tax time?

“Since the Henry Tax Review recommendations were released in January, miners have not curbed their hiring activities in anticipation of a tax on profits," said Robert Olivier, director of global market intelligence for Advantage Resourcing. "In fact, they have done quite the opposite. They’ve hit the employment button hard to meet surging global demand.”

The average value of large fraud cases in Australia remains well above $2 million, despite the total value of large frauds decreasing in the last six months, according to a recent report.

Any fan of the 1980s hit movie franchise Back to the Future will remember Marty McFly's autolacing Nike Air 2015 Kicks. It seems that the R&D machine at Nike could be five years ahead of schedule, filing patents throughout 2009 for a an "Article of Footware with Lighting System" that is not too different from the fictional original. Compare the video with patents.

The CBA is making a profit and yielding a handsome return on investors' funds, despite not having enough liquid assets to cover its own debt. How can this be? The answer lies in the Balance Sheet – understand it, and in the event of a downturn, you and your business will withstand the worst.