The CPI rose 4.0% in the year to May

A 6.5% rise in housing costs drove the May CPI 4.0% inflation rate, not fuel or food. The overall trimmed mean was up 3.6%, a rise from April

ASIC lifts hood on car finance costs and distribution concerns

Consumers exposed to harm from loan brokers and car dealers in the way vehicle loans are distributed by some of the industry's largest brands

Today's changes to interest rates

Here are the changes the main banks have made to retail interest rates on Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Breakfast briefing: Commodity currencies take it on the chin

US data mixed but markets fear rate hikes coming; Asian data very good; Australia sees rural exports declining as costs twist commercial decisions; UST 10yr at 4.46%; gold down and oil dips; AU$1 = 69.2 USc;

Housing markets are facing into a more challenging and uncertain outlook

Westpac assesses what is ahead for the residential real estate sector, seeing a sharp and sustained pull-back from mid-2026, already slowing from interest rate hikes

$35 million penalty sought as HSBC admits to scam protection failures, and implements compensation plan

HSBC has admitted to serious failures in protecting customers from scams that cost some tens of thousands of dollars, including their life savings

Travel and events lift May spending, but mortgage holders hit the brakes

The latest Commbank household spending insights shows May spending got a boost from travel and events, but CBA economists expect spending slowdown to continue.

RBA holds fire in latest review

As widely expected, the RBA has made no change to its 4.35% cash rate target after the three previous rate hikes. Uncertainty on inflation direction is high as fuel costs are expected to retreat soon

SpaceX is the new East India Company

Alessio Terzi and Stefano Marcuzzi consider lessons from the three-century era when corporate monopolies operated beyond the reach of sovereign powers

The hidden cost of being the financially capable one

Lynda Moore says that whether at home, work, or with friends, if you are seen as 'the one best with money', this skill needs to come with boundaries and balance

Where is China's trillion-dollar trade surplus going?

Miao Yanliang thinks the answer to what China is doing with its gigantic trade surplus says a lot about its economy's trajectory, particularly its progress on financial deepening

April mortgage market analysis

Some banks are failing in the mortgage wars, some are just holding on, while one is going toe-to-toe with the upstart leader, Macquarie

Adoption of EVs a bright spot in a tepid new passenger car market

The new car market fell -1.2% in May from a year ago, bolstered by strong demand for EVs within that decline. ICE is out

Fair Work Commission OKs a 4.75% hike to the National Minimum Wage

The minimum wage to rise to over $1000 per week on July 1, after the Fair Work Commission agrees the biggest rise since 20203

Bolting ahead

The main banks' muscle-up to the Macquarie challenge starts to show results for most of them. The rise of Bank Australia moves it out of the shadows too

'Grossly negligent' Westpac cops $26 mln penalty

After paying $1.7 mln in remediation to customers who did not get proper responses for their financial hardship claims, judge adds $26 mln civil penalty for the failures

The jobless rate rises, unexpectedly

The 2026 job market is tougher on women than men. There were fewer jobs for women in April, slightly more for men