Against that, cost pressures and more specifically oil prices remain a concern, as does the availability of suitable labor. |
Business appears increasingly concerned that further weakness is in prospect. The Reserve Bank is very much on hold, weighing the higher inflation reality against the prospect of further slowing in domestic demand and a mild deterioration in the labor market. |
Business concerns about the potential for a sharp fall in future activity have continued to ease. |
Businesses continue to look at the future with some skepticism. Companies again report weaker employment outcomes in December, while capital spending also weakened somewhat. The official cash rate is even more firmly on hold for the foreseeable future. |
Confidence has been getting weaker for some months and trading conditions have weakened a bit in the latest survey. They could weaken more in the short term, but when you look at the medium term, companies are still quite optimistic. |
Despite improvements in confidence and still reasonable sales, the results suggest that business is still reluctant to increase hiring. |
For 2001, we expect [Japanese] growth of marginally less than 1 percent. |
In summary, the survey points to a significant pick-up in economic growth in the first quarter of 2006. |
It needs to be stressed that the case (for a rate hike) is not about current levels of wage/price pressures, but where they might be headed in an environment of an economy operating at high levels of capacity and in a very tight labor market. |
Oil-sensitive sectors continue to weaken, led down by retailing, wholesaling and transport, |
On the other hand, export volumes benefit from increased capacity and a lower Australian dollar partly offset by some moderation, but sustained trading partner growth during 2006-2007. |
On transport, it is one of the few sectors that has continued to deteriorate through the quarter, no doubt reflecting the impact of higher oil prices on costs and profitability. |
Overall, the message you come back [with] is, business conditions, activity, was pretty good, although there's still doubts about whether this is going to continue for a long time. |
Overall, we still see the official cash rate being increased by around 1.25 percent in total, bring the rate back to around 5.5 percent by mid/early 2003. |
The deterioration in agribusiness contrasts starkly with the ongoing strength in the non-farm business sector as a whole, |