Risk to GDP growth as firms destock

Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 5-Mar-24

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has reported that inventories fell by 1.7 per cent in the December quarter as private sector companies destocked, in part due to weaker demand. The surprise fall in inventories has increased speculation that GDP figures for the December quarter, which are to be released on Wednesday, will show a contraction, which would be the first since the September 2021 quarter. Asked about the prospect of GDP growth having been negative in the December quarter, Treasurer Jim Chalmers noted that Britain and Japan had recently fallen into a technical recession.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Falling profits hit economy

Original article by Jacob Greber, Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 1-Sep-15

Company profits fell 1.9 per cent in the three months to June 2015, the fifth straight quarter of profit declines, prompting analysts to conclude the Australian economy is shrinking for the first time since the election of the Abbott Government. Despite fears new concerns about the economy could weigh heavily on investor sentiment, Treasurer Joe Hockey insisted there were positive signs and that the prospect of tax reform and the China free-trade agreement would lift spirits.

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, BLOOMBERG FINANCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX