RBA
Economists warn budget could ‘poke inflationary bear’
15 May
A pitch to bring inflation back to target by as soon as Christmas has been muddied by economists worried about new spending and energy bill relief for all. Forecasts embedded in the Albanese government’s third budget show inflation will go back...[Read More]
Workers’ wages grow 4.1 per cent, silver lining for RBA
16 May
Workers saw their wages outpace inflation during the first three months of 2024, but a lower-than-expected increase will encourage the Reserve Bank board as they mull their next interest rate move. Wages grew 4.1 per cent annually in the March...[Read More]
Rates on hold but RBA ‘vigilant’ to inflation risks
9 May
Australia’s key interest rate has been left on hold but financially-stretched borrowers are not out of the woods yet. The Reserve Bank of Australia remains “alert and vigilant” to emerging price pressures, including renewed pain at the...[Read More]
Consumer price temperature check key to rates outlook
25 April
Australia’s hotly anticipated quarterly consumer price index will land amid fears inflation progress is stalling in some advanced economies and threatening to delay interest rate cuts. Consecutive months of hotter-than-expected United States...[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 following...[Read More]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]