ANZ, one of Australia’s big four banks, has predicted the country’s cash rate to soar to over three percent in 2022. In a July 19 report, ANZ expected the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to raise the cash rate by 0.5 percent in August, September, October, and November consecutively, bringing the rate to 3.35 percent…
ANZ to Take Over Suncorp’s Banking Business in $4.9 Billion Deal
Australia’s Suncorp Group has announced that it has accepted a $4.9 billion (US$4.02 billion) deal to take over its banking business from ANZ, one of the big-four lenders in the country. The transaction represents $3.21 per share and is expected to yield net proceeds of $4.1 billion for Suncorp after deducting relevant transaction costs. According…
Three Major Australian Banks Lifted Interest Rates Following Central Bank’s Decision
Three of Australia’s Big Four banks have adjusted their variable home loan rates upward one day after the central bank raised the cash rate for the third time in 2022. On July 6, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) was the first bank to pass the rise on in full by lifting the rates of…
Education Union Press for Gender Affirmation Leave at Tasmanian University
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS) are “locked in a battle” after UTAS declined to comply with the union’s request to provide up to 30 days’ leave for transgender staff. The university currently offers 10 days of special leave for their staff irrespective of their gender, however, the NTEU…
Australian Consumer Confidence for January Hits 30-year Low
Australian consumer confidence plunged to its lowest January reading since 1992 and the overall lowest since October 2020, according to the ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index. January typically posts positive consumer confidence results, but it has plummeted 8.1 points to 97.9 during the second week of the month following the emergence of Omicron. Additionally, all states fell…
Australia Starts Off Year With Dampened Consumer Confidence
Australia’s consumer confidence has taken a small hit across the country following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The weekly ANZ Roy Morgan consumer confidence rating dropped by 2.4 points for the first week of the year, a week that usually sees a rise. Consumer confidence fell particularly hard in South Australia…
‘Pandemic Is Far From Over’: Australian Treasury Secretary
Australian Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy has warned that the “pandemic is far from over” and the country needs to remain vigilant against the risks associated with the CCP virus. “As we move through 2021, the pandemic is far from over. We have witnessed the consequences and impacts of second and third waves around the world…
Australia’s CBA, ANZ Sued in New Zealand for Missed Loan Interest Refunds
Two of Australia’s “big four” banks are facing a multi-million dollar claim in New Zealand for not refunding more than 150,000 customers the interest and fee charged following an alleged breach in disclosing changes to loan agreements. The class-action lawsuit said Kiwi units of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group…
US News
- Ross MuscatoSince the Dec. 12, 2012, massacre of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the state has passed several laws to restrict and make it… [...]
- Ryan MorganThe campaign video Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) released to announce his 2024 Senate campaign became the subject of an ethics complaint within a single day. On Thursday, Schiff announced he… [...]
- Amy GammFive Republican members of Congress from New York sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, demanding transparency about his administration’s “secrecy” involving migrant relocation operations and expressing outrage… [...]
- City News ServiceThe Los Angeles City Council tentatively voted Jan. 27 to provide tenants who are behind on their rent with a one-month grace period prior to their landlord beginning eviction proceedings,… [...]
- Lear Zhou, Jason BlairSAN FRANCISCO—Hundreds of community members gathered in Portsmouth Square in San Francisco on the evening of Jan. 26 to commemorate the victims of two recent mass shootings in California and… [...]
- City News ServiceSAN DIEGO—A Chula Vista man who blew up two ATMs in an attempt to steal the money inside was sentenced Jan. 27 to more than 11 years in federal prison.… [...]
- Caden PearsonFormer Vice President Mike Pence on Friday acknowledged his responsibility for classified documents found at his residence in Indiana and pledged to participate in any investigation into the matter. Pence… [...]
- Joseph M. HannemanA California doctor who treated the mortally wounded Ashli Babbitt after she was shot outside the House of Representatives on Jan. 6, 2021, was arrested by the FBI on four… [...]
- Bill PanThe State Bar of California is moving to disbar attorney and former law professor John Eastman for supporting President Donald Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. In a… [...]
- Jack BradleyOrange County Sheriff’s officials announced Jan. 26 that “rainbow” fentanyl was found for the first time in the department’s jurisdiction. Deputies confiscated 14,000 multi-colored fentanyl pills along with 2 kilograms… [...]