Export boom remarkable in 'weak trade growth' era
December's record trade surplus is good news for corporate profits and the government's triple A rating. But economists expect the impact on the real economy to be muted
December's record trade surplus is good news for corporate profits and the government's triple A rating. But economists expect the impact on the real economy to be muted
Small shopfront accountants nationwide are worried about the end of the traditional tax return.
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.
Within three years, Australians may witness one of the biggest financial raids in history.
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.
New research ridicules the prime minister's claim that cutting the company tax rate will boost foreign investment, pointing out that almost all of Australia's foreign investment applications come from countries with much lower tax rates.
Australia now makes more money selling tourism services to foreigners than it makes from exporting coal.
The family home has eclipsed superannuation as Australia's biggest tax break.
The current account deficit, once thought of as Australia's biggest economic challenge, will as good as vanish in the year ahead as income from exports exceeds spending on imports for the longest time since the 1970s, according to the Deloitte Access preview of the year ahead.
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.
Australia's rate of inflation in 2016 was below expectations, sparking fears of continued economic weakness and keeping the door open for an interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank.
Australians who have been underpaid their super entitlements have balances that are almost $20,000 or about 50 per cent lower, new research Industry Super Australia shows.
The government is being urged to revisit bilateral trade deals with Australia's big Asian trade partners, after Donald Trump's move to pull the plug on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The new premier claims to be "open minded" on the best ways to improve housing affordability, but here are 11 economist-endorsed ideas that might test her mettle.
It's the global ranking Australians don't want.
Consumer prices are likely to have edged higher last quarter driven by petrol, but core inflation will still linger at worryingly low levels.
Which industries are performing and likely to offer strong employment opportunities in 2017?
The ACT easily held its spot as Australia's third best performing economy after NSW and Victoria, respectively, with strong consumer, business and housing spending.
Women are marching on Washington this weekend, but they've been storming the Australian workforce for decades, with implications for mortgage rates.
Business chiefs are urging the next NSW premier to continue driving the state's infrastructure boom, crediting Mike Baird's support for big projects with helping to resurrect the state economy to a position of national leadership.
The Australian economy added 91,500 jobs in 2016 – the worst yearly figure since 2013.
The Australian economy added 91,500 jobs in 2016 – the worst yearly figure since 2013.
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.
NBN Co believes its network build will be halfway complete by the end of this financial year, as its roll out moves into metropolitan areas.
The world's chief executives are shrugging off worries around global volatility and are increasingly confident their businesses will grow in the next year.
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.
Where does the time go? This year will mark the 10th anniversary of the onset of the global financial crisis.
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.
Rising income inequality is the most important underlying trend determining global events, according to the WEF's annual assessment of global risks. For business, the biggest risk is the potential for cyber attacks.
Fresh from a year that delivered major political shocks and proved tougher than expected, Australian business leaders are taking a cautious approach to 2017.
In a battered, dirty shopfront in St Kilda, Hari Shotham thinks he's found the future of Australian retail. An unstaffed shop full of vending machines.
Chances are you do if you're starting a fundraising campaign and you've never come across one.