By Wayne ColeSYDNEY, March 1 27 (Reuters) - Australian businessinvestment suffered a surprising slip last quarter as minersspent less on buildings, yet other sectors splashed out more onplant and machinery in a positive sign for economic growth.Investment dipped a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent in theDecember quarter to A$29.6 billion ($22.91 billion), data fromthe Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed on Thursday.That undershot forecasts for a 0.9 percent gain, though onlybecause investment in the previous quarter was revised sharplyhigher to show an increase of 1.9 percent.Crucially, spending on equipment, plant and machineryclimbed 2.2 percent and should have added moderately to economicgrowth in the fourth quarter.Figures due next week are likely to show Australia's A$1.7trillion gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by anywhere from0.5 percent to 0.8 percent in the quarter.Firms also revised up their spending plans for this year andbeyond. The latest estimate for investment in the year to Junecame in at A$114.6 billion, topping most analysts' forecasts ofA$112 billion.The first, and very early, estimate for 2018/19 was forspending of A$84 billion and these plans tend to be revised upsteadily over time.The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has been soundingmarkedly more optimistic on investment thanks in large part tobooming public spending on infrastructure, where the pipeline ofwork is at its highest level as a share of GDP in severaldecades.Mining investment also looked to have stabilised afterseveral years of steep decline, and other industries werefinally taking up the slack.Leading the pack was the IT sector, with plans for a 40percent expansion in spending in the year to June, followed byutilities, professional services and construction.Commercial property has been undergoing something of arenaissance, with tourism and student accommodation particularlystrong, thanks to a big influx of Chinese visitors.All of which led Felicity Emmett, a senior economist at ANZ,to predict the long-awaited return of 'animal spirits' in theform of high consumer and investor confidence."Non-mining capital stock is historically very low;improvements in capacity utilisation rates have not been matchedwith by investment; and firms remain in good financial shape tofund investment, with large cash holdings," said Emmett."Business investment is likely to be a key driver of growthover the next few years."($1 = 1.2918 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Wayne ColeEditng by Eric Meijer)
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