2013/14: A very good year

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Economic & financial perspectives A good year: Total returns on Australian shares (All Ordinaries Accumulation index) rose by 17.6 per cent in 2013/14 after lifting by 20.7 per cent in 2012/13

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Where the Big Employers are

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What do the figures show and what does it all mean? When you think of big employers, you tend to think of major banks, retailers or mining companies. But if you

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White collar Australia: Housing drives job gains

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Population; Employment by Industry Industry employment: Employment rose by 14,400 over the three months to May – the smallest quarterly increase in three quarters but after strong gains in the previous

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A good year, or a very good year?

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Economic & financial perspectives A good year:  Total returns on Australian shares (All Ordinaries Accumulation index) are currently up 17.3 per cent over 2013/14. If returns hold at these levels

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Higher Aussie dollar to cap petrol price

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Weekly Petrol Prices Petrol prices drop: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of petrol fell by 1.8 cents per litre to 149.9 cents a

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Chinese economic data beats expectations

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Chinese Economic data Chinese industrial production rose at an 8.8 per cent annual rate in May, in line with forecasts and up from 8.7 per cent in April. In the month,

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Job market: All going to plan

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Labour force Jobs fall slightly, but full-time employment lifts again: Employment fell by 4,800 in May after rising by a revised 10,300 in April (previously reported as a 14,200 increase in

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Australia wins Economic World Cup

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Economic Perspectives Australia may struggle in the upcoming Football (Soccer) World Cup in Brazil, but a new study finds that it has already come out on top of the competition

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New low for first-time buyers; Confident businesses

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Latest economic data; Chinese inflation; Weekly Petrol The number of new owner-occupier housing loans was largely unchanged in April but the share of first-time buyers in the market equalled the record

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Exports to China hit new highs

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International Trade Trade swings back into deficit: Australia’s trade accounts moved back into the red in April, recording a deficit of $122 million. But the March trade surplus was revised

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