RBA
Budget spending stokes fears of further rate rise pain
14 May
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is defending an extra $18 billion in government spending next financial year despite warnings it will make the Reserve Bank’s fight against inflation harder. The federal budget on Tuesday revealed government spending will...[Read More]
Treasurer hoses down talk of big budget handouts
7 May
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has downplayed the Reserve Bank governor’s warnings about public spending adding to inflation, insisting large stimulus packages won’t be a feature of the federal budget. After lifting interest rates for the third...[Read More]
Inflation, growth, rates all hinge on end to conflict
7 May
The crisis in the Middle East fanned the flames of already buoyant inflation in Australia and could lead to more interest rate pain if it isn’t resolved, the central bank has warned. The Reserve Bank of Australia released fresh quarterly economic...[Read More]
Oil crisis not over: warnings of diesel over $4 a litre
6 May
Diesel prices could surge above $4 a litre in coming months under a scenario modelled by economists at National Australia Bank, potentially spelling a much more severe economic fallout than forecast by the Reserve Bank. Fears of service stations...[Read More]
Worse to come as oil crisis adds fuel to rate-pain fire
30 April
Australia’s headline inflation rate has climbed to a two-and-a-half year high due to the Iran war but Treasurer Jim Chalmers warns the worst is yet to come. The jump in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ annual consumer price index, to 4.6 per...[Read More]
Warning for borrowers as RBA frets over its credibility
23 April
Australia could be heading back to the runaway inflation of the 1970s and 1980s if people lose faith in the Reserve Bank, a top central bank official says. Speaking at a panel of economists during the International Monetary Fund spring meetings in...[Read More]
Australians love their cash and will carry or hoard it
23 April
If you are one of those people who still carry a bunch of $10 or $20 notes around in your pocket in case of emergencies, you’re not alone. While a majority of payments made in Australia are done by electronic means, including cards, about half of...[Read More]
RBA’s stagflation nightmare: prices up, confidence down
16 April
The Reserve Bank board will have to earn its money to navigate Australia through a “nightmare” stagflation shock, a top central bank official says as confidence tanks and prices soar. The RBA was still “feeling its way” through the energy...[Read More]
Credit card points schemes in firing line after tweaks
9 April
Overseas trips and hotel stays funded through credit reward schemes could be in trouble as Australia’s central bank cuts fees on card transactions. The Reserve Bank has revamped card usage by banning surcharge payments and cutting interchange...[Read More]
The RBA conflict that could decide its next rates call
1 April
A conflict at the heart of the Reserve Bank’s mandate could determine the outcome of its next interest rates decision. Minutes from the central bank’s March meeting published on Tuesday revealed a split between the five members who voted for a...[Read More]
Calm before storm: RBA braces for spikes and hikes
25 March
A slight easing in Australia’s headline inflation rate before the Iran war will do little to ease the Reserve Bank’s fears, as economists expect price growth to bounce back with a vengeance in March. Consumer prices rose 3.7 per cent in the 12...[Read More]