Rich getting richer: wealth divide hits record high
Australia's wealth divide reached its worst level in more than two decades, after excluding a temporary narrowing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The economy
Stronger goods and services exports have pushed the Australian economy out of a hole, with GDP rising 0.6 per cent in the December quarter, above RBA forecasts.
Fresh inflation figures should help convince the Reserve Bank to cut rates again in May, despite a slight uptick in underlying price growth, economists say.
The Trump administration's tariffs will inflict less damage on Australia's economy than others but their impact on inflation is less clear, central bankers say.
Update
Robust job data unlikely to spook Reserve Bank on rates
Ongoing tightness in the labour market won't overly concern the Reserve Bank in its fight against inflation, says one economist after surprising jobs figures.
Update
Wages slowdown boosts case for more rate cuts
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says ongoing growth in real wages is a good thing, but the RBA will be more encouraged that wage rises are showing signs of slowing.
The economy
Economists less confident of RBA rate cut than market
An AAP survey of 32 leading Australian economists has tipped the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates this week, but more than one in five remain unconvinced.
Floods in Australia's north are expected to cut economic output and nudge up banana and sugar prices, as the opposition weighs in on a forecast rate cut.
States' "lax financial discipline" has earned a rebuke from a credit ratings giant, which says they are at risk of paying higher interest bills to service debt.
Strong retail spending figures are not expected to deter the Reserve Bank from cutting rates at its next meeting as one big bank lowers fixed-rate loans.
Home values held firm in January as a shallow and short-lived housing downturn nears its end, with new supply coming too slowly to solve unaffordability.
The strength of Australia's labour market has kept the Reserve Bank from cutting interest rates but growing evidence suggests it's not as crucial as thought.
More than 50,000 jobs were added to the economy in December, well above analyst expectations, keeping RBA concerns about a tight labour market alive.
A decline in spending on household goods in the wake of Black Friday sales has bolstered hopes of an RBA rate cut as soon as February.
Australian shoppers continue to lean on Black Friday sales for cheaper goods, with the discounting period now extending across all of November.
Australia's headline inflation rate has picked up but cooling on all-important underlying price measures could open the door to interest rate cuts.
Consumer confidence has bounced higher and is expected to keep improving as rising real wages and rate cuts support household incomes.
The Australian dollar has slipped to less than 62 US cents for the first time since October 2022.
Australia's property market is entering 2025 in a downturn and while interest rate cuts should boost demand, any home price growth rebound is tipped to be mild.
