Many Lenders have reduced their fixed rates in anticipation the Reserve bank of Australia
will cut rates due to the slowing of the economy and the Global Financial Crisis.

In the last week Citibank, St George, ANZ and Westpac are amongst the Lenders that have
reduced their rates. It may be a good time to consider locking a part of or your entire current mortgage.

However, there may be penalties with fixed loans and it should meet your overall finance
strategy and allow you to reach your planned future goals and requirements. Speaking withan Independent Finance Expert is a wise step before making these
decisions and good Finance Broker will be able to help you with these sometimes difficult decisions.

Top five reasons why men die before women

1. Nature assists women
   Female hormones do more then simply alter moods – they possess properties that can help to protect some women who haven’t yet reached menopause from heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in Australia
2. Men put themselves at higher risk…
   High-risk activities including physically dangerous jobs such as labouring, high impact sports such as rugby and dangerous driving, place men at a much higher risk of injury and death at an earlier age then women. According to the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority, 469 male drivers were involved in fatal car crashes in 2009 across NSW compared to 118 women.
3. …and can’t beat old habits
   We all know smoking and excessive drinking are detrimental to our longer term health, yet men persist with these harmful habits. On average, they’re bigger smokers and drinkers than their female counterparts across almost all age groups. Cancer Council Victoria’s study Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues shows that 21 per cent of males in Australia smoke, compared with 18 per cent of females. Similarly, the ABS reports that 15 per cent of adult males drink at dangerously high levels compared to 12 per cent of the adult female population.
4. Men tend to forget to watch their weight
   Men are more likely to think they are within a safe weight range even if they are not. Twenty-two per cent of obese men believe they meet healthy weight guidelines compared to 12 per cent of obese women. A whopping 67 per cent of Australian men (aged 25 and over) are overweight, while 52 per cent of women in that age bracket are also tipping the scales at unhealthy levels.
5. Men are more susceptible to cancer
   According to the Cancer Council, half of all Australian men will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85. This daunting forecast is not quite as grim for the female population of Australia, with a third of women to be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85.

Amid this doom and gloom in mind, one thought can provide comfort to the male population: the shorter life expectancy of males is due in part to lifestyle factors, and you’re never too old to change your ways and improve your chances of a longer and brighter future.

6th July 2010

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.5 per cent.

The global economy has continued to expand over recent months, consistent with a trend pace of growth. The expansion remains uneven, with the major advanced countries recording only modest growth overall, but growth in Asia and Latin America, to date, very strong. There are indications that growth in China is now starting to moderate to a more sustainable rate. In Europe, while output in some key countries has been improving recently, prospects for next year are more uncertain given the budgetary constraints governments face and the pressure on euro area banks. US growth has looked stronger in the first half of 2010 but the pace of labour market improvement is slow.

Caution in financial markets has been evident in the past couple of months, driven principally by concerns about European sovereigns and banks but also by some uncertainty about the pace of future global growth. Financial prices have been more volatile and equity prices and government bond yields in major countries have declined. Some tightness in funding markets is evident, though not on the scale seen in late 2008. Commodity prices are off their peaks but those most important for Australia remain at very high levels, and the terms of trade are approaching their peak of two years ago.

With the high level of the terms of trade expected to add to incomes and demand, output growth in Australia over the year ahead is likely to be about trend, even though the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing. Consumption spending is recording a modest increase at present, with households displaying a degree of caution, but most indicators suggest business investment will increase over the coming year. Business credit appears to have stabilised, though credit conditions for some sectors remain difficult. Credit outstanding for housing has continued to expand at a solid pace, but dwelling prices are rising more slowly than earlier in the year.

The labour market has continued to firm gradually, and after the significant decline last year, growth in wages has picked up a little, as had been expected. Underlying inflation appears likely to be in the upper half of the target zone over the next year. The rate of CPI increase is likely to be a little above 3 per cent in the near term, due to the effects of increases in tobacco taxes announced earlier in the year and significant increases in prices for utilities.

The current setting of monetary policy is resulting in interest rates to borrowers around their average levels of the past decade. Pending further information about international and local conditions for demand and prices, the Board views this setting of monetary policy as appropriate.

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THE Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA has revised up its growth forecast for the state after a better than expected finish to the end of the 2010 financial year. 

However, the business lobby group has warned the positive outlook for WA may be short-lived, with growing concern that the recovery in the global economy will not be as strong due to uncertainty in Greece, Portugal and other European countries.

In its latest quarterly snapshot of WA’s economy out today, CCIWA forecasts economic growth to reach 3.5 per cent in 2009-10, half a percentage point higher than previous forecasts.

“The new financial year has started with a bang for Western Australia with the economy tipped to fire on all cylinders,” CCIWA chief economist John Nicolau said.

“As the economy continues to power up, economic growth this financial year will increase by a further 4.5 per cent with all sectors to play an important role.”

The positive outlook for this financial year stems from projections that growth will be built on increased business investment and rising levels of household spending, which will reach 4 per cent this year and driven by the strong population growth the state is expecting.

“That will be good news for consumer driven sectors of the economy, such as retail and hospitality, which are currently struggling due to rising costs, particularly wages which will increase considerably under the new awards system,” Mr Nicolau said.

CCIWA also predicts the state’s unemployment rate to drop to 3.5 per cent by the end of 2010-11. Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that WA’s jobless rate had slumped to a 17-month low of 4 per cent for June.

For 2012-13, CCIWA has stuck with its previous economic growth forecast of 6.25 per cent.

“Despite the positive outlook, some short-term risks have emerged for WA,” Mr Nicolau said.

“There’s growing concern that the recovery in the global economy will not be as strong as first expected as a result of the economic uncertainty in Greece and other European countries.

“And locally, higher interest rates and the rising costs for businesses and households have also shaken business and consumer confidence in the June quarter, which may also act as a handbrake to growth over the coming months.

“Despite these risks, the long term outlook for the WA economy remains positive.”