SIRCA e-Newsletter - Vol. 03
December 2003

In this issue:

1. SIRCA REPORT PUTS FRAUD AT $1 BILLION

The Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, has launched a SIRCA report entitled “Identity Fraud in Australia: An Evaluation of its Nature, Cost and Extent”.
The public report, commissioned by the AUSTRAC Steering Committee on Proof of Identity, develops a credible point-in-time estimate of the costs of identity fraud to Australia and will be used to facilitate evidence-based policy formulation.
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2. OFFSHORE INVESTMENT POURING INTO AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY

Offshore investment in Australia has risen to over 35 percent of total OTC market turnover following a survey into the 2002-03 financial year's exchange-traded and over-the-counter (OTC) markets.
The survey was conducted by the Securities Industry Research Centre of Asia-Pacific (SIRCA), and demonstrates the Australian economy’s resilience, internationalisation, and sophistication.
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3. SIRCA BREAKFAST FORUMS

SIRCA has launched Breakfast Forums which aim to provide round-table interaction between academics and industry on new and developing research.
SIRCA Breakfast Forums operate on the last Wednesday of every month, over breakfast, from SIRCA’s office located in the heart of Sydney's CBD - the hub of the Asia-Pacific financial market place.
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4. PARTNER PROFILE: MORNINGSTAR

Morningstar has signed an exclusive agreement for managed funds research data supply with SIRCA.
SIRCA now provides research access to the Morningstar FundTraq2 database - the industry standard Australasian retail and wholesale managed investments database. FundTraq2 includes information on over 6000 ‘active’ funds and another 4000 ‘inactive’ funds in Australasia.
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5. SIRCA OFFERS TOP PAPER AWARD

SIRCA is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the annual Australasian Finance and Banking Conference 2003 and offers a A$2500 cash prize for the best paper using SIRCA data.
SIRCA will be exhibiting at the conference and we extend a welcome invitation to all our members and industry affiliates to visit us. We look forward to meeting you and hearing your feedback on our member services.
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6. TOP 5 DATA CONSULT QUESTIONS

1. How do I obtain data?
2. What data is available?
3. How can I streamline the data consult process?
4. What is Confidential data?
5. Where can I access SIRCA's latest research findings?

Did you know...
If you have any suggestions or feedback on SIRCA's data, please send an e-mail to sirca@sirca.org.au

7. WHAT'S NEW AT SIRCA ...

Latest Research
Dividend Valuation, Ex-dividend Trading and Tax Change
Can Naïve Kiwi Hedgers Shelter the Others

SIRCA Team Additions
SIRCA has two new additions to their team:
Frances Carlow has joined as Business Development Manager and is the new point of contact for all university members.
Colin Shadbolt joins SIRCA as Head of Commercial Research bringing a wealth of experience in the banking and finance sector.

CEO's Christmas Message
SIRCA CEO, Dr Michael Briers, on behalf of all of us at SIRCA, would like to wish all our university members, partners, board members and industry affiliates a merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous new year.