Richard Smith has been described as the "Indiana Jones" of International Finance and you don't have to delve far into the book to find out why. His business which is heavily involved in trading the soverign debt of emerging nations makes for a white knuckle ride through the underbelly of the global market economy. This book is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered how this $1.7 trillion dollar industry works and for those who are struggling to keep businesses running during the current economic crisis. This book was reviewed by Keith on radio 2GB. Unfortunately podcasts of... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 10:53 AM Comment

Tags: business, economics

Friday December 4th 2009 2009 has been another turbulent year, with Australia's involvement with the world's superpowers creating as many problems as opportunities. Among the topics to be reviewed this morning are: • How is Barack Obama doing? • Global Economy: Breakdown or breakthrough? • Global Environment: Winning battles but losing the war? • 21st Century: "The Asian Century"? Course No. 94HM381 1 session 10 am - 12.30 pm Cost: $39 (No Concession) Morning Tea included WEA House, 72 Bathurst St, Sydney 2000 Tel: (02) 9264 2781 Fax: (02) 9267 6988 Internet: www.weasydney.nsw.edu.au A non-profit organisation established 1913... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 3:41 PM Comment

Tags: Australasia, business, economics

Rating:

• Currently 4

Storm Cunningham has made his name as the real estate agent for the revitalize era. As CEO of the resolution fund, Storm has turned around the fortunes of many a decaying suburb. When the manufacturing industries of Youngstown moved overseas the area was left vacuous and soulless until its community based "revitalization via shrinkage" program, initiated in 2004 and due to be completed in 2010.  It is  initiatives like this, focusing on re-working "brown" land and revitalizing industrial suburbs that have earned Storm his reputation as champion of the restoration economy.The book walks us through some of the projects... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 10:20 PM 1 comment

Tags: business, economics, media, reviews

Cityboy is a brilliantly gritty account of life in London's financial heartland - The Square Mile. Author Geraint Anderson breaks the city's code of silence to uncover its dark and sorded secrets. With insider trading, drug taking, gambling and recklessness abound it is a wonder that any trading gets done. However, Geraint is proof that the dog-eat-dog culture of looking out for number one does yield results - he retired at only 35 years old after amassing a fortune. The book, which was originally an anonymous column in a city newspaper looks set to go to film in the near... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:40 PM Comment

Tags: business, economics, Keith Suter, media, reviews

Throughout history we have seen great business and political leaders soar to the top of their field before falling on their own sword due to a number of seemingly obvious bad decisions. Herbert Hoover became president of the USA after WW1 after gaining popularity as a great businessman and successful secretary of state. However the great depression put him off his stride and a series of bad economic decisions saw his downfall. Next take An Wang, the Chinese American inventor behind (among other things) the technology that made magnetic core memory possible. Wang empire grew from strength to strength throughout... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:15 PM Comment

Tags: America, business, economics

George Soros is one of the richest men in the world and has been involved in the financial markets for many years. Having witnessed the slow fall from grace of the global banking system, the crash of 08 was certainly no surprise. The boom / bust cycle is analysed against the backdrop of the globally networked situation that we find ourselves in today. Solutions and strategies are offered and policies suggested. Keith reviewed George's latest book on radio 2GB tonight, a podcast of which will shortly be available by clicking through here. For those that prefer to read the review,... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 12:49 AM Comment

Tags: economics, media

If you want to push your particular issue up the political agenda, then it is necessary to add "security" to your noun eg "water security", "climate security" and "education security". I think that there should be a national campaign to emphasize "food, fibre and fuel security". On Friday September 11 2009 I spoke in Brisbane at the Queensland AGFORCE 2009 State Conference. This was an appropriate anniversary on which to be speaking about new approaches to "security"!                  People now expect more "safety" from their governments. There has been a revolution of "rising... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 6:52 PM Comment

Tags: business, economics, environment

In June Keith interviewed Dr Ian Pollard For the Australian Institute of Company Directors about his new book "Investing In Life". The interview is available to listed to via podcast by clicking here. Dr Pollard tells Keith that he was inspired to write this book after seeing a gap in the market for books that look at the business case for investing in ones self. He cites that there are many books out there teaching us how to develop our Emotional Intelligence, or negotiation skills and our networking ability but nothing that gives a holistic perspective on the returns that... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 2:29 PM Comment

Tags: business, economics, law, media, reviews

The recent controversy over the Australian mining executive, Stern Hu, held in China has been a reminder of the importance of mining to the Australian economy. But mining's contribution is not just financial. In May 2008 I spoke at the dinner of the National Mining Congress of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC). Here are some of my remarks: Mining Companies Make the World a More Peaceful Place First, mining is part of the overall improvement in international trade - and trade that bring countries together reduces the risk of international war. This has been called the "MacDonald's... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, business, economics, environment

Rating:

• Currently 3

                The Australian Business Foundation have just launched their latest research project investigating Australian businesses and their engagement with China. This project is a reality check on actual experiences of doing business with China. It looks beyond the China hype to the strategies and approaches Australian businesses are using on the ground in China. The book explains that there is no right equation for businesses engaging with China. It is constantly changing and the right answer is different for every organisation. Rapid economic growth and development have ensured China will continue to play a... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 10:52 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, Australasia, business, economics, media

