Australia & New Zealand Economics Update With RBA remaining hawkish, rate cuts will have to wait Although the RBA left rates on hold today, it poured cold water on market expectations that it will loosen policy later this year. With the economy still running above its speed limit, we continue to... 6th August 2024 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Australia CoreLogic House Prices (Jul.) Australian house prices gained a bit of momentum in July. However, leading indicators continue to suggest that the housing market will cool markedly in the months ahead. Even if house price growth... 1st August 2024 · 3 mins read
Global Economics Update Latest thoughts on r* and where rates end this cycle In detailed analysis last year, we concluded that equilibrium nominal interest rates would settle at between 3% and 4% in advanced economies in the next ten years. We maintain that opinion and in fact... 30th July 2024 · 4 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Making sense of Australia’s two-speed housing cycle Much of the recent resilience in Australia’s house price growth can be attributed to a handful of capital cities where the property markets have gone from strength to strength. We believe that there... 23rd July 2024 · 4 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update What to make of May’s plunge in household spending The Monthly Household