ECONOMY

South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill arrived in Mount Gambier Thursday to meet local mayors and protesters opposed to his plan to sell rights to harvest timbers from the area's forests.

Australia's unemployment rate rose to 5.3 per cent in November, according to data released on Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

BHP Billiton Ltd reiterated its concern on growing unrests in the country's labour sector, which according to BHP Chief Executive Marius Kloppers have been prompted by the provisions of the Fair Work Act.

It will be an abundant harvest season for Australia, thanks much to perfect weather conditions that the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) said should lead to more than 43 million tonnes of yield from most of the country's farming regions.

The cash rate push back decided by the central bank on Tuesday would certainly lift some pressures off consumers' shoulders, possibly fueling more shopping activities but not enough for retailers to celebrate a glorious Christmas season.

Australian banks are in a position of strength despite emerging global challenges but ratings agency Moody's warned that the volatile situation in Europe could pose serious threats to the sector's present stability.

We finished off yesterday poo-poohing the idea that China's monetary policy makers can do anything to halt China's bust that follows its boom.

Black Friday has for so long such a uniquely after Thanksgiving event and is more widely known as the principal earning day in retail-sales.

An unexpected trade deficit in October for Japan, thanks to a surge in expensive energy imports, such as LNG, while exports fell for the first time in three months.

Super fund investments have been battered by inflation movements over the past half-decade, according to the latest assessment report issued over the weekend by superannuation analytic group Superratings.

It’s still a billion-dollar industry but newspaper publication continue to reflect sliding circulation numbers in the third quarter of 2011, with all major media firm affected by the consistent declines, according to latest available industry data.

Australian consumers appear to continue their migration to online shopping but most players in the retail industry seem to continue miss the significant surge because they have yet to implement the necessary adjustments on their websites.

Solar power is perhaps one of the most expensive renewable energy technologies today, but developments are underway to make it cheaper and more economical. Researchers at Argonne National Laboratories and Penn State are saying that luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) could eliminate the cost barrier.

Now watch attitudes towards the state of the Chinese economy change after a sharp fall in monthly consumer and producer inflation in October.

Rising global food prices could mean two things for the Australian farmer – higher production cost and a significant boost on possible incomes, which according to Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) assistant governor Philip Lowe should spur growth in the agricultural sector over the near term.

The Australian economy is developing at a quicker rate since 2008 as local consumers continued to spend more money both on basic necessities and luxury commodities while European nations continue to experience the effects of the debt crisis.

The inadvertent accounting blunder made at the government-owned Hypo Real Estate does not only highlight a case of inefficiency on the part of bank personnel.

Should the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lower interest rates, most Australians would rather reduce debt than go on a Christmas spending spree, a national survey by mortgage broker Loan Market has found.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is in a position to give the Australian retail sector the Christmas present it’s been asking for, a cash rate cut next week, according to the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) . The comments come after the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released consumer price index (CPI) for the September quarter, showing a slow in inflation.

Many Australians may be unaware that significant amount of their money are sitting idly and waiting to be claimed, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), which added that majority of these funds are either forgotten bank accounts or other financial assets.

EU leaders are holding another set of talks following the Brussels summit hopefully to design a comprehensive package for Greece that will pull it out of the doldrums.

Households are steadily gaining confidence in their financial well-being, with 28 per cent of Australians prepared to start spending again over the festive season, following a period of frugality and personal debt reduction – according to the latest ING Direct Financial Well-being Index.

So what can the Reserve Bank do as it looks to the next board meeting on Melbourne Cup day and assesses the country's economic position and whether to cut interest rates?

A new study has suggested Australia is a three-spend economy, which it says is as significant as the two-speed economy that the nation has heard so much about.

New research confirms a mixed outlook for Australia’s retail sector, but the good news is almost half of consumers say they are maintaining or increasing their spending, and young consumers remain up-beat.

Growing debt problems and threats of possible recession have prompted European finance managers to come up with a scheme that could finally resolve the problems of Greece and enhance the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).

Spain can be joining Greece as one of the unhealthy Euro zone nations if it misses its budget goal this year as a result of sluggish economic growth, excessive spending and increasing unemployment.

Small and medium-sized business firms are expected to allocate more resources and increase spending for digital channels instead of traditional advertising.

Over the next 10 years, Australians would do well investing on the share market, which according to new report released on Wednesday by Australia-New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) will be the sure bet of the future.