ANZ Job Ads Confirms Weakening Employment Market
The September ANZ Job Ads series has confirmed the slowdown in new jobs growth that has emerged from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force data in recent months.
Read MoreEconomics
China Eases Reserve Requirements To Spur Growth
China’s central bank has cut the reserve requirement ratio for most commercial banks for the 4th time in 2018 as it seeks to offset the slowing pace of economic activity.
Read MoreNext Week At A Glance
A brief look at important company events and economic data releases next week.
Read MoreLNG Lights Up Trade Surplus
Australia’s trade surplus in the first eight months of 2018 is running more than 17% ahead of 2018 as higher prices for thermal coal, LNG and resilient iron ore prices combine with a weaker Aussie dollar to boost export income.
Read MoreHousing Data Continues To Cool Not Crash
Despite all the angst and silly stuff that has been written about falling house prices and a property price crash, the largest area of investment (and approvals), owner-occupied housing remains solid, even if the strength is fading a little.
Read MoreFamiliar Refrain As RBA Maintains Holding Pattern
Steady as she goes from the Reserve Bank yesterday with yet another month of unchanged interest rates.
Read MoreExpect More Of The Same From The RBA
Another record will be set later today when the Reserve Bank holds interest rates at their current level for the 36th month in a row.
Read MoreNext Week At A Glance
A brief look at important company events and economic data releases next week.
Read MoreJob Vacancies Hit Record High In August
Job vacancies in Australia hit another all-time high in the August quarter as the jobs boom continues, thanks to the accelerating surge in private sector openings.
Read MoreRBNZ Echoes RBA With Rates On Hold Until 2020
Unlike the US, but very much like the Australian economy, New Zealand’s economy is growing solidly, and yet doesn’t need any extra stimulation from a rate cut, but doesn’t need a slight hand on the tiller from a rate rise.
Read MoreInside The Fed Interest Rate Decision
As expected the US Fed has lifted short-term interest rates for a third time this year and indicated there will be more to come this year and in 2019 and 2020.
Read MoreDebt, Wages, Trade On Annual RBA Worry List
The list of issues concerning the country’s top economic policymakers narrowed in 2017-18 to just three, two of which are hangovers from preceding years, according to comments by RBA Governor, Phillip Lowe.
Read MoreNext Week At A Glance
A brief look at important company events and economic data releases next week.
Read MoreKiwi GDP Posts Largest Quarterly Rise In Two Years
Growth rebounded strongly in the NZ economy in the year to June, hitting a two year high with yesterday’s second-quarter report showing a 1% rise from the three months to March when growth was 0.5%.
Read MoreOz Infrastructure Activity Heating Up
Contributions from all levels of government are finding their way to infrastructure projects and analysts suggest construction activity and demand for workers and materials is slowly heating up.
Read MoreInvestment Slowdown Blots China Data Drop
China’s last big data drop for the month of August had a couple of surprises – growth in investment fell to the lowest level ever, while surprisingly production of commodities used in investment such as steel and cement rose or only dipped by a small amount.
Read MoreDiary: S&P Sector Reshuffle, Local House Prices, Korean Summit
A quiet week globally for regular data drops and other reports, but there’s a summit between North and South Korea, a meeting of the United Nations, the mid-month updates on the health of manufacturing and services, some July 31 corporate reports in Australia and a big shakeup in the structure of the S&P 500, the world’s major stock market index.
Read MorePolitical Volatility Knocks Business Confidence
Australian business conditions index rebounded in August but the political volatility hit confidence levels, knocking them lower to where they are now below average, according to the latest business survey from the National Australia Bank.
Read MoreFive things you need to know about the Australian economy
While recession remains very unlikely, the combination of a slowing housing cycle, constraints on consumer spending and still subdued business investment will likely see growth slow going forward to around 2.5-3%.
Read MoreTrade Brawl Fails To Dent China’s Commodity Appetite In August
China’s commodity imports – such as coal, iron ore and oil – held up in August, despite the continuing trade brawl with the US.
Read MoreDiary: Apple Launch, Local Jobs, ECB & BoE Meet
Forget GDP, jobs and other reports such as Donald Trump’s expanding trade war with China, this week is all about Apple.
Read MoreNext Week At A Glance
A brief look at important company events and economic data releases next week.
Read MoreSigns Of Household Weakness Under Boom GDP Number
There’s no doubting the Australian economy is going well at the moment – the June quarter national accounts confirmed the jump in growth reported in the March quarter and also suggest the Reserve Bank’s forecast for growth of “a bit above 3%” for 2018 and 2019 is on track.
Read MoreHeadwinds Persist In Consumer Sector
Online business continues to advance rapidly and this is driving heightened expenditure as retailers adapt. Meanwhile, housing-related headwinds persist for the consumer sector.
Read MoreNo Surprises As RBA Remains On Repeat
No move in interest rates by the Reserve Bank for a 25th consecutive month and there won’t be one any time sooner.
Read MoreRetail Sales Stall, House Prices Soften
A mixed picture from economic data yesterday released ahead of the Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision later today and tomorrow’s June quarter GDP figures.
Read MoreJobs Boom Holds In August
Another solid monthly jobs report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics with significant gains in August in both the more accurate trend measure and on the more publicly used seasonally adjusted basis.
Read MorePlatinum Macro Overview June 2018
Platinum’s Andrew Clifford discusses what the fears around escalating US-China trade tension, rising US interest rates, and the impact of China’s financial system reforms mean for our medium to long-term investment outlook.
Read MoreConsumers Are Driving China’s Economic Growth – And Foreign Investors Have Noticed
Where does the US café chain Starbucks have the largest of its 28,200 company-owned and licensed outlets that are found in 76 countries? In Shanghai, China.
Read MoreThe Week Ahead With Stephen Koukoulas
The local highlight will be a speech from RBA Governor Phillip Lowe at the Australia-China Relations Institute. While the focus will no doubt be on Australia’s export dependence on China and the benefits of trade to both countries, Lowe is also likely to discuss some of the recent economic news which shows entrenched low inflation and a softening outlook for the world economy.
Read MoreThe Week Ahead With Stephen Koukoulas
Labour market issues will dominate the economic news with the quarterly wages and monthly labour force data both out.
Read MoreThe Week Ahead With Stephen Koukoulas
Treasurer Scott Morrison will deliver the 2018-19 Budget on Tuesday night and from all accounts a range of upbeat economic forecasts will deliver a deluge of revenue that will fund income and company tax cuts and leave the budget on track for a small surplus in 2020-21. These issues, tax cuts, economic forecasts and the return to surplus, are likely to be the main aspects of the budget.
Read MoreThe Week Ahead With Stephen Koukoulas
This week is all about the Reserve Bank.
Read MoreThe Week Ahead With Stephen Koukoulas
All pumped up about inflation!
Read MoreStephen Koukoulas – The Week Ahead
The ever-important labour force release will dominate local market news, especially when it come to the outlook for official interest rate settings.
Read MoreStephen Koukoulas – The Week Ahead
It is a relatively quiet week for local data, with the main release the housing finance data for February. A flat result is expected.
Read MoreStephen Koukoulas – The Week Ahead
After the Easter weekend, there is the veritable blockbuster of economic news this week. The highlight, at least emotionally, will be the monthly meeting of the RBA, but no one seriously expects any change in the cash rate or the RBA’s rhetoric when the policy press release hits the wires.
Read MoreStephen Koukoulas – The Week Ahead
With the health of the labour market front and centre of the debate over the economy and the outlook for official interest rates, next week’s job vacancy data will shed more light on the demand for labour. Since the low point in 2013, the number of job vacancies has been trending higher, albeit as a moderate pace. The market consensus is for another moderate rise in the number of job vacancies, even though the hard data on economic growth has been generally disappointing since the start of the year.
Read MoreStephen Koukoulas – Labour Force Data
Two super-duper economic releases coming up this week – the official house price series together with the next round of labour force data.
Read MoreStephen Koukoulas – US Inflation In Focus
All eyes will be on the US inflation data as it will help frame expectations for interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve. With a further 25 basis point rate hike all but fully priced in to the next Fed meeting on 21 March, the inflation data will help form views on how many interest rate hikes will be needed in 2018 to ensure the pace of economic growth is consistent with the target.
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