Economic Update

You are in News + Outlook ⁄ Economic Update ⁄ Petrol pain; Tame business inflation

Petrol pain; Tame business inflation

24 Jan 2011

From Savanth Sebastian - CommSec

The broad measure of business inflation – the producer price index (PPI) – rose by just 0.1 per cent in the December quarter, well below expectations for an increase of 0.5 per cent. Compared with a year ago, producer prices were up by 2.7 per cent.
Inflation was narrowly based, and largely driven by price increases for building materials and agricultural products like flowers and poultry. The rising Australian dollar resulted in prices of imported goods falling by 4.4 per cent in the December quarter to be 2.4 per cent lower over the year.
Motorists need to prepare for higher petrol prices. The terminal gate or wholesale price of petrol leapt by almost 2 cents a litre last week to 26-month highs. CommSec expects petrol prices to rise 3 cents a litre over the coming fortnight.

CPD: The Two-Chapter retirement – a framework for understanding retiree psychology
Introduction Why do financially secure retirees still hesitate to spend, or commit to strategies that would clearly improve their outcomes? This article sets out the Two-Chapter Retirement framework, a new [...]
CPD: China’s next phase – what persistent supply-side growth means for global markets
China’s economic trajectory is shifting, but not in the way many had once expected. Consumption-led rebalancing has not materialised. Instead, economic policy continues to emphasise industrial modernisation, aligned with a [...]
CPD: Ethics and client best interests
In financial advice, acting in a client’s best interest isn’t just a regulatory rule, it’s the foundation of a trusting, successful partnership. This article, proudly sponsored by GSFM, examines the [...]
CPD: Capitalising on global growth in the decarbonisation era
Few themes rival the scale, urgency and long-term significance of climate change. Consequently, regions, countries, companies and individuals are taking positive action to decarbonise the planet and work toward net [...]
CPD: Decoding the compliance signals within AFCA’s Lead Decisions
Introduction In February 2026, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), reached a significant milestone when it issued its 1,000th Dixon Advisory determination[1]. Up until that point, this represented the single [...]