Risk that La Niña could persist over 2011

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La Niña update The current La Niña weather event is responsible for the flooding across eastern and southern Australia as well as the severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi. The current La

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Sales strengthen as growth continues for retailers

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CBA Business Spending index The Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI) was unchanged in trend terms in December after previously falling for twelve straight months. But the weakness remains narrowly

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Consumer bonanza as import prices fall

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Import & export prices Prices of imported goods slumped by 3.8 per cent in the December quarter, driven largely by the appreciation of the Australian dollar. Import prices are 1.0

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Significant uncertainty ahead for investors after Queensland floods

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Insurance, transport and retail worst sectors hit The Australian insurance sector is one of a number of sectors that faces a significantly uncertain outlook following the devastating Queensland floods, according

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Floods disaster dents confidence

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Consumer sentiment The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer confidence fell sharply in the latest month as the flood disaster in Queensland impacted sentiment. The index fell by 5.7 per cent

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Record slowdown in spending as job ads slump

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Retail trade; Job Advertisements; Weekly Petrol Price Retail spending rose by just 0.3 per cent in November after the 0.8 per cent slide in October. However Nonfood retailing rose by

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Weekly market & economic update 17 December 2010

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Headline developments of the past week Sovereign debt issues in Europe raised their ugly head again over the last week. While the Irish austerity package was passed by its Parliament,

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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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Spending slumps; Trade surplus with China soars

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Retail trade, International trade Retail spending slumped by 1.1 per cent in October, below forecasts centred on a rise of 0.4 per cent. Nonfood retailing fell by a much larger

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Consumers remain super-cautious on spending

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Retail trade, International trade Retail spending grew by just 0.3 per cent in September, below expectations centred on a rise of 0.4 per cent. Non-food retailing rose by 0.4 per

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