Comments in the latest RBA Board minutes shows they don’t just want inflation to slow, they want it down at a faster rate. Mark this Wednesday in your calendar. That’s the day the September quarter Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be released at 11.30am. That single figure will determine whether the Reserve Bank lifts interest… Read more »
The economy is slowing, inflation is still too high, it has never been harder to balance the family budget and loan repayments are sky high… but the average Australian is still one of the wealthiest, if not THE wealthiest, people in the world. I always enjoy reading James Kirby in The Australian newspaper and during… Read more »
Research shows you may be throwing money away by staying with an insurer who isn’t giving you their best deal. No one wants to buy the same product for a markup at the supermarket, especially when the cheaper alternative may be just as good, if not better. Yet, the latest research from Compare the Market (disclosure:… Read more »
Anyone who has recently built a house or completed a renovation will know first-hand the exorbitant rise in construction costs due to post-pandemic supply chain issues and labour shortages. This building cost spiral has also sent builders who had fixed price contracts in place before the upheavals, broke. The cost increases have been a major… Read more »
From 1 July 2025 the Federal Government plans to reduce the tax concessions on people with more than $3 million in their superannuation fund. An extra 15 per cent tax will be added to the annual “earnings” of the fund… on top of what they already pay. The controversy is not just the introduction of… Read more »
RBA Board meeting week and it was steady as she goes. A change in RBA Governor from Philip Lowe to Michele Bullock made no difference at all… and I suspect that was the point. There was all sorts of talk in the lead up to the meeting about whether Michele would stamp her own unique… Read more »
Inflation is stabilising, consumers are reining in their spending and the strong job market is showing signs of weakening. Economically we are kicking a few goals when it comes to inflation. This week’s monthly Consumer Price Index for August was in line with economist forecasts and steady at 5.6 per cent – still well above… Read more »
This Sunday some of the nation’s biggest health funds, including Bupa, NIB, GMHBA, Qantas and Frank, will be lifting their premiums. So, it’s important you get onto it now to make sure you have the best deal. Libby checked our cover this week through the Compare The Market (I’m CTM’s economic director) comparison site and… Read more »
Last week I wrote about how landlords are being driven out of the rental market, which is exacerbating the crisis. I was interested in an analysis by the research director at Ray White, Nerida Conisbee on the rental crisis and what is causing it. Proportion of households under rental stress The Economist magazine recently undertook an… Read more »
You know how ropeable I am about the Reserve Bank’s comments two years ago reassuring Australians to go out and borrow with the comfort of knowing interest rates would not rise until 2024. It was negligent for them to make those comments. Financial markets were warning of a then-imminent breakout in inflation and the need to… Read more »
