CommSec Research: slide in jobs confirms labour market quagmire

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Employment fell by 9,700 people in August. Economists had tipped job gains of around 10,000. The July result was revised to show job losses of 4,100 (previously job losses of

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CommSec Research: most stable interest rate period for five years

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The Reserve Bank Board has left the cash rate at 4.75 per cent for the 10th straight month (covering nine formal meetings) – the most stable period for rates in

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CommSec Research:economy struggles outside the mining sector

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The latest batch of data shows that the Australian economy is treading water at present, especially outside of the mining sector. Firms are reluctant to hire, economy-wide profits are barely

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Housing market trends: Australian homes largest in world

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New data confirms that Australia is still building the largest homes in the world. Data commissioned from the Australian Bureau of Statistics by CommSec shows that the average floor area

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RBA warns of new challenges

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If there is any doubt that the Reserve Bank is not forward looking, it certainly has been put to rest. The latest Reserve Bank minutes reveal that policymakers have attempted

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History: US credit rating downgrade

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Credit ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s, has downgraded the long-term credit rating of the US from AAA to AA+. What does it all mean? It is a history-making event, but

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Sharemarket crash trumps Reserve Bank forecasts

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The Reserve Bank has changed its interest rate assumptions, now expecting no change in rates over the next two years: “The cash rate is assumed to be unchanged over the

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Reserve Bank employs a ‘jawboning’ strategy

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The Reserve Bank Board has left the cash rate at 4.75 per cent for the ninth straight month (covering eight formal meetings) – the most stable period for rates in

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Inflation surprise: rates now in focus

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The main measure of inflation in Australia – the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, above economist expectations focussed on an increase of

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RBA mulls over multi-speed economy

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The latest Reserve Bank minutes revealed that Board members remain generally optimistic about the medium term outlook, but in the near term the domestic economy seems to be facing some

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