NAB

Recent buyers of homes are at the greatest risk of negative equity, and the rising interest rate environment increases the likelihood that some homebuyers will default on their loans. With Australia’s large cohort of new homeowners, that could lead to losses for the big banks.

The four majors along with AMP and Macquarie have paid or offered to pay a total of $4.7 million for charging fees for advice services they did not provide and for noncompliant advice, bringing to a close an eight-year review by ASIC and a key chapter of the advice industry shakeup led by the Hayne commission.

The Australian dollar’s appreciation from recent lows is eroding returns from unhedged international investments. With analysts mixed on where the currency is heading, opting to hedge foreign currency exposures could provide investors with some peace of mind.

Experts forecast a more balanced budget with an even-handed dispersion of revenue and spending measures. Income tax cuts will likely go ahead, while super should get a break from further tinkering.

Higher interest rates, a slowing property market and the promise of loan defaults is curbing the enthusiasm of analysts on future bank earnings.

Around 20% of Australians are providing false information to banks when applying for loans. That’s according to a report from Experian, the world’s largest credit reporting business. Why are they doing it? According to reporting by the Australian Financial Review it’s because they don’t want to be rejected for a loan by the bank. The stats revealed…

Negative start to the week, AUSTRAC on the prowl, takeovers galore The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) finished down 0.1% on Monday, a negative start to the week driven lower by the financials sector, which fell 1.1%.  Elsewhere the retail sector was hit, falling 0.8% as the Melbourne lockdown continues, whilst the IT sector was the brightest light,…

With bank reporting season underway, it’s important to know what to look for when assessing the big banks. The days of looking solely at dividend payout ratio and price/earnings ratio are long gone. We live in a global world, with cross-border comparisons more important than ever. The first cab off the rank every year is…

It’s quarterly earnings season for a small handful of ASX-listed companies, but some might say the most important in the index. While most companies listed on the ASX report half-yearly with a June year-end, the second month after the financial period, being July and February tends to the busiest each year. However, a small group…

May is shaping up to be one of the most important months for dividend-focused Australian investors, with bank reporting season beginning on May 3, with Westpac’s interim result. The unexpected strength of the sector was brought to light this week after two of the three main ratings agencies upgraded their views on the sector, on…