The Asian G7 & the pursuit of luxury

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Economic power is shifting from the old Group of Seven nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and the US) to the new Asian G7 (China, Hong Kong, India, Korea,

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11 Apr 2012

Rate cut on the agenda, inflation to be the deciding factor

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The Reserve Bank Board has left official rates at 4.25 per cent. Last year the Reserve Bank cut rates at both the November and December meetings, each by 25 basis

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04 Apr 2012

A solid start to 2012

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The bad news on Europe has dried up, the US economy has continued to recover and investors believe the soft patch for Asia will be only temporary. As a result,

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03 Apr 2012

Prudent Australia braces for challenges

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The Reserve Bank has highlighted the conservative financial behaviour of households in recent years. The Bank concludes that “Few households appear to be vulnerable to falling into mortgage arrears.” The

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29 Mar 2012

No stress, no debt Aussies

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In mid-March the Australian Bureau of Statistics released the results of the 2010 social survey for States and Territories. The results of the survey for Australia as a whole were

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27 Mar 2012

RBA: Cautiously optimistic as downside risks diminish

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The RBA Board minutes note a modest improvement in global economic conditions, which gave the RBA reason to feel cautiously optimistic about the current economic landscape Reserve Bank Board members conceded

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21 Mar 2012

Upbeat RBA Governor bemused by gloomy Aussies

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The Reserve Bank Governor delivered a speech in Hong Kong titled “Economic Conditions and Prospects”. The speech was largely a sell of the Australian economy whilst highlighting the challenges that

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20 Mar 2012

Fact or fiction: RBA Bulletin exposes the myths

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Sometimes it takes thoughtful articles by a truly independent party to put things in perspective. And that is the real value of the Reserve Bank Bulletin – well qualified economists,

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16 Mar 2012

Good news for government as budget improves

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The underlying budget deficit for the twelve months to January stood at $37.1 billion. Over the same period the fiscal balance stood at a deficit of $41.6 billion and the

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13 Mar 2012

Chinese slowdown opens door to stimulus

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Chinese growth has slowed, but not stalled, and inflation has also eased. In short, Chinese authorities have successfully engineered a “soft landing” for their economy. There is now greater scope

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12 Mar 2012