Daily FNArena News - Australia

The market largely ingnored CSR’s interim result to focus on the equity issue prior to the proposed de-merger of the sugar business.

National Australia Bank’s Quarterly Business Survey showed further gains in business conditions and confidence levels in Australia.

Producer price inflation in the September quarter in Australia rose by less than economists had expected but the composition of the number means little changes to forecasts for this week’s CPI data.

Analysts were generally impressed by Wesfarmers’ first quarter numbers but remain as yet unconvinced overall.

Competitors such as Google are trying to enter the online real estate classifieds market but market leader REA is expected to continue delivering solid earnings growth.

Strong performances in iron ore and petroleum get BHP off to a solid start, but broker reaction is muted due to a number of issues.

Most Australian stockbrokers simply cannot get excited about Australian Pharmaceutical Industries.

Long-term growth potential and less cyclical nature of its operations reason enough for Credit Suisse to initiate coverage on Mac Services Group with an Outperform.

The August update for Westpac’s leading index for Australia added more fuel on general expectations of strong growth recovery in 2010.

Commonwealth Bank suggests Oz housing affordability will decline in coming years as house prices will continue to rise.