Austrália Índice Principal de Atividade Econômica

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Economic Index in Australia was up 0.1% month-over-month in November 2024, following a 0.2% rise in the previous month. Meanwhile, the six-month annualized growth rate in the index, which indicates the likely pace of economic activity relative to the trend three to nine months into the future, slightly lifted to 0.32% in November from 0.22 in October. It was the first back-to-back positive reads on the index growth rate in nearly 2-1/2 years, amid optimism that economic output will expand slowly over the next few quarters. Australia's GDP is forecast to rise from 0.8% yoy pace currently to 2.2% by the end of 2025. "We expect the central bank to leave interest rates unchanged at its February meeting, with an easing expected to commence in May," said Matthew Hassan, head of Australian Macro-Forecasting.