Finance News

The recent surge in bond yields has sent ripples through financial markets, signifying a pivotal shift after four decades of low-interest rates. This development has drawn attention to the implications it holds for businesses.  Let’s break down the basics of bond yields, why they matter, and how they can impact your business.   Understanding bond yields A bond yield is the return an investor can expect to earn from a bond, expressed as a percentage of the bond’s face value. It’s a key indicator of the profitability of bonds, and changes in yields can have significant implications for financial markets.  The...

As the business landscape emerges from the throes of the pandemic, the fragility of supply chains remains.    In today’s interconnected world, supply chains stretch across borders, encompassing suppliers, manufacturers, logistics providers, and customers worldwide. While this complexity offers numerous advantages, it also exposes organisations to a myriad of risks – from natural disasters and geopolitical tensions, to economic fluctuations and unexpected disruptions. It’s a timely reminder for Australian businesses to continually assess the potential risks of supply chain disruptions. In general, when compared to overseas counterparts, Australian supply chains are not only underprepared but underfunded. This leaves these critical networks...

A comprehensive guide on how to prepare for a cyber attack, the signs to look out for, and what to do should an attack occur.

The ATO has introduced two measures to support small businesses: the Small Business Technology Investment boost, and the Small Business Skills and Training Boost. Small business technology investment boost Small businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million will be allowed an additional 20% tax deduction to support their digital operations and digitise their operations. The boost is for business expenses and depreciating assets and is capped at $100,000 of expenditure per income year. You can receive a maximum bonus deduction of $20,000 per income year. The expenditure must: 🔹 already be deductible for your business under...

The Australian investment landscape is no stranger to change, innovation, and growth. As the Australian economy continues to mature, it has the unique advantage of observing, influencing, and being part of various emerging markets. From digital technologies and health tech to agriculture and renewable energy, the horizon of local emerging markets is as vast as our Australian continent itself. While certain emerging markets can involve some risk due to commonly being a new market, or seeing large fluctuations due to the recent global health events, with enough research and understanding there is a big potential for investors and new business...

The announcement of the 2023-24 WA State Budget has confirmed that the WA economy remains strong and resilient whilst highlighting the risks ahead due to the challenges associated with interest rates and the global economy.   We delve into the key takeaways from the Western Australian State Budget – and what these mean for local businesses. WA State Budget Breakdown WA economic forecast WA’s economy is expected to grow by 4.25% in 2022-23. If achieved, it will be the strongest growth rate since 2013-14. Growth is forecast to decrease in the coming years, reaching 1.5% at the end of the...

Now that the ink has dried on last week’s Australian Federal Budget, which was largely focused on alleviating cost-of-living pressures across the nation, we can evaluate what this means for businesses. Here is a summary of the key the Federal Budget announcements impacting business owners. Australian Federal Budget Summary for Business Owners: Small Business Instant Asset Write Off: $20,000 threshold for 2023–2024 Temporary Full Expensing will end on 30 June 2023. From 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, the Government will temporarily increase the instant asset write-off threshold to $20,000 for small businesses with an aggregated turnover of less...

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors have become an increasingly important consideration for investors and regulators as awareness of climate change and other sustainability issues grows. ESG factors are are non-financial factors that investors and lenders use to identify material risks and growth opportunities and include the following, and are core to an organisation’s strategy and operations. However, with the rise of ESG, there comes an increased focus on greenwashing. In Australia, the ACCC and ASIC are working together to address greenwashing or misrepresenting a company’s environmental credentials. What is greenwashing? Greenwashing is the act of making false or misleading...