As Australians, we know that finance and finances play a big part in our lives. It affects our mortgages, our ability to pay for the things we want and how we measure our financial retirement.
So it definitely helps to keep up to date with financial news.
Here are the three top places where we like to go to for our financial news.
The Newspaper
Australia is full of great morning newspapers, such as the Australian Financial Review, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Herald Sun and The Australian.
Journalists at these newspapers are responsible for taking the information which is out there and converting it into something which is readily digestible for the everyday person. Reading the financial sections of these papers provides information on market trends, and pending legislation which might impact the financial markets.
The print media industry has evolved too. Most newspapers have their content freely available in digital form, so it’s possible to access the financial information of an urban dweller, even if one lives in a back country town, or remote cattle station.
Financial Magazines
This is where most of the experts converge to test their opinions.
Financial magazines in Australia have become renowned for the in-depth coverage they provide on matters such as: The upwards movement of the gold price from 2015 to 2016, the wind-down of the mining boom and the impact on the world economy of the rout in the oil price.
Some of the most successful financial whizzes pen regular columns in these papers, providing analysis and suggesting what this could mean for your own financial health. The latest issue of Money magazine offers articles on real estate at 350K, the acorns app, and the five golden rules to finding the right financial advisor. The Economist is a stalwart that covers news and commentary, and provides financial information from an international standpoint.
The Internet: website and blogs
Websites
Information overload can sometimes be a problem when you are looking for the most accurate and reliable information on the internet.
But we can thank Google for the excellent job they do in identifying the usefulness of websites and their articles. They use a complex algorithm to position the most useful, and relevant links, at the top of the page, in response to the search terms that you entered. A lot of the best websites have careful, objective analysis and live, up-to-date reports on the stock and commodities markets and countless other financial information.
Do look out for references to ‘people in the know’, like Laura Tingle of The Australian Financial Review,Ric Spooner who has good insights on the major asset classes, and Saul Eslake, who is knowledgeable, level-headed, and bold in his critique of economic policies in Australia.
Blogs
You can never underestimate the extraordinary amount of information which investment banks, financial brokers and financial trading companies are able to share. The minds who work in these companies are some of the sharpest in Australia, and the world.
Australia’s largest bank ANZ, for example has a media platform website divided up into different categories. Their insights are so precise and location specific, you can get an understanding of how current chances impact people in personal and corporate setting.
CMC Markets, who provide software which specialises in spread betting and financial derivatives trading, hire a team of financial experts and economists to provide regular news and analysis.
Think Tanks
One that we particularly like is The Interpreter where you’ll find commentary on current international financial and economic issues that is perceptive yet comprehensible.
Academics
Our favourite blog where academic economists contribute to the policy debate is Core Economics. Their posts cover issues such as business strategy, technology and innovation.
There You Go
Now you know how our great nation stays informed on financial matters!