Taking a look at how potentially all expatriates could benefit from an international banking solution that bridges the gulf between their banking needs at home and abroad and their bank accounts at home and abroad!
We British expatriates are famous for moaning about anything and everything back home and abroad. But is this a fair image that is portrayed, do we whinge too much and if so, what do we complain about most?
Portugal will perform well in the international property market in the next year, it has been predicted.
A number of agents working in the country believe it is set to see prices rise in the coming year now that the Portuguese economy has come out of recession, Buy Association reports.
It noted that the Silver Coast is particularly anticipated to do well, with a rise of between 50 per cent and 75 per cent in its prices between now and 2015.
Another area expected to be a strong performer is the Algrave, due to the presence of many golf courses.
The country has also been forecasted to overtake Spain as a buyer destination next year because the Portuguese economy is now growing while its neighbour remains mired in the credit crunch.
Portugal’s average property prices rose by 1.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2009, Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index revealed earlier this month.
Written by Charles Mackay
Australia’s property values climbed by 1.9 per cent in August, new research has indicated.
The RP Data – Rismark Home Value Index showed that the average home price in the country was up by the largest monthly amount since the survey began in 2005.
Describing the figure as "exceptional", the company noted that this meant property prices in the country have increased by 7.9 per cent in the first eight months of 2009.
Research director for the body Tim Lawless remarked: "We are now seeing home values rising at a solid rate, almost 80 per cent of auctions are clearing and sales volumes have bounced back significantly."
The firm’s international managing director, Christopher Joye said that the low interest rate situation in the country, combined with high population growth, lower than expected unemployment and housing shortages are all inflating prices.
Prices in Australia will continue to be subject to upward price influences, head of economic analysis department at the Reserve Bank of Australia Tony Richards said this week.
Written by Chris Moore
House prices in the largest US cities have risen continually over the last half year, a new survey has shown.
The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices has produced half a year of positive readings with figures for July indicating that in both the ten-city and 20-city indicators the annual rate of price decline fell.
In addition to this, 18 of the 20 largest metropolitan areas saw prices up in July and for 13 of them this was at least the third successive month when values jumped.
Commenting on the findings, chairman of the Standard and Poors Index Committee David Blitzer remarked: "The rate of annual decline in home price values continues to decelerate and we now seem to be witnessing some sustained monthly increases across many of the markets."
Such a trend may encourage those keen to invest in property abroad and who are considering the US as a destination.
Earlier this week, the National Association of Realtors revealed that the total of new homes sales in the country in August was 3.4 per cent more than in the same month in 2008.
Written by Jamie Musk
Australia’s property market has avoided a major slump but must now see a rise in supply to avoid a surge in prices, one of the country’s most senior economists has said.
Head of economic analysis department at the Reserve Bank of Australia Tony Richards noted: "Over the past five years, housing prices have risen less rapidly than incomes, after a long period when the reverse was true."
However, he suggested, this may be a difficult situation to sustain, due to factors such as future interest rate rises, economic recovery and the effects of Australia’s rapid population growth.
He also noted that as unemployment falls there could be a labour shortage in the construction industry, making it hard to maintain supply levels.
Those keen to buy overseas property in Australia may be interested in purchasing as the average price could soar in such circumstances.
Last week, two economists told a Your Money table forum that prices in the country will continue rising.
AMP Capital Investors chief economist Shane Oliver and CommSec chief economist Craig James said the lack of supply would be the main inflationary factor in the market, news.com.au reported.
Major food and beverage producers have been releasing earnings and early forecasts signal positive results. Have food and beverage exchange traded funds (ETFs) benefited, though?
General Mills (GIS) and ConAgra (CAG) both reported higher-than-expected quarterly profits, thanks to falling commodity prices. Del Monte Foods (DLM) reported a fiscal first-quarter profit and raised its target for the year, Kellogg (K) announced that its full-year earnings should be at the high end of … [visit site to read more]
Electric, Gas and Water utilities have always been traditionally regarded as income stocks by investors. Their high current yields, and the relative stability of their distributions made them a preferred choice for investors who are seeking current income from their assets.
Utilities typically pay out a large portion of their earnings as dividends, which explains their slow dividend growth and high dividend yields. Most utilities operate as natural monopolies, which guarantees almost … [visit site to read more]
For the third consecutive month, The International Energy Agency (IEA) released an upward revision of its forecast for world oil demand. It juiced up August’s estimate by 500,000 barrels a day, citing better-than-expected economic growth in developing Asian economies and North America.
So this rejuvenated demand for oil will have a barrel trading north of $90 in the weeks ahead, right? (The current market price for a barrel of oil is about $72.)
Not so fast. Two factors will likely … [visit site to read more]
China’s trade with Africa has increased ten-fold over the past decade, as the rising Asian power has rapidly matured into a political and economic powerhouse. And with China still in the thralls of an epic growth spurt, its designs on Africa’s resources are beginning to conflict with those of the West.
Indeed, Africa – with its abundance of natural resources – is shaping up tot be the most hotly contested battlefield of the 21st century. And the next battle could be over Nigeria’s oil … [visit site to read more]
