id: HSI_M
name: Monthly Household Spending Indicator (MHSI)
description: |
  Monthly Australian household spending by category and state. The ABS-blessed
  successor to the discontinued Retail Trade publication (RT, ceased 31 July
  2025). Built from comprehensive transactions data (banks, point-of-sale,
  payment processors) — more representative than the legacy retail survey.

  Use this for: real-time consumer spending sentiment, retail inventory
  planning, sector demand forecasting, post-COVID consumer behaviour
  research, comparing spending between states, journalists tracking
  cost-of-living impacts. The most-cited monthly consumer indicator
  going forward.

  Defaults to total household spending (all categories), seasonally
  adjusted, Australia-wide, current prices, monthly. Override `category`,
  `region`, or `price_adjustment` for finer slices. Use `measure` to
  switch between dollar values, index, monthly % change, and through-the-
  year % change.

  Reference period: typically released ~6 weeks after month-end.
update_frequency: monthly
source_url: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/finance/monthly-household-spending-indicator
search_keywords: [household spending, monthly spending, hsi, mhsi, consumer spending, retail, retail trade, retail spending, household retail, monthly retail, retail spending replacement, consumer sentiment, hospitality spending, recreation spending, transport spending, post retail trade, cost of living, household consumption]
dimensions:
  measure:
    sdmx_id: MEASURE
    description: What is being measured (defaults to dollar value of household spending)
    values:
      household_spending: { sdmx_code: "7", description: "Household spending in $m" }
      household_spending_pct_change: { sdmx_code: "8", description: "Household spending — % change from previous period" }
      household_spending_yoy: { sdmx_code: "9", description: "Household spending — through-the-year % change" }
      calendar_adjusted_spending: { sdmx_code: "10", description: "Calendar-adjusted household spending in $m (removes day-of-week and trading-day effects)" }
      calendar_adjusted_pct_change: { sdmx_code: "11", description: "Calendar-adjusted spending — % change from previous period" }
      calendar_adjusted_yoy: { sdmx_code: "12", description: "Calendar-adjusted spending — through-the-year % change" }
      household_spending_index: { sdmx_code: "4", description: "Household spending — index (reference period = 100)" }
      household_spending_index_yoy: { sdmx_code: "5", description: "Household spending index — through-the-year % change" }
      household_spending_index_mom: { sdmx_code: "6", description: "Household spending index — monthly % change" }
  category:
    sdmx_id: CATEGORY
    description: COICOP household spending category (defaults to total — all categories combined)
    values:
      total:              { sdmx_code: "TOT", description: "Total household spending (all categories)" }
      food:               { sdmx_code: "10", description: "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" }
      alcohol_tobacco:    { sdmx_code: "15", description: "Alcoholic beverages and tobacco" }
      clothing_footwear:  { sdmx_code: "20", description: "Clothing and footwear" }
      housing:            { sdmx_code: "25", description: "Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels" }
      furnishings:        { sdmx_code: "30", description: "Furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance" }
      health:             { sdmx_code: "35", description: "Health" }
      transport:          { sdmx_code: "40", description: "Transport" }
      communications:     { sdmx_code: "45", description: "Communications" }
      recreation:         { sdmx_code: "50", description: "Recreation and culture" }
      education:          { sdmx_code: "55", description: "Education" }
      hotels_cafes:       { sdmx_code: "60", description: "Hotels, cafes and restaurants" }
      misc:               { sdmx_code: "65", description: "Miscellaneous goods and services" }
  region:
    sdmx_id: STATE
    description: Australian state/territory (defaults to whole-of-Australia)
    values:
      australia: { sdmx_code: "AUS" }
      nsw: { sdmx_code: "1" }
      vic: { sdmx_code: "2" }
      qld: { sdmx_code: "3" }
      sa:  { sdmx_code: "4" }
      wa:  { sdmx_code: "5" }
      tas: { sdmx_code: "6" }
      nt:  { sdmx_code: "7" }
      act: { sdmx_code: "8" }
  price_adjustment:
    sdmx_id: PRICE_ADJUSTMENT
    description: Price treatment (defaults to current prices — nominal $)
    values:
      current_prices: { sdmx_code: "CUR", description: "Current prices (nominal)" }
      chain_volume:   { sdmx_code: "CVM", description: "Chain volume measures (real, excludes inflation)" }
      implicit_price_deflator: { sdmx_code: "IPD", description: "Implicit price deflator" }
  adjustment:
    sdmx_id: TSEST
    description: Time-series treatment (defaults to seasonally adjusted)
    hidden: true
    default: "20"
  frequency:
    sdmx_id: FREQ
    hidden: true
    default: "M"
