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The recent conflict between Facebook and Australia is just one skirmish in a new battle to control the web, finds Chris Stokel-Walker [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on which automobile models can offer fuel savings at the height of price increase in Australia. The Toyota Prius has been named by the Green Vehicle Guide as the most fuel-efficient car in the country. 7.1 litres per 100 kilometer of fuels can be saved using LS Ford Focus. Diesel-powered automobiles have lower fuel consumption over petrol-engine cars. INSETS: Assault with a battery;Smell of an oily rag;Stepping on the gas, gas, gas.

Focuses on the changes in tax regulations in Australia. Role of the Australian Taxation Office in the investigation of undeclared capital gains; Areas of interest of the tax office compliance program for 2004 to 2005; Total value of collective loss on rental properties declared by taxpayers in 2002; Strategies for managing tax refunds.

Explores the differences between listed investment companies (LIC) and unlisted managed funds in Australia. Cost effectiveness of the LIC; Factors which influence a company's rate of return; Suggestions for measuring the value of an LIC share price.

Presents a step-by-step process in establishing a business in Australia. Elements that investors should consider before establishing a business; Tips in making a business plan; Relevance of registering a business; Factors that could lead to success in business.

Presents the outlook of financial analysts for the Australian share market and property market. Factors that investors should consider before investing in the share market or in property market; Prediction by Frank Gelber, chief economist at the BIS Sharpnel company, that interest rate increase will appear in 2006 that will have an impact on the country's housing market; Potential of the suburban housing market to offer capital growth, according to Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at the AMP Capital Investors company.

Gives advice on how to select a credit card provider in Australia. Importance of determining the type of credit card user; Recommended credit card for transactors and revolvers; Credit card swapping.

Examines the growth of women's investment clubs, following the recovery of the stock market in Australia in 2004. Option in setting up an investment club; Advantages of such clubs; Risks involved in such clubs. INSET: The Money Club.

Focuses on the franchising industry in Australia. Information about franchising which a businessperson who wish to put up a franchise business must understand; Cost of putting up a franchise business; Major franchisors in the country; Rate of success of franchised business in the country.

Presents the success stories of several small companies in Australia. Claudia Donlan Lampshades; Lindal Richards' Family Day Care; Newington Lawn Services.

Presents information on the performance of index funds in Australia. Discussion on index funds as low-cost alternative to managed funds; Investment styles; Reasons individuals rather than institutional investors could benefit most from indexing.

Discusses several issues on buying and selling a number of automobile Models in Australia. Corolla Ascent Hatchback from Toyota; Jazz VTi 5 door Hatchback from Honda; Outback H6 Luxury 4-door wagon from Subaru.

Discusses factors to consider in retirement planning in Australia. Effect of lifestyle on the amount of the retirement funds of a person; Information on tests that are used to decide the amount of pensions for a person; Details on the taxation of pension income.

Examines the quality of service in the financial planning industry in Australia. Information on a report released by the Australian Consumers' Association and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on the performance of financial advisers; Comment on financial plans offered by financial planners; Discussion on financial planners as sellers of investment products; Information on the earnings of planners.

Presents an economic outlook for 2005. Forecast on Australian share funds; Performance of the funds in 2004; Investment tips for 2005; List of management funds being preferred by investors.

Provides information on investment newsletters that provide financial advice in Australia. Suggestion offered by Steve Johnson of "The Intelligent Investors" newsletter regarding the accountability of newsletters; Way of judging the recommendations of an adviser; Warning given by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission regarding electronic newsletters sent to Australians from overseas.

Presents tips on hiring accountants in Australia. Affiliation of the accountant with a professional body; Importance of confirming whether the accountant is a registered tax agent; Assessment of the service received from the accountant. INSET: CASE STUDY.

Assesses the potential in buying wine as an investment in Australia. Examples of investment grade wines; Investment consideration for the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 1999 Mixed Cases; Price increase of the 1971 Penfolds Grange by 2003.

