Home loans hit record highs

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Housing finance; NAB Business survey Record home loans: The value of all home loans rose by 0.2 per cent to record highs in December. The number of new owner-occupier housing loans fell... Read more continue reading

Weekly market & economic update – week ending 7 February, 2014

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Key events of the past week and implications While the past week got off to a bad start after a weather affected slump in the US ISM manufacturing conditions index,... Read more continue reading

How & where we spent in 2013

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Consumer spending perspective Retail trade in 2013: Over 2013 as a whole, Australians spent $264.2 billion at retail outlets. Spending was up 3.2 per cent over 2012 – the strongest calendar-year... Read more continue reading

The Australian dollar – still more to fall

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Key points The rising tide in favour of the $A has well and truly reversed with further downside likely in the years ahead, particularly against the $US and Euro. The... Read more continue reading

CBA Economics: Rising retail trade momentum is positive for household spending growth

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Retail Trade – December 2013 Retail trade rose by 0.5% in December to be 5.7% higher over the year. Retail prices are picking up, rising by 1.1% over QIV.  It... Read more continue reading

Home prices surge; Manufacturing contracts

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RP Data Rismark Home Prices; Manufacturing gauge; TD Inflation Gauge Home prices rose for the eighth consecutive month: The RP Data – Rismark Home Value Index reported that capital city home... Read more continue reading

Weekly market & economic update – week ending 31 January, 2014

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Key events of the past week and implications Emerging market worries and no signs that the Fed is too concerned as it announced a further tapering of its monetary stimulus... Read more continue reading

Business conditions near 3-year highs

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NAB Business survey; Weekly petrol prices Petrol prices ease: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol fell by 1.0 cent per litre... Read more continue reading

Weekly market & economic update – week ending January 24, 2014

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Key events of the past week and implications The wobbly start to the year for share markets continued over the past week. While the news out of Europe and the... Read more continue reading

Inflation lifts rate cuts of the agenda

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Consumer price index Inflation lifts: The Consumer Price Index – the main measure of inflation in Australia – rose by 0.8 per cent in the December quarter, above expectations for a... Read more continue reading