CommSec state of the states – January 2023

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Overall results How are Australia’s states and territories performing? Each quarter CommSec attempts to find out which state or territory is Australia’s economic leader. Now in its 14th year, the

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A volatile run of employment numbers continued in December

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Labour force – December 2022 A volatile run of employment numbers continued in December There was a lot of noise in the December labour force numbers released today. In seasonally

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The Big Issues of 2023

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Special issue For the past 21 years we have produced “The Big Issues” – a report highlighting the issues to watch over the coming year. Each year we have identified around 8-10

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Oil prices slide: Energy sector loses 1.3% last week       

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Latest economic data The US Nymex oil price fell by 10 per cent last week. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy sector fell 1.3 per cent. According to the Australian Institute of

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Interest Rates: Is the inflation dragon on the ropes?

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Reserve Bank Board meeting The Reserve Bank (RBA) Board has lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points (quarter of a percent), taking the cash rate to a 9½-year high

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Global bond bear hug: Investing in fixed income

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Financial markets Bonds are defined as fixed income investments issued by corporations or governments to raise funds to finance projects and operations. When investors lend money to companies or governments

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CommSec State of the States – October 2022

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Overall results How are Australia’s states and territories performing? Each quarter CommSec attempts to find out. Now in its 13th year, the report also includes a section comparing annual growth

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Consumers still jaded; Smaller rate hikes lie ahead      

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Latest economic and financial data The minutes of the September 6 Reserve Bank Board meeting were issued. The Board discussed the case for lifting rates by either 25 or 50

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Record regional Aussie job vacancies

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Skilled job vacancies The Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) from the National Skills Commission fell by 3.8 per cent in July (or by 11,249 available positions) to 288,465 available positions. Recruitment

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Jobs lost, but jobless rate still hits fresh 48-year low

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Labour force; Average weekly earnings Employment fell by 40,900 in July (consensus: +25,000) with full-time jobs down by 86,900 while part-time jobs rose by 46,000. The unemployment rate fell from

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