Iron ore is one of the most important minerals in the world. Recently I learned that Australia ranks as the number one country for iron ore resources ahead of Brazil and Russia. According to one estimate, Australia has 29% of the world’s economic resource of iron followed and Brazil and Russia have 18% and 14% …
Last month we looked at the beer taxes in Europe and how they vary widely. In this post, let’s take review the taxes on cigarettes in the EU. Ireland levies the highest cigarettes tax followed by France and Finland. The lowest taxes are in Bulgaria, Poland and Croatia. Click to enlarge Source: Cigarette Taxes in …
Continue reading ‘Cigarette Taxes in the European Union: Chart’ »
The housing market in Australia is one of the most expensive in the world. High prices never seem to slow down or decline. Though the country is large much of the population is concentrated on a few coastal cities. One of the factors that was always suspected but hardly discussed in the media is the …
Continue reading ‘Dr. Shane Oliver: Why Australian Immigration Should be Lower’ »
The Federal Funds Rate has increased sharply since the spring of 2022. After slashing interest rates to almost zero during the Covid pandemic the Federal Reserve embarked on a relentless process to raise interest rates to current target levels of 5.25% to 5.50%. Accordingly rates on Money Market Funds have rise to over 5%. No …
Continue reading ‘Fed Funds Rate vs. Money Market Assets: Chart’ »
Australian banks have been one of the poor performers among the developed world’s banks for many years. In fact, the stock prices of the major banks except Commonwealth Bank are below where they were 10 years based on prices in the domestic market. The banks have gone nowhere per most investors. The following chart shows …
Continue reading ‘Australian Bank Stocks Offer Potential Investment Opportunities’ »