Moderating wage pressures may come as a relief

14 August

Private sector wages are growing at the lowest rate in more than two and a half years as the cooling jobs market tempers pay negotiations. Moderating wage pressures may come as a relief for an RBA preoccupied by persistent inflation and companies...[Read More]

RBA governor warns rate cuts not on near-term agenda

7 August

Mortgage-holders have a while to wait for repayment relief as the head of the Reserve Bank of Australia warns a near-term interest rate cut is not on the cards. Australia’s central bank left interest rates unchanged at 4.35 per cent as widely...[Read More]

Rates remain on hold, RBA still wary of inflation risks

7 August

The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept interest rates unchanged and reworked its forecasts, with inflation returning to target by the end of the year before bouncing back towards the end of 2025. The key interest rate was left unchanged at 4.35 per...[Read More]

Door swings shut on rate rise following inflation data

31 July

Australian mortgage-holders and businesses appear to have dodged another interest rate hike following an inflation reading that takes pressure off the central bank. Households are still being hit with higher prices for everything from fruit to fuel,...[Read More]

Inflation up in first annual rise since late 2022

31 July

Australia’s annual inflation lifted to 3.8 per cent in the year to June, from 3.6 per cent previously, to land broadly in line with expectations ahead of the next interest rate meeting. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said it was the first...[Read More]

Hints on state of economy as cost relief kicks in

24 July

Experts will scour the first trickle of financial data for early clues on the state of Australia’s economy since tax relief kicked in. The purchasing managers’ indexes for the manufacturing and services sectors land this week, as pay packets...[Read More]

RBA to get jobs piece of the puzzle ahead of rates call

17 July

Australia’s central bank will sift through fresh jobs numbers ahead of the cash rate call next month. In the lead-up to that call the Australian share market on Friday closed at its highest level ever after a bigger-than-expected inflation drop in...[Read More]

Rate hike chance ‘incredibly slim’ in bumpy last mile

17 July

Higher shipping costs and other hiccups are complicating the central bank’s task of lowering inflation, yet economists say a bumpy last mile was expected. The next set of quarterly inflation numbers, which tops the Reserve Bank’s watchlist ahead...[Read More]

Home lending slips but still well ahead over the year

10 July

New home lending remains far ahead of where it was a year ago despite a minor dip in May for property investors and owner-occupiers. Over the month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics logged a 1.7 per cent fall in all new housing loans, to $28.8...[Read More]

‘No smoking gun’ to hike rates

3 July

Australia’s central bank remains vigilant to slowing progress on inflation yet the minutes from the last interest rate meeting signal a reluctance to lift them again. In keeping with the Reserve Bank of Australia’s assertion the narrow path is...[Read More]

Retail sales rise 0.6 per cent as sales start early

3 July

An early start to end-of-financial-year sales lured in bargain-hunters last month, contributing to a larger-than-expected 0.6 per cent lift in retail sales. The monthly gain beat the 0.3 per cent month-on-month consensus forecast and followed a...[Read More]

Hotter-than-expected inflation leaves RBA in tight spot

26 June

An unexpectedly large jump in the monthly consumer price index is unwelcome news for the Reserve Bank of Australia in its lengthy inflation battle. The monthly consumer price index rose four per cent over the 12 months to May, above expectations and...[Read More]