                    It's a struggle for CEOs in the current business climate. Profit seems to be an ever more elusive goal and the federal government isn't helping. Julia wants workers paid more, Wayne doesn't want them redundant, Kevin has run out of stimulus, customers wont pay a cent more than half-price and Penny is poised to plant a huge carbon footprint all over the bottom line. The Federal Labor Government has many fine qualities but it wouldn't get a pass in business studies. One of its outstanding assets is a remarkable pool... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, economics, entertainment

The financial news is still gloomy, with the Prime Minister foreshadowing difficult times ahead. I have been reading a very interesting book on personal finance: All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan (New York: Free Press, 2005). The authors are Professor Elizabeth Warren (Harvard Law School) and her daughter Amelia Warren Tyagi (a financial commentator based on the West Coast). Their approach to getting started is novel: no complicated lists, no spending diaries to monitor expenditure, no counting every cent. Instead, they have three broad categories: regular monthly bills, money to be spent "just for fun", and money for... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 6:26 PM Comment

Tags: economics, reviews

We have all heard about how China is set to take over the world with its vast population, its cheap manufacturing and its thirst for progress but what is going on behind the statistics? Who, if anyone is influencing China? What does being part of the global economy mean to China? How is China coping with its growing wealth and power? Mark Leonard gets under the skin of the balance sheet and peels back the communist government veneer to uncover China's intellectual heart. Leonards vast foreign policy experience and connections within China have enabled him to access some of the... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 1:07 AM Comment

Tags: Asia, business, economics, Keith Suter, media

Former Goldman Sachs investment banker John Talbott shares with us the 86 biggest lies from wall street and sheds some light onto some of the possible causes of the current economic crisis. His book claims that the American economy was never as strong and robust as it was made out to be. That GDP growth over the past ten or so years has been mainly due to population growth and the fact that many spouses have now entered the workforce rather than through good management. He uncovers the truth that the powers moving America are from the corporate world rather... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:47 PM Comment

Tags: America, economics, media, reviews

In these turbulent financial times many have pondered on the true costs of capitalism. In his newly released book, Barbera takes a look at the human element of the global financial market delving into behavioral economics and uncovering the psychology that drives the cycle of boom and bust. The book talks about the three stages of the market cycle as defined by American Economist Minsky . 1) Hedge Finance - this typifies the early part of the cycle with the memory of recession fresh in investors minds. 2) The Speculative Finance phase which occurs after a few years of good... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:51 PM Comment

Tags: business, economics, media, reviews

There are occasional scares in the Australian media about the number of asylum seekers coming here by boat. I have just been reading an excellent publication which helps set this issue in a wider context. Dr Khalid Koser, Director of the New Threats and Human Security Programme at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, has written The Global Financial Crisis and International Migration: Policy Implications for Australia. It is available free of charge from the Lowy Institute for International Policy website:  (The Lowy Institute, based at Sydney, is an independent international policy think tank). Dr Koser spoke to his report... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, economics, law, sociology

Rating:

• Currently 5

In his latest book, Paul Collier analyses the impact of democracy on global stability. Paul, a Professor of Economics at the Oxford University analyses the problems faced by some of the world's poorest countries in their quest to play their part on the world stage. This book looks at the post cold war political landscape and surmises that the world has become a more dangerous place for many. As an economist Paul takes an analytical and fact laden approach to his writing concentrating on financial benchmarks and numerical facts preferring not to steer into the more theoretical and historical territory... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 1:05 AM Comment

Tags: conflict, economics, media, reviews

The US Government is plunging even more deeply into debt. Here are two short videos which set out graphically the continuing crisis. To try to make sense of a "trillion" dollars, if a person spent a US$1 million per day for every day since Jesus was born, then it would take until about the year 2737 to spend just the first trillion dollars. History of the Debt The US has always had a national debt. The first version was created at the outset of the American war of independence against the British (1776-1783). As soon as the fighting started, the... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 12:31 AM 1 comment

Tags: America, economics

                    You've got to feel sorry for Eric Roozendaal. He's such a well-meaning chap but last year his mini-budget went down like John Howard at a union meeting and now his full budget has been received like a steak sandwich served to Kevin in flight. It's a pity Wayne didn't give him a few tips and it was just unfortunate that Bernie Madoff wasn't at liberty to help out. First it was Obama with the 'audacity of hope', only to be outshone by Eric's 'beacon of hope'; although perhaps Eric should... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, economics, entertainment, law

                    Wall St responded immediately to Wayne's 2009 budget by asking 'who?' and 'where?' Australia responded by hoping it was his swan song. This budget was framed to fight the biggest depression in Australia since Howard and Costello. There was an encouraging first step in the 2050 plan to get the ageing population cost burden under control. Ultimately pensions will rise to one hundred thousand a year but you'll only qualify for one if you live to be a hundred and three. The introduction of paid parental leave in 2011... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, economics, entertainment, law