RBA
Reserve Bank shelves formal rate hike talk
3 April
No other option aside from keeping interest rates on hold was formally entertained at the Reserve Bank of Australia's last interest rate meeting. The decision to leave interest rates untouched at 4.35 per cent was widely expected at the meeting...[Read More]
Reserve Bank’s shift to neutral likely to be reinforced
3 April
With less than six weeks to go before the next Reserve Bank of Australia decision on interest rates, borrowers are about to get more signals on what it might do next. The central bank has left the key cash rate unchanged at 4.35 per cent...[Read More]
Inflation holds steady but services prove stubborn
27 March
The final stretch to bring inflation back to target is proving challenging, based on fresh data, though that is broadly what the Reserve Bank expected. The Australian Bureau of Statistics' monthly inflation indicator held steady at 3.4 per cent...[Read More]
Rate peak to buoy confidence and possibly home prices
20 March
Another month on hold and growing expectations the next interest rate move will be down could add to already robust housing demand and keep pressure on home prices. Following the Reserve Bank's widely expected decision to leave interest rates...[Read More]
Rates on hold but RBA ‘not ruling anything in or out’
20 March
The Reserve Bank has left interest rates at 4.35 per cent for the third meeting in a row in an almost universally expected move reflecting inflation that is cooling but still too high. The board came to its decision on Tuesday after two days of...[Read More]
Swifties boost spending
13 March
The Australian economy got a leg up from Taylor Swift concerts but the much-anticipated visit was not enough to counter penny pinching elsewhere. Spending as tracked by Commonwealth Bank has been generally subdued and fell 0.3 per cent over the...[Read More]
Economy hit by rates and inflation
6 March
Australia's economy limped across the 2023 finish line as financially-strained households pinched pennies and prioritised essentials over nice-to-haves. The economy expanded 0.2 per cent in the three months to December - broadly in line with...[Read More]
Consumer price index steady at 3.4 per cent in January
28 February
Australia's consumer price index held steady at 3.4 per cent in the 12 months to January, coming in below expectations. The index had been widely expected to rise by 3.6 per cent on an annual basis, when the data was released by the Australian...[Read More]
Rate hike case scuttled by improving inflation outlook
21 February
The Reserve Bank of Australia is growing more confident it can conquer inflation in the time-window it has given itself. Yet it's still too early for it to consider interest rate cuts, with board members discussing another 25 basis point hike or...[Read More]
Consumers, productivity still cloud outlook: RBA
21 February
Stubbornly high inflation, a failure to revive productivity growth and a deeper consumption slowdown are all live possibilities keeping the Reserve Bank on guard. Cutting interest rates was not discussed at the February cash rate meeting, with...[Read More]
Treasury eyes ‘rare’ full employment opportunity
14 February
Australia has a chance to keep the gains in the jobs market generated by the pandemic recovery, Treasury says, provided it plays its cards right. "With the right policy choices, there remains a rare opportunity to sustain the economy closer to full...[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]
Thrifty December cures sales-fuelled debt hangover
7 February
Frenzied spending during the Black Friday sales left many nursing credit card debt in the lead-up to Christmas. Australia's credit card bill attracting interest charges inched higher by $21 million in December to $17.31 billion, Reserve Bank of...[Read More]
‘Nothing’s in, nothing’s out’: RBA keeps options open
7 February
Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock is keeping her options open on interest rate movements both up and down and remains alert to economic risks on the horizon. "Nothing's in, nothing's out," Ms Bullock said during the first-ever post-meeting...[Read More]
Inflation rate eases to two-year low in welcome sign
31 January
Australian mortgage holders can rest easy heading into the first cash rate call of the year following convincing progress on inflation. Yet even with softer set of consumer price data - including the smallest quarterly increase in almost two...[Read More]