Welcome to the new look of Australian Edge. As we did with Canadian Edge starting in October, we’ve made AE more concise and easier to read. CE readers overwhelmingly liked the changes, and we think you will too.

While the length and look of Australian Edge have changed, the most important part of our publication is unchanged: Our commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of dividend-paying Australian equities.

The AE Safety Rating System continues to drive our research, with actionable advice rooted in a thorough understanding of fundamentals and underlying business health.

In this space you’ll see comments on Australia, its position vis-à-vis the global economy and financial markets as well as issue highlights.

We’ll continue to offer two Sector Spotlights in each issue, which represent our top ideas for new money right now. This month we recommend Sydney Airport, China’s gateway to Australia, and Telstra Corp Ltd, the equivalent of AT&T and Verizon in the Land Down Under.

Acting on our advice begins with the two monthly Sector Spotlights, continues with Portfolio Holdings trading below recommended buy-under targets and ends with buy-rated companies in the How They Rate coverage universe.

Portfolio Update will detail important developments for Conservative and Aggressive holdings, including strategic and tactical moves such as Portfolio changes.

This month’s Update concerns the energy-focused companies we hold in the Portfolio, how they’re adjusting amid falling crude oil prices and what they’re futures look like here.

Associate Editor Ari Charney will continue to contribute critical insights into Australia’s economy, including observations on fiscal and monetary policy as well as broader market trends, in News & Notes.

In Focus will detail a key theme or specific sector, identifying top picks—typically Portfolio Holdings—as well as secondary options from the How They Rate coverage universe.

In this issue we break down the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), identifying sectors and companies poised to benefit from what is a landmark deal.

We’ve made the Dividend Watch List feature a lot tighter. We’ll have a brief article offering highlights—or lowlights, if you will—from the preceding month and an accompanying table detailing Watch List denizens, including key data driving their respective Safety Ratings.

We have maintained the How They Rate table in its recognizable form, though we have expanded the number of “data columns.” We’ll rotate through various data points from month to month, though we will always include payout ratios.

In this issue we present, in addition to payout ratios, price-to-book ratios and buy/hold/sell ratings from analysts.

The How They Rate table is the purest presentation of our “work product,” and it is the context from which our Portfolio selections are drawn.

About the Aussie

In a recent interview with The Australian Financial Review detailed in a Dec. 12 story, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Glenn Stevens last week identified 75 (U.S.) cents as a “better” level for the Australian dollar.

That’s a level the aussie hasn’t seen in more than decade. At the same time, Stevens pushed back against calls for a near-term cut to the RBA’s benchmark interest rate, which has stood at 2.5% since August 2013.

Australia’s central banker noted that keeping the rate steady delivers a message of stability and predictability that provides the best foundation for household and business sentiment in the aftermath of a cutting cycle that took the overnight cash rate to its current record low level.

He also described the decline in oil prices to below USD60 per barrel as “bullish” for the global economy.

Stevens also expressed optimism about Australia, noting, “The economy is not in recession, it’s not contracting, we’re not having hundreds of thousands of jobs lost over a year.”

At the same time, the transition from resources investment to non-mining sources of growth is “clearly still under way.”

Manufacturers are gaining a new lease of life from rising building activity and a sustained depreciation in the Australian dollar.

The composite index of the Westpac-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry industrial trends survey rose to 54.2 in the fourth quarter from 52.1 in the third. A figure above 50 indicates expansion.

And, although the unemployment rate ticked up to a 14-year high 6.3%, the Australian economy added 43,000 jobs in November, roughly two times what analysts expected.

The aussie has been volatile in recent weeks, jumping on employment and manufacturing data, falling on Stevens’ jawboning and weakening commodity prices.

In Closing

We look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions on the changes we’ve made to AE and any other issues or concerns related to the service.

Please let us know what you think or post any questions you may have to the Stock Talk forum at www.AussieEdge.com. We’ll be sure to post a reply within 24 hours.

Note that the next installment of my monthly online chats with subscribers will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, at 2 p.m., as we take December off for the holidays.

Go to www.InvestingDaily.com/Aussie-Edge/live-web-chats/ for more information and to sign up to receive an e-mail notification for the event.

I stick around to answer just about every question asked, so if there’s something on your mind that’s not addressed in an issue or on the Stock Talk forum this is a great opportunity.

Everyone at Australian Edge extends warmest wishes to you and yours for a wonderful holiday season.