Today
ASX to rise; Wall Street awaits inflation data
Wall Street struggled for direction before key US inflation data as the return of geopolitical risk put a rocket under oil and gas prices.
- Updated
- Andrew Hobbs
Yesterday
- Updated
- Earnings season
Jump in JB Hi-Fi sales fuels retail earnings optimism
Investors predict better-than-expected earnings for retailers after months of soft trading.
- Updated
- Carrie LaFrenz
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Why the RBA’s rates warning won’t mean much to investors
Andrew Hauser says it’s a risk to listen to “false prophets” on interest rates. But those in the market have little choice but to take a position as a crucial turning point looms.
- James Thomson
RBA should accept its role in inflation rise
Readers’ letters on inflation woes; PwC’s tax scandal; solutions for nuclear waste; caps on foreign students; revoking Alan Joyce’s bonuses.
Stop telling us what to do with interest rates: RBA deputy
Economists and politicians have accused the Reserve Bank of hypocrisy after deputy governor Andrew Hauser labelled economic commentators overconfident “false prophets”.
- Updated
- Michael Read
This Month
- Opinion
- Interest rates
Reserve Bank has finally taken the inflation crisis seriously
The consumer price index reading gave the RBA an out. Instead, governor Michele Bullock’s tough talk dumped cold water on a rate cut any time soon.
- Steven Hamilton
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Time to panic or the correction we had to have?
Investors’ hope for a Goldilocks scenario all came unstuck last week. But rather than succumb to hysteria, it’s better to recalibrate risk appetite.
- Stephen Miller
RBA to cut rates three times next year
Economists expect the Reserve Bank of Australia will deliver its first post-pandemic interest rate cut in February 2025.
- Michael Read
- Analysis
- Interest rates
‘Hottest ticket since Cold Chisel’: Bullock returns home to Armidale
The RBA governor’s formative years helped make the country’s most high-profile economist a ‘tough’ leader.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Macquarie’s Viktor Shvets’ lesson from ‘mini heart attack’ on markets
Was the market rout – and rebound – a sign of how fragile markets are, or proof they are actually less risky? Viktor Shvets’ answer might surprise you.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Qantas case a timely warning for money-spinner Transurban
The flying kangaroo’s drama is relevant for Australia’s dominant toll operator, which is returning more cash than ever to investors despite political pressure.
- Anthony Macdonald
Rising costs hit Mirvac margins, new homes
Property developer Mirvac blamed the steep rise in labour and material costs for halving its profit margins on some residential projects, triggering a 13 per cent fall in operating earnings this year.
- Michael Read and Nick Lenaghan
Big discounting and store closures hit Myer’s bottom line
The department store has warned it will record a fall in sales when it publishes its financial results next month, as lower customer spending takes its toll.
- Carrie LaFrenz
- Analysis
- Interest rates
Is Japan ready for a ‘world with interest?’
An entire generation has grown up knowing nothing but yields near zero and mortgage rates that seemed to get cheaper by the year.
- Gearoid Reidy
- Updated
- Interest rates
Chalmers’ rebates not helping inflation, RBA warns
Federal and state government energy bill subsidies will not help get inflation under control, and big-spending public sector budgets are making it worse, the bank says.
- Updated
- Michael Read
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
RBA is in no place to comfort fearful investors
The reality of Australia’s inflation problem means Michele Bullock has little room to encourage investors’ flagging animal spirits.
- Updated
- James Thomson
Traders don’t believe the RBA’s warning on rates
Bond markets are still wagering that the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates this year even as the central bank said it considered a rise on Tuesday.
- Cecile Lefort
- Opinion
- Interest rates
Rise in interest rates only narrowly avoided
A rate increase was closer than many had assumed at the RBA meeting, and a more hawkish-sounding Bullock said it “was a very serious consideration”.
- Updated
- John Kehoe
Inflation to linger until 2026, RBA warns
A surge in state and federal government spending means inflation won’t return to the RBA’s target band until December 2026, later than previously forecast.
- Michael Read
- Updated
- Interest rates
No rate cuts before Christmas, says RBA governor
Michele Bullock has declared “near-term interest rate cuts are not on the agenda”, warning the economy remained too hot and ruling out decreasing the cash rate before Christmas.
- Michael Read
