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Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock has warned Australia faces a stagflation crisis.

RBARBA chief fears stagflation from poor productivity

Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has warned Australia’s poor workplace productivity could lead to stagflation where unemployment and inflation were both high at the same time.

Stephen Johnson

Investment in data centres will power artificial intelligence even as most experts in the field warn of serious risks.

EconomyCommentsPremiumData boom has investment up in the cloud

A big bank economist tips business investment will rise at the fastest pace since the mining boom.

Matt Mckenzie

The cost to build a new home in Perth nearly doubled since late 2019 amid an extraordinary bubble driven by Federal and State stimulus that also sparked a wave of construction insolvencies.

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updated
EconomyCommentsPremium
updated
Relief at last? Perth loses crown as the inflation capital

The city has lost its crown as Australia’s inflation capital — for now at least — though prices have lifted more than 28 per cent since 2019.

Matt Mckenzie

The government's move to temporarily cut the fuel excise may help reduce the annual inflation rate. (Jay Kogler/AAP PHOTOS)

BusinessCommentsPremiumInflation pressures set to expand despite fuel reprieve

Annual trimmed mean inflation is tipped to rise despite the easing of fuel prices, as the impacts of the Iran war flow through to the broader economy.

Jacob Shteyman

Housing MarketVideoCommentsPremiumDouble-digit investor retreat set to shred housing market

An investment expert has warned Australians an “extremely overvalued” property market will take a hit from rate hikes, Federal Budget tax changes and a potential economic downturn.

Matt Mckenzie

Consumers are still down in the dumps despite easing fuel price shocks.

EconomyCommentsPremiumConsumers still down on the dumps despite fuel shock easing

Australian consumers are still very much down in the dumps despite lower fuel prices at the pump.

Cheyanne Enciso

RBA governor Michele Bullock and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

RBACommentsPremiumRBA chief economist sounds alarm on a rate hikes recession

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s chief economist Sarah Hunter has warned entrenched inflation could lead to punitive rate hikes that would spark a recession.

Stephen Johnson

Fresh NAB data shows businesses are experiencing a margin squeeze, with input costs rising faster than they can increase selling price.

EconomyCommentsPremiumFirms brace for more price pain but no room to pass it on

Businesses are bracing for more price rises in input costs in the coming months, a senior economist says, at a time when there’s little room to pass it on to already-crunched consumers.

Cheyanne Enciso

Higher interest rates and an oil shock generated by the Middle East war are expected to slow demand and lower economic growth. 

EconomyCommentsPremiumWhy this big four bank is optimistic the RBA will hold rates

ANZ expects the Reserve Bank will keep interest rates on hold for months after three inflation-fighting hikes this year.

Matt Mckenzie

A signed 2026 West Coast jersey was put up at the silent auction and initially attracted no buyers.

Herd on the TerraceCommentsPremiumBig birds, small bids: Salt rubbed into Eagles’ wounds

Seasoned West Coast supporters had a bit of salt rubbed into their wounds at a fundraising dinner to celebrate women in leadership.

The issue is not always how quickly banks move, but where they put the increase. 

Your MoneyCommentsPremiumSavers are being left behind by their bank after rate hikes

Borrowers have been slugged with higher mortgage rates after the Reserve Bank’s May hike, but many savers will miss out unless they meet the fine print on bonus accounts.

Ryan Johnson

Economists at major banks predict Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock will announce a rate hike. (Susie Dodds/AAP PHOTOS)

EconomyCommentsPremiumCompany chiefs warn consumers paying the price of war

Consumers are paying the price of the war, some of the nation’s biggest company chiefs say, with the worst inflation in nearly three years prompting a third interest rate hike this year.

Cheyanne Enciso and Aaron Patrick

A Government cash splash will be working in direct opposition to the RBA. Pictured: RBA Governor Michele Bullock and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

opinion
opinion
EDITORIALCommentsPremium
opinion
RBA and Chalmers pulling in opposite directions

A Government cash splash will be working in direct opposition to the RBA. And looking at the big picture beyond a possible small Government sugar hit, we will all be the losers.

Australia's Big Four banks have passed on the hike in full.

BankingCommentsPremiumBig Four banks pass on RBA’s rate hike

Commonwealth Bank has become the first of the Big Four to lift interest rates following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision on Tuesday. It was closely followed by NAB, ANZ and Westpac.

Cheyanne Enciso

RBA governor Michele Bullock and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

RBAVideoCommentsPain to persist, warns Bullock as RBA wipes out 2025 cuts

The Reserve Bank has raised interest rates by another 25 basis points to 4.35 per cent, undoing last year’s relief. Governor Michele Bullock hinted at more pain and cautioned against higher government spending.

Stephen Johnson

West Australians splurged on clothing and footwear, recreation and culture as well as miscellaneous goods and services.

EconomyCommentsPremiumEven with higher petrol prices, we can’t stop spending

Higher petrol prices may have dominated WA household spending in March, but it appears consumers still have spare cash to splurge on discretionary items — paving the way for an interest rate hike on Tuesday.

Cheyanne Enciso

Australia's big four banks are all set to pass on the hike in full.

LIVE UPDATESCommentsRBA RECAP: How much more you’ll pay, and what to do now

The Middle East war has blown another hole in the budgets of millions of families already shell-shocked by two interest rate hikes this year. 

Daniel Newell

Economists at major banks predict Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock will announce a rate hike. (Susie Dodds/AAP PHOTOS)

BusinessPremiumBorrowers back to square one as likely rate hike looms

Housing cost growth is set to pick up steam in the coming months as the Middle East conflict drags on, adding to the Reserve Bank's inflation concerns.

Jacob Shteyman

Peter Tulip, a former senior research manager with the Reserve Bank, has warned home borrowers of three more rate hikes that would take mortgage rates to levels last seen in 2008.

RBAVideoCommentsPremiumCry like it’s 2008: Ex-RBA boffin tips three more rate rises

A former senior research manager with the Reserve Bank has warned home borrowers of three more rate hikes that would take mortgage rates to levels last seen in 2008.

Stephen Johnson

Pressure is mounting for Jim Chalmers to sharpen the axe in his upcoming Federal Budget.

EconomyCommentsPremiumDeloitte issues grim warning on ‘structurally flawed’ Budget

Pressure is mounting for Jim Chalmers to sharpen the axe in his upcoming Federal Budget as economists from Deloitte warn years of revenue windfalls have ‘papered over’ structural flaws in the nation’s finances.

Matt Mckenzie

Throwing Government money around in what Chalmers will no doubt badge as cost-of-living relief in the May 12 Budget will be pulling in the opposite direction to the RBA’s use of its interest rate lever.

opinion
opinion
EditorialVideoCommentsPremium
opinion
RBA should hold its nerve over interest rates

Throwing Government money around in what Chalmers will no doubt badge as cost-of-living relief in the May 12 Budget will be pulling in the opposite direction to the RBA’s use of its interest rate lever.

The tax burden on Australians is at the highest level in almost two decades, new government data shows, with a former Reserve Bank official warning it is likely to get even worse.

BusinessCommentsPremiumAustralians’ tax bills soar to highest level since 2008

The tax burden on Australians is at the highest level in almost two decades, new government data shows, with a former Reserve Bank official warning it is likely to get even worse.

Stephen Johnson

Morgan Stanley says companies will struggle to pass on soaring costs now than in the COVID-19 era.

EconomyCommentsPremiumCompanies face uphill battle to pass on war costs

A leading analyst says the ability for Australian companies to pass on soaring costs, fuelled by the war, to consumers will be more challenging than the COVID-19 era given interest rates are rising.

Cheyanne Enciso

An RBA report into the use of cash has recorded its first rise since the survey began in 2007. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

MoneyPremiumAustralians love their cash and will carry or hoard it

The RBA has released its latest report on the use of cash in Australia, which shows it's still popular across all demographic groups.

Kaaren Morrissey