State of the States

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State & territory economic performance report How are Australia’s states and territories performing? CommSec has attempted to find out by analysing eight key indicators: economic growth; retail spending; equipment investment;

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Parity! Aussie dollar hits 28-year high

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Economic trends The Aussie dollar hit parity with the US dollar – one Australian dollar equalling one US dollar – overnight. The Aussie hit US$1.0002 very briefly at 11.17pm Sydney

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Investor Signposts: Week beginning October 17 2010

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The big picture There is no doubt that there is only one game in town – one ‘hot button’ issue, if you like – and that’s quantitative easing. In essence

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Healthy trade; petrol prices to creep higher

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International trade; Job advertisements; Petrol price The trade surplus widened in August. The trade surplus rose by $603 million to $2,346 million. Exports fell by 2.4 per cent while imports

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Good inflation data to cheer Reserve Bank

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Inflation gauge The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute monthly inflation gauge rose by just 0.05 per cent in September – the lowest increase in 11 months – after lifting 0.2 per cent

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Housing slowdown may delay rate hike

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Trends in housing The release of the building approvals and home price data is an opportune time to focus on the latest trends in the housing market. Dwelling approvals, new

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning October 3 2010

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The big picture Next week the Reserve Bank is widely expected to lift interest rates. Interestingly if you go back just over a fortnight ago no major forecaster was expecting

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Budget outcome: Better than expected… again

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Federal budget update The Federal Budget deficit stood at $54.8 billion in 2009/10 (4.2 per cent of GDP), an improvement of $2.3 billion on the estimate made just four months

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning September 26 2010

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The big picture Finally one of the great myths has been debunked. The Reserve Bank has finally acknowledged that housing affordability is not a major problem in Australia. Neither is

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Cold start to spring poses risks for retailers

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Economic focus Australian retailers, especially those dependent on seasonal purchases, could face new pressures unless the weather starts to warm up in the next few weeks. Capital cities such as

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