Breakfast briefing: US undermines push for oil relief

US payrolls don't grow, other US data soft; China holiday migration hits record; EU inflation rises; Brazil votes; UST 10yr at 5.28%; gold softer and oil holds high on renewed attacks; AU$1 = 69.6 USc

Difficult decisions today? or higher prices tomorrow?

AI has made borrowing more expensive. Alex Dryden explains how bond markets are changing

Why is the global economy so resilient?

Nouriel Roubini offers an explanation for the relatively benign global economic outlook, despite obvious risks

National housing values down for sixth straight month in September

Affordability constraints, higher interest rates, elevated living costs, and weaker consumer sentiment have all reduced purchasing capacity and dampened buyer demand

Today's changes to interest rates

Here are the changes the main banks have made to retail interest rates on Friday, October 2, 2026

RBA hikes cash rate target to 4.6%.

Australia leads the fight against inflation with a new high 4.6% policy interest rate, among the highest in the world at present

'Air pocket'

Westpac sees the run into year-end shaping as a particularly nervy one for housing markets. They have increased their peak-to trough price decline

Superannuation drives growth in household wealth

Household wealth now at $19.4 tln, driven by superannuation, but now held back by recently falling housing values

AI demands simpler financial regulation

Amit Seru warns that AI models, already embraced by market participants, are better than humans at gaming complexity

Westpac says the next hike will be soon now

Westpac says its expects the next RBA rate hike to be brought forward to September, as hawkish rhetoric outweighs the tactical risks

The population grows 1.4% in the year to March 2026

The population grows fastest in WA, grows the most in Victoria

Company failures push higher

A surge in construction company collapses has pushed month insolvencies to a new high

Is the Trump Treasury panicking?

Kenneth Rogoff warns that fiddling with bond maturities won't save the US from the painful fiscal choices ahead

APRA takes action to address material liquidity breaches by ING Australia

ING Australia now has to hold additional capital and liquidity in response to material breaches of the bank’s minimum liquidity requirements

July mortgage stress up to an 18-year high

Almost one third of home loan borrowers are now in mortgage stress says Roy Morgan, almost back to GFC levels in 2008

How much does your insurer really know about you?

Insurers have a lot of data about us. Fei Huang looks at where they get it from, and how they use it

New home loans fall in the June quarter

Finally there is some light in the battle to make housing affordable again. The new Budget rules have quelled residential investor animal spirits that were chasing capital gains and tax advantages