Summary: Interview with Sam Chandler, CEO and founder of now international software company Nitro, second only to Adobe in the PDF/digital document market. Interview with RMIT economist Jonathan Boymal Leon and Garry discuss issues including: The condition of the US economy with the release of the first estimate of gross domestic product for the third quarter of 2013 later this week. The October employment report is also among the highlights on this week's economic calendar. Economists say it's probably expanded at a 2 per cent annualized rate in the final three months of the year, less than they projected at the start of the budget impasse that resulted in a 16-day government shutdown. And public investment in the US has hit its lowest level since demobilisation after the Second World War because of Republican success in stymieing President Barack Obama's push for more spending on infrastructure, science and education. US Commerce department reporting data that had been delayed by the October 1-16 showing factory orders dipping 0.1 per cent in August, and July's decline was revised up to 2.8 per cent, from the prior estimate of 2.4 per cent. United States home prices rising only slightly in September from August, a sign that prices are levelling off after big gains earlier this year. Real estate provider CoreLogic says home prices increased 0.2 per cent in September from the previous month. That's sharply lower than the 0.9 per cent month-over-month gain in August. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis president James Bullard saying the United States central bank may find the evidence it needs to ease back on its bond-buying stimulus efforts by next month's monetary policy meeting. A look at the future of Australia’s auto industry with the car industry publishing a new report which claims the Australian economy would be $21.5 billion smaller if the automotive manufacturing industry died in 2018. The economies of Melbourne and Adelaide would also suffer massive job losses that would take until at least 2025 to recover. Employment losses in Melbourne would equate to some 33,000 jobs in 2018, and around 6600 in Adelaide. Employment levels would not return until around 2027 for Melbourne and 2025 for Adelaide. Australia's GDP would be $7.3 billion smaller (in today's dollars) by 2018. Billions in foreign direct investment would cease, as head offices direct investment to other automotive manufacturing countries, not to other industries in Australia. Additional research showing the cost to the South Australian economy of Holden's potential closure would be $1.24 billion and 13,200 jobs Workers at automaker Holden receiving cash bonuses and annual wage hikes as a result of a delay in determining whether the company will remain in Australia beyond 2016 that will cause an agreed wage freeze pact to lapse. In all, the automaker will pay out nearly $5 million in bonuses and wage hikes. Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss says it would be tragic for Australia to lose its car manufacturing industry but there has to be a limit on taxpayers' subsidies.
