Consumers remain super-cautious on spending

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Retail trade, International trade Retail spending grew by just 0.3 per cent in September, below expectations centred on a rise of 0.4 per cent. Non-food retailing rose by 0.4 per

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Tame inflation; Manufacturing orders sink

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Inflation gauge; Weekly Petrol Price, PMI, House Price Index The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute monthly inflation gauge rose by 0.3 per cent in October after lifting 0.1 per cent in September,

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Business inflation narrowly based

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Producer price index; Weekly petrol price The broad measure of business inflation – the producer price index (PPI) – rose by 1.3 per cent in the September quarter, well ahead

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Consumer bonanza

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Import & export prices Prices of export goods rose by a record 7.8 per cent in the September quarter, courtesy of higher coal and iron ore prices. Export prices are

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Airfares rise to near 3-year highs

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Domestic Airfares When it comes to airline travel, the key message is to shop around for the best deals because airfares are creeping higher. According to the latest data from

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Manufacturing contracts to nine-month lows

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Performance of Manufacturing The Performance of Manufacturing index fell by 4.4 points in September to a nine-month low of 47.3.  Any reading below 50 means the manufacturing sector is contracting.

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Weak data raises doubts about imminent rate hike

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Latest economic data The outlook for home builders remains sluggish. New dwelling approvals fell for the fourth time in the past five months – down by 4.7 per cent in

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Home prices fall again in August

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House Prices The RP Data-Rismark Hedonic Australian Home Value Index – the largest property database in Australia – reported that home prices fell by 0.2 per cent seasonally adjusted terms

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Baby-boom! Migration levels ease

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Population statistics Australia’s population grew by 403,082 people over the year to March. Population growth consolidated, increasing by 1.8 per cent over the past year, however continuing to ease from

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Petrol to fall as wholesale price hits 11-month low

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Petrol price Petrol prices have risen for the second consecutive week. The Australian Institute of Petroleum reports that the average Australian petrol price rose by 0.5 cents a litre last

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