Petrol hits 25-month high; Consumers slash debt

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Credit/debit cards; Weekly petrol; Lending finance Petrol prices to lift further. The terminal gate or wholesale price of petrol rose by another 3 cents a litre last week to 25-month

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China tightens again to stem inflation

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Chinese economic data Chinese consumer prices rose at a 5.1 per cent annual pace in November – the fastest pace in over two years but driven by higher food prices.

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Weekly market & economic update – 10 December 2010

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Headline developments of the past week Another round of strong Chinese economic activity indicators, excessive loan growth and a further rise in inflation to 5.1% in November on the back

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning December 12 2010

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The big picture Economists of all descriptions rely on models to predict where the economy is going. Unfortunately most are based on past relationships and events, and of course that

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Employment soars; productivity now in focus

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Labour force Employment rose by 54,600 in November, well above forecasts centred on job gains of around 20,000 (range from +5,000 to +35,000 jobs). The October result was revised up

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Weak home lending reinforces need for rate pause

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Housing finance Lending to build new homes was flat in October. A key leading indicator for home construction barely moved in October – ahead of the November rate hike. Loans

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Petrol pain ahead; Tame inflation; Job ads slow

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Weekly Petrol Price, Inflation gauge; Job Advertisements Motorists need to prepare for higher petrol prices. The terminal gate or wholesale price of petrol leapt by over 3 cents a litre

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Migrant numbers hit 4yr low despite tight job market

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Latest economic indicators The job market is tight but permanent settler numbers have plunged. Net permanent and long-term arrivals to Australia hit 4-year lows in the year to October. In

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Depressed services sector; 4WD sales soar

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Latest economic data The services sector is going backwards. The Performance of Services index fell from 50.7 to 46.2 in November. Any reading below 50 suggests that the services sector

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Weekly market & economic update – 03 December 2010

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Headline developments of the past week Better than expected economic data in the US, Europe and China along with the European Central Bank moving to extend its liquidity boosting measures

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