Daily FNArena News - Australia

Commonwealth Bank notes this month’s Federal Budget had few initiatives aimed directly at the agricultural sector of the Australian economy.

BIS Shrapnel’s “Building In Australia 2010” report suggests Australia’s population growth is set to slow in coming years, with some flow through impact for the economy overall.

A snapshot of economist responses to today’s Australian labour force data for April.

The CBA update confirmed sector-wide issues and falling revenue trends and allowed analysts to argue as to whether a premium is still deserved.

A snapshot of economist responses to today’s March Australian housing finance data, where the decline was broadly as expected.

Analysts can’t find much in the budget to impact on markets beyond what we already knew, but they are quick to point out the bullish assumptions contained within.

After Macquarie and JP Morgan initiated coverage on Miclyn with Buy ratings yesterday, Deutsche Bank has added to the positive view.

Both Macquarie and JP Morgan have initiated coverage on service vehicle provider Miclyn Express Offshore with the equivalent of Buy ratings today.

Between interim results and Europe, it’s been a wild ride these past few days for Australian bank investors. Where are we now?

UBS still sees the ASX200 at 5550 by year end, while RBS sticks to 5300. JP Morgan has lined up its favourite small caps.