25/03/2025 It was an absolute delight to present at Abdul Hamid Sharaf School (AHSS) some basic concepts relating to business, finance & investments to the 11th & 12th grade IGSE students, a special shout-out to Ms. Nadia Irshid “the business teacher” & the school director Mr. Tarek Dahdah for extending the invite. I was truly amazed to learn how smart these students are, all displayed an advanced level of business shrewdness & immense leadership qualities beyond their age.
06/03/2025 European Central Bank (ECB) cuts key interest rate by 25 basis points.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/06/european-central-bank-interest-rate-decision-march-2025.html
23/01/2025 Trump indicates that he will pressure the US Federal Reserve to lower interest rate.
10/01/2025 Lower than expected US unemployment rate recorded at 4.1% as a result of higher jobs creation for the month of December.
13/12/2024 Swiss National Bank (SNB) reduce interest rate by 50 basis points.
08/11/2024 US Federal Reserve decided to cut interest rate by 25 basis points on it’s November meeting.
17/10/2024 European Central Bank (ECB) reduces interest rate by 25 basis points.
12/10/2024 One of our Partners at BFBC, Laila Bustani was awarded a Master of Business Administration from United Kingdom’s Hult International Business School, we congratulate Laila for this achievement & extend our sincere gratitude for supporting us throughout our journey.
18/09/2024 The Fed Reserve today initiated the rate cutting cycle by reducing the federal funds rate by 50 basis points.
20/08/2024 Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) leaves cash rate unchanged @ 4.35%
17/07/2024 UK inflation came in unchanged at 2% for this June.
25/06/2024 Swiss National Bank has brought about its second interest rate cut decision for the year.
06/06/2024 Bank of Canada & ECB cut interest rates by 25 basis points.
18/05/2024 Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting a new all-time high at 40,000.
09/04/2024 2022 Domestic companies market capitalization / Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
19/03/2024 Bank of Japan (BoJ) ending a long negative rates era by setting interest at 0% to + 0.1%.
12/03/2024 US Consumer Price Index (CPI) ticking up slightly for the month & for the 12 month reading.
06/02/2024 Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) leaves cash rate unchanged.
13/01/2024 US Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation measure increased by 0.2% in December 2023.
14/12/2023 Bank of England leaves interest rate unchanged.
20/11/2023 CPI vs Interest Rate of Advanced Nations.
07/11/2023 RBA raises cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% insuring inflation rate return to targeted range within a reasonable timeframe.
05/10/2023 Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) leaves cash rate unchanged for Oct 2023.
21/09/2023 Bank of England’s Interest rate decision unchanged.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/21/bank-of-england-ends-run-of-14-straight-interest-rate-hikes.html
26/08/2023 “Two percent is and will remain our inflation target,” Jerome Powell.
15/08/2023 Another US rating downgrade maybe on the way.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/15/fitch-warns-it-may-be-forced-to-downgrade-dozens-of-banks.html
04/07/2023 RBA leave cash rate target unchanged.
14/06/2023 Fed funds rate unchanged indicating a potential pause by the Fed Reserve to assess the effects of the previous interest rate hikes on the economy & financial system. Two additional rate hikes are expected by the end of 2023.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/14/fed-rate-decision-june-2023.html
04/05/2023 ECB hikes rate by 75 basis points.
04/04/2023 RBA leaves the cash rate unchanged @ 3.6%.
23/03/2023 Another 25 basis points increase taking the Fed funds rate to 4.75% – 5%.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/22/fed-rate-hike-decision-march-2023.html
09/03/2023 US CPI vs Fed Funds Rate as @ Jan 2023
03/02/2023 Bank of England raises interest by 50 basis points.
15/12/2022 The Fed Reserve hikes interest rate by 50 bases points @ 14/12/2022.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/14/fed-rate-decision-december-2022.html
03/11/2022 Another 75 basis points hike by the Fed Reserve.
14/10/2022 US Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure has risen.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/13/consumer-price-index-september-2022-.html
09/09/2022 ECB increased rates by 75 basis points.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/08/european-central-bank-raises-rates-by-75-basis-points-.html
27/08/2022 Fed chairman doubling down on maintaining the high interest rate stance, indicating that the Fed will not pause or stop further hikes anytime soon.
29/07/2022 It is now official, two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth indicating the beginning of a recession in America.
16/06/2022 The Fed goes on the offence and raises 75 basis point.
