The headline fall of 0.1% in the seasonally adjusted value of retail sales for December got the “rate cut looms” mob back on the hunt this morning.
Retail spending
GST push on overseas purchases least of retail’s woes
The push by some Australian retailers for the government to apply GST on overseas retail purchases continues in earnest, despite the cost of the proposals.
Essential: early election out, but Labor brand still toxic
There’s been a marked fall in support for an early election in the wake of the Gillard government shoring up its parliamentary numbers as the political year draws to a close.
Consumers open wallets wider, so why do we need to cut rates?
Can anyone explain why the Reserve Bank needs to cut interest rates, as quite a few economists, media writers and industry leaders say it will, either next month, or December?
Retail figures a bit like Goldilocks, not too hot, not too cold
Bad news for all the retailing gloomsters, the sector isn’t the basket case that they all claim it is.
Gloom? Consumers are saving, but they are spending too
Some of the country’s leading economists and business analysts can’t see a boom for the gloom that they are preaching and writing about.
Online won’t destroy retail, it’ll give us money to spend locally
Online shopping is, for the first time, allowing Australians to access a genuinely competitive marketplace and the result is customers making big savings, writes Richard Denniss, executive director of The Australia Institute.
Gottliebsen: hurtling towards a retail cliff
Non-food retailing, which employs 800,000 Australians, is in deep trouble, writes Robert Gottliebsen of Business Spectator.
Kohler: Gillard’s incurable retail affliction
Relations between the federal government and business are as bad as they’ve been for 40 years, and it’s not just because of the proposed carbon tax.
Political snippets: More evidence of an Artic without ice
The Arctic Ocean is on the way to becoming nearly ice-free in summer within this century, most likely within the next thirty to forty years.
ABS reports suggest that retail is doing it tough
The damage to the retailing sector from the sluggish spending in the closing months of 2010 was underlined in a trio of reports this morning.
Political snippets: A grim set of numbers
You have to wonder whether the Reserve Bank has grievously overdone it with its interest rate rises this year.
Scroogenomics: Why you shouldn’t buy presents
Tight arses rejoice! Christmas may be around the corner but don’t splurge on unwanted gifts to boost the retail sector. Economist Joel Waldfogel says dead weight crap presents are a drain on the economy.
Clothes maketh the retail industry
Clothing retailers have taken a battering this year, but niche segments — like online stores and men’s fashion — are growing and IBISWorld predict a growth rate of 2.9% for the industry.
Is the recession really making us better people?
Nope, says Derek Thompson; we’re not spending less due to sudden epiphanies about altruism and the true value of money — we’re just broke.
Americans’ wallets glued shut
Ordinary Americans stopped spending in the September quarter, dragging the US economy to the brink of recession as growth contracted by 0.3, writes Glenn Dyer.
Retail feels the pinch as buyers snap wallets shut
Retail spending is being hit from all sides, writes retail commentator Rob Lake.
Why do election campaigns tighten the purse strings?
Every retailer knows that an election campaign dampens retail spending, yet no-one can explain why this should be so, writes retail commentator Rob Lake.
