Economic Trends

The Reserve Bank's new boss has not backed away from tough talk, saying the bank must use its "blunt" tool of interest rates to hammer out inflation for the collective welfare of Australians.

Diamond prices have fallen significantly since the start of last year, but even with higher interest rates and competition from lab grown stones, industry insiders say they don't expect the recent price declines to last forever.

Australian financial markets are now pointing to a close to zero chance of further rate rises — with a fair chance of a rate cut next year. That's thanks to the latest news from the US and UK, writes Peter Martin.

Minutes from the RBA's November meeting show the central bank decided to lift interest rates to their highest level in 12 years because of alarming signs that some businesses were passing on higher inflation costs to consumers.

Australian real estate is set for a double-dip downturn, according to a leading analyst, as interest rates finally weigh on property prices and for-sale listings surge.

High rents are driving our inflation because of record levels of immigration, and few appear willing to confront the problem. But this is not — and should not — be an argument about multiculturalism, race or diversity, writes Ian Verrender.

Javier Milei resoundingly wins Argentina's presidential election, swinging the country to the right following a fiercely polarised campaign.

Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin resigns following the telco's recent service outage, while the Australian share market finished higher after energy stocks rallied.

Job ads are down nearly 20 per cent over the past year, following a slump in October driven by hospitality and retail, indicating many businesses are bracing for a quiet summer.

If we drop the antagonism between younger Australians and Boomers, will it help to fixing our housing crisis, asks Gareth Hutchens.

Optus boss Kelly Bayer Rosmarin tells a Senate inquiry that 228 triple-0 calls were unable to be made during last week's outage, while the Australian share market falls slightly after Wall Street's recent rally comes to an end. Read how the day unfolded on our live blog.

Economists are warning recent wages growth could fuel Australia's already sticky inflation — and put even more upwards pressure on interest rates, writes David Taylor.

A rising number of people looking for work pushes unemployment up, despite the creation of 55,000 jobs last month.

After a subdued start, the ASX closed lower on Thursday after Australia's unemployment rate rose to 3.7 per cent in October even though 55,000 new jobs were added. Look back on the day's developments with our blog.

The private sector has outpaced public sector wages and despite the uptick in wages they're still not keeping up with cost of living with annual inflation at 5.4%.

Wages post their biggest quarterly increase in at least a quarter of a century, due to big pay boosts for aged care staff and workers on awards.

What if the government kept the Stage 3 tax cuts, but reoriented them to Australians who actually need them, asks Peter Martin.

Australia's leading iron ore miners are starting to diverge on their views about future demand for the commodity that's vital to our economy, and it's showing up in their investment decisions.

The itinerary of Anthony Albanese's latest foreign excursions involved some incredible diplomatic U-turns that neatly sum up the dilemma and danger we face in our region, writes business editor Ian Verrender.

Australian shares closed lower on Monday, led by a substantial drop in ANZ's share price as its full-year profit misses market forecasts. Look back on the day's developments with our blog.

If housing was a fundamental human right, what would that mean for Australians, asks Gareth Hutchens.

Among the long rows of glossy publications that cater to the reading needs of home renovators, gold hunters, hobby farmers, celebrity watchers, and puzzle lovers, this newsagent is witnessing a resurgence in demand for print magazines. 

With the surging costs of homes in Australia, more young people are relying on family to enter the market. It has experts concerned about deepening class disparity.

The growing sullenness amongst voters about cost of living pressures makes it inevitable that the economy will once again become the absolute core issue for the government, writes Laura Tingle.

The Reserve Bank reveals the reasoning behind its latest interest rate rise and whether it is likely to have to lift them again.