Recent content by aster

What does that first chart show btw? As for the second one, are all Australian banks so heavily dependent on property loans (and at risk if the property bubble bursts)? Is there a chart with a break-up showing what the percentage is for each particular bank?

Very easy to buy property abroad. The problem is different, opening up the housing market and allowing it to be a vehicle for speculative/investment capital for outside investors, or even for investors in general. So money starts flowing in and scooping up properties, sending prices up. A lot of...

Same thing in Singapore. When you own a property you have to pay tax as if it were rented out.

Re: Bitcoins - Peer to Peer currency Bitcoin jumping around today, as "low" as $530 and as high as $900. :)

Re: Bitcoins - Peer to Peer currency Two reasons really. Firstly I don't want to keep them at some exchange as those tend to disappear or get hacked, and secondly I don't want to hold them "physically" either as that is also risky. Kind of like keeping cash under the pillow :) I have...

Re: Bitcoins - Peer to Peer currency Any indirect way to speculate on Bitcoins, like through an ETF perhaps?

I feel that the currency is hugely over-priced. It should be around 75 US cents but the resource boom amongst other things has propelled it to new heights before knocking it back a little bit to the mid-90s. It's still extremely high. I do agree about interest rates though raising them would...

Re: Bitcoins - Peer to Peer currency Is there an easy way to invest in Bitcoins in Australia? Any funds which invest in this directly? I wouldn't mind playing about with this but I'd rather keep the transactions local, via some sort of fund for instance which focuses on Bitcoins. I also don't...

How decent is the turnover on ETIS for companies like Google or Apple? Is it a liquid market or is the opposite true? Also, where can I find historical charts for ETIS like ETSGOO? Seems like the ASX site doesn't have them...

Have you seen any correlation between US market movements and that of the AUD? I mean if the US markets take a hit then the AUD will probably dip as well, so one will cancel (well, at least counteract) the other with regards to the ETIC trading price, right?

Any thoughts? Are there any other benefits apart from convenience (traded on the ASX so less paperwork, normal trading hours, etc.)? Has anyone "invested" in Apple or Google stocks this way?

As I aim to hold USD and not AUD I would prefer to make all my trades in US Dollars without the need for any conversions to/from Aussie Dollars each time. Which Australian brokerage firms allow this? Most that I've checked will only allow you to purchase stocks using your AUD (which they will...

I mentioned that I would like to deal only with Australian companies/brokers. :)

I'm new to the forums but I need some advice as I'm finding it exceedingly difficult to find what I'm looking for. Basically I'm keen on investing in US stocks, and I will be converting my AUS into USD shortly to sleep well at night and be ready for the next time the US markets take a dive...