News Articles for Paul Bloxham

ANALYSIS: The latest inflation figures could push the RBA to adjust interest rates, just not in the direction mortgage holders would prefer.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has reported surprisingly strong jobs growth in the month of April while the country's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was steady at 4.1 per cent.

Australia's consumer price index rose 0.2 per cent in the December quarter, buoying expectations the Reserve Bank of Australia could cut rates in February.

Australia recorded another month of strong jobs growth in August, with the data reducing the prospect of interest rate cuts in the next few months.

A boom in jobs has pushed down Australia's unemployment rate and prompted economists to trim their interest rate outlook though some have cast doubt on the data.

A 1.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase in consumer price index data released today has fueled predictions of a Reserve Bank cash rate hike in November.

Westpac, St. George, HSBC, JP Morgan and AMP now expect the Reserve Bank won't raise rates in April - but ANZ and CBA still forecast a rate hike.

Australian company profits have bounced back after dropping off steeply last quarter, with business inventories returning a softer-than-expected result.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been quick to point out that interest rate decisions are up to the Reserve Bank as speculation mounts for a rise this year.

Growth in Western Australia's internal economy was slower than most other states in the December quarter, while national output grew 3.1 per cent.

More than 13,000 Western Australian jobs were lost in January, including 9,900 by women, according to new labour market data.

Perth prices rose 1.8 per cent in the September quarter, the sharpest lift since June 2006, after a big fall during the COVID-19 shutdown.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept the cash rate at a record low 0.25 per cent at its monthly board meeting as it assesses the extent of the coronavirus-driven economic downturn.

The number of Australians in employment have fallen by 594,300 people in April, with Western Australia recording 62,300 fewer people in full- or part-time work following coronavirus-related lockdowns.

A 10 per cent surge in the level of business investment in machinery and equipment has helped Western Australia's state final demand grow 0.4 per cent in the September quarter, as national economic data surprised on the downside.

The state's unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percentage points in December to 6.6 per cent as the number of women in the labour force eased slightly, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

OPINION: One month of data and a forecast for strong annual growth in exports is not a trend, but a careful analysis of Australia's latest trade figures appears to confirm that an economic recovery is under way – and that could mean that the currency might be next to move up.

The decline in mining investment is set to end by mid-2017 following four years of decline, according to banking giant HSBC.

Perth dwelling prices fell 1.7 per cent in the three months to March, while the average dwelling price across Australia's capital cities also fell for the first time in over three years.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has held the official interest rate at a record low, but it's still keeping an eye on inflation.

With the iron ore price falling to nearly $US40 per tonne, analysts can't see an end to the pain any time soon.

Employment in Western Australia lifted in August to 1.36 million, adding around 7,000 jobs in seasonally adjusted terms on July, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Falling exports have battered the June quarter GDP growth figures for Western Australia and nationally, but underlying demand increased more in WA than other states.