It was a year that promised so much, but probably under delivered in the great Southeast. A look back at our predictions from February reveals most pundits were keen to see a stronger market after a somewhat deflating 2015 – but despite others saying 2016 would be Brisbane’s year, Herron Todd White’s outlook was more drab. No matter how we dressed it, there was no way to create a buzz. In fact, here’s a direct quote from our February 2016 publication: We’ve now taken the real-estate temperature and are ready to predict the coming year’s market direction… and the winner is (drum roll please)… MODEST! Words like “unexciting” and “steady” followed on from that quote – but we call them as we see
At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent. The global economy is continuing to grow, at a lower than average pace. Labour market conditions in the advanced economies have improved over the past year. Economic conditions in China have steadied, supported by growth in infrastructure and property construction, although medium-term risks to growth remain. Inflation remains below most central banks’ targets, although headline inflation rates have increased recently. Globally, the outlook for inflation is more balanced than it has been for some time. Commodity prices have risen over the course of this year, reflecting both stronger demand and cut-bac