07/06/2022 Cash rate increased by 0.5%
27/04/2022 Nasdaq declined by 3.95% setting a new 52 weeks low and is now about 23% off its high. Dow Jones diminished by 2.4% and S&P 500 lost 2.8%.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/25/stock-market-futures-open-to-close-news.html
09/04/2022 Researcher thinks that the federal reserve policy will cause markets carnage.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/07/carnage-is-epic-in-bonds-due-to-feds-inflation-error-jim-bianco.html
08/03/2022 Soaring oil & energy prices are a plausible possibility at the moment.
30/01/2022 Inflationary pressures & US monetary policy to counter the economic developments will be on display during 2022.
28/11/2021 US Market spooked by the rise of new Covid 19 variants.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/26/stock-futures-open-to-close-market-news.html
27/10/2021 Inflation seems to be a main concern for wholesale investors.
03/10/2021 It is getting a bit expensive.
23/08/2021 All eyes are on Jackson Hole symposium to get some indication on when would the Fed reduce or cease its $120 billion monthly bond purchase program.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/22/stock-market-futures-open-to-close-news.html
07/06/2021 Talk of a normalised interest rate hike maybe a sign of a growing inflation concern.
27/04/2021 Positive earnings season, all major indices are near historical high, what happens next!
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/26/stock-market-futures-open-to-close-news.html
28/03/2021 Looks like the markets are trying to overweight in utilities as a defensive strategy against high valuations.
26/02/2021 Looks like Charlie Munger is of the view that the markets are in a trading bubble.
16/01/2021 Seems like cash is being made from capital markets trading, capital raising and financing trading activities but not so much growth in bank lending.
https://www.reuters.com/article/mcBreakingviews/idUSKBN29K29A
09/11/2020 Markets may have turned a corner.
15/10/2020 Portfolio manager claims that the extensive use of call options for speculation maybe causing the US markets value to inflate.
05/10/2020 Another round of stimulus maybe on the way.
08/09/2020 Sky high valuations of tech companies.
20/08/2020 Market Capitalization of public listed companies as % of GDP for FY 2019.
30/07/2020 Devaluation of USD is likely.
13/07/2020 Second quarter US earnings season starts this week.
06/06/2020 US Major Indexes Price/Earnings @ 05/06/2020
08/05/2020 US unemployment rate surging to 14.7%.
06/04/2020 A deep recession is still on the cards.
16/03/2020 VIX Volatility Index shoots through the roof @ 82.69!
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/16/wall-streets-fear-gauge-hits-highest-level-ever.html
28/02/2020 Some stats on 26 market corrections since World War II, those can be used as indicators in connection to measuring a duration of a correction and also can be used in a black swan event which is a free fall market breakdown; once a correction exceeds 20% decline then a market may head towards a collapse.
14/01/2020 BlackRock no longer investing in Coal.
05/12/2019 Attending BetaShares Market Update & 2020 Outlook at Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne.
23/10/2019 Brexit and flow-on effects on markets sentiment.
05/09/2019 1.4% GDP growth for the year is considered Australia’s worst GDP growth since 2009.
30/07/2019 A low cash rate leads to a crowded stock market as investors chase higher returns, meanwhile asset values bubble up.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-30/asx-200-share-market-record-high/11365320
12/05/2019 RBA Cuts forecasted GDP growth, inflation remains low, soft household income growth and a slowdown in the housing market are affecting consumer spending & residential construction – According to RBA’s statement of monetary policy.
https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/smp/2019/may/overview.html
18/04/2019 Australian GDP growing 204% over the past 20 years from USD 434.5 billion in 1997 to USD 1.3 trillion by the year 2017 according to the World Bank.
21/03/2019 The latest in local fitness market acquisitions.
08/03/2019 *** Business Update: We have decided to move away from finance broking, we no longer broker residential and commercial loans. we would like to thank all the community members who gave us the chance to advise on their borrowing needs.
02/03/2019 “The 0.7% decline in national dwelling values in February takes the cumulative decline to -6.8% since values peaked in October 2017” According to Corlogic
05/02/2019 Cash Rate unchanged @ 1.5%
28/01/2019 Sector based PE values
03/01/2019 Housing market update: “Since peaking in July last year, Sydney’s housing market is down 9.5% which is on track to eclipse the previous record peak-to-trough decline set during the last recession when values fell 9.6% between 1989 and 1991. Melbourne dwelling values peaked four months later than Sydney, in November 2017, and have since fallen by 5.8% through to the end of November 2018.” Corelogic
04/12/2018 Cash Rate unchanged @ 1.5%
01/10/2018 Commercial market update: “Sales recorded in the quarter to August 2018 totalled $224.2 million, a large increase from the $43.1 million recorded in the three months to May 2018 and from the $77.8 million recorded in the three months to February 2018. The increase is mainly due to the inclusion of the sale of the Pullman on the Park Hotel.” According to Cityscope – Corelogic.
