Announcing a product ahead of time is a popular way to gain competitive

Foreign investors' interests in Australia's arable land and water

The securitisation market all but came to a halt in the global financial

Social media and its collaborative potential are revolutionising the old

The Australian dollar's seemingly inexorable rise – with predictions

Spurred on by tough financial times, co-operatives are re-emerging in

When the federal budget was released, the initial surprise was that it

The big three credit rating agencies' role in the global financial crisis has made them the focus of regulators and investors worldwide. The quest is on to find a ratings model that works, because a conflict of interest may exist when the issuer of a financial product foots the bill for a rating. Making investment advisers or pension funds – rather than the vendor of the product – pay for ratings is a smart solution, says global governance expert Ronald Masulis, a professor at the Australian School of Business. Others prefer a performance-based model in which investors effectively rate the raters. But, with the debt-raising capacity of companies and governments dependant on ratings, industry insiders insist the main game now should be restoring the agencies' credibility.

The deep uncertainty for foreign investors in Australia following the federal government's announcement of the resources super profits tax is potentially harming the nation's reputation as a premier investment destination. Now fuelling concerns is the deferral of a final ruling on the tax treatment of foreign private equity profits. Will this also threaten Australia's appeal to offshore investors? The taxation of private equity has long been a controversial topic around the world. And offshore private equity players are keenly focused on what happens next.

For a nation of gamblers with high exposure to the stock market, the risks surrounding retirement investment decisions are rife. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Australians are the most aggressive investors in the world, but the biggest threat to their retirement savings is more than behavioural. It’s in the structure of the existing superannuation system that places risk firmly in the hands of the retirement saver. Suggested alternatives, however, may also inhibit wealth building.