RBA
Australians are ‘furious’ about inflation: RBA deputy
10 September
Australians are “furious” about inflation and it will take the nation years to fully get on top on higher post-pandemic living costs, the Reserve Bank’s deputy governor says. Ahead of the central bank’s meeting later this month on interest...[Read More]
AI boom, productivity malaise making RBA’s job harder
20 August
The surge in artificial intelligence investment and Australia’s sluggish productivity growth rate are forcing the Reserve Bank to keep interest rates higher, a top central bank official says.Speaking two days after the RBA kept the cash rate...[Read More]
Freefall: home prices notch biggest drop in years
2 July
Home prices have recorded the biggest monthly fall in almost four years as tax changes accelerate Australia’s housing downturn. Sydney’s median home price fell 1.2 per cent to $1,265,608 in June, leading a nationwide decline of 0.4 per cent,...[Read More]
Labor shrugs off claim tax shift will sink house prices
3 June
Contentious changes to taxes on property investments won’t be the main driver of expected falls in prices, the housing minister says. As auction clearance rates hit lows not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare O’Neil said it was unclear how...[Read More]
Confidence tanks as fuel spike flows to building costs
25 March
Australian consumers are the least confident they’ve been since records began, as high oil prices threaten to worsen the housing crisis by pushing up building costs. Motorists have already been feeling under the pump from petrol price...[Read More]
Vested interest ‘cartel’ killing Aussie housing dream
26 February
A “cartel” of vested interests is stymying crucial tax reforms which could help free up more homes, a former boss of the Reserve Bank says. Bernie Fraser, the only person in Australian history to have served as both RBA governor and Treasury...[Read More]
Labour pains for borrowers as jobs data hits rate hopes
26 February
Ongoing strength in the nation’s jobs market has lifted the change of another interest rate rise in the coming months, experts warn. Australia’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 per cent for January with nearly 18,000 jobs created, according...[Read More]
RBA urges more high-rise amid home-building constraints
19 February
Governments are making the right moves on housing affordability but builders are still finding it “very challenging” to bring on new supply, RBA governor Michele Bullock says. Speaking at a second parliamentary hearing in less than one week, Ms...[Read More]
Rate rise pain all but certain after inflation shock
29 January
All four big banks are warning borrowers to brace for an interest rate hike after core inflation jumped above the Reserve Bank’s forecasts. Economists at Westpac and ANZ on Wednesday dropped their calls for the RBA to stay on hold in February...[Read More]
Healthy jobs market spells rate pain for borrowers
29 January
Analysts are warning mortgage holders an interest rate rise could be just weeks away, after surprisingly strong jobs figures heightened the Reserve Bank of Australia’s concerns about inflation. Forecasters were taken off guard by the resilience of...[Read More]
Key RBA concern eases ahead of crucial inflation print
29 January
Australian firms are noticing an easing in a key business pressure, taking some steam out of calls for the Reserve Bank to hike interest rates. But while capacity utilisation cooled slightly in December, it remains above the long-run average and...[Read More]
IMF warns of AI bubble risk to global growth outlook
22 January
Australia is set for longer, higher inflation, an influential global economic body has remarked, as it warns of a “prolonged correction” if the AI bubble bursts. The International Monetary Fund’s forecast for Australia’s economic growth was...[Read More]
Hot or not? Strong spending complicates rate picture
22 January
Household spending continues to build momentum, heightening expectations of a Reserve Bank rate hike. After official figures released on Monday showed stronger-than-expected spending in November, data from Commonwealth Bank revealed no let-up in...[Read More]
Rate hike ‘risks hurting’ fragile consumer sentiment
15 January
Waning consumer confidence could give the Reserve Bank pause as it mulls hiking interest rates at its next meeting. Household spending data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Monday showed consumers were gathering steam late last...[Read More]
High cash rates no barrier to housing boom, data shows
15 January
Three Reserve Bank interest rate cuts were widely credited with accelerating growth in property values last year, but historical data shows the most drastic price surges aren’t always due to falling borrowing costs. The 8.6 per cent increase in...[Read More]