Below trend growth to continue
Insight
This month’s result points to a further improvement in retail sales, albeit from a low base.
This month we continue our podcast series to accompany the NAB Cashless Retail Sales Index. It’s a short, 10 minute podcast, designed to give you a quick summary of the major drivers of the index this month. To listen, just click the link below.
Highlights:
NAB Chief Economist, Alan Oster commented:
This result points to a further improvement in retail sales, albeit from a low base. This result is probably a little more optimistic than the retail sector data in the September NAB Monthly Business Survey. The survey suggests that there was little improvement in the retail sector in September with conditions improving but remaining very low in trend terms. While both trading and profitability in retail improved in the month, they remain relatively low. Employment was unchanged but is around its lowest level since the GFC. Survey price indicators suggest inflationary pressure is likely to remain weak.
While tax rebates and three rate cuts this year are likely to have provided – and will provide – some support to household spending, we consider that more stimulus will be required to provide a material turnaround in consumption. Further, it will take some time to flow through. We see the RBA cutting rates again in December to just 0.5%. Our latest forecasts continue to point to reasonable employment growth, but we still expect the unemployment rate to rise to 5.5% over the next year or so and for wage growth to remain weak (although improving slightly). This will remain the biggest challenge for the retail sector.
For more information, please see the NAB Cashless Retail Sales Index September 19
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