A measure of Australian business conditions dipped slightly in January as sales and profits slowed a little, a survey showed on Tuesday, while cost pressures were the lowest since 2021 in a hopeful sign for future inflation. The survey from National Australia Bank showed its index of business conditions eased 2 points to +7, reversing a gain made in December. The survey's often volatile measure of business confidence edged up 1 point to +3. A measure of sales dropped 6 points to +10 in January, though that is in line with the long-run average, while profits fell 3 points to +8. Employment held steady at +5 for a third straight month, pointing to resilience in labour demand.