CommSec: Population growth hits 5-year low and cash is now king

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Demographic data; Financial Accounts Australia’s population grew by 69,703 people over the December quarter to 22,477,378. Annual population growth slowed from 1.57 per cent to 1.47 per cent – the

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Building approvals slump; QLD retailers benefit from rebuilding

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Building Approvals; Retail trade; Private Sector Credit Council approvals to build news homes fell by 7.4 per cent in February after sliding by a revised 11.6 per cent in the

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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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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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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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Lending slides; Futures market bets on rate cut

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Lending finance; RBA Board minutes; New Car Sales Lending slumped in January. Total lending finance fell for the first time in the five months – down by 6.0 per cent

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House approvals slump to near 2-year lows

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Building Approvals; Trade; New Vehicle Sales The outlook for home builders is gloomy. Council approvals to build news homes slumped by 15.9 per cent in January. In annual terms approvals

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Petrol set to surge but inflation still contained

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Weekly Petrol; Latest economic data According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol rose by 1.2 cents per litre to 136.3 cents a

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Lending lifts but consumers still cautious

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Lending finance; ABARE Crop Report; RBA Board minutes Lending rose in December. Total lending finance rose for the fourth consecutive month up by 2.4 per cent in December. Lending totalled

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Confidence stabilises but trend index at 20mth lows

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Consumer sentiment The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer confidence rose modestly in February following the sharp slide in January. The index rose by 1.9 per cent to 106.6 in February.

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