Australia Services Growth Revised Upward

2026-10-04 23:02 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

The S&P Global Australia Services PMI Business Activity Index eased to 51.9 in September 2026 from 53.2 in August, but came above the preliminary estimate of 51.4.

This marked a fourth straight month of expansion, although growth slowed to its weakest pace in three months as new business increased at the softest rate in the three-month growth sequence.

Export business improved, with overseas demand rising for the first time in five months, albeit marginally.

Employment fell for the first time since May as firms cited softer new orders and efforts to limit costs, while backlogs increased for a third consecutive month.

On prices, input-cost inflation accelerated due to higher fuel, labour and other input expenses, while output price inflation also picked up as firms passed higher costs on to clients.

Both measures remained above their respective long-run averages.

Business confidence fell to a three-month low, with some firms expressing concerns over the economic outlook and sales.



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