Summary: Interview with Ruslan Kogan from Kogan Electronics Interview with economist Stephen Koukoulas Leon and Garry discuss issues including: · Hopeful signs that the Eurozone economy might be picking up with better than expected figures on unemployment, manufacturing and inflation and Greece’s finance ministry says Greece narrowing its public deficit to 6.6 per cent of output in 2012 · Unemployment in the United States ticking up in January and the labour market having a better year in 2012 than previously estimated · Interest rates in Australia being left on hold at 3 per cent with the Reserve Bank adopting a "wait-and-see" stance as signs of a greenshoot recovery in the US boosts the global outlook. · The Australian trade deficit narrowing in December, as mining companies scale back investments in equipment from overseas, fueling a collapse in the value of imports over the month and rebounding from its largest deficit since 2008 in the previous month · Australian capital city house prices rising more than analyst expectations in the December quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data shows the weighted average of house prices across Australia's eight capital cities rose 1.6 per cent in the three months to December · Sydney confirmed as what we've long suspected: one of the most expensive cities in the world. It's moved up the rankings in The Economist Intelligence Unit index from seventh to third-most expensive, behind only Tokyo and Osaka. · Australian businesses and the federal government pledging money and services to help people in Queensland and New South Wales get back on their feet after the recent floods. The government has announced clean-up and recovery grants of up to $25,000 for small businesses, primary producers and not-for-profit organisations in areas severely affected by flooding in Queensland. This assistance is in addition to the support already available, including concessional loans of up to $250,000 for primary producers and small businesses. · Insurance group Suncorp Group receiving about 23,000 claims associated with ex-tropical cyclone Oswald, saying the cost of claims will be limited to no more than $220 million · Australia’s $1.5 trillion ($US1.555 trillion) superannuation fund pool becoming the fourth-largest in the world, according to the latest Towers Watson Global Pension Assets study. The nation's total superannuation market, now bigger than the Australian economy, compares with the $US16.8 trillion in pension fund assets in the US, $US3.7 trillion in Japan and $US2.7 trillion in Britain. · Superannuation tax policy is shaping up to be a hot-button federal election issue, with Coalition leader Tony Abbott confirming he would cut super tax breaks for the low paid just as Labor plans a major review of super concessions ahead of the May budget. · Businesses slashing their profit expectations, amid declining sales and intense price discounting. The Dun and Bradstreet Profit Expectations Index, released on Monday, fell 12 points to an index level of 11 for the three months to June 2013, indicating a smaller proportion of business expect to post increases in profits than in the previous survey.
