Spending remains sluggish across Australia

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CBA Business Spending index A recovery in spending across the Australian economy remains elusive according to a key gauge.The Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI) was unchanged in October after... Read more continue reading

Weaker Aussie drives petrol to three month highs

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Petrol price According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum the national average retail pump price rose 0.5 cents a litre last week to 124.3 cents a litre – a three... Read more continue reading

Comparing Aussie companies: facts & fiction

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Company financial statistics In recent weeks investors have no doubt found it difficult to sort fact from fiction in the public discussion about company balance sheets. Some commentators have questioned... Read more continue reading

Weekly market & economic update – November 19 2010

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Headline developments of the past week Worries about Europe’s debt problems and tightening in China were again key issues for investors over the last week, and had the effect of... Read more continue reading

Cyclical recovery in shares remains on track, albeit bumpy

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Key points Share markets and related trades such as commodity prices and commodity currencies have fallen over the last two weeks, partly triggered by worries about the impact of Chinese... Read more continue reading

Investor Signposts: Week Beginning November 21 2010

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The big picture In the US, investors have been cheering the election result. That may seem odd, given the fact that it appears a recipe for doing nothing – a... Read more continue reading

Resource states shift into fourth gear

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Average weekly earnings; ABARE Mineral & energy major projects Average weekly earnings rose by 0.4 per cent in the three months to August with private sector earnings up just 0.2... Read more continue reading

Healthy wage growth to boost consumer activity

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Labour Price Index Wages lift driven by the minimum wage increase. Wages rose by 1.1 per cent in the September quarter. In annual terms wages are up 3.5 per cent... Read more continue reading

RBA highlights pressure on bank funding

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RBA Board minutes At the last Reserve Bank board meeting members took some time to consider bank funding costs. Members explicitly stated that there was a possibility that banks would... Read more continue reading

China boom or bust or neither?

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Key points Further tightening in China is likely to ensure that inflation expectations remain under control and to mop up capital inflows flowing from US quantitative easing and Chinese resistance... Read more continue reading