Australia business investment jumps 6.5% in Q1 on data rush

May 27, 2026 9:54 PM EDT

People cross the street in Sydney’s Central Business District, Australia, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Nikki Short

SYDNEY, May ‌28 (Reuters) - Australian ​business ​investment boomed in the March quarter ‌as firms ploughed yet more ⁠money into data centers, figures ‌showed on Thursday, while ‌companies also upgraded spending plans for coming months.

The ​Australian Bureau of Statistics reported private capital spending ⁠climbed 6.5% in the first quarter to ​an inflation-adjusted A$52.57 billion ($37.46 billion), dwarfing market forecasts of ​a 1.0% ‌rise.

Spending on plant and machinery jumped 18.1% as ⁠firms invested in processing equipment for data centers, while ⁠spending on buildings and structures fell ​3.8%. An ABS survey of firms showed they planned to spend ‌A$173.4 billion in the year to June ‌2027, up from an ⁠initial A$158.4 ‌billion.

($1 = 1.4035 ​Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Muralikumar ‌Anantharaman)



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