The start of the new financial year is just around the corner, and as always there are a raft of big changes kicking in. “The end of the financial year always brings with it the opportunity to get your finances in order,” said Sarah Megginson, personal finance expert at comparisonContinue Reading
There is “still strength” in the price pressures across the Australian economy, the Reserve Bank’s chief economist Sarah Hunter has cautioned, after hotter-than-expected inflation figures prompted traders to slash their rate cut bets until the end of 2025. Annual headline inflation accelerated to 3.6 per cent in the 12 monthsContinue Reading
Australia is on track to win its brutal and long-running war against inflation earlier than expected, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has predicted, paving the way for interest rate cuts. Two years after the Reserve Bank began hiking the official cash rate, slamming mortgage holders with 13 increases and adding thousands ofContinue Reading
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down his third budget next week, as he again walks the tightrope of offering cost-of-living relief to struggling households without further fuelling inflation. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has declared inflation will be the “primary focus” of Tuesday’s budget, but the Treasurer later insisted it wouldContinue Reading
Labor has declared inflation the “primary focus” of this month’s federal budget, as the government walks the tightrope of lowering cost of living pressures while putting downward pressure on the bottom line. Amid growing calls for spending cuts to take the heat off interest rates, and ahead of this week’sContinue Reading
Sticking to the planned rollout of the Albanese government’s stage three tax cuts risks further fuelling inflation, making the RBA’s job more difficult, and their delay should be considered, leading economists have cautioned. Amid resurgent price pressures, Labor’s tax cuts which commence on July 1 will pump billions of dollarsContinue Reading
Interest rates risk going higher still, economists have warned, as stubborn inflationary pressures, rebounding economic growth, and continued tightness in the jobs market could force the Reserve Bank to inflict further pain on household borrowers. While the majority of economists still expect the RBA’s next move will be a cut,Continue Reading
The typical Australian who might’ve once bought a home a few generations ago is now much more likely to rent thanks to plunging housing affordability, which is now at its worst level in more than 20 years.And they’re flooding rental markets that are beyond capacity, competing with low-income and vulnerableContinue Reading
Inflation held steady last month, buoying hopes that the Reserve Bank can move to cut interest rates this year. Consumer prices rose 3.4 per cent in February from a year earlier, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday, slightly below economists’ expectations of a 3.5 per cent increase. However,Continue Reading
Three-quarters of Australian home loan holders are worried about their mortgage repayments in the face of multiple “aggressive” rate hikes, a new report has revealed. The findings by finance research institute Mozo paint a bleak picture for families struggling to make ends meet, with many unaware of key details ofContinue Reading