Lack of building raises possibility of an interest rate cut

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Dwelling approvals fell by 5.5 per cent in March, after rising by 3.0 per cent in February. Approvals are up 3.9 per cent over the year. House approvals fell by

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03 May 2013

Aussies are still saying no to debt

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Private sector credit (loans outstanding) rose by 0.2 per cent in March. Credit stands 3.2 per cent higher than a year ago but has grown at a 2.2 per cent

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01 May 2013

Inflation dragon in chains

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The Consumer Price Index – the main measure of inflation in Australia – rose by 0.4 per cent in the March quarter, below expectations for a lift of around 0.7

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29 Apr 2013

State & territory economic performance report

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

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22 Apr 2013

Reserve Bank: Watch, wait, analyse

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The minutes of the April 2 Reserve Bank Board meeting concluded: “Overall, recent data suggested that interest-sensitive parts of the economy were responding to the historically low levels of lending rates

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17 Apr 2013

Smallest budget deficit in nine months

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In the year to February, the budget deficit stood at $37,992 million (around 2.6 per cent of GDP), the smallest deficit in nine months. What do the figures show? The

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16 Apr 2013

Credit cards slide from favour

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The average credit card balance fell by a record 2.5 per cent in the year to February. The average credit card limit rose by just 1.4 per cent in the

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15 Apr 2013

Unemployment rate lifts to 3½-year high

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Employment fell by 36,200 in March after lifting by 74,000 jobs in February (previously reported as up 71,500). Economists had expected a fall of 10,000 in jobs in March. In

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12 Apr 2013

The rise of and rise of bitcoins

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This article examines the emergence of “bitcoins” – a digital currency – effectively electronic cash that enables payments to be made without going through financial institutions like banks. Currently there are

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09 Apr 2013

One-minute update: sensible superannuation reforms

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The changes to superannuation arrangements will generate $900 million over the forward estimates to 2015/16 (0.2 per cent of annual receipts) and Federal Treasury estimates that the main measure affecting

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08 Apr 2013