10 top dividend paying stocks
When the sharemarket falls by 20 per cent or more – as it has done since November – one of the major comforts to an investor is the dividend income from shares. It comes from a company’s earnings, so it’s not affected by the share price. So the dividends being paid this year – usually…
Climate change and consumers: hot air or real deal?
At present, when what Australians say they will do to help the environment is laid side-by-side with what they actually do, there is definitely a gap. However, if you’re developing or marketing goods and services with a green hue, the gap looks to close over time and there may be more customers who are willing…
Why you should split super with your spouse
Until recently, the ability to split superannuation pots was a popular strategy for couples looking to reduce the amount of tax payable on their end benefits. But from 1 July 2007, the government’s Better Super changes mean that for the majority of people aged 60 or over, super paid as a lump sum or income…
How to beat the super doom and gloom
The rapid decline in global equity markets has stripped wealth from superannuation nest eggs in an investment environment that looks challenging for at least the next 12 months. The popular default options of the nation’s super funds are likely to return an average loss of 4 per cent for the 2007/08 financial year, according to…
Why everyone loves penny dreadful stocks
Penny dreadfuls – stocks that sell for a handful of cents yet give big percentage gains – have a long history in Australia. Since the beginnings of the stock exchange, resources explorers have traditionally filled this role, often hitting paydirt with a drilling hole, resulting in a share price surge. More recently, technology stocks and…
Renowned Turtle Trader grossed $US384,000 in his first year
The Turtle Traders’ legend began with a bet between American multi-millionaire commodities trader, Richard Dennis and his business partner, William Eckhardt. Dennis believed that traders could be taught to be great; Eckhardt disagreed asserting that genetics were the determining factor and that skilled traders were born with an innate sense of timing and a gift…
Professional trader makes big bucks from home
After spending eight years in Asia as NAB’s head of trading Doug Goldsmith returned to Australia in 2005 to assist in re-building the bank’s local and global treasury operations following the institution’s $360 million illegal trading and foreign exchange debacle. Six months later Goldsmith put his extensive experience across all products to the test and…
Broker Recommendations – 6 to BUY, 6 to SELL and 6 to HOLD
Michael Heffernan AUSTOCK BUY RECOMMENDATIONS Origin Energy (ORG) An energy retailer, but also a power generator, gas producer and explorer. It’s been an excellent sharemarket performer since splitting from Boral in 1991. It offers a bright future after selling half its coal seam gas assets for US$5 billion to US based ConocoPhillips in a joint…
What does the term scalping mean, and how can a scalper make money on CFDs?
Scalping is a trading technique that involves opening and closing positions intraday in a variety of instruments such as FX, Futures or CFDs; typically “scalpers” will aim to profit from small price movements in their trading positions. They will also tend to trade much more frequently than medium to longer term “trend” following traders. It…
What futures contracts are the most popular and who buys them?
Futures traders normally fall into two groups with each having a typical ‘holding period’, based on the purpose of that futures position. The first group of traders, hedgers, have an interest in the underlying commodity and are seeking to minimise price risk in the physical market. Farmers are typically hedgers, and normally hold positions from…
