Jobless rate falls to 2½-year low

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Labour force; Domestic Airfares Employment rose by 26,100 in March after rising by 700 in February (previously reported as a rise in jobs of 300). Full-time jobs fell by 8,800 while part-time jobs rose by 34,900. Economists had tipped a 17,000 increase in jobs. Hours worked fell by 1.1 per cent in March. Hours worked […]

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15 Apr 2016

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One-minute update: subdued business inflation paves way for a rate cut

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The broad measure of business inflation – the producer price index (PPI), or final stage prices, – rose by 0.3 per cent in the March quarter to stand 1.6 per cent higher than a year ago. What do the figures show?  The Producer Price Index (PPI), or final stage prices, rose by 0.3 per cent […]

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06 May 2013

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Resilient Job Market

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Employment rose by 13,900 in November after a revised gain of 10,100 jobs in October (previously +10,700). Economists had expected a flat result. In November, full-time jobs fell by 4,200 after rising by 17,600 in October. Part-time jobs rose by 18,100 after falling by 7,400 in October. Full-time jobs have only fallen once in the […]

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07 Dec 2012

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Job losses and murky outlook

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Employment fell by 27,000 in June after a revised 27,900 (previously 38,900 in May). Economists had expected a flat result. In June part-time jobs rose by 6,600 after falling by 8,600 in May. Full-time jobs fell by 33,500 after rising by 36,400 in May. The unemployment rate rose from 5.1 per cent to 5.2 per […]

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13 Jul 2012

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Cash is still king

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Australian companies are continuing to hold more money in liquid cash and deposits than ever before. Just under half of financial assets at private sector companies are held in cash or deposits, while households are holding just over a quarter of their assets in cash and deposits. The high level of liquid assets is both […]

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29 Jun 2012

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Europe the driver behind “finely balanced” rate cut

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The decision to follow up the half a per cent rate cut in May with another quarter of a per cent cut in June was not as clear cut as markets previously thought. The latest Reserve Bank Board minutes highlights that while the case for a rate cut was compelling, it was a “finely balanced” […]

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20 Jun 2012

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Rate cut all but certain after weak inflation data

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The Consumer Price Index – the main measure of inflation in Australia – rose by 0.1 per cent in the March quarter, well below expectations centred on a 0.6 per cent rise in prices. In seasonally adjusted terms the CPI fell by 0.2 per cent. The CPI stands just 1.6 per cent higher than a […]

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27 Apr 2012

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RBA Testimony conveys confidence in domestic economy

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The Reserve Bank Governor has delivered the clearest message yet that the Central Bank has a strong degree of confidence in the outlook for the domestic economy. The tone and comments from the testimony is consistent with CommSec’s view that the cash rate will remain on hold until at least the May meeting. While the […]

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28 Feb 2012

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CommSec: Unemployment rate is a good indicator of job market health

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Labour force The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 per cent in June. The participation rate edged up from 65.5 per cent to 65.6 per cent. The working age population rose by 19,600. Employment rose by 23,400 people in June. Economists had tipped job gains of around 15,000. But the May result was sharply revised […]

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07 Jul 2011

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Trade surplus hits seven month high

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International trade; Performance of Services Australia’s trade surplus widened by $716 million to $2,333 million in May – a seven month high. Exports rose 3.2 per cent with imports up 0.4 per cent. The trade surplus with broader China (China and Hong Kong) has risen from $10.3 billion to $25 billion in the space of […]

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05 Jul 2011

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