RBA
Homebuyers at square one as price hikes eat rate cuts
3 December
Surging home prices have wiped away the benefits of three interest rate cuts to new buyers, new data reveals. Across Australia, home values grew by one per cent in November with the median dwelling now worth $888,941, property analytics firm...[Read More]
Inflation surges as energy rebates run out of gas
26 November
Surging inflation has dashed hopes of one last rate cut and heightened expectations energy rebates will be extended. Expiring electricity subsidies helped drive up the annual consumer price index from 3.6 per cent to a 16-month high of 3.8 per cent...[Read More]
National economy still stuck in ‘productivity malaise’
24 September
Australia’s productivity performance improved in the June quarter, but weak capital investment is still holding back growth in living standards, the Productivity Commission says. Growth in labour productivity – or doing more with less –...[Read More]
Home prices continue rising amid supply-demand mismatch
3 September
Australian home prices have clocked the fastest month of growth since May 2024, as a drop in building approvals clouds the outlook for housing affordability. The 0.7 per cent rise in August marks the seventh consecutive month of growth and lifts the...[Read More]
Further rate cuts at risk as rent pushes up inflation
20 August
Rising construction costs and rental increases may prove to be stumbling blocks for further rate cuts from the Reserve Bank. The latest data from Cotality shows there are concerns for housing inflation and its knock-on effects off the back of rental...[Read More]
Rising cost to build a wake-up call on housing dream
23 July
A rise in construction costs is likely to stoke inflation while pushing home-building targets further out of reach, fresh data analysis suggests. Construction costs rose 0.5 per cent in the June quarter, picking up slightly from a 0.4 per cent rise...[Read More]
Spotlight on unemployment as jobs market loses heat
18 June
Signs the labour market is easing will alleviate Reserve Bank concerns about inflation with Australia’s jobless rate tipped to remain at historic lows. Economists predict labour force figures for May – to be released by the Australian Bureau of...[Read More]
Housing set to grow from record high as rate cuts loom
4 June
Home prices have hit new highs and will likely continue to grow as lower interest rates send buyers piling back into the property market amid a lack of new housing supply. The median dwelling in Australia was worth $831,288 in May – a 0.5 per cent...[Read More]
Restaurants on the brink as business failures plateau
29 May
The future of many businesses struggling to stay afloat rests upon the Reserve Bank and Donald Trump. Business conditions in Australia remain perilously difficult, with insolvency levels at record highs in April, CreditorWatch reported in its...[Read More]
Rate cut could fuel further ‘modest’ house price growth
7 May
Australian home values have continued to soar and an expected post-election rate cut is likely to fuel further growth. Defying economic uncertainty caused by US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, the national median dwelling price rose 0.3...[Read More]
Working women key to future economic growth: bank boss
16 April
Women’s participation in the Australian economy has been remarkably transformed in the past 40 years but more progress is needed, the head of the central bank says. Michele Bullock made history in 2023 when she became the first woman appointed...[Read More]
Rate cuts on horizon in mixed 2025 for the economy
1 January
Australians have endured taxing economic conditions in the past calendar year, but there is cause for cautious hope in 2025. Long-awaited interest rate cuts are broadly expected in the first half of the year, providing household budgets with...[Read More]
Living pressures ease for employee households
7 February
Working families are still under acute financial pressure but fewer cash rate hikes of late has tempered growth in their overall living costs. In the 12 months to the December quarter, living costs rose 6.9 per cent for employee households, down...[Read More]
Women gradually cracking the glass ceiling
25 January
Women are still woefully under-represented in top jobs but female leaders are becoming more common in Australia’s economic and financial institutions. Within Treasury, the government department responsible for economic policy, the federal budget...[Read More]
New building activity slows as rates bite
18 January
New home building starts have plummeted by more than 20 per cent in 12 months as labour and material shortages continue to weigh on the construction industry. New building activity fell further in the September quarter after softening moderately in...[Read More]