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Financial Review - AWFG - - by Nick Garlaounis 1

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Fuel still too Highly Priced!!

November 25th 2008 23:31
The barrel of oil is the lowest it has been in years and we are still paying a ridiculous amount per litre.... Savings on the barrell for the oil companies were felt immediately so this begs the question, how come this saving is not passed onto the consumer? Profiteering is the simple answer!

Its all too common that as soon as the barrel increases on the overnight markets we literally feel the impact of higher prices at the bowser the very next day, so why doesnt this work in reverse? Again, profiteering!! The oil companies extend the downscaling of pricing so their margin is falsely increased for a period of time, although this may only be by 2 to 3 cents per litre you need only multiply this by millions of litres and the action they take makes complete sense.


The ACCC is now in a position of being a toothless tiger, it has absolutely no authority apart from being able to name and shame an oil company. This came about during the Howard government rule when they succumbed to pressure from the oil companies and removed the powers the ACCC once had over this industry.

If you really want to know who runs the economy, look no further than the nearest oil company and to top it off have a look at the car manufacturing industry as well as both of them have been in bed together for a very long time.
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Profiteering Petrol Companies!!!

October 26th 2008 22:32
What exactly is going on here in Australia where we are still paying upwards of $1.40 per litre of fuel? Forget the excise tax, forget the GST component!!

The barrel has dropped significantly over the last few months and the fuel companies are slow to pass on these drops even though their margins won't be affected. Is this a pure profit grab and are the fuel companies just extending the margin gain by slowing down the decrease in fuel prices??? Absolutely!!

What are the consumer watch dogs doing?? Not a great deal!! I think the world is too busy worrying about the financial crisis and the fuel companies are using this diversion to keep on putting additional profit margin in their pockets.


The difference that 10 or 20 cents a litre makes to a family budget is substantial over a period of time and can help lower the cost of living for all people!!

What I'm concerned about here too is that due to higher fuel prices over the last 12 months of more the price of basic food items has risen too. My question is, will the supermarket chains begin to pass on any savings to the consumer when fuel prices do fall or will they too get caught up in the profit margin grab just like the fuel companies??

You tell me, I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Let me know what you think people.....
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Bank Buying Spree - NAB - CBA

October 22nd 2008 00:20
What will happen to the non bank lenders over the coming months and years? In my view they will be swallowed up by the big 4 as hard times hit. Only those banking institutions which have the surplus cashflow will be able to move and we have already seen the smaller fish be gobbled up in the pond of finance.

CBA has already bought out BankWest so it can increase it's retail footprint and branch outlets, the CBA also now has a stake in Aussie Home Loans. Westpac took over RAMS onle months ago and the NAB is now negotiating with Mark Bouris of Wizard Home Loans for the purchase of the retail outlets and potential to even purchase the trail book which is estimated to be worht in excess of 12bn dollars.

My question is, what will happen to competition as the big 4 continue their corporate buyouts of non bank lenders? What will happen is that the banking market will be returned to the bad old days where competition and the marketplace was dictated to by these organisations.

This could mean that lending paramaters will change along with complete control of itnerest rates and bank fees and charges. Is this a good thing? No, an industry with limited competition is stifled and controlled by the monopolitstic few who have absolute control.

I don't like that way this industry is heading and even though it is touted that these purchases are simply to increase the footprint of the acquirer I believe there is much more to it than that.

Kepp your eyes on this space and makr my words, there will be dramatic changes afoot with everything to do with banking in Australia.
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Shares - Boom Crash Opera -

October 20th 2008 23:54
Welcome to the rollercoaster ride which is the sharemarket today. The slightest sniff of good news sees Wall Street, the ASX, S&P and so on rise by percentages, on the other side of the scale the slightest sniff of gloom and the sharemarket plunges in very much the same way. The sharemarket at this stage is an orchestra of ups and downs with little sign of stability on the horizon.

Are we falsely inflating or propping up the share market? Yes, absolutely!! Governments worldwide are spruiking good news and bail out plans and injections of capital into finance markets to keep things going


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Prime Minister Kevin Rudd & The Economy

October 20th 2008 01:24
Last night I sat in front of the TV and watched our Prime Minister Mr Kevin Rudd answer questions from the (selected) general public and was actually quite impressed with the way in which he responded.

I found that he had a strategic plan and very little in the way of motherhood statements like, it'll be ok or she'll be right mate. No such waffle here, in fact I found he had an answer for almost everything and the strategic plan was sound and very much needed to boost consumer confidence


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Again interest rates are seeing a fall and the leading banks to take the first step are the ANZ and NAB, CBA and Westpac are yet to take the plunge.

The RBA is poised to lower the interest rate by a full 2% although this is yet to be confimed. This is the only way that some level of confidence will be put back into the market, consumers are still cautious about spending and more so about taking out a home loan given there is so much uncertainty about the state of interest rates and also job security


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The Recession The World Has to Have!

October 16th 2008 01:10
It's finally here, the recession the world had to have is now looming and I believe has acutally begun. No matter what the world leaders are saying or doing the recession is biting down on world economies and will take hold as we move forward.

Even the US move to sure up the banking system will do little to stem the tide of growing bad debt and share market losses. This IS a recession we have to have! Although it's nice to think that we can minimise the impact and that we were never going into a recession the reality is that it is long overdue


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We have just experienced one of the greatest shake ups in the financial market since the crash of 1987 and we are not nearly any way near through the eye of the needle yet.

Sure, the global leaders are banding together to inject and artificially prop up the global economy but the banks across the globe are still carrying bad debts which have not been realised yet


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As the US finalises the details of the bail out of Wall Street the rest of the globe waits with baited breath as the ramifications of this one decision will have far reaching implications. Not only is this a US impact but the stabilisation of the US economy will cascade through to global financial markets!

It is imperative that the bill is put into effect sooner rather than later, economies across the globe all look to the US for direction and their stability will, by default provide stability for other nations


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The presidential race in the US is nearing the point where the McCain camp is turning into a smear campaign by touting that Obama is not a US Citizen or he follows the Koran et al.

It is now that the McCain camp is knock knock knocking on heavens door that the knives are out and any and every tactic is being used to gain recently lost ground. The McCain regime is in its dying phases and the death rattles have begun so all attempts are being made to revive what is surely to be a doomed bid for the presidency


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