2025.12.0900:38:34UTC+00Australia Business Sentiment Falls to 7-Month Low

In November 2025, Australia's NAB Business Confidence Index fell to 1, down from 6 in the previous month, marking its lowest point since April. Concurrently, business conditions eased, dipping to 7 from 10 in October. This decline comes after reaching their peak since March 2024, driven by decreases in sales and profitability, which dropped to 12 from 18 and to 4 from 9, respectively, while employment remained relatively steady at 4 compared to 3. Despite the softer business sentiment, capacity utilization rose slightly, reaching 83.6%, the highest level in 18 months, indicating that companies continue to operate near full capacity. Price indicators indicated an uptick, with purchase cost growth advancing at a quarterly rate of 1.3% and retail prices increasing by 0.8%. "Overall, the survey highlights that businesses are operating near capacity constraints, and if economic growth picks up from its current pace, we could quickly see additional pressure on prices," commented NAB Chief Economist Sally Auld.