Year in review. Year in preview

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The past year: 2020/21 With just over a week to go to the end of the financial year, it is opportune to reflect on the past year. Data is up

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Wisest place for savings: Shares hit decade highs

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Demolitions hit record highs; Consumer confidence; Chinese inflation; Weekly payroll & jobs; Demolitions What happened? In the latest Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment survey, 28.7 percent of respondents said the

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The wealth effect

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Economic perspectives Australian home prices have lifted by almost 11 per cent over the past year, raising concerns about weakening housing affordability. But for the two-thirds of Aussies who either

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Energy shares surge; Job ads hit 12½-year high

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Weekly oil market; ANZ job advertisements What happened? Last week global crude oil prices rose by as much as 5 per cent to the highest levels in more than two

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House approvals scale new heights

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Building approvals; Business indicators; Balance of Payments; Government finance What happened: Total council approvals to build new houses rose by 3.4 per cent to record highs. Implications: Demand for building

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Oil price hits 2-year high

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Private sector credit; Weekly oil market; Inflation gauge; China data What happened? Last week global crude oil prices rose by over 4 per cent to the highest levels in more

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Jobless rate falls to 13-month lows 

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Labour force What happened? Employment fell by 30,600 in April after rising by 77,000 in March. The unemployment rate fell from 5.7 per cent to 5.5 per cent. Implications: Unemployment

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Budget deficit: $30 billion smaller than forecast

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Monthly budget statement The Monthly Financial Statements for March 2021 report the budget position against the expected monthly profile for the 2020/21 financial year through to 31 March 2021. Over

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CommSec State of the States – April 2021

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Overall results 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

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Petrol prices ease for school runs; Second strongest home sales since 2004

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Petrol Prices; New home sales; Used vehicle market Fuel prices: Last week the national average price of unleaded petrol fell by 1.6 cents a litre to 142.8 cents per litre

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