Business Markets

At present, members of Congress have raised the debt ceiling for the federal government a total of four times in the last two years. A fifth increase is likely to happen as soon as next month. The cause of this activity is due in large part to the record amount of borrowing the government has done in the last several months.

Standing at $12.1 trillion, the nation’s current debt ceiling will be pierced yet again. For those who don’t know, the debt ceiling is the cap on how much the country will allow itself to have in debt. You could look at it like a credit limit on a credit card. At the end of August, the national debt had reached $11.8 trillion, just $349 billion short of the current cap.

This debt ceiling is meant to curtail spending and serves as a big warning sign to legislators. It will be a serious undertaking to approve another change in the current ceiling. Yet, the facts are clear: Congressional members really don’t have a choice but to raise the ceiling.

Essentially, if they do nothing, the country would technically go into default on its debt. A rid

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Australia’s Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig has described discussions with Indonesian officials aimed at resuming live cattle exports as constructive.

Speaking as he arrived at the Agriculture Ministry in Jakarta on Monday afternoon, Senator Ludwig said it was hoped the trade would resume as soon as possible.

He had spent the morning meeting with Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu, as well as other officials.

“We’ve had constructive discussions today,” he said.

“What we’re working on of course is a mutually beneficial trade and we (would) certainly appreciate if it can resume as early as possible while maintaining animal welfare outcomes.”

However, Senator Ludwig refused to answer when asked whether he should have visited Indonesia sooner to resolve the matter.

The visit comes after little headway was made last week in negotiations between an Australian team and Indonesian officials on welfare standards in slaughterhouses.

There were also plans for a joint Indonesian-Australian veterinary team to begin inspecting Indonesian abattoirs last week, but so far no inspections have been carried out.

Indonesian Agriculture Minister Suswono last week voiced anger at the fact Senator Ludwig had failed to consult his government before Australia decided to suspend live cattle exports to Indonesia.

Senator Ludwig was hoping to meet with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa later on Monday.

There is mounting pressure on the Australian government from industry to lift the suspension, imposed following a report on the ABC’s Four Corners program which highlighted abusive practices in Indonesian abattoirs.

The Greens and animal welfare groups, however, have called for an end to the live cattle trade. Read full post…

Over one thousand jobs will go from Queensland-based Colorado Group.

More than 1000 employees of crippled retailer Colorado are to lose their jobs after 140 “underperforming” stores are closed, slashing the size of the chain by almost a third.

The move wipes out the Colorado brand as a retailer but leaves open the group’s profitable Diana Ferrari, JAG, Mathers and Williams stores.

Colorado’s bankers, which were owed $400 million, put the private equity-owned group into receivership under Ferrier Hodgson on March 30.

Colorado Group will close 140 loss-making stores in Australia and New Zealand, receivers Ferrier Hodgson say.

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June is wedding season. In fact according to TheKnot.com, one third of weddings happen during the summer months. And while couples may do a great job of preparing for their big day, they may not be doing so well at preparing for their financial future. According to The Wall Street Journal, these are some tips that will help newlyweds hold on to that wedded bliss.

Have a “Money Talk”

Financial expert Robert Walsh told the Wall Street Journal, “Couples need to lay it all out there.” And that money talk should happen before the wedding. You need to know where each of you stand as far as your budget, debt and assets.

Create a Budget

Couples should sit down and create a budget together. Use a spreadsheet or free online tools like Mint.com to record income and expenses. Even though one person may be more money-oriented, both sides need to be on the same page. Use thi

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Organisations without clearly defined mobile phone usage policies and monitoring systems leave themselves open to financial, reputation, legal and security risks, a Stratatel leadership paper has found.

According to Corporate Governance: Inappropriate Use of Mobile Devices, most organisations acknowledge that on occasion employees use their phones for non-business purposes, but many are unaware of the extent this actually occurs.

Stratatel also found a significant lack of awareness around whether employee’s mobile phone usage is what the company would deem unacceptable or inappropriate.

CEO Matt Perry said employers should be aware of an example from the Northern Territory, where the state government’s claim against an employee for an excessive phone bill was unsuccessful on the basis that the employer had not made it clear to the employee what degree of personal use was unacceptable.

According to Perry, the financial cost of inappropriate use of a mobile phone is just one risk  “organisations also need to consider the risk of an unlawful discrimination claim, a sexual harassment claim, and the misuse of commercially sensitive information.”

To minimise risk, it is recommended that organisations have a policy clearly identifying conduct that is unacceptable and inappropriate. It shoul

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CHICAGO, June 14 (UPI) — CME Group Inc. said it would accept offers for the historic Chicago Board of Trade Building, a landmark built in 1930 and worth potentially $250 million.

The high-rise with the Chicago address of 141 West Jackson Street, is a 1.4 million-square-feet building owned by the company that operates the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.

The art deco building includes, on its roof, a three-story sculpture of Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.

CME said putting the building up for sale was not connected with the firm’s recent complaints over a new state tax for corporations.

CME Chairman Terrence Duffy threatened to move some jobs out of the state, although the trading floors would stay put, he said. But CME said selling the building included a lease-back option.

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I know in my own business that I ALWAYS do better each month if I set some targets for my marketing. If I’ve got goals to aim for, I know where I am and I can try to achieve them. 

So my targets for this month for instance are:

• 1 x meeting in the diary every week
• 1 x new client every week
• 1 x networking event every week

Because I’m clear on what I’m striving to achieve, I can aim for these and know whether I’ve done them. 

To put some meat around the bones on these targets, one meeting each week is with a potential customer – someone who is looking to use our services. This can be over the phone or face to face – it doesn’t really matter. These meetings can also be with past customers too. So for instance this week, I have had a phone meeting with a past potential client and a meeting with a past customer. 

One new client each week means a client who is willing to give us more work. This could eithe

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