Daily FNArena News - Australia

Australian economic growth for the September quarter came in at just 0.1% and economists suggest further rate cuts are coming.

A 1% rate cut wasn’t what brokers were expecting, but it came as little surprise nonetheless.

THe RBA has lowered the official cash rate by a further 100 basis points today.

The last four months have seen both interest rates and expectations fall on a monthly basis, but is 2.5% too far?

The TD Securities-MI Monthly Inflation Gauge for November recorded its sharpest fall in the six year history of the index, suggesting inflation is no longer an issue for the Australian economy.

While the market expects a significant downgrade, brokers suggest Hastie Group shares are too cheap given solid FY10 earnings.

Now that BHP has scrapped its bid for Rio analysts have been released from the shackles of 12 months of research restriction.

Australian capital expenditure in the September quarter matched market expectations, leading economists to suggest growth may stay positive through to the end of the year.

David Jones has joined the ranks of retailers to admit times are tough and some wonder whether cost savings will be enough to support earnings during the downturn.

Harvey Norman’s update on September quarter earnings confirms a weak outlook and shows consumers in Australia are spending less.