https://www.corelogic.com.au/news/commercial-market-update-richmond-cityscope-3
12/09/2018 Attending Switzer Listed Investment Conference – Melbourne 2018 at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
04/09/2018 Property Market Update: CoreLogic National Home Value Index since peaking in September last year, dwelling values have been consistently tracking lower, down a cumulative 2.2% through to the end of August.
https://www.corelogic.com.au/news/augusthomevalueindexresults
29/08/2018 Attending FBAA Melbourne Summit at Etihad Stadium
Why should you use a Mortgage Broker that is FBAA Member?
07/08/2018 Cash Rate unchanged at 1.5%
31/07/2018 Attention Property Investors: Rental yields are on the decline in some suburbs; giving renters some sort of a bargaining advantage, certain suburbs are more affected than others; new developments maybe at higher risk of shifting yields than established suburbs with long rental yield history.
27/05/2018 The latest on Queensland unit market.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/05/26/18/09/bargain-buys-brisbane-property
01/05/2018 RBA’s Cash Rate unchanged at 1.5 percent.
02/04/2018 Some useful housing market statistics.
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australia-house-prices-sydney-melbourne-slowdown-2018-4
16/03/2018 Negative consequences of the excessive use of debt is evident in the attached web publication, “If you need help get in touch with National Debt Helpline 1800 007 007 — it’s an independent, government-funded financial counselling service that can advise you on how to move forward.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-15/the-accountant-who-fell-into-50000-of-debt/9528320
06/03/2018 A new Bon Jovi investment!
05/02/2018 Free Publication Giveaway
The mortgage process can be confusing and overwhelming, if you’d like to gain some basic understanding of this process then request your free copy of the “Borrowers Guide to Lending” by registering your Name, Phone Number and Email address on the following web form:
24/01/2018 Some useful information about property flipping provided by Core Logic.
15/12/2017 Giant Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) activities this week with massive transaction sizes started with Westfield Corporation (WFD) takeover by Unibail-Rodamco and Disney swallowing 21st Century Fox assets for a staggering $52 billion.
Who would have thought five years ago that a small market player like Netflix would force Disney into this sort of deal to reposition itself over internet content streaming, mind-blowing!
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/14/disney-to-buy-21st-century-fox-assets.html
01/12/2017 Understanding Geo-Politics, History and the Future of the Middle East Region by David Thomas, Cynthia Dearin & Nizar Bustani. this is a trailer for that episode if you’d like to view the full show, download BRIN from the App Store and Google Play and search for it, Enjoy!
23/11/2017 “The rescue plan values Slater and Gordon’s shares at between 0.3 cents or 1.1 cents each, meaning the 351.4 million shares currently on issue will be worth between $1.05 million and $3.87 million.” the Rescue plan prices SGH total current issued shares of just under 4 million dollars at Max, Ouch!
27/10/2017 An episode recorded at BRIN’s Think Global – Middle East Edition.
Discussing the Geo Politics of the Middle East region with David Thomas & Cynthia Dearin.
18/10/2017 Attending The Switzer Listed Investment Conference Melbourne.
Discussions mainly focused on Listed Investment Companies (LICs) & Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
06/10/2017 TGFX Design Studio complete the design of Bustani Finance Broking & Consulting’s web page.
30/09/2017 Data describing some of the current real estate market performance landscape.
28/08/2017 A ray of hope for Ten Network!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-28/cbs-agrees-to-buy-ten-off-administrator/8848124
16/08/2017 A startup to replace a PAYG purchase model with a subscription based one instead!
04/08/2017 RBS’s historical Cash Rate chart
26/07/2017 “Reserve Bank’s Philip Lowe talks down further rate cuts on fears of rising household debt” by business reporter Stephen Letts
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-26/rba-governor-philip-lowe/8744506?section=business
20/07/2017 “APRA considers that ADIs should, where necessary, initiate strategies to increase their capital strength to be able to meet these capital benchmarks by 1 January 2020 at the latest.” Quoted from http://www.apra.gov.au/MediaReleases/Pages/17_23.aspx – even if the banks decided to pass this to the borrowers; this doesn’t seem to be too immediate.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-19/banks-dodge-one-bullet-another-yet-to-come/8723066
13/07/2017 Attending yesterday’s AMP session to touch base on developments affecting lending policies and criteria.
11/07/2017 Attending New Broker Academy
Phenomenal speakers discussing how to master the art of prospecting and business development.
