Market News

24 Feb 20. Pump prices in East Coast have fallen to $1.36-$1.40 a litre and will likely decline further to between $1.20-$1.30 a litre due to the discounting cycle.

24 Feb 20. Despite the challenging conditions a record 92.6 per cent of the companies reporting interim earnings have issued a dividend.

20 Feb 20. Employment rose by 13,500 jobs in January after increasing by 28,700 in December but Victoria’s unemployment rate hit 19-month highs of 5.4 per cent.

19 Feb 20. In January, skilled job vacancies rose by 1,100 positions or 0.7 per cent – the biggest lift in over two years despite the disruption caused by the tragic bushfires on Australia’s East Coast. Job ads increased in seven out of eight occupation groups.

18 Feb 20. Tourist arrivals rose by 0.9 per cent in December, but departures were flat. It was the biggest lift in tourist arrivals in four months. New Zealand tourists hit a record-high of 129,100 in December. Over the past year 1,453,200 tourists came to Australia from China.

13 Feb 20. The CommSec Luxury vehicle index has now risen for seven months, matching the lift in home prices.

12 Feb 20. The annual average of ATM withdrawals hit fresh 8-year lows in December at 45.88 million. The value of purchases made with credit and charge cards rose by 0.1 per cent in December to be up 3.7 per cent.