AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS LABOUR FORCE
Economists said the jobs market is gaining momentum, as data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the unemployment rate fell to 5.6 per cent in July from an adjusted June figure of 5.7 per cent.
The number of people with jobs rose by a better-than-expected, 27,900 in the month, with an increase of 48,200 in part-time jobs outweighing a fall in full-time positions of 20,300.
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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS WAGE PRICE INDEX
Total hourly rates of pay, excluding bonuses, rose 0.5 per cent in the June quarter, matching market expectations and keeping the annual rate of wages growth at 1.9 per cent for a fourth consecutive quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Wage Price Index. ABS chief economist Bruce Hockman said underemployment - those people in work but wanting more hours - was weighing on pay.
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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA AUGUST MEETING MINUTES
Minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's August meeting - at which it decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.5 per cent - revealed that the board remains concerned about house price growth and the level of housing debt.
The board noted while there are some signs the property markets in Sydney and Melbourne have eased, growth in these two cities remained strong, while prices in Perth have fallen and apartment price growth in Brisbane has been weak.
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ANZ-ROY MORGAN CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX
The latest ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Index fell 1.8 per cent to 111.7 in the week to August 13, dipping below the long-term average of 112.9. ANZ head of Australian economics David Plank said that after a period of recovery, consumer sentiment has been trending lower in recent weeks - most likely because of the war of words between the United States and North Korea.
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CORELOGIC HOUSING PRICES FOR WEEK TO AUGUST 13
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide all recorded higher home values for the week ending August 13, while Perth edged lower, according to data from property statistics firm CoreLogic. Auction volumes rose to the highest level in six weeks, with 2,011 homes taken to auction compared to 1,857 in the previous week.
