In the banking sector, there are three main types of investment companies. One is the open end or mutual fund companies and the other is closed end and the third ones are unit investment trust. The mutual fund companies are the ones which collect money from many investors and invest the amount in bonds, stock-markets, securities exchange and short-term investments. A closed-end company is the one which does not sell its shares on a daily basis. They sell a definite number of shares for a fixed period of time. A unit-investment trust will always have an end date or maturity date. These shares are also offered once in a while for public investment and like in a mutual fund the UIT will get back an investor�s share from the market whenever the investor wants.
Australia is largely dependent on foreign investment funds for more than two centuries in order to meet the shortfall in domestic saving and investment opportunities. It is because of the Foreign Direct Investment or FDI that Australian people are enjoying a higher standard of living and the economy is steadily increasing. FDI is one of the most reliable and stable source of income for a country. However, it increases the competition level of companies as local companies are forced to meet international standards. The Australian government announced its foreign investment policy in the year 1975. The policy was much strict until the mid 1980�s but have now been liberalised to a very great extent. The policies have now been liberalised because of the increasing depth of economy, legislative measures and globalisation issues. The greatest amount of foreign investment in Australia has been done in the real estate sector.
Before investing in various sectors, one needs to carefully understand the terms and policies of the share, prospectus and annual report of the company, investment objectives, business strategies, past records and performance, risks and large holdings. This is more important in terms of mutual fund investments as the individual broker is directly affected in those cases due to the losses suffered by the company.
Some of the investment companies and banks which provide funds for investment in different sectors to all companies and individuals in Australia are:
- AAA Financial Services Pty. Limited
- All Things Financial
- Aussie Car Loans
- APV Sydney Finance
- Accom Finance
- Aussie Home Loans
- Auspak Finanical Services
- Austpac Financial Services
- ASAP Loans
- Australian Commercial Credit
- Advanced Financial Solutions
- Australian Mortgage Brokers
- AES Financial Consultants
- Advanced Mortgage Solutions
- Basic Finance
- Financial Evolution Pty Ltd.
- Americorp Finance
- Credit Force
- Financial Crisis Recovery
- Connaught Capital
- LoanCom
- Johns & Johns Finance Brokers
- Homestart Finance
- Australian Mortgage Brokers
- Maximum Finance Corporation
- Bernie Lewis Home Loans
