Australian businesses reported a marked improvement in conditions in March as a pick-up in sales and profitability gave firms the confidence to pump up plans for capital investment, a survey showed on Tuesday. National Australia Bank’s monthly survey of more than 400 firms showed its index of business conditions rose four points to +6 in …
Australian Business Conditions and Confidence Improve Read More »
The big moment for economists last week was the Reserve Bank’s decision to keep the cash rate on hold for a second straight month. Westpac’s chief economist Bill Evans was one of a sizeable number who had thought an April cut more likely than not. Even so, he had acknowledged a good chance of a …
Sydney is in the midst of a housing bubble but that won’t stop the Reserve Bank cutting rates again, a top economist says. Unjustified property prices and investor speculation has created a bubble in Sydney that’s at risk of bursting, AMP chief economist Shane Oliver says. Average prices in Sydney soared 13 per cent in …
While the drivers for New Zealand’s economy remain largely intact, a sharper-than-anticipated slowdown in neighboring Australia poses a threat to growth, Prime Minister John Key warned. “The big drivers of economic growth are net migration being strong, the Christchurch rebuild adding a lot of stimulus and huge investment in Auckland happening in infrastructure, and generally, …
