Why All The Panic?

Posted on 16. Aug, 2011 by Chris Lang.

Well, not here in Australia anyway! And even overseas, things are vastly different this time around.

In 2008/09, it was private debt causing the problems ... because nobody was too sure which banks were overly exposed to the sub-prime mortgage problem.

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Let's Stop The Doom & Gloom!
How About Some Good News?

Posted on 12. Aug, 2011 by Chris Lang.

For the past few weeks, the world's media seems to have been dominated by two unfolding dramas:

1. The extraordinary and rather amateur performance in Washington, as the US government lurched towards potential default.
2. The concerning spike in euro-region yields, against the backdrop of their apparently insoluble sovereign debt issues.

However, as Amy Auster reported in Saturday's Financial Review, there was also a really positive development last week (certainly for Australia), which seems to have simply "snuck under the radar".

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Commercial Property Fundamentals
Continue to Improve for Investors

Posted on 11. Aug, 2011 by Chris Lang.

The mid-year report from the Property Council of Australia (PCA) has confirmed a tightening of all capital city Office markets — except for Sydney and their Gold Coast.

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Foreigners Seem to Love
Our Commercial Property

Posted on 02. Aug, 2011 by Chris Lang.

Australia's dollar may be considered high compared with other countries, but that hasn't dampened overseas Investors who are clamouring to buy up our Commercial property

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The Australian Office Scene

Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by Chris Lang.

Dr Frank Gelber (director of BIS Shrapnel) kindly provided is perspective on the Australian economy and the Melbourne Commercial property market — looking forward for the next 5 to 6 years.

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Grasping the Nettle

Posted on 14. Jul, 2011 by Chris Lang.

If the much-talked-about potential defaults by Greece, Portugal and Ireland were to occur ... the impact upon Australia is likely to be far less than most pundits would have you believe.

And you only need to look behind the key numbers to discover why ...

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OK ... What's Going On?

Posted on 07. Jul, 2011 by Chris Lang.

According to the IMF ... in spite of all the recent turmoil, the outlook for global economic growth appears quite rosy moving into the new financial year.

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RBA Reprieve ...
But don't be Fooled

Posted on 09. Jun, 2011 by Chris Lang.

Australia's GDP will surge back during the June quarter — to make a further rate rise in July almost inevitable.

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Asian Thrust will Prove Good for
Australian Commercial Property

Posted on 20. Apr, 2011 by Chris Lang.

The gap between China's huge current-account surpluses and America is out-of-control deficits may have temporarily narrowed. But the IMF believes the massive disparity will return, as world economic activity improves.

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Is the End of the World Near?

Posted on 23. Mar, 2011 by Chris Lang.

With Australia having weathered the global financial crisis, we are now having to cope with the potential after-effects of:

* The European sovereign debt crisis;
* The earthquake and tsunami in Japan and subsequent nuclear fallout;
* The Libyan crisis; and locally ...
* Extensive flooding in Queensland and Victoria.

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The Spectre of
Rising Interest Rates

Posted on 08. Feb, 2011 by Chris Lang.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is not seeing the Australian flood disasters as having a prolonged effect upon the national economy.

It certainly expects the March quarter GDP to decline by 0.5%. But it is then projecting a 4.25% surge, over the remainder of this year.

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