More looking, but not all finding work

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Labour force; Chinese data Employment rose by 29,700 in October, in line with forecasts centred on job gains of around 20,000. Fulltime employment fell by 14.100 and part-time jobs rose

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Confidence falls to five month low on rate hike

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Housing finance; Consumer sentiment As expected, the Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer confidence fell in the latest month in response to the latest interest rate hike. The index fell by

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Profit slump but Government still upbeat

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NAB business survey; Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) NAB business confidence index eased from +10.1 to +8.1 in October. The business conditions index fell from +6.7 in September

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Stronger Aussie dollar outpaced by gains in oil price

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Job advertisements; Petrol price Petrol prices are set to rise – but modestly. The rally in the Australian dollar has been outpaced by gains in regional oil prices. According to

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning November 7 2010

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The big picture In the past there have been a host of factors cited by the Reserve Bank to justify lifting interest rates. So what about the most recent lift

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Consumers remain super-cautious on spending

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Retail trade, International trade Retail spending grew by just 0.3 per cent in September, below expectations centred on a rise of 0.4 per cent. Non-food retailing rose by 0.4 per

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Reserve Bank returns to watchful stance

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RBA Statement on Monetary Policy; PCI The Reserve Bank has tinkered with economic growth forecasts, but the trajectory is largely unchanged. However the Reserve Bank has modestly downgraded inflation forecasts.

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Biggest slide in home building in a decade

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Latest economic data The outlook for home builders is gloomy. Council approvals to build news homes slumped by 6.6 per cent in September. Over the past six months approvals have

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Reserve Bank takes a punt

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Reserve Bank Board meeting For the first time in six months the Reserve Bank has elected to increase official interest rates, lifting the cash rate by 25 basis points to

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Tame inflation; Manufacturing orders sink

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Inflation gauge; Weekly Petrol Price, PMI, House Price Index The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute monthly inflation gauge rose by 0.3 per cent in October after lifting 0.1 per cent in September,

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