Fri, 21st Feb 2025

In this week's Finance News Wrap, Telstra reports a 7.1% rise in profits with a new financial strategy including a $750 million share buy-back initiative and a noteworthy $800 million tech investment with Ericsson. Shifts in Victoria's land tax are benefiting first-time homebuyers, as a decrease in dwelling values and higher vacancy rates increase affordability, backed up by data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In employment news, softer job growth could ease inflation worries, although the issue of low productivity growth remains a challenge. The Financial Advice Association of Australia questions the Australian Financial Complaints Authority on expected hikes in claims handling costs and fees. All these topics and more on the weekly wrap-up by Financial Services Online.