Profits and sales slide as businesses temper activity

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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

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Reserve Bank Governor signals pause on rates

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Testimony of Reserve Bank Governor In delivering testimony to the House of Respresentatives Economics Committee, the Reserve Bank Governor has given clear signals that interest rate settings are on hold

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RBA signals pause on rates

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Testimony of Reserve Bank Governor The Reserve Bank Governor has delivered testimony to the House of Respresentatives Economics Committee. Transcripts of the testimony have been released. Selected comments from the

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Mining investment leads the way

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Private New Capital Expenditure New business investment rose by 6.2 per cent in the September quarter – the biggest increase in three years. Mining dominated investment plans with investment in

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning November 28 2010

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The big picture There’s no doubt that researchers have it easy nowadays compared with their predecessors even just a decade ago. There is just so much information freely available. And

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Biggest housing slump in a decade

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Construction work done Construction work done fell from record highs, down by 2.1 per cent in the September quarter. In real terms the value of construction work done fell to

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Spending remains sluggish across Australia

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CBA Business Spending index A recovery in spending across the Australian economy remains elusive according to a key gauge.The Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI) was unchanged in October after

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Weaker Aussie drives petrol to three month highs

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Petrol price According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum the national average retail pump price rose 0.5 cents a litre last week to 124.3 cents a litre – a three

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Comparing Aussie companies: facts & fiction

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Company financial statistics In recent weeks investors have no doubt found it difficult to sort fact from fiction in the public discussion about company balance sheets. Some commentators have questioned

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning November 21 2010

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The big picture In the US, investors have been cheering the election result. That may seem odd, given the fact that it appears a recipe for doing nothing – a

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