Australia's NAB business confidence: mixed signals about the outlook


Australia's NAB business confidence came in at 5 in Q4 vs 6 in Q3. 

NAB Quarterly Business Survey - December Quarter 2016

The NAB Quarterly Business Survey is providing some mixed signals about the outlook. For the most part, leading indicators from the Survey were less encouraging in Q4. Firms responding to the Survey continue to indicate solid investment intentions, although there was a slight pullback in the quarter, consistent with another fall in capacity utilisation rates. Longer-term employment expectations were higher as well, although there were some signs of softer demand for labour in the quarter. Conditions in the mining industry are showing signs of stabilising as commodity prices rise, but retail conditions remain a concern, pushing further into negative territory. The Survey’s read on inflation remains very subdued and points to an absence of wage pressures.

Share: Feed news

Note: All information on this page is subject to change. The use of this website constitutes acceptance of our user agreement. Please read our privacy policy and legal disclaimer. Opinions expressed at FXstreet.com are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of FXstreet.com or its management. Risk Disclosure: Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to invest in foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.

Recommended content


Recommended content

Editors’ Picks

AUD/USD regains the constructive outlook above the 200-day SMA

AUD/USD regains the constructive outlook above the 200-day SMA

AUD/USD advanced strongly for the second session in a row, this time extending the recovery to the upper 0.6500s and shifting its focus to the weekly highs in the 0.6580-0.6585 band, an area coincident with the 100-day SMA.

AUD/USD News

EUR/USD keeps the bullish performance above 1.0700

EUR/USD keeps the bullish performance above 1.0700

The continuation of the sell-off in the Greenback in the wake of the FOMC gathering helped EUR/USD extend its bounce off Wednesday’s lows near 1.0650, advancing past the 1.0700 hurdle ahead of the crucial release of US NFP on Friday.

EUR/USD News

Gold stuck around $2,300 as market players lack directional conviction

Gold stuck around $2,300 as market players lack directional conviction

Gold extended its daily slide and dropped below $2,290 in the second half of the day on Thursday. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield erased its daily losses after US data, causing XAU/USD to stretch lower ahead of Friday's US jobs data.

Gold News

Bitcoin price rises 5% as BlackRock anticipates a new wave of capital inflows into BTC ETFs from investors

Bitcoin price rises 5% as BlackRock anticipates a new wave of capital inflows into BTC ETFs from investors

Bitcoin (BTC) price slid to the depths of $56,552 on Wednesday as the cryptocurrency market tried to front run the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. The flash crash saw millions in positions get liquidated.

Read more

FOMC in the rear-view mirror – NFP eyed

FOMC in the rear-view mirror – NFP eyed

The update from May’s FOMC rate announcement proved more dovish than expected, which naturally weighed on the US dollar (sending the DXY to lows of 105.44) and US yields, as well as, initially at least, underpinning major US equity indices.

Read more

Forex MAJORS

Cryptocurrencies

Signatures