Signs Australian labour market is stabilising
In Australia, job advertisements have risen for an eighth consecutive month, in a sign the labour market is stabilising.
The ANZ bank's job ads index rose 1.3 percent last month, and is now 10 percent higher than a year ago.
Internet job ads were up 1.5 percent, more than offsetting a 6.7 percent decline in newspaper ads.
Newspaper job ads across the Tasman make up 3 percent of the total number of ads.
Property stocks at record price-to-valuation levels
An analyst at Forsyth Barr, Jeremy Simpson, says listed property stocks are trading at record price-to-valuation levels, partly because investors are seeking higher yields in a low interest rate environment.
However, property stocks are also being helped by a buoyant property market.
Mr Simpson says he is wary of such high share prices and will be looking for rental growth and outlook statements in upcoming profit announcements from three companies this month, Precinct Properties, the Vital Healthcare Property Trust and Property for Industry.
Indian economy expanded
The Indian economy expanded by 7.5 percent in the last three months of 2014, but the new way economic growth is measure has baffled analysts.
Growth was also revised up from 5.3 to 8.2 percent in the September quarter.
But economists warn the figures need to be treated with caution.
India says the new formula for calculating growth is closer to international standards, but analysts say the data doesn't correlate with other economic indicators, including industrial and factory production.
