CPI rose 3.8% in the year to June 2026

Although housing costs rose as rebates ended, overall inflation eased from 4.0% in May to 3.8% in June, shifted lower by lower fuel costs

ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations were at 5.9% in late July – down 0.1% points from June

The RBA will be watching inflation expectations ahead of their August 11 review. The latest survey keeps them uncomfortably high even if they have inched lower

What our fridge can tell us about our finances

Lynda Moore says the more we deny ourselves something, the more we crave it. The stricter the prohibition, the more spectacular the failure

Breakfast briefing: Learning to live with less oil

China imports sharply less oil; US data ho-hum; Japan gets deadly quake; Malaysia PPI jumps; Singapore birthrate dives; eyes on Australian CPI; UST 10yr at 4.60%; gold down; oil falls sharply again; AU$1 = 69.8 USc

Why business leaders are souring on AI

Dambisa Moyo outlines four steps that firms should take before committing even more resources to AI

A 6% rate for savers arrives

ING the first to crack the 6% offer level for savers in this business cycle

More workers, higher participation

The June labour markets surprised with record numbers of people working, and working more hours. But part-time work stays sticky

Today's changes to interest rates

Here are the changes the main banks have made to retail interest rates on Thursday, July 23, 2026

The mother of all economic shocks Is Chinese mercantilism

Arvind Subramanian thinks Chinese exports have had a greater effect on the global economy than any other single factor

The oil market absorbed the war shock, but buffers are running low

The IMF sees lower demand for oil, more production, and inventory drawdowns all of which prevented a larger price spike. A quick supply recovery is essential to avoid further damage to the global economy they say

Just say no to remote work

Michael Strain implores recent graduates and younger workers to be physically present at their job

Growth and inequality

David Mahon finds Chinese development like crossing a river while feeling the stones. China's objectives on the far bank remain clear, but the water level is now higher, the current stronger, and the stones beneath harder to locate

Still much lower overall market shares, but growing faster than all their main rivals

In a month where over growth was low, the smallest of the main banks still managed to outperform their much larger rivals

China’s cheap speed is resetting consumer expectations

Mark Tanner sees Chinese companies producing things cheaper, faster and smarter than ever before. The impact goes beyond just changing how products are made or delivered - it is altering consumer behaviour

Housing market downturn deepens as demand headwinds build

Cotality says its national HVI fell -0.4% in June. Capital city values dropped -1.3% in the quarter, led by Sydney (-3.2%) and Melbourne (-2.6%). Adelaide unchanged; Brisbane and Perth rose. Auction clearance rates fell below 50%

The fluid struggles to win mortgage business

In the home loan market, Macbank wins again in May, Commbank holds its position, ANZ wins back some lost positions, but NAB and Westpac shed some share

ACCC to monitor supermarket compliance with new excessive pricing prohibition

The competition regulator has been armed with new powers to monitor the pricing policies of the Coles and Woolworths supermarket chains. What is being prohibited is "excessive pricing"