Investor Signposts: Week Beginning March 27 2011

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The big picture There is an old adage in economics – there are lies, damned lies and statistics. And when it comes to the issue of housing valuations and affordability,

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Investor Signposts: Week Beginning April 3 2011

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The big picture The Reserve Bank Board meets again on Tuesday to decide interest rate settings. But this month – as was the case last month – there is no

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House prices slide to near 2-year lows

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House Prices Capital city home prices were unchanged in seasonally adjusted terms in February after a 1.5 per cent slide in the prior month according to the RP Data-Rismark Hedonic

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Record migration slump dampens population growth

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Population Australia’s population grew by 345,500 people over the year to September. Population growth increased by 1.57 per cent over the past year – the weakest growth rate in four

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Homebuyer confidence dips under weight of natural disasters and rising costs of living

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Leading lenders mortgage insurer Genworth Financial (Genworth) has today released the March 2011 Genworth Homebuyer Confidence Index (HCI) – a biannual measure of borrower and would-be borrower sentiment. The index

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Aussie equities underperform global peers

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Sharemarket Insights The Australian sharemarket has significantly underperformed other major overseas markets this financial year. Some of the factors that have led to this under-performance include higher domestic interest rates,

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Budget deficit soars to near record high

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Federal budget The underlying budget deficit deteriorated in January and now stands just shy of record highs. In the 12- months to January, the budget deficit totalled $62.3 billion, an

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Price war: Petrol selling below cost price

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Weekly Petrol Price According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol fell by 0.2 cents per litre to 143.0 cents a litre in

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Household wealth levels nears 3-year high; Company cash holdings at a 11-year high

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Financial accounts The financial wealth of Australians rose in the December quarter – largely due to 4.5 per cent rise in equity markets. Net financial assets of households rose by

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Rising oil prices – what is the tipping point for growth?

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Key points Global oil prices remain under upward pressure from turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa. This will dampen global growth and add to the financial pressure on

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