FX.co ★ Australian Inventories Rise More Than Expected

Australia experienced a notable increase in business inventories during the first quarter of 2025, with a rise of 0.8% when compared to the previous quarter. This growth surpassed market forecasts and improved upon the 0.2% growth observed in the final quarter of 2024. The increase signifies the most robust performance since the first quarter of 2024. Key sectors contributing to this rise included mining, which saw a significant inventory increase of 3.5%, up from 0.8% in the previous quarter, and electricity providers with a 4.2% rise compared to the earlier 2.6%. Manufacturing inventories turned around from a decline, registering a 0.8% increase as opposed to a previous drop of 0.5%. However, inventories for accommodation and food services experienced a decline, falling by 0.8% after a 1.1% rise, and retailers also saw a decrease of 0.4% compared to a 0.5% increase in the prior period. Meanwhile, inventory growth for wholesalers remained steady at 0.4%. On an annual scale, the business inventories grew by 0.7% over the same quarter in the previous year.