Category Archives: Macroeconomy

Strong growth in plant & equipment capex is good news for Qld economy

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Last Friday, in his opening statement to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics, RBA Governor Phil Lowe observed: “Nationally, measures of business conditions have picked up noticeably recently. For some time we have been waiting for a lift … Continue reading →

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Comments in Courier-Mail on Qld regional economies and structural change

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Today, the Courier-Mail is re-launching its GoQld campaign, this time with a focus on regional economies. It has rightly identified the large divergence in employment growth between SEQ and the rest of Queensland, and it is reporting a loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Mining, North Queensland, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Coal and LNG push Qld commodity exports up to $1 billion per week

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The surge in coal prices in the second half of 2016 and increased exports of LNG from Gladstone’s Curtis Island have pushed Queensland’s commodity exports to over $52 billion in 2016, or $1 billion per week, up from around $49 … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Brisbane unit values fell nearly 3% on average over 12 months to end of January

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The huge supply increase in Brisbane apartments has resulted in a fall in unit values of 2.7% in the 12 months to 31 January, according to new CoreLogic estimates published yesterday (see Chart 1, based on data available in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Housing, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

CommSec highlights importance of residential construction to Qld economy

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The latest State of the States report from CommSec highlights the current importance of residential construction to the health of the Queensland economy. As reported by John McCarthy in today’s Courier-Mail: QUEENSLAND’S economy is starting to emerge from the mining … Continue reading →

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Continuing rebound in Qld private sector job vacancies at end of 2016

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Gene Tunny

There was good news for the Queensland economy yesterday, with the ABS reporting a continuation of the rebound in private sector job vacancies in the final quarter of last year (see chart below). Private sector job vacancies have increased from … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Housing, Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Comments in Courier-Mail on residential construction & First Home Owners’ Grant

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Gene Tunny

I am quoted extensively in John McCarthy’s Courier-Mail article this morning Brisbane house prices showing strong growth while regions are suffering (pay-walled), expressing similar views to those in my post from yesterday. In the Courier-Mail article, I sound more alarmist … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Housing, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Recommended holiday reading: The Man Who Knew

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The best economics and finance book of 2016 is undoubtedly Sebastian Mallaby’s masterful biography of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, The Man Who Knew. Greenspan was the man who knew that superficially healthy economies, with steady economic growth and … Continue reading →

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Government right to rule out fiscal stimulus

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The ½ percent GDP contraction in September quarter that the ABS published last week has raised a lot of questions about the current state of the economy, and whether the Government should do more in terms of economic reform or … Continue reading →

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US recovery on track, while Australian economists wait anxiously for latest National Accounts

Posted on December 4, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The latest US jobs data show an economy that is growing quite nicely, with 178,000 new jobs over the last month, and with unemployment falling to 4.6%, its lowest rate since the financial crisis (see chart below). However, the market … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Macroeconomy, Mining, North Queensland, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments