Cotality’s national home value index rose 0.7% in March, taking dwelling values 2.1% higher over the first quarter of the year. At the national level, the pace of gains is easing, reducing from a 2.8% increase in Q4 last year, but housing outcomes are increasingly diverse from city to city and across the pricing spectrum….
Just when many borrowers thought the worst of the rate hiking cycle might be behind them, Westpac has thrown a curveball, signalling we could be heading into a far more prolonged and painful phase of tightening than most expected. Well, Westpac has upped its cash rate forecast for the year, tipping the RBA will deliver…
Capital city home prices have continued to rise over March despite another increase in official interest rates and growing uncertainty over the outlook for inflation and the global economy. The national capital city median house price increased by a solid 0.9% over the March quarter to $1,296,402 compared to the February quarter, according to the…
A drawn-out war in the Middle East could add an extra 5% to existing inflation in Australia, our new modelling shows. We looked at the likely impacts of two different scenarios: a moderate disruption with the war ending in mid-April, and a drawn-out war ending by September. We found higher fuel costs would affect freight,…
Australian housing resale profits strengthened in the December quarter, with the share of properties selling at a gain rising to its highest level in more than two decades. Of the 102,000 resales analysed in Cotality’s Pain & Gain report, 95.9% recorded a profit, up slightly from 95.6% in the previous quarter and the strongest result…
Australia’s housing loan market is facing potential headwinds, particularly in the investor segment, amid speculation around changes to the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) discount for investors and a cap on negative gearing. Despite that, according to Money.com.au’s latest State-by-State Mortgage Insights Report, home lending growth is forecast to hit 7% in 2026 (to 594,279 loans),…
For many Australians, Saturday mornings during the property selling season follow a familiar pattern. Buyers move from open home to open home, then gather outside properties, waiting for the auction to begin: hopeful, nervous, and often optimistic. But for too many potential buyers, those Saturdays end in frustration. Not simply because they lost the auction, but…
If a picture paints a thousand words, then this collection of charts should do a pretty good job of painting the landscape as it affects our economy and our property markets. Each month the RBA summarises macroeconomic and financial market trends in Australia by providing a detailed chart pack. World Economy Australia’s economy doesn’t operate in…
Australia’s inflation rate could peak in “the high 4s or even higher” this year, according to Treasury modelling, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says. The latest modelling comes as Anthony Albanese prepares to meet state and territory leaders in a national cabinet hook up on Thursday to discuss the fuel crisis and announce a national coordinator-general to…
As widely expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) hiked rates for the second straight meeting, lifting the cash rate to 4.1% (from 3.85% previously). The consensus across banking sector economists and financial markets is another hike in May, which would fully reverse the 2025 interest rate cuts. This second hike for the year represents a…
