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Showing 131 - 140 of 596 results for "consumer spending"

Chief economist update: Boom in the USA

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 30 JUL 2018
... quarter of 2015. At the core of the second quarter's expansion is the consumer - the heart of the economy. Consumer spending contributed 2.69 percentage points to the June quarter's overall growth. Solid employment growth and tax cuts have prompted ...

Chief economist update: Inflation genie still inside the box

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 26 JUL 2018
... if you will. Sluggish wage growth (no growth in real wages) would put further pressure on already lacklustre consumer spending - retail sales growth slowed to 2.5% in the year to May from 2.7% in April and 3.1% in March - that leads to lower inflation ...

Chief economist update: What goes around is starting to get around

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 19 JUL 2018
... in June less headline CPI inflation of 2.9% (workers buy food and petrol), auguring a negative indication for consumer spending. On the flipside, while the strong US dollar is keeping inflation largely contained, it would also make US exports become ...

Chief economist update: Weak wages a puzzle, could become a problem

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 13 JUL 2018
... indicates that real wages - nominal wages less inflation - are being eroded which, by extension, would slow consumer spending. Nominal wages growth of 2.7% in the year to June translates to negative 0.2% in real terms (from negative 0.1% in May) when ...

Chief economist update: US inflation hits target

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 2 JUL 2018
... has already lifted twice). Then again, the Income and Outlays report also showed that the Fed got it wrong on consumer spending - that it was "picking up" - personal spending increased by a mere 0.2% in the month of May (the weakest since February's ...

Chief economist update: Should have sold in May and gone away

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 29 MAY 2018
... unchanged similar growth rates in the December 2017 and September 2017 quarters - which, in turn, should buoy consumer spending. The promised reduction in taxes announced in the Budget has already changed sentiment significantly as evidenced by the Fairfax/Ipsos ...

Chief economist update: All Ords rising

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 15 MAY 2018
... Budget since 2006." Those who feel they'll be worse off dropped from 50% to 25%. The expected increase in consumer spending as a consequence of this should further strengthen equity market gains which in turn, would produce a wealth effect, underpinning ...

Chief economist update: New RBNZ Governor maintains old policy

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 14 MAY 2018
... down to 2.9% in the year to the December 2017 quarter - the slowest since the third quarter of 2014. So far consumer spending seems to be holding up - retail sales up by 5.4% in the year to the December 2017 quarter from 4.6% in the previous quarter ...

Chief economist update: We're headed for surplus (if assumptions hold)

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 9 MAY 2018
... following year and 3.25% the next. Whether or not this happens will have an impact - negative or positive - on consumer spending, that'll flow through into company sales and profits and then investment...overall economic growth and through to government ...

Chief economist update: Budget surplus can wait

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 8 MAY 2018
... of course, is that the Australian government's generosity would generate a stronger labour market, stronger consumer spending and business investment that would further raise government revenues and voila, we have ourselves a budget surplus. But before ...