Discusses the requirements in applying for a loan for a small business in Australia. Definition of a small business; Purpose of the loan; Ability of the business to service the debt; Type of security to offer the lender.

Examines the effects of the appreciation of the Australian dollar in 2002. Effect of the currency on export and import prices; Kinds of companies that will benefit from the appreciation; Impact of a rising Australian dollar on the earnings of managed funds with international investments.

Deals with strategies in real estate purchases in Australia. Compromise for property settlement; Significance of prices in the suburbs area; Alternative for cost sharing.

The article discusses investment options aside from bank term deposits which may be considered by Australians. Topics explored include the advantages and disadvantages of term deposits, the dividends that investors may earn from shares according to chief executive officer (CEO) Sam Henderson of financial planning firm Henderson Maxwell, and the quality of stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

The article discusses the common mistakes made by sharemarket players in Australia. According to stockbroker Bell Potter director Rowan Fell, an individual should determine whether he/she is a trader or investor in order to deal with the market appropriately. The opinions of trading and investment firm Rivkin's Scott Schuberg, Ord Minnett's Francesco De Stradis, and David Hunt of Profit Hunters on the subject are also cited.

The article offers tips on how to manage one's portfolio of investments in diversified industries, particularly in Australia. It focuses on the use of contracts for difference (CFD) to hedge one's investments against expected market declines. The opinion of financial trading firm IG head of research Chris Weston on hedging is also cited.

The article features Rene Ferris, who serves as an investment adviser at Trend Investor Services in Australia as of February 2014. It claims that Ferris trades in such asset classes as equities and share derivatives, index futures, and commodities like gold and oil. It cites that Ferris manages his clients' money through his private investment business Kings Road Wealth Management.

The article presents the author's views on the use of contract for difference (CFD) to minimise investment risks in Australia. He states that CFDs must be used both as a tool to minimise risks to one's portfolio and to make profits. He adds that foreign exchange currencies and options can also be used to minimize risk. He also discusses the investment strategy of purchasing a put option to avoid devaluation of one's shares.

The article discusses the weaknesses in the contracts for difference (CFD) in Australia. Under the Australian law, CFD providers can pool clients' money and use them to finance a range of activities. A discussion on the 2012 Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) study on the practices and compliance weaknesses in the CFD industry is also presented.

The article focuses on the state of the market for resources in Australia. The listed Australian Resources sector is made up of mining and energy companies and, at June 2008, it accounted for about 39% of total ASX domestic market capitalisation, and 43% of listed companies by number. In financial year 2008, the Metals and Mining Index rose 21.7%, the S&P/ASX200 Energy Index rose 35.7%, while the broader market index fell 17%. Despite the volatility, the main factor generally driving resource companies upwards has been enormous demand for their products.

The article reviews several web sites that offer free information for stock market investors in Australia, including the web site of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) at www.asx.com.au, the web site of online broker Commsec at www.commsec.com.au, and the web site of Fat Prophets at www.fatprophets.com.au.

The article offers guidelines on investing in the Australian sharemarket. The author suggests invest in the markets and staying invested, and only selling when they need the money for some worthwhile purpose. He recommends not to sell just because the markets have turned sour. Downturns are just temporary ailments. Being spooked and bailing out will firstly crystallise any losses the markets have experienced. With dollar cost averaging, investors simply decide to invest a set amount on a set schedule into a set investment, and stick to it.

The article offers facts about margin loans. Margin lending is used for investing in approved shares and managed funds. For instance, with Australia's largest margin lender Commsec, one can take a margin loan against 490 shares and 1330 managed funds, borrowing between 40 and 90 percent of the value of the securities. This percentage is known as the loan to value ratio (LVR). Generally, the more positive a share is considered to be, the higher its LVR, meaning in percentage terms.

The article explains the share table data, what it all means, and how it can help investors make trading decisions, using the share tables laid out in the "Australian Financial Review." Reading from left to right, the first two columns labelled, 52 Week--High and Low, give the price range in which a share has traded over the preceding calendar year up until yesterday's closing price. Comparing yesterday's closing price to the previous year's range tells investors if their share is generally up, down or stable in relation to the past year's activity.

The article offers information on the Clearing House Electronic Subregister System (CHESS). The term is used on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) to refer to the exchange's computerised system that enables settlement to occur. Settlement is the process of buying or selling shares, ownership of the shares and the transfer of money.

The article offers information on dividend reinvestment plans (DRPs) in Australia. One of the appealing features of DRPs is that in many cases, though certainly not all, the additional shares are made available to you at a discount to the market price. According to the article, one disadvantage of DRPs is keeping track of capital gains tax, which can get complicated with dividend reinvestment plans.

The article focuses on the health care industry in Australia. Offering better care and treatment options, while extending life expectancy, is very good for the bottom line and a commercial environment many businesses would die for. According to Tolhurst Noall Ltd., the star performer in financial year 2006 was Biota Holdings Ltd., the anti-flu drug company whose share price rose 188 percent. One thing most analysts agree on is that valuations generally in the listed sector have been high.

The article offers perspectives regarding the financial performance of the wine industry in Australia. The worldwide oversupply of wine has impacted the share price performance of Australian wine products. Generous tax concessions for grape growers enabled winemakers to achieve robust sales and less volatile investment options.

The article presents an outlook for the transportation sector in Australia. Among the stocks that operate as managed funds are Macquarie Airport Group and Macquarie Infrastructure Group. The increase in fuel costs poses a threat to profit margin. There is a possibility that takeover activity in the sector will increase in light of the demand from international trade.

Focuses on personal loans that are being offered in Australia. Fees and charges in a personal loan; Initial annual interest of the car loan of HSBC; Remarks from Denis Orrock of Infochoice on fixed-rate loans.

Focuses on the condition of the sharemarket in Australia as of July 2005. Anticipation of Shane Oliver, chief economist and head of investment strategy at AMP Capital Investors, on the Australian sharemarket; Implications of the price earnings ratio for the market; Recommended percentage of core stocks in a portfolio according to Rebecca Sullivan, retail strategist at ABN Amro.

Focuses on the implications of the planned privatization of Telstra for the stock market in Australia. Percentage of the company's stocks owned by the federal government; Factor that hinders the future price growth of Telstra shares; Impact of competition on the company; Projected share price of Telstra in the third quarter of 2005.

Explores the performance of Australian share funds in 2005. Differences between large-cap and small-cap funds; Number of retail share funds available to investors in March; Styles of investing adopted by finance managers.

Provides information on Australian share funds which performed well in 2004. Expectations of fund managers on rate of returns in 2005; Use of a savings plan to small investors; Suggestions for allocating money to international shares.

Deals with investing in racehorses. Estimated prize money won per race in Australia; Average price of a yearling; Options when investing in horses.

Presents a guide to personal loans in Australia. Types of personal loans; Information on the interest rates of the loans; Details of application fees and insurance costs in personal lending.

Reports on privatized infrastructure financing in Australia. Information on investment choices; Details on price caps; Characteristics of infrastructure projects.

The article deals with the cycle in the sharemarket of Australia in 2012. It states that the market faces a downhill due to increasingly negative sentiments from investors. According to the author, the cycle is fluctuating characterized by the maximum financial opportunity available in the country during the year.

The author assesses the status of the Australian stock exchange (ASX) market in 2012. He reports that the All Ordinaries price index is 45.5% below its November 2, 2007 peak and the early gains made on the ASX in 2012 were largely wiped out in May 2012 with fears of a European debt implosion. He also reports that the Australian share market has returned after inflation and sees longer-term returns more encouraging, given the 6.6% per annum over the past 10 years and 7.3% over the past 15 years.