Household debt trends

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Australian households have housing debt levels that are high by international standards. But income and asset characteristics of relevant households suggest that they can service the debt comfortably. Housing loans

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Housing finance report – May 2013

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Total housing lending rose by 2.0% in May and is 15.5% higher over the year. Owner‑occupied lending continues to trend upwards. The number of loans to owner‑occupiers rose by 1.8%

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CBA Economics: Retail trade subdued in May

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Retail trade grew by 0.1% in May to stand at a lacklustre 2.3% higher through the year. Spending was strongest at department stores and on clothing and footwear. Subdued retail

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CBA Economics: Net overseas migration continues to drive population growth

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Australia’s population rose by 94.1k (0.4%) over the December quarter 2012 to take the annual increase to 394.2k. The increase means that Australia’s population was just under 23 million at

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Consumers respond negatively to the federal budget

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Consumer sentiment fell by 7.0% in May to be 2.4% higher than a year ago. The fall in consumer sentiment over May follows a fall of 5.1% in April. Despite

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CBA Economics: Budget Update April 2013

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Government ministers have been indicating since late 2012 that the 2012/13 Budget outcome was likely to be a deficit. So, this week’s news was no surprise. The Prime Minister confirmed it today

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