Business News
Fact or fiction: RBA Bulletin exposes the risks - 16 March 2012
There is more even distribution of wealth. The Reserve Bank found that wealth became more evenly distributed across the economy over the past... read more >
More family time, flat lending and car sales - 16 March 2012
The proportion of full-time workers working more than 60 hours a week fell to a 23-year low of 10.2 per cent in February. Car sales are flat.... read more >
Which global city is the most competitive? - 15 March 2012
A new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), commissioned by Citi, has revealed the top three competitive and economically strong... read more >
Australian dollar falls to seven-week low - 15 March 2012
The Aussie dollar has dropped against the greenback overnight, following the release of the US Federal Reserve’s policy statement. This... read more >
OMG! Gen Y feeling OK; rest of us are gloomy - 14 March 2012
Consumer sentiment has rebounded. The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer confidence fell by five per cent in March to a reading of... read more >
Sleepy times for economy; Petrol hits 3.5-year high - 13 March 2012
Cautious businesses – the NAB business confidence index fell from four to a five-month low of +0.9 in February, below the long-run... read more >
The New Age cashless, low debt Aussie consumer - 13 March 2012
Consumers are saying no to debt. The average credit card limit grew by just 0.7 per cent over the past year – the slowest growth on... read more >
Good news for Government as budget improves - 12 March 2012
Budget improving. The underlying budget deficit for the twelve months to January stood at $37.1 billion. Over the same period the fiscal... read more >
Chinese slowdown opens door to stimulus - 12 March 2012
Chinese economic data was generally weaker than expected. Retail sales in January-February were up 14.7 per cent on a year ago (consensus 17.5... read more >
Trade aberration; Good news on Chinese inflation - 09 March 2012
Trade surplus disappears. Australia recorded a trade deficit of $673 million in January – the first deficit in 11 months and the biggest... read more >
Ho-hum job market - 08 March 2012
Employment zigs and zags: Employment fell by 15,400 in February after rising by 46,200 in January. Economists had expected a 10,000-15,000... read more >
Economy limping, not leaping, into 2012 - 07 March 2012
Sluggish economic growth – the Australian economy grew by 0.4 per cent in the December quarter, after growing by a downwardly-revised... read more >
Migrant inflows near four-year high - 07 March 2012
More migrants – the number of permanent settlers entering Australia hit a 41-month high of 14,210 in January. Over the past year 146,430... read more >
Reserve Bank acknowledges pain in community - 06 March 2012
The Reserve Bank Board has left official rates at 4.25 per cent. Last year, the Reserve Bank cut rates at both the November and December... read more >
Petrol price hits four-month high - 05 March 2012
Petrol prices are up. As predicted by CommSec, the national average retail petrol price rose by 3.1 cents to 146 cents a litre in the past... read more >
Profits barely budge in 2011; Inflation subdued - 05 March 2012
Company profits slumped by 6.5 per cent in the December quarter to stand 2.2 per cent higher than a year ago. In 2011, profits rose by just... read more >
Rate cuts finally boost house prices - 03 March 2012
In a world-first, RP Data and Rismark today commenced publishing ‘daily’ home value index results reflecting the current state of... read more >
Record investment boom set to drive growth - 01 March 2012
Investment moderated in the December quarter. New business investment in buildings or equipment fell by 0.3 per cent in the December quarter... read more >
Battle-scarred companies winning the fight - 01 March 2012
CommSec has assessed the results of 131 companies from the ASX 200 index that reported half-year (HY) results to December 2011 (results for... read more >
New home sales crash to 11-year lows - 01 March 2012
New home sales fell by 7.3 per cent in January to the lowest reading in 11-years. New detached house sales fell by 7.4 per cent in the month... read more >
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