Building approvals rose 2.5 per cent in July, more than the predicted 1.9 per cent gain and up from a 3.8 per cent drop in June. Over the year, approvals are up 9.4 per cent.
The current account hit a deficit of 13.7 billion in the second quarter, after a $7.8 billion shortfall in Q1, but slightly below expectations of a $14 billion deficit.
Still, net exports will subtract 0.9 per cent from second-quarter GDP growth, slightly more than the expected 0.7 per cent.