Budget deficit target at risk

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Federal budget The underlying budget deficit continued its modest improvement, easing from $59.3 billion in the twelve months to November 2010 to $58.5 billion in the 2010 calendar year. CommSec

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RBA Testimony – Rates solidly on hold

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Semi-annual testimony The Reserve Bank Governor has delivered the clearest message yet that interest rates are on hold for some time. The tone and comments from the testimony is consistent

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Jobless rate steady but young workers left behind

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Labour force Employment rose by 24,000 people in January, slightly above forecasts centred on gains of around 15,000 (range from -11,000 to +35,000 jobs). The December result was revised lower

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning February 13 2011

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The big picture The big issue across the globe at present is inflation. At the start of the year sharply rising food prices prompted riots in Algeria, with dissatisfaction quickly

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Confidence stabilises but trend index at 20mth lows

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Consumer sentiment The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer confidence rose modestly in February following the sharp slide in January. The index rose by 1.9 per cent to 106.6 in February.

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Business conditions near two year lows

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NAB Business Survey; Migration & Tourism The NAB business confidence index rose from -2.7 to +4.0 in January. The business conditions index slumped from +5.8 in December to -5.8 in

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Petrol prices limp, not leap, higher

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Weekly petrol prices Petrol prices are limping, not leaping higher. According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol rose by just 0.2 cents

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Frugal shoppers stay home with a good book

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Retail trade; Job advertisements; Performance of Construction Weak consumer spending. Retail spending grew by just 0.2 per cent in December, below expectations centred on a rise of 0.5 per cent.

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning February 6 2011

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The big picture China is now the second largest economy in the world. Australia ranks as 13th biggest. But Australia is regarded as an advanced economy whereas China is defined

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Risk that La Niña could persist over 2011

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La Niña update The current La Niña weather event is responsible for the flooding across eastern and southern Australia as well as the severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi. The current La

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