Business

The Economy

The view from Paris is a lot more hawkish than what experts think on the ground.

Wanted: More women at the RBA

Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe prides himself on trying to fully answer questions leveled at him in public. It turned out to be a query from his family that flummoxed him.

Part of the the ACT's strong economic performance was continuously solid retail spending.

Business conditions jump sharply in December

Business conditions recovered strongly in December as firms reported a marked pick-up in sales and profits, the latest in a string of surveys pointing to gathering momentum going into the new year.

RBA governor Philip Lowe is expected to hold rates for now.

Rates on hold as inflation bottoms

The Reserve Bank has been given licence to leave interest rates on hold at its first board meeting for the year, after the delivery of a low inflation result in line with its expectations and signs it will lift.

CBA economist Michael Blythe says Australia is seeing "the longest period of sub‑target inflation since the late 1990s".

Reflation a long way off in Australia

Consumer prices are likely to have edged higher last quarter driven by petrol, but core inflation will still linger at worryingly low levels.

The higher-than-expected spending in December didn't take place in the retail sector which saw sales dip 0.2 per cent, ...

Consumer spending above trend in December

The first measure of consumer spending in December to be released suggests Australian businesses had one of their better holiday seasons in 10 years, with consumer spending over the holiday period well above the decade growth average for the month.

The World Economic Forum in Davos this week takes place against a backdrop of growing anti-establishment politics.

Pay a key symbol as inequality dominates Davos

Chief executive pay has become a powerful symbol of the widening gap between the winners and losers created by globalisation, and boards must put more focus on justifying the bonuses they pay executives amid a backlash against free-market policies.

No one should be claiming we are definitely in a housing bubble right now.

Are we in a housing bubble? No one really knows

House prices are out of control in some Australian capitals. And this week comes a proposal that this should be countered by halting interest rate cuts — a move that would not only fail to solve the problem but also have detrimental impact on the rest of the country, where housing is not booming.

Fewer chief executives expect to see business conditions improve than a year ago, though there are more forecasting a ...

Business chiefs more cautious in 2017

Fresh from a year that delivered major political shocks and proved tougher than expected, Australian business leaders are taking a cautious approach to 2017.

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