Australia outperforms the world

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What a sweet set of numbers! Back to back monthly job gains and the unemployment rate sliding to a one-year low. The latest employment figures provide a great deal of

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11 May 2012

CommSec Budget 2012 chart pack

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The Federal Budget is hardly the most riveting document you are ever likely to read. Sure you know it’s important, but the problem is that it’s a huge document with

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09 May 2012

Australia’s budget 2012: surplus or bust

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The Federal Budget is hardly the most riveting document you are ever likely to read. Sure you know it’s important, but the problem is that it’s a huge document with

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09 May 2012

Record deflation prompts Aussies to spend

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Retail spending rose by 0.9 per cent in March – the strongest gain in 11 months. After adjusting for inflation, retail trade rose by 1.8 per cent in the March

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08 May 2012

Deficit on track, but surplus in 2012/13 is hard work

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On current figuring the Government will go close to achieving its goal of a budget deficit just over $37 billion this financial year, representing just over 2.5 per cent of

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07 May 2012

Beer consumption hits 65-year low

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Beer consumption has hit a 65-year low. The apparent consumption of alcohol consumed as beer fell from 4.45 litres to 4.23 litres per person, in 2010/11- the lowest result since

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04 May 2012

RBA says it’s time to muscle up

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The Reserve Bank Board cut the official cash rate by 50 basis points (half of a percentage point) to 3.75 per cent. The cash rate is at the lowest level

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02 May 2012

Rate cut all but certain after weak inflation data

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The Consumer Price Index – the main measure of inflation in Australia – rose by 0.1 per cent in the March quarter, well below expectations centred on a 0.6 per

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27 Apr 2012

Aussie 10-year bond yields hit 61-year low

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Yields on Australian 10-year bonds have fallen to the lowest levels since the early 1950s. This week, Aussie 10-year government bond yields hit 3.648 per cent – the lowest yield

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26 Apr 2012

Business deflation?

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The broad measure of business inflation – the producer price index (PPI), or final stage prices, – fell by 0.3 per cent in the March quarter – marking the biggest

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24 Apr 2012