The numbers you need
... is the average weekly cost of renting a house in Sydney. Australian Property Monitors says rents for houses in Sydney remained flat during the March 2013 quarter at $500 a week, but unit rents rose 2.2 per cent to $470 a week. Over the three months, Melbourne unit rents rose 2.9 cent to $360 a week to equal the asking rent for houses.
72 per cent
... is the satisfaction rate of those with self-managed funds when asked how satisfied they are with its performance. Roy Morgan Research says the next-highest satisfaction is industry funds with 48.7 per cent, followed by retail funds with 41.9 per cent.
2451.8 tonnes
... is how much gold Italy has in its reserves. In the wake of Cyprus being ordered to sell its gold reserves to meet its financing needs, other countries may be pushed to follow suit. But Italy's entire gold reserves are worth less than €95 billion ($A118 billion), against outstanding debt of about €1.685 trillion.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
According to Australian Property Monitors, the average weekly asking rent for a house in Sydney was $500 in the March 2013 quarter.
Sydney unit rents rose 2.2% in the March 2013 quarter, bringing the average asking rent for units to $470 a week.
Over the three months to the March 2013 quarter, Melbourne unit rents rose 2.9% to $360 a week, which matched the asking rent for houses in Melbourne at that time.
Roy Morgan Research found a 72% satisfaction rate among people with self-managed funds. Industry funds had the next-highest satisfaction at 48.7%, followed by retail funds at 41.9%.
Italy holds 2,451.8 tonnes of gold in its reserves, according to the article.
Italy’s entire gold reserves are worth less than €95 billion (about A$118 billion), while its outstanding debt is roughly €1.685 trillion, so the gold holdings are far smaller than the national debt.
The article notes that after Cyprus was ordered to sell its gold reserves to meet financing needs, other countries may feel pressure to consider similar moves. This highlights how sovereign financial stress can prompt governments to access gold holdings.
The article highlights a few practical points: Sydney house rents were flat at $500/week while unit rents changed (Sydney units $470/week; Melbourne units $360/week), satisfaction is notably higher for self-managed super funds (72%), and national gold reserves (Italy’s 2,451.8 tonnes worth under €95bn) are small compared with sovereign debt. These facts can help investors thinking about property rental markets, retirement account structures and how geopolitical or fiscal stress might affect commodity markets like gold.
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