Today’s rate decision marks the third cut in what was always expected to be a cautious and gradual easing path. This decision follows a surprise ‘hold’ from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in July, where the board adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach regarding inflation and job markets. Since the July meeting, core inflation has…
House prices continued to rise across Australia in June, recent data shows. Nationally, prices have risen about 38% in the past five years. Higher housing prices are simply one contributor, albeit a very important one, to the cost of living crisis that Australian households face. Energy prices are another. Those higher costs of living and…
With the Reserve Bank of Australia widely tipped to trim the official cash rate by 25 basis points at its next meeting, savvy investors are already thinking ahead. According to Domain’s Chief Economist Dr Nicola Powell, the flow-on effects of a cut could be significant, not just for borrowers, but for property values Australia-wide. And…
While state and local governments focus on approvals and improving the feasibility of new projects, building companies continue to be stretched thin across an already swollen pipeline and reducing margins. From the very announcement of the National Cabinet’s plan to build 1.2 million new homes in five years in August 2023, many in the industry…
While there’s been a lot of noise lately about rental growth slowing and affordability improving, the data paints a very different, and much more persistent picture. Despite slight upticks in rental vacancy rates in recent months, Australia remains firmly in a landlord’s market. And this isn’t a short-term blip, it’s a structural trend that’s been…
As we move through the cooler months, Australia’s rental market is showing signs of seasonal rebalancing – but don’t mistake that for relief. In Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, vacancy rates remain tight, and asking rents continue to edge upward, albeit at a slower pace. Sydney’s vacancy rate nudged up to 1.6% in June, according to…
Home prices reached a record high, rising 0.3% in July and 4.9% in the past year, according to Proptrack. Australia’s median home price hit a new record high in July, but the pace of growth slowed over the month. The median price of a house is now sitting at $915,000 nationally, with the median unit…
National dwelling values rose by 0.6% in July, with the rate of growth holding firm relative to the prior two months, according to Cotality’s latest Home Value Index. That marks the sixth straight month of gains, with the positive inflection aligning with the first rate cut in February. At the national level, the pace of…
Despite the ongoing headwinds facing Australia’s housing market, particularly for first home buyers (FHBs), new data shows a flicker of resilience, and Queensland is leading the charge. According to Money.com.au’s latest Mortgage Insights report, while FHB activity has slowed from the pace we saw last year, we’re still seeing signs of renewed momentum. Across the…
Western Australia has once again claimed the top spot in the latest CommSec State of the States report, leading the nation’s economic performance rankings for a fourth consecutive quarter. South Australia also began 2025 with a bang, climbing from fourth to second, driven by solid gains across several key indicators. The State of the States…
