“Sub-par” retail but room for optimism: Westpac

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released October retail sales figures which were a little higher than the market expectation of a 0.4% rise, rising a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for the month. The rise was higher than September’s 0.4% and driven by driven by furniture and appliance sales, as well as clothing and footwear. The cafes and restaurants segment which drove September sales, reversed direction and declined by 2.1%. All states...

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