Australia’s business activity grew at a faster pace in the opening month of 2026, according to the latest flash PMI® data by S&P Global. Stronger growth reflected quicker expansions in both manufacturing and services new business. Robust demand in January also led to a renewed accumulation of backlogged work and companies continued to hire additional staff to cope with rising workloads. Overall business sentiment was positive. Meanwhile, both the rates of input cost and output price inflation softened from December. The headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Flash Australia PMI Composite Output Index posted above ... (full story)