For Australian mortgage holders eagerly anticipating relief from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), there’s been a shift in the narrative. ANZ has just joined Westpac and NAB in revising its cash rate forecast, now predicting the first rate cut will occur in May 2025 instead of February and reducing the expected number of cuts…
Australia’s housing shortage is the elephant in the room no one can ignore. With sky-high rents, a squeeze on supply, and frustrated tenants battling for every available property, the housing crisis is a cocktail of systemic issues that’s been brewing for years. Amid this turmoil, the federal government has floated the idea of capping international…
The ABS monthly CPI indicator, released today for October, shows headline inflation has remained steady at an annual rate of 2.1%. While this is close to the bottom of the RBA’s target band, the data has been heavily skewed by the government’s temporary energy bill relief rebate and of course the RBA would be happy…
Australia’s regional housing markets are once again outperforming their capital city counterparts, with Queensland and Western Australia leading the way in value growth, rents and rental yields. The latest CoreLogic Regional Market Update found dwelling values in regional areas rose 1.1% over the three months to October, exceeding the 0.8% growth recorded in capital cities….
Have you noticed how some Australians seem to be tightening their belts while others continue spending with little restraint? The latest CommBank iQ Cost of Living Insights Report highlights an emerging disparity between younger and older Australians in their financial habits, painting a vivid picture of the economic challenges and opportunities shaping the nation. According…
The NAB has amended its forecasts for both house prices and interest rates for 2025. Alan Oster, NAB Group Chief Economist explained the bank made a slight adjustment to their property price forecasts for 2024 (which is obviously almost over). Recent data showed prices were a bit softer than the NAB initially expected. But looking…
The NAB has changed its rate cut forecast from February 2025 to May 2025. This comes after the latest unemployment rate came in steady at 4.1% for October. Even though this was widely expected, it does challenge the RBA’s forecast track of the unemployment rate increasing to 4.3% in Q4 2024. The NAB believes that…
Western Australia (WA) continues to lead growth in owner-occupier loans, while Queensland (QLD) has become the second-largest market for investor loans, surpassing Victoria. Money.com.au’s latest Mortgage Insights report highlighted some interesting trends that reflect shifting buyer preferences, tax advantages, and affordability considerations across different states. National loan growth insights The average new loan size in…
It’s been a tumultuous week for global markets and geopolitics as the US election came to a head, and we had a very predictable outcome from the RBA in their November policy meeting. And there’s some good news ahead for Australia, according to David Robertson, Chief economist of Bendigo Bank, who, in his latest report,…
There weren’t many punters betting on a rate cut on Melbourne Cup Day, with financial markets allocating only a 5% chance the RBA would reduce the cash rate by twenty-five basis points. It was only a few months ago when some forecasters were still expecting a November cut, but the data simply hasn’t been compelling…
