The Sydney Morning Herald --- Page: 5 : 11 January 2007 Original article by Jessica Irvine
ABIX Summary
Consumer optimism is strong in Australia in January 2007. A survey by Westpac Banking found that consumer confidence increased by seven per cent, the highest level for 17 months. However, the optimism of tenants only rose by four per cent, demonstrating the impact of increasing rents. The confidence of mortgagees rose by seven per cent and that of home-owners by over nine per cent. Employment is also strong, with 163,700 job vacancies available over the three months to the end of November 2006, a rise of 5.9 per cent.
