|

Australia August retail sales beat estimates

The consumption, as represented by the seasonally adjusted estimate of retail sales, rose 0.3 percent in August, following a relatively unchanged estimate (0.0%) in July 2018 and a rise of 0.4% in June 2018.

The data bettered estimate of a 0.2 percent rise and could bode well for the Aussie dollar.

August key points (Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)

Current prices

  • The trend estimate rose 0.2% in August 2018. This follows a rise of 0.3% in July 2018 and a rise of 0.3% in June 2018.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate rose 0.3% in August 2018. This follows a relatively unchanged estimate (0.0%) in July 2018 and a rise of 0.4% in June 2018.
  • In trend terms, Australian turnover rose 3.4% in August 2018 compared with August 2017.
  • The following industries rose in trend terms in August 2018: Food retailing (0.2%), Other retailing (0.6%), Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (0.4%), and Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (0.3%). Household goods retailing (-0.2%), and Department Stores (-0.1%) fell in trend terms in August 2018.
  • The following states and territories rose in trend terms in August 2018: New South Wales (0.3%), Victoria (0.3%), Queensland (0.2%), South Australia (0.2%), Tasmania (0.5%), and the Australian Capital Territory (0.3%). Western Australia (-0.1%), and the Northern Territory (-0.5%) both fell in trend terms in August 2018.

Author

Omkar Godbole

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

More from Omkar Godbole
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD steadies near 1.1650 ahead of US Nonfarm Payrolls

EUR/USD holds ground after five days of losses, trading around 1.1650 during the Asian hours on Friday. Traders remain cautious ahead of the US Nonfarm Payrolls report, which is expected to offer further insight into labor market conditions and the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook. December NFP is forecast to show job gains of 60,000, down from 64,000 in November.

GBP/USD: Further weakness could challenge 1.3400

GBP/USD remains under unabated selling pressure on Thursday, slipping to fresh three-day lows around 1.3415 in response to further improvement in the sentiment surrounding the Greenback ahead of Friday’s key NFP data.

Gold defends $4,450, looks to the crucial US NFP report

Gold struggles to capitalize on the previous day's goodish move up from the vicinity of the $4,400 mark and attracts some sellers while defending $4,450 in the Asian session on Friday. The critical US employment details will offer more cues about the Fed's rate-cut path, which, in turn, will influence the US Dollar price dynamics and provide a fresh impetus to the non-yielding bullion. 

Forecasts for Payrolls are all over the place

Yesterday’s data put the kybosh on the idea the Fed needs to cut rates fairly urgently to protect the labor market. The jobs component of the ISM services index was nicely over 50, and that rising JOLTS voluntary quits rate also points to no real heartache in labor.

2026 economic outlook: Clear skies but don’t unfasten your seatbelts yet

Most years fade into the background as soon as a new one starts. Not 2025: a year of epochal shifts, in which the macroeconomy was the dog that did not bark. What to expect in 2026? The shocks of 2025 will not be undone, but neither will they be repeated.

XRP slides as institutional and retail demand falters

Ripple is trading down for the third consecutive day on Thursday amid escalating volatility in the cyrptocurrency market. After peaking at $2.41 on Tuesday, its highest print since November 14 amid the early-year rally, XRP has quickly ran into aggressive profit-taking.