Economy
Foreign property purchases fall as home buyer ban bites
26 August
Purchases of Australian property by overseas investors have plunged after the government announced a ban on foreigners buying Australian homes.The number of investment approvals fell by more than 22 per cent to 5284 in 2024/25, the Productivity...[Read More]
‘Hot mess’ inflation result puts rate rise on the table
26 August
More interest rate hikes are on the cards after Australia’s headline inflation rate came in higher than expected, despite falling to its lowest level in eight months.The consumer price index rose one per cent in July, resulting in the annual rate...[Read More]
Jobs data and a fireside chat: the economic week ahead
19 August
As the US dragged itself out of the Great Depression, newly-elected president Franklin D Roosevelt pioneered an informal style of radio address to nurture rapport with a bruised American public.It’s unclear whether the LED lighting at...[Read More]
Early days but a door is opening for first home buyers
19 August
A dive in new home loans to property investors is an “encouraging sign” Labor’s changes to negative gearing and the capital gains discount are working as intended, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says.The number of investor loans fell 8.6 per cent in...[Read More]
AI boom, productivity malaise making RBA’s job harder
19 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]
More pain brews for borrowers as rates hit 15-year high
30 September
Cash-strapped borrowers are being warned of more hikes to come by the Reserve Bank of Australia after it lifted interest rates to a 15-year high.In a unanimous decision, the central bank’s nine-member board lifted the cash rate target by 25 basis...[Read More]
Headline inflation jumps back to four per cent
30 September
Australia’s annual headline inflation rate has climbed to four per cent as higher oil prices continue to filter through the economy.The consumer price index rose 0.4 per cent in August, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday, a...[Read More]
Debt concerns: treasurer’s era of cheap-money ending
30 September
Because everyone wants your money, you can charge them more for it.That’s the issue facing governments forced to pay investors more for borrowing cash in the form of bonds.The eye-watering sums being raised by artificial intelligence...[Read More]
Labour pains: jobs market too hot for inflation fight
23 September
Australia’s unemployment rate probably needs to edge a little higher to help get inflation back under control, Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock says.Prefacing her remarks by saying the RBA does not want to see high unemployment, Ms Bullock...[Read More]
Albanese to advocate AI slowdown calls to Trump at UN
23 September
Anthony Albanese will make the case to Donald Trump for more guardrails to be placed on AI, ahead of a potential meeting with the US president on the sidelines of the United Nations.The prime minister will be in New York for the UN General Assembly,...[Read More]
September hike firms as RBA inflation fears come true
23 September
Economists at one of Australia’s big four banks expect the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates imminently after the central bank’s governor issued a dire warning about inflation.Michele Bullock told a parliamentary hearing in Canberra that it...[Read More]
Soft landing botched: IMF backs more rate rises
23 September
A global financial body has given the Reserve Bank the green light to hike interest rates and urged Treasurer Jim Chalmers to be bolder on tax reform.With a break-out in price growth hitting Australians’ living standards, returning inflation to...[Read More]
Iran and iPhones add to Reserve Bank’s inflation pickle
16 September
The rising cost of oil and iPhones is concerning the Reserve Bank of Australia as it approaches a crucial interest rate decision, the central bank’s chief economist says.With rising inflation pressures from the Middle East and more broadly around...[Read More]
Surprise downfall for rich state atop economic rankings
16 September
Queensland has usurped Western Australia at the top of Australia’s state economic rankings, as cracks emerge in the resource-rich state’s performance.WA slid two places to third in CommBank’s revamped State of the States rankings for the June...[Read More]
Australians are ‘furious’ about inflation: RBA deputy
9 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]