Australia’s Q4 business investment dips 0.2%, misses forecasts

AUSTRALIAN business investment unexpectedly dipped in the December quarter as a pullback in mining and construction outweighed strength in data centres, suggesting a slight drag on economic growth.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed private capital spending fell an inflation-adjusted 0.2 per cent in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter, when it rose an upwardly revised 1.6 per cent. Market forecast had been for an increase of 0.8 per cent in the December quarter.

Spending on buildings and structures rose 0.2 per cent, while spending on plant and machinery fell 0.8 per cent. An ABS survey of firms showed they planned to spend A$148 billion (S$125 billion) in the fiscal year to June 2026. REUTERS