Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. What the RBA is really looking at when it sets interest rates Eight times a year, the Reserve Bank meets to decide whether to raise, hold or cut interest rates. The decision impacts the 3.2 million Australians who have a mortgage on their own home and has flow-on effects across the entire… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Is this employment data a sign we are nearing the end of the great resignation? New data on the Australian workforce could suggest the great resignation may be winding down, at least here in Australia, anyway. Findings from Mercer’s Total Remuneration Survey published as part of its Australian Salary… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Australia ‘not immune from trade tensions’, Chalmers says Australia’s economy will not be immune from escalating trade tensions, Jim Chalmers has warned, as the Albanese government prepares itself for an incoming Donald Trump administration. In a speech on Monday, the treasurer will outline the risks of an “uncertain world characterised… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Australia inflation slows but sticky core to push RBA cut to 2025 Australian consumer price inflation slowed to a 3.5 year low in the third quarter, though the core measure was still sticky and reinforced market wagers that the central bank won’t start cutting rates until next year. Overall,… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. How Australia’s housing market compares to the rest of the world Australia lags behind much of the world when it comes to home ownership, and households are taking on far more debt to buy a house than in other similar nations. Less than two-thirds of Australians (63 per cent) own their… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. ‘Every chance’: Massive rates prediction A number of telltale signs have emerged indicating the Reserve Bank is planning a major, surprising pivot within a few short weeks. Global payment processors issue warning to RBA over card fee restrictions Global payment processors Mastercard and Visa have threatened to stop refunds… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Hiring new employees for the festive season? As the festive season approaches, you may be thinking of hiring new employees to help with your business. Here are some key things to remember when it comes to your tax and super obligations. Reserve Bank ‘having a bet each way’ on… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Banks ordered to refund millions of Aussies Nearly two million Aussies could soon receive hundreds of dollars after multiple major banks were ordered to issue more than $28m in refunds. A report by ASIC reveals that some banks have kept low-income customers in high-fee accounts, leading to financial strain.… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Survey reveals Australian CEOs confident of economic improvement KPMG CEO Andrew Yates has revealed some of the big economic pressures that chief executives are currently feeling at the moment. Mr Yates joined Sky News Business Reporter Ed Boyd to discuss KPMG’s annual CEO survey that revealed one in two… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Leading Australian economists tip interest cut rate in February Leading Australian economists say the RBA will deliver a gift to cash-strapped households in February, but one key player is holding firm on a rate cut this year. Polling of 34 keen Australian economic minds shows 15 of the experts… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Roy Morgan Business Confidence jumps due to increased confidence about the economy In August 2024, Roy Morgan Business Confidence was 101.3 (up 6.2pts since July 2024) due to increasing confidence from businesses about the performance of the Australian economy. The boost to Business Confidence came after the Stage 3… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Despite all the doom and gloom on Australia’s economy, could the worst be behind us? We hear about the ‘weakest growth in decades’ and being ‘smashed’ by the RBA, but positive tidings abound – if you want to look for them. Economists think a rate cut is coming. Michele… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. How Australian spending habits are weathering the high cost of living Many Australian businesses are feeling the pinch as customers can no longer afford the armchairs, gadgets, clothing brands and new bathrooms they could before the cost of living shot up. But spending patterns remain uneven, and at times counterintuitive,… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Business confidence nudges up across Australia The Roy Morgan Business Confidence index was 95.1 in July 2024, up 3.6 points from a month ago and up 7.6 points from the same month last year. It comes after Stage 3 income tax cuts to consumers boosted the spending power of… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Conflicting data: Is wage growth cooling down or heating up? While the official ABS data showed the Wage Price Index (WPI) rose 0.8% in June quarter 2024, and 4.1% for the year, the reality on the ground might be over double that, according to payroll platform Employment Hero. E-commerce… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Australian shares follow Wall Street’s lead after jobs data calms recession fears A week after US jobs data sent global financial markets into a panic, a strong rally on Wall Street has seen the S&P 500 record its best day since November 2022 — erasing almost all of the losses… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Hope for homeowners as RBA tipped to slash interest rates by Christmas The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is tipped to keep interest rates on hold next week, but hard-pressed mortgage holders should expect a cut by Christmas. From 36 economic experts canvassed in the latest Finder Cash Rate… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Hints on state of economy as cost relief kicks in Experts will scour the first trickle of financial data for early clues on the state of Australia’s economy since tax relief kicked in. The purchasing managers’ indexes for the manufacturing and services sectors land this week, as pay packets rise… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Latest NAB survey shows growing concerns among businesses about Australia’s economy Australian businesses are becoming more concerned about the outlook for the economy as forward-looking indicators in National Australia Bank’s fresh survey revealed a softening. The bank’s latest quarterly business survey on Thursday revealed expected business conditions fell at… Read more
Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. The Australian dollar is showing some strength, and that could be good news for travellers For a relatively small, open economy, Australia’s currency is heavily traded. In fact, it’s on the podium for one of the world’s most traded. So it’s known to be pushed and pulled on global… Read more