Jamelle Agbuis

Consumer confidence in the U.K. has been severely shaken, only a wedding of such pomp and ceremony as that of the future King of England can pull the nation out of the doldrums, even if only for the day. Whether the country's collective euphoria can translate into economic goodwill, however, is in question.

Expect the financing of aged care to be an issue of growing debate that will have considerable personal financial implications.

Expect the financing of aged care to be an issue of growing debate that will have considerable personal financial implications.

For Australian investors this could either be regarded as largely irrelevant or as a valuable free lesson where we can learn from the pain experienced in other markets having been largely insulated ourselves.

There is a commendable focus on better protection and stronger engagement for investors in the package of reforms announced this week by the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, Bill Shorten.

Australians continue to cut their borrowing levels at a time when their per capita wealth has reached a record high.

Recent upward momentum and weakness in the Greenback propelled the Aussie Dollar to fresh highs yet again during yesterday's Asian session, topping out at 1.0940 before heading into offshore trade holding above the 1.09 handle.

A soaring Australian dollar produced a diving Australian sharemarket on Friday as investors decided that record dollar levels are bad for business.

US consumer sentiment rose from 67.5 to 69.8 in April, ahead of forecasts centred on 69.6.

On the eToro trading floor, sentiment among eToro's oil traders was bullish in favor of buying by a ratio of 14 buyers to 6 sellers.

Semi-skilled workers are being left out of work due to technological advances and automated workplaces, resulting in an 'hour glass' shaped labour market, according to recruitment firm Hays.

I have heard quite a bit of talk lately around the importance of implementing Employee Lifecycle Management. Can you explain what it is and why it is important?

Housing affordability is by far the main issue facing first home buyers, according to the latest survey from Loan Market.

The master plan for the future delivery of financial advice has been mapped out.

US Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, reaffirmed the view that US interest rates will remain at record low levels for quite some time to come.

The Australian Dollar drifted below the $1.07 mark in quiet holiday trade during Asian hours yesterday.

The statement issued after the conclusion of the two-day FOMC meeting confirmed that the Fed is in no rush to tighten monetary policy.

The Aussie has run into some resistance around the US105 cent area and fell from this level during yesterday's domestic session.

The Australian share market closed sharply lower on Tuesday as investors fretted over Standard & Poor's (S&P) downgrade on its outlook for US sovereign debt. Stocks fell across the board.

US housing starts rose by a larger than expected 7.2pct to a seasonally adjusted rate of 549,000 in March. New building permits advanced by a sharper than expected 11.2pct to 594,000 in March, rebounding from February´s record low.

The AUD has fallen below USD1.0500 overnight as sovereign debt issues in both Europe and the US dampen risk appetite.

The Australian Dollar opens this morning at a rate of 1.0504 against the Greenback. Following a large flight to safety yesterday evening riskier currencies such as the Aussie Dollar were sold across the board.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor´s downgraded the long term US credit outlook to negative. S&P cited a risk that policy makers may not reach agreement on a plan to reduce the US federal budget deficit. White House spokesman Jay Carney said that a failure by Congress to lift the US debt ceiling would immediately arrest the US economic recovery.

The Australian dollar opens this morning buying 1.0560 US Cents after reaching a rate of 1.0572 late Friday evening.

US consumer sentiment rose from 67.5 to 69.6 in April, ahead of forecasts centred on 66.5.

The Australian dollar has opened trading this morning around USD1.0540 after a choppy session, with a nice bounce from its overnight low of US $1.0460.

US producer prices rose by a less than expected 0.7pct in March. Energy prices rose by 2.6pct in March, accounting for almost 90pct of the increase in wholesale prices.

The release yesterday of the Westpac Consumer Confidence Survey showed that consumer confidence bounced modestly for the month of April with the survey of 1200 people demonstrating sentiment rising to 1.2% from a previous negative reading of 2.4%.

US retail sales rose by 0.4pct in March, after an upwardly-revised gain of 1.1pct in February (previously +1.0pct).