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    Inflation

    This Month

    Housing inflation is proving particularly tough to tame, as landlords pass on rising mortgage rates to tenants and working from home adds to housing demand.

    Remote work fuelling higher housing costs: BIS

    Housing inflation is proving particularly tough to tame, as landlords pass on rising mortgage rates to tenants and working from home adds to demand.

    • Michael Read

    How the RBA became a global outlier in its inflation fight

    This week on The Fin, economics correspondent Michael Read explains why inflation has proved stickier than expected and raised the stakes for the RBA’s big bet.

    New Zealand inflation slows to three-year low

    Three of the country’s main banks brought forward forecasts for RBNZ rate cuts after the inflation report.

    • Matthew Brockett
    Investors just keep pushing sharemarkets higher. But there are signs of fragilty.

    Stocks just keep rising, but bonds are flashing a big warning

    Wall Street’s rally is grinding on, and now seems to be broadening out. However, beneath the surface, there are signs of fragility that shouldn’t be ignored.

    • James Thomson
    The IMF’s warning comes as economists await June quarter CPI numbers, which will be decisive in determining whether the RBA raises interest rates in August.

    Interest rates might need to stay high to tame inflation: IMF

    The IMF’s warning comes as economists await June quarter CPI numbers, which will be decisive in determining whether the RBA raises interest rates in August.

    • Michael Read
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    Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil.

    University teaching could explain why democracy is ‘backsliding’

    Letters from readers on social science teaching and democracy; the place of gas in the energy transition; and why any inflation is not desirable.

    Ever since Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from China, we have been witnessing a broad-based return of protectionism.

    Why Trump and other trends all point to higher inflation

    Societal forces from politics to geopolitics to de-globalisation to ageing and climate change are creating conditions that push towards higher inflation.

    • Raghuram Rajan
    The big tailwinds that have driven the ASX 200 to 8000 points also carry risks.

    Why this strategist thinks the ASX at 8000 is a warning sign

    Barrenjoey’s chief macro strategist won’t spend much time celebrating the latest milestone. He says the index’s fair value is about 7300.

    • James Thomson
    Donald Trump now looks near-certain to win in November. But can he engineer a sweep of Congress too?

    Why Macquarie guru Viktor Shvets says ‘Trump trade’ just got trickier

    More certainty for markets of a Trump victory now might mean more uncertainty later if he sweeps November’s elections.

    • James Thomson
    Phillip Britt is the chief executive of Aussie Broadband. He wants to capture more of the broadband market with cheaper products.

    Aussie Broadband discount offshoot Buddy chases lost customers

    Aussie Broadband is hoping to win back some of the customers lost to rival Superloop with a new, cheap internet brand, Buddy Telco.

    • Jenny Wiggins
    Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

    Budget surplus to be 50pc bigger than forecast: Chalmers

    The May budget forecast a $9.3 billion surplus last financial year, but Treasurer Jim Chalmers now says people should expect something in the ‘mid-teens’.

    • Ronald Mizen
    Just counting the number of people looking for work no longer captures labour spare capacity; the number of hours they want to work matters.

    Reserve Bank’s path to a soft landing is very narrow indeed

    Further rate rises would make it harder for the RBA to achieve the trifecta of a small rise in spare labour, with employment still increasing and inflation back at target.

    • Jonathan Kearns
    Traders now expected Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell to begin lowering rates in September.

    ASX hits record high as Fed gets ‘all clear’ to cut rates

    Shares and bonds have rallied, but economists are warning investors against reading too much into what the data could mean for Australia’s own central bank.

    • Joanne Tran and Joshua Peach
    Households face higher gas bills, which are increasing more substantially in larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne.

    Gas bill rises hit households despite east coast price caps

    Increases of up to 11 per cent from the biggest retailers will saddle families with steeper energy costs despite a mandated pause in electricity tariff rises.

    • Angela Macdonald-Smith
    Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, will have a chance on Tuesday AEST to give his take on the June CPI data.

    US September rate cut comes into sharper focus

    The unexpectedly good US June CPI report has triggered a surge in the probability of a September rate cut to more than 90 per cent.

    • Updated
    • Timothy Moore
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    Founder of Auto Luxury Australia Billy Taha is experiencing long wait times for imported cars.

    Port costs raise inflation fears, leave luxe cars in the slow lane

    The Albanese government is facing pressure to do more to lower shipping costs.

    • Tom Rabe, Jenny Wiggins and Joanne Tran
    Damian Graham, who oversees $160 billion of superannuation assets, has seven direct reports.

    No rate cuts and maybe a rise as inflation sticks, super funds warn

    The investment chiefs of the country’s biggest funds also have a bleak outlook for Aussie shares over the next year, after global equities drove double-digit returns in FY23.

    • Hannah Wootton
    ACCC chairwoman Gina Cass-Gottlieb is hunting another trophy: JB Hi-Fi.

    The Good Guys debacle reveals inflation’s unexpected consequence

    When inflation peaked at 7.8 per cent 18 months ago, no one could’ve predicted how it would affect some of our big brands.

    • Anthony Macdonald
    Premier Jacinta Allan announcing a tunnelling contract for the Suburban Rail Loop.

    Victoria’s secrecy stalls cash for Suburban Rail Loop

    Victoria has failed to hand over critical information about its controversial rail loop for almost two years despite seeking $11.5 billion from taxpayers.

    • Ronald Mizen
    Shoppers walk by an apparel store in Shanghai.

    China’s consumer price growth weakens ahead of key summit

    Factory deflation eases but Beijing’s reliance on exports and industrial output is stoking trade tensions.

    • Ryan McMorrow