Job vacancies slide to 18-month lows

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Job vacancies fell by 3.3 per cent in the December quarter (November reference month) to 181,000 vacancies – marking the lowest result in 18 months. Across the sectors the bulk

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Slower Chinese imports points to stimulus

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China’s trade surplus expanded from $14.5 billion to $16.5 billion in December, well above forecasts centred on an $8.78 billion surplus. Imports slower than expected: Exports rose 13.4 per cent

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2011 year in review…Europe, politics and natural disasters

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The year 2011 will be remembered for the European Debt Crisis and a spate of natural disasters. Asian economies generally held firm but so-called “advanced nations” continued to struggle. In

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RBA: Global growth risks outweigh investment boom

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Downside risks to global economy prompted Reserve Bank to cut interest rates and minutes of the last Reserve Bank Board meeting confirm that policymakers were concerned about the strength of

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The big issues for 2012

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Murphy’s Law states: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. And clearly 2011 could be best described as the year when Murphy’s Law reigned. First there were significant floods across

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RBA takes out insurance in an uncertain world

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The Reserve Bank Board has cut official rates for the second consecutive month, trimming the cash rate by 25 basis points (quarter of a percent) to 4.25 per cent. The

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Business investment going gangbusters

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Business investment soared in the September quarter. New business investment in buildings or equipment rose by 12.3 per cent in the September quarter – the biggest quarterly gain in 15 years.

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European debt crisis 101

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The on-going saga that is the European debt crisis has sent investors heads spinning. With all the focus on debts and deficits, many investors rightly want to know what that

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RBA focus to shift rates to ‘normal’

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Downside risks to global economy prompted Reserve Bank to cut interest rates: Minutes of the last Reserve Bank Board meeting confirm that policymakers were concerned about the strength of the

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CommSec Research: lending slumps, petrol slides

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Mixed signals as lending slumps and petrol prices fall, with further falls likely. What does it all mean? The national average petrol price has slumped by just shy of five

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