We have a compiled list of the 5 most valuable companies in the world at the moment, based on current stock market valuations. Number one may come as a surprise, and maybe you didn’t realise Google has a parent company…. but the household names are definitely up there and probably won’t shock you.  Google parent Read More…

Retail spending jumped by a better than expected 0.9 per cent in November, easily beating economist forecasts of a 0.4 per cent increase.  November’s Black Friday sales fuelled a better-than-expected monthly retail turnover, but economists are wary of how much of the 0.9 per cent increase would previously have been spent during December. Consumers shelled Read More…

The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) has called for a focus on policy adaptation on national disasters to protect small business owners throughout the next decade. “The next decade must be about policy adaptation on key national issues,” said Peter Strong, CEO of COSBOA, following the devastating impact of the bushfires and drought Read More…

Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has spoken out on the recently approved new version of the Banking of Code of Practice – a set of enforceable standards that small businesses can expect from Australian banks. The updates come into effect in March this year and was only last updated in July last Read More…

Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud is developing an assistance package for businesses affected by the bushfires raging across Australia. The government is currently offering a one-off $1000 payment for bushfire victims, as well as 13 weeks of income support. Mr Littleproud said he would announce a program in the coming days that will see bushfire-affected Read More…

Accommodation provider Aspen Group has forecast an income hit of at least $500,000 as bushfires wreak havoc on the NSW south coast and drive holidaymakers away. The company is the latest in a growing number of businesses to have reported financial losses from fires in recent weeks, including fruit and vegetable grower Costa Group and Read More…

The way Australians share account and transaction data will become much easier in February 2020 with the rollout of Open Banking through the Consumer Data Right legislation. The first stage of Open Banking will involve the major four banks and the rollout will give consumers the right to control their data. “Ultimately, Open Banking will Read More…

Afterpay rival Openpay is trading down 20% in its ASX float following a $50 million initial public offering. The Melbourne company’s shares were trading at $1.36 at 1500 AEDT, down 15 per cent from the IPO price of $1.60, and had traded as low as 20 per cent down. “It’s obviously not great from the Read More…

Committing to using renewable energies and reducing waste in order to become more environmentally sustainable is becoming more and more popular amongst businesses, arguably largely pushed by a demand by consumers and climate change concerns. Most recently, it is the Japenses brewing and spirits giant – Asahi – which has joined other brewers, Lion and Read More…

LinkedIn has just revealed a curated list of the expected top jobs for 2020. The insights come from the analysis of millions of user-input job titles from the last five years. The most in-demand emerging jobs are generally indicative of larger industry trends or represent changes in consumerism and society, as they have been influenced by Read More…

Super funds that invest in line with ethical principles have outperformed those that don’t, according to a new report. The Responsible Investment Association Australasia said 13 funds it rated as leaders in screening for environmental, social and governance factors outperformed 41 others over five-, three- and one-year time frames. Those 13 funds had an average one-year Read More…

Dynamic Business and Elmo Cloud HR & Payroll hosted the Top10 Dynamic Entrepreneurs luncheon in Sydney last Thursday. The Top10 Dynamic Entrepreneurs celebrates and recognises the hard-working, driven and passionate entrepreneurs in the Australian small business community. We know from our Friday entrepreneur features that a lot of the time, entrepreneurial work goes unnoticed in this Read More…

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has proposed major changes for the Australian supplement industry in 2020, which may see popular sports supplement products become unavailable in the Australian market. Bulk Nutrients, a major Australian sports supplement company, estimates that 90 per cent of the international and Australian owned sports supplements currently sold in the Australian market Read More…

The decision of the Reserve Bank of Australia today has been to hold the cash rate at a record low 0.75 per cent, as widely expected by economists. The board decision will allow Christmas and New Year spending activity to filter through before the central bank’s board considers the possibility of a cut to 0.5 per Read More…

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, says high growth small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) will get the boost they need, with the big four banks backing the $520 million Australian Business Growth Fund. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has confirmed ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac will each commit $100 million to the fund, Read More…