Stocks Edge Higher as Data Remains Strong... | Housing Bubble.. ? What Bubble ? | Robert Murdoch to Step Down as CEO ... |

Good Morning, So we’ve had a good end to the week… About time we saw some “life” return to global markets and with yesterday’s unexpected stronger employment figures, we are feeling “better” about the Australian economy… The question is: how long will it last? Record low interest are driving Australia’s property market, but consumer & business confidence are still low and the “fragile political state” of our country is driving money outflows.. Importantly, more than half of our houses are owner occupied… and there is still a “lapse” between prices in Melbourne/Sydney and WA… Last night, US stocks edged higher (Dow up 32 points) amid some further optimism and better than expected data… This is good… We need some positive momentum… Commodities were mixed with Crude Oil down 1.4%, Gold down 0.49% to $1,180/oz. and the AUD/USD is back around $0.7650 The SPI is pointing to a 4 point gain this morning