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…
![Brisbane housing market update [video] | June 2026](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/brisbane-270x200.jpg)
Brisbane finds itself at an uncomfortable inflection point. Home values rose 0.9% in May 2026, and on paper that looks like a healthy result — but the number that matters more is the one it replaced. As recently as October last year, Brisbane was recording monthly growth of 2%. The May figure is less than…
![Sydney housing market update [video] | June 2026](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/sydney4-270x200.jpg)
Sydney’s housing market is firmly in a downswing, with home values falling 0.9% in May 2026 — the fifth month-on-month decline recorded in the past six months and a clear signal that the city’s correction is deepening rather than stabilising. Since reaching a cyclical peak in November last year, Sydney housing values have fallen 2.1%,…
Everyone wants cheaper housing, but the latest building approval numbers show Australia is still failing at the one thing that would actually help – building more homes. In other words, Australia’s home building crisis is getting worse, not better. As I see it, what’s happening right now in building approvals are one of the most…
As widely expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia has held the cash rate today at 4.35% at its June meeting. But in a move that was less expected, it explicitly signalled that further hikes remain on the table. The final sentence of the media release added the clause “including increasing the cash rate target further if…
The Australian housing market has entered a new phase of weakness, with Cotality’s National Home Value Index recording a 0% change in May 2026 — effectively stalling for the first time since the current cycle began. Sydney and Melbourne are leading the market into a clear downturn, with values now sitting measurably below their November…
The past two weeks have delivered a lot for property investors to process, and if you’ve been watching the news closely, you’d be forgiven for feeling uncertain about where things are headed. The RBA delivered its third consecutive rate hike in May, lifting the cash rate to 4.35% – effectively wiping out every cut made…
Australia’s population just ticked past 28 million people, and the timing tells you everything you need to know about the forces driving our property market. Back in 2003, the ABS published its official population projections and forecast that Australia would reach 26.4 million people by the year 2051 – assuming net overseas migration of around…
![Melbourne housing market update [video] | June 2026](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/melbourne-1-270x200.jpg)
Melbourne’s housing market is in a position unlike any other capital city in Australia. Home values fell 0.8% in May 2026, extending a correction that has now carried the market 3.2% below the record highs set in March 2022 — meaning Melbourne never fully recovered from its previous downturn before the current one began. The…
SQM Research released its latest data on residential rental property vacancy rates. Australia’s national residential vacancy rate remained unchanged at 1.2% in May 2026, with total residential vacancies increasing from 35,258 to 37,844 dwellings over the month. While vacancy rates rose in several capital cities, conditions remain tight overall, with all capital cities continuing to…
