Reserve Bank Governor remains upbeat

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The Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe delivered a speech in Adelaide last night. Key points Statement on Monetary Policy: Governor Lowe flagged changes to the format of the report to “make the

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Interest rates remain at record lows

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Reserve Bank Board meeting The Reserve Bank has left the cash rate at a record low of 1.50 per cent for the 21st straight month (19th meeting). The last rate change was a

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CommSec State of the States – April 2018

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Overall Results How are Australia’s states and territories performing? Each quarter CommSec attempts to find out by analysing eight key indicators: economic growth; retail spending; business investment; unemployment; construction work

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Higher import prices add to inflation risks

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Export & import prices Export & import prices: Import prices rose by 2.1 per cent in the March quarter and were up by 2.3 per cent on a year ago –

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Victorian jobless rate at 6-year lows; Young people are back in the job market

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Labour force Employment rose by 4,900 in March after a 6,300 fall in jobs in February (previously reported as a rise of 17,500 jobs). Full-time jobs fell by 19,900 while part-time

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Reserve Bank confirms resilient financial system

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Financial Stability Review Reserve Bank Financial Stability Review: The Reserve Bank has handed down the latest review of the financial system. “The Australian financial system remains resilient and its ability to withstand

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Construction boom: Too much work? Tassie consumer confidence at 7-year high

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Consumer sentiment; Building activity; China inflation  Consumer confidence: The Westpac/Melbourne Institute survey of consumer sentiment index fell by 0.6 per cent to 102.4 points in April, down from 103.0 points

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Fastest growth in Victorian spending in 2 years

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Retail Trade; Building approvals; Consumer sentiment Retail trade: Retail trade rose by 0.6 per cent in February after rising by an upwardly-revised 0.2 per cent in January (previous up 0.1 per

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Solid economy-wide spending in February

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Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Index Economy-wide spending remained solid in February. The Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI), a measure of economy-wide spending, rose by 1.0 per cent in trend

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Petrol prices at lowest levels in four months

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Weekly petrol Petrol: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol fell by 0.9 cents to 133.6 cents a litre in the past week

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