Bill Evans, analyst at Westpac, points out that the Australia’s six month annualised growth rate in the Westpac- Melbourne Institute Leading Index, fell from -0.37% in January to -0.56% in February. Key Quotes “The Index has now registered three consecutive months in which the growth rate has been negative. This is a strengthening signal that growth through the first two to three quarters of 2019 is likely to be below trend.” “The signal from the Index is certainly consistent with the weak momentum in the second half of 2018 revealed in the print of the December quarter national accounts. In the second half of 2018 growth momentum slowed to an annualised pace of 1% from a 4% pace in the first half of the year.” “Westpac expects growth in the Australian economy in 2019 to be around 2.2% – significantly below trend which is generally assessed as 2.75%.” “The Index growth rate has shown a significant deterioration over the last six months, declining from +0.47% in September to -0.56% in February.” FX Street FX Street FXStreet is the leading independent portal dedicated to the Foreign Exchange (Forex) market. It was launched in 2000 and the portal has always been proud of their unyielding commitment to provide objective and unbiased information, to enable their users to take better and more confident decisions. View All Post By FX Street FXStreet News share Read Next NZ: Current account deficit narrowed in Q4 – ANZ FX Street 4 years Bill Evans, analyst at Westpac, points out that the Australia's six month annualised growth rate in the Westpac- Melbourne Institute Leading Index, fell from -0.37% in January to -0.56% in February. Key Quotes "The Index has now registered three consecutive months in which the growth rate has been negative. This is a strengthening signal that growth through the first two to three quarters of 2019 is likely to be below trend." "The signal from the Index is certainly consistent with the weak momentum in the second half of 2018 revealed in the print of the December quarter national accounts. In… Regulated Forex Brokers All Brokers Sponsored Brokers Broker Benefits Min Deposit Score Visit Broker 1 $100T&Cs Apply 0% Commission and No stamp DutyRegulated by US,UK & International StockCopy Successfull Traders 9.8 Visit Site FreeBets Reviews$100Your capital is at risk. 2 T&Cs Apply 9.8 Visit Site FreeBets Reviews$100Your capital is at risk. 3 Recommended Broker $100T&Cs Apply No deposit or withdrawal feesTrade major forex pairs such as EUR/USD with leverage up to 30:1 and tight spreads of 0.9 pips Low $100 minimum deposit to open a trading account 9 Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk. 4 T&Cs Apply Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk. 5 Recommended Broker $0T&Cs Apply Trade gold, silver, and platinum directly against major currenciesUp to 1:500 leverage for forex trading24/5 customer service by phone and email 9 Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk.