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25 Sep Australia and America store their wealth very differently 24 Sep Barclays returns to towns where it closed branches two years ago 24 Sep Is anyone still working long hours?

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Houehold Wealth

Australia and America store their wealth very differently

More than half of Australian household assets are tied up in housing. In America, the equivalent figure is only one-quarter. The difference reveals two very different household balance sheets.

Barclays

Barclays returns to towns where it closed branches two years ago

Barclays has cut its UK branch network dramatically over the past decade. Now it is opening branches again — but the new model reveals how the role of face-to-face banking is changing.

Is anyone still working long hours?

Australia's latest labour force figures show unemployment rising to 4.6%. But behind the monthly figures is a structural change in how Australians work: the long working week is becoming increasingly uncommon. In August, employment increased by 39,500 people. Full-time employment fell by 6,300, while

IAG

Why the ACCC blocked IAG's acquisition of RAC Insurance

The ACCC says IAG's proposed acquisition of RAC Insurance would give it up to 65% of WA motor insurance and 60% of home insurance. Here's how the regulator reached its decision and what happens next.

Manufacturing

Australia’s manufacturing recovery is concentrated in four industries

Australian manufacturing employment is back above 900,000, but new ABS data show almost nine in every ten net jobs added since 2019 have come from just four manufacturing industries.

Benchmark Indicators

Australian economy at a glance

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Political Data Alerts

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Priority monitoring and rapid analysis of the releases that matter to government relations, corporate affairs and policy teams.

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ASIC

Private credit in Australia: What is going on?

Private credit is providing billions in finance outside Australia's banking system. Following a major property-developer collapse, ASIC is escalating its response to weaknesses in fund governance, valuations and risk management.

Immigration

Immigration and productivity: what Australia’s migrant settlement data reveal

New ABS data reveal substantial differences in employment, education and earnings between Australia's migrant visa categories.

Petrol Price Breakdown

Explainer: Where your $100 petrol fill-up actually goes

Petrol prices begin with crude oil, but that is only the start. Benchmark Analytics traces a $100 fill-up through refining, shipping, wholesale terminals, tax and the service station.

Australian Petrol Prices

Petrol jumps 14 cents in a week: how the oil shock reaches the bowser

Petrol has jumped 14.3 cents a litre in Australia's major cities. The reason starts in international oil markets — but crude oil is only the first step in the journey to the bowser.

Immigration

NSW gains migrants from overseas while losing residents interstate

Overseas migration is driving NSW population growth, but the domestic migration flow is going the other way. NSW lost a net 20,818 residents to other states in the year to March 2026.

Productivity

Retail sales are rising. Retail employment is falling.

Australian retailers generated more income and value added in 2024–25 despite employing 8,000 fewer people. But the productivity story is more complicated than it first appears.

Indigenous Corresctional Rates

Indigenous Correctional Gap Widens Across Australia

The Indigenous correctional disparity extends well beyond prisons. New ABS data show the age-standardised community-corrections gap has widened sharply since 2017.

Retail Industry

Retail Industry: Sales and Margins

A $100 clothing sale leaves a $56 retail margin. A $100 new-car sale leaves just $6.50. New ABS data reveal how dramatically retail economics varies by product.

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