CommSec
News and interviews on CommSec including trends, features, blogs and community conversations from an Australian business perspective.
Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator shows signs of faltering recovery: Midday roundupMonday, 21 May 2012
Economy-wide spending rose in April but at the slowest pace in seven months, raising questions about Australia's path of recovery. ...
THE BIG PICTURE: What traffic on Australia's busiest airline route tells us about the economy
Monday, 21 May 2012
Economists are always on the lookout for new indicators to describe the health of the economy. And it isn’t just private sector economists. Reserve Bank researchers are always alert to the release of new surveys or statistics that can provide a different – ...
THE BIG PICTURE: Why Swan's smart budget leaves work to do
Monday, 14 May 2012
The federal budget has come and gone for another year. And it was by no means the much-touted "horror" budget. So how did the government manage to achieve the apparently unachievable of turning a budget deficit of $44 billion - or 3% of GDP - into a small surplus? ...
Retailers on the verge of recovery after shock April sales rise, but discretionary categories still suffering
Tuesday, 08 May 2012
Retailers are starting to see the light of recovery, according to surprise figures released yesterday showing a 0.9% rise in sales for April, with experts suggesting Australians are finally spending again as prices hit a 30-year low. ...
Further rate cuts to prop up business confidence, survey reveals
Monday, 07 May 2012
Businesses are confident activity will increase in the short-term partly due to speculation over interest rates cuts, the latest NAB business survey reveals, although conditions have remained poor. ...
RBA downgrades expectations for property market as confidence and industry conditions still disappoint
Monday, 07 May 2012
The Reserve Bank has downgraded its expectations for the housing market, delivering a downbeat assessment in which it says income-to-housing ratios have reached levels not seen since 2002, and that a recovery is still going to take some time. ...
Rates to stay on hold today, but economists tip another rise in early 2011
Tuesday, 07 December 2010
The Reserve Bank of Australia won't raise the official interest rate today – that is the consensus of local analysts and economists, who argue rising inflation figures and lower consumer confidence will keep the cash rate unmoved at 4.75%. ...
THE BIG PICTURE: Inside our patchy economy
Monday, 06 December 2010
Most people tend to regard the national accounts as just an update on economic growth. But the publication is far more comprehensive than that, covering indicators such as inflation, productivity, savings and wage costs. So from a big picture perspective what ...
Christmas sales tipped to rise slightly to $40 billion, as consumers shun sin spending to buy computers
Thursday, 02 December 2010
Australia's retailers are bracing for moderate sales growth during the peak Christmas selling season, with modelling from the Australian Retailers Association suggesting sales will hit $39.9 billion between mid-November and December 25, up just 3.5% from last ...
Economic growth weaker than expected as GDP rises just 0.2% in September quarter: Economy Roundup
Wednesday, 01 December 2010
The Australia economy grew by only 0.2% in the September quarter, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The result is well below expectations of a 0.5% increase. ...
THE BIG PICTURE: Spotting the booming regions
Monday, 29 November 2010
There's no doubt that researchers have it easy nowadays compared with their predecessors even just a decade ago. There is just so much information freely available. And it's important to note that the definition of researchers can cover a broad cross-section ...
Business services revenue climbs in October but retail sales remain flat, CommSec report shows
Monday, 22 November 2010
The business services sector is one of the fastest growing areas of the economy, according to the latest CommSec Business Sales Indicator, as improving balance sheets allow companies to spend more on critical investment purchases. ...
THE BIG PICTURE: Where politics and the markets collide
Monday, 22 November 2010
In the US, investors have been cheering the election result. That may seem odd, given the fact that it appears a recipe for doing nothing – a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Democrat-controlled Senate and a Democrat in the White House. One study ...
THE BIG PICTURE: The path to a Budget surplus isn’t as smooth as it appears
Monday, 15 November 2010
It never ceases to surprise how many people treat budget figures as facts rather than estimates. The Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) didn't contain much that was new. ...
Auctions hammered by interest rate rise, experts warn more prices will be under pressure in 2011 if rates keep climbing
Monday, 08 November 2010
The property market was slammed over the weekend, with the latest interest rate rise sending auction clearance rates down to the low 60s in Melbourne as investors back away. ...
THE BIG PICTURE: How the Aussie dollar is doing its job
Monday, 08 November 2010
In the past there have been a host of factors cited by the Reserve Bank to justify lifting interest rates. So what about the most recent lift in rates, what were the factors driving the decision? This time around the answer is clear cut – it was all about inflation ...
Experts warn more hikes on the way, business lending rates will jump
Wednesday, 03 November 2010
Consumers and businesses were delivered an unexpected shock yesterday when the RBA lifted rates by 25 basis points, but experts say they should brace themselves for more pain over the next year as the official cash rate could reach as high as 5.75%. ...
Interest rate hike next week now unlikely, but economists say rates will rise in 2011
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Interest rates may be kept on hold next week and even in December due to lower-than-expected inflation figures, but lower unemployment and the mining boom in Western Australia will only continue to put pressure on rates, economists predict. ...
Inflation figures lower than expected, interest rate fears ease: Economy roundup
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Fears of another rate rise next week appear to have been put to rest, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealing inflation rose by a lower-than-expected 0.7% during the September quarter, putting yearly inflation at 2.8% in the 12 months to Septemb ...
Western Australia and ACT our strongest economies, Qld struggling with high Australian dollar: Report
Monday, 25 October 2010
The Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia are the best performing states in the country, especially in WA where the mining boom is escalating economic growth to well above "normal" levels, CommSec's new State of the States report reveals. ...
