The Australian Economy

The Australian PMI has been mostly below 50 with an average of 47.98 in past 12 months and an average of 47.94 this year, which suggests a likely contraction in manufacturing. Fluctuation is expected due to its volatile nature but a large percentage change is likely to drive the economy. A 14.03% growth in July is expected to lead to an increase in the coming month but contraction may continue in 2015-2016. From these PMI figures, Australia’s economy might not be performing at its best. The industry might suffer

This has been the result of inflationary pressures due to excessive consumer demand, and a world increase in oil prices, the RBA’s primary objective is to contain inflation at 2-3% whilst also achieving sustainable growth. The current increases in interest rates will result in lower aggregate demand as consumers have less disposable income. This results in reductions in inflationary expectations, and a decrease in the demand for imports. Furthermore higher rates of interest will encourage overseas investment into Australia, thus resulting in an increase in the demand for the Australian dollar. An increase in the demand for the AU$, and a decrease in its supply due to less import expenditure will result in an appreciation of the AU$ in forex markets. Overall this results in depressed economic activity and lower levels of growth. However the RBA has been able to increase interest rates in order to contain inflation while maintaining economic growth. This is because the global economy has continued to grow at record pace, with strong growth in the US and China, and the recovery of Japan and Europe. Consequently demand for Australian exports has remained high, thus creating opportunities for increased production and subsequent economic

The benchmark investment rate in Australia was last recorded at 2.25%. Investment Rate in Australia found the middle value of 5.13 percent from 1990 until 2015, arriving at an unequaled high of 17.50 percent in January of 1990. Inflation Rate in Australia averaged 5.21 percent from 1951 until 2014. Customer costs in Australia rose 1.7% during the time to the December quarter 2014, the slowest yearly pace in more than two years as petrol costs dove. Australian yearly inflation rate abated to 2.3% in the second from last quarter of 2014 from 3.0 % in the past period, determined by a fall in cost of electricity, after the removal of tax duty on carbon discharge beginning early July. An alternate key variable that impacts the business is the unemployment rate. While the unemployment is staying high it is normal that RBA will keep the investment rates and trade rates low. Unemployment Rate in Australia diminished to 6.30% in February of 2015 from 6.40% in January of 2015. Unemployment Rate in Australia found to be in between 6.91% from 1978 until

Australia’s economic status can be assessed using a range of economic indicators such as unemployment rates, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation rates and interest rates. The economy can affect Australian business’s greatly causing them to flow through the business cycle. The business cycle purpose is to describe the overall trends of the economy and can show growths of high or negative. The four stages in a business cycle are: expansion, this is when the economy has high demands; peak, this is the turning point of the expansions before the economy falls down. A contraction is when the demand for goods and services are low; and trough, is the opposite of a peak. To evaluate Australia’s current economic status factors such as unemployment

The figure obviously had not return to pre-crisis level. Moreover, recent commodity prices had fallen significantly which will affect Australia’s short and long term economy.

Employment in Australia is on the rise with most people who are willing and able to work now having the opportunity to do so. Economists consider 5% unemployment which was the value in January recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Greater number of jobs created because of factors such as the mining boom and the recovery effect in Queensland because of the floods will further lower the unemployment rate. This will have the effect of consumers having more disposable income thus requiring an increase in long term interest rates.

Within Australia’s current economic climate, a lower exchange rate provides more economic advantages than a high exchange rate. However, some experts argue that a higher exchange rate is overall beneficial for the economy through having an increased purchasing power, whilst others disagree. By having a lower exchange rate, a country is able to accelerate its exports industry, making exports cheaper abroad, in turn increasing demand for their goods. This report will discuss the recent trends in Australia’s exchange rate, in addition to exploring factors that influence the exchange rate and its impact on the trade industry. The effects of a depreciating

The RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia) serves as Australia’s central bank, and as an entity, the RBA is obliged to follow certain roles and functions in the best interest of Australia’s economy, its employment levels and for the general well being of its people as outlined under the Reserve Bank Act (1959) Cwlth. (RBA: Our Role 2015) However, any economic climate is unpredictable and requires well informed decision making. The RBA faces many challenges regarding Australia’s economy, including coping with Australia’s ‘unsustainable property bubble’

In comparison to US, Australia’s structural unemployment rate is higher (Statista, 2018) that gives some ground for Australia to lower the unemployment rate from the nation (Australian Government Budget, 2004-05). Before the Second World War, the unemployment rate of Australia was only around two percent. Due to increase in working age population in Australia, along with increase in employment, unemployment rate also increases. Rapid growth in economy, trained workers, educated and skilled workers, expansion of business in country will lead to lower the unemployment rate.

The impact of globalisation has also changed the structure of Australia 's trade. There has been considerable growth in manufacturing and service industries with limited growth in the rural sector (Table 2). This reflects a combination of changes in world demand and domestic structural reforms.

The second key national interest of Australia is the economy. Australia’s capital, jobs, standards of living, technological innovations and social advances rely substantially on exports and commodity values within Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2016a). The stability of South East Asia and the Oceania

In the Australian economy, trending unemployment rates are a prevailing socio-economic issue. With the labour market central to unemployment and the distribution of jobs, many factors arise as the key influences on unemployment. With an incredible number of industries facing high demand by consumers, it is speculated that employment would feature an increase to compensate. However, many factors of the labour market contradict this and instead increase unemployment. Factors such as the level of economic growth, technological changes, trends in productivity and the trends in inadequate education have adverse effects on how unemployment increases and decreases.

This report will analyse unemployment in the Australian labour market. Since 1990, the ratio of the number of individuals employed to the working-age population in Australia has changed around a generally steady level, while the unemployment rate has climbed from 5.8 to 11.0 percent in the 1990s. From that point it declined reasonably reliably to achieve 6.1 percent in August 2000. Increments in the unemployment rate happened essentially in three relatively short episodes connected with the sharp contractions in economic activity in the mid 1990s, 2004–2008 and 2008–2009. Besides, the rises in the unemployment rate in these episodes had a tendency to be extensively quicker than the falls in the subsequent recoveries,

In March 2015, Greg Jericho published an article called Weak, weak growth and six things about the state of Australia’s economy that outlined how in the past 6 out of 10 quarters the Australian

he business cycle, also known as the trade cycle, is defined as “the fluctuation in economic activity that an economy experiences over a period of time” (SOURCE). Basically, the trade cycle is the alternating cyclical movement of economic conditions; phasing through periods of expansion, peaks, contractions, troughs and recoveries. Predicting the whereabouts of a nation and its economy on the trade cycle is a very important challenge; as the determination of current and forecasted economic conditions allows governments, firms and households alike to navigate the economy and prepare for future issues. In today’s article, the Australian economic position on the business cycle will be forecasted using a range of different reports, models and economic criterion.