Alcohol consumption hits 17-year low

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Alcohol consumption Total apparent consumption of alcohol fell for the sixth straight year, down from 10.04 litres of pure alcohol per person to a 17-year low of 9.88 litres per person

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Home prices record biggest gain in 18 years

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RP Data Rismark Home Prices; PMI Home prices surge: The RP Data – Rismark Home Value Index reported that capital city home prices rose by 2.3 per cent in March –

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Motorists benefit from higher $A, lower crude price

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Weekly petrol prices; Chinese “Flash” PMI Petrol prices fall for second straight week: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol fell by

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Job market winners and losers

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Detailed labour market data Industry employment: Employment rose by 50,100 over the three months to February – the biggest quarterly increase in year. Employment rose in 12 of the 19 industry

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Lending lifts to a 6-year high

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Lending finance Lending accelerates. Total lending finance rose by 1.7 per cent in January after rising by 2.6 per cent in December. Lending totalled $65.9 billion – a 6-year high. Lending

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China slowdown, but holidays add complications

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Chinese trade and inflation data Chinese trade: The Chinese trade balance swung from a surplus of US$31.86 billion in January to a deficit of US$22.98 billion in February. The result is

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RBA Governor promotes interest rate stability

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Reserve Bank Governor Testimony The Reserve Bank Governor has delivered testimony to the House of Representatives Economics Committee. The Governor has delivered his clearest statement yet that the economy is

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Australian economy picks up pace

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National accounts Another quarter of growth: The record-breaking economic expansion is in its 23rd year. The Australian economy grew by 0.8 per cent in the December quarter after a 0.6 per cent

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Building approvals at record highs

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Dwelling approvals; Balance of Payments; Government Finance Dwelling approvals soar: Dwelling approvals rose by 6.8 per cent in January. Approvals are up 34.6 per cent over the year. Approvals rose to

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Slowest wage growth on record

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Wage price index Wages rose by 0.7 per cent in the December quarter. Annual growth of wages eased from 2.7 per cent to a record low of 2.6 per cent (series

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