Trade surplus to moderate as coal volumes fall

From

International trade Australia’s trade surplus narrowed by $636 million to $1,925 million in November. Economists had tipped a surplus near $2 billion. Exports were flat over the month while imports

continue reading

Record slowdown in spending as job ads slump

From

Retail trade; Job Advertisements; Weekly Petrol Price Retail spending rose by just 0.3 per cent in November after the 0.8 per cent slide in October. However Nonfood retailing rose by

continue reading

Encouraging pickup in car sales

From

Car sales In December, 86,587 vehicles were sold, down by 2.4 per cent compared with a year ago. In seasonally adjusted terms CommSec estimates that sales rose by 1.5 per

continue reading

Home approvals slump but renovation in vogue

From

Building Approvals; PSI The outlook for home builders is gloomy. Approvals to build news homes slumped by 4.2 per cent in November. The slide in approvals marked the seventh decline

continue reading

Petrol price war keeps pump prices low

From

Weekly petrol; PMI The national average terminal gate or wholesale price of petrol currently stands at a 26-month high of 124.2 cents a litre. Fortunately for motorists, increased competition has

continue reading

Wealth rebounds; Aussie companies cashed up

From

Financial accounts; Imports Australian companies are maintaining very liquid balance sheets. Corporate Australia held a record $271.4 billion in cash and deposits as at September. As a proportion of total

continue reading

Tougher times for business; Dwellings slump

From

NAB business survey; Dwelling starts The NAB business confidence index eased from +8.1 to +6.2 in November. The business conditions index rose from +1.6 in October to +3.7 in November.

continue reading

Spending slumps; Trade surplus with China soars

From

Retail trade, International trade Retail spending slumped by 1.1 per cent in October, below forecasts centred on a rise of 0.4 per cent. Nonfood retailing fell by a much larger

continue reading

Dwelling approvals rebound, Credit sluggish

From

Latest economic data New dwelling approvals rose for the first time in seven months – up 9.3 per cent in October. The RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Australian Home Value Index –

continue reading

Profits and sales slide as businesses temper activity

From

Business indicators; New Home Sales; Petrol price Company profits fell by 1.5 per cent in the December quarter, led by the construction sector. Excluding mining, profits fell by a much

continue reading