Following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decision to lift the official cash rate (OCR) by 25 bps on Tuesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers was quick to place the blame on the private sector, rather than his own government’s policies. “The Board’s statement today does not mention government spending. It makes it very clear the pressure
Over the past several years, Australia’s real inflation-adjusted wages have experienced their largest decline in modern history. Between the June quarter of 2020 and the March quarter of 2023, Australian real wages declined by 7.4%, returning to levels not seen since the March quarter of 2009. Real wages have recovered somewhat since, rising by 1.1%
Asian share markets are in mixed mood after the poor showing on Wall Street overnight although some risk taking is occuring across other markets with Yen weakening while the Kiwi lifted despite a poor unemployment print. The Australian dollar is still lifting above the 70 cent level on the long expected RBA rate yesterday. Brent
29 of the 31 provinces on the Chinese mainland have released growth targets for 2026. Nineteen of the 29 provinces reduced their 2026 growth goals. This sets the stage for Beijing to follow suit and reduce the national real GDP growth objective from “around 5%” last year to “4.5-5.0%” for 2026. The structure of growth
Once mighty software is being devoured by AI. The problem is that when AI can be added to anything and everything, tailored to specific industries and even specific business needs, the broad-based software package with a big moat is history. Tech volatility is leading broader market volatility higher. There’s no panic but there’s no retreat,
Brisbane’s housing market has experienced one of its largest-ever price booms over the past five years. According to PropTrack, Brisbane dwelling values soared by 95.7% in the five years to January 2026: As a result, Brisbane has become the second most expensive housing market in the nation based on median values, behind Sydney: KPMG’s latest
Over the last cycle of immigration-led growth, inflation was endemically weak. This was thanks to two main factors. The 2013-2020 surge was driven by Chinese immigrants who brought substantial investment capital to new apartment blocks. The result was a massive build-out in rental stock, which drove down rents despite inflows of people. While many of
The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) is the country’s peak professional body for registered migration agents and migration lawyers. It represents and supports professionals who provide migration advice to individuals, families, employers, and organisations. The MIA also lobbies the government on migration policy and regulatory issues. Peter van Vliet, CEO of the MIA, authored an article
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung recently pledged to rein in real estate speculation, which was threatening his nation’s future, vowing to stabilise the housing market “by any means necessary.” “For the sake of a reasonable and prosperous nation, (I) will put an end to real estate speculation that could ruin the country by any
The ferrous jaws must close, and slowly they are. Scuttlebutt is bearish. Chinese steel mills trimmed purchases ahead of the extended Lunar New Year holiday while preparing for scheduled maintenance, dampening near-term demand. Port activity in China also softened, with industry data showing lower transaction volumes, suggesting mills are relying less on spot cargoes. Port