The export price index in Australia was down 2.4 percent compared to the previous three months in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday - falling for the second straight quarter.
The headline figure missed forecasts for a 1.5 percent decline following the 6.4 percent contraction in the third quarter and a 1.0 percent gain in Q2.
By individual category, export prices for vegetable oils were down 9.4 percent on quarter, while mineral fuels were down 7.5 percent, crude materials were down 3.0 percent, chemicals were down 0.3 percent, food was up 3.0 percent, manufactured goods were up 3.6 percent and commodities gained 4.1 percent.
Import prices were up 0.3 percent on quarter in Q4, the bureau said - versus forecasts for an increase of 0.4 percent after declining 2.4 percent in the three months prior.
By category, import prices for food were down 0.9 percent on quarter, while manufactured goods were down 0.3 percent, transport equipment was down 0.1 percent, mineral fuels were up 2.1 percent and vegetable oils were up 5.4 percent.
On a yearly basis, export prices were down 1.3 percent and import prices were down 0.9 percent.
By category, export prices for crude materials were down 22.1 percent on year, while mineral fuels were down 19.4 percent, vegetable oils were down 19.2 percent, food was down 2.6 percent, commodities were down 2.3 percent, chemicals were up 3.4 percent and beverages and tobacco were up 5.1 percent.
Also by category, import prices were down 5.3 percent on year for crude materials, while beverages and tobacco were down 3.1 percent, mineral fuels were down 2.5 percent, food was down 1.8 percent and transport equipment was down 0.8 percent.
Also on Thursday:
• The total number of new homes sales in Australia was up 6.2 percent on month in December, the Housing Industry Association said - rising for the third consecutive month and accelerating from the 4.7 percent gain in November.
By region, new home sales added 12.2 percent in Western Australia, 7.1 percent in New South Wales, 6.0 percent in Victoria and 3.8 percent in Queensland. Sales were down 1.8 percent in South Australia.
For the fourth quarter of 2012, new home sales added 3.3 percent on quarter but were down 12.7 percent on year.
• The overall amount of credit extended to private sector recipients in Australia increased in December by 0.4 percent over November, the Reserve Bank of Australia reported. For the full year to December, overall private sector credit rose 3.6 percent.
The RBA said housing credit increased in December by 0.3 percent on month, and rose 4.5 percent on year. Business credit increased 0.7 percent on month and 2.8 percent on year.
• The RBA also said the M3 money supply grew by 0.6 percent in November and the broad money supply was up 0.5 percent. All the figures are seasonally adjusted.
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Forex News
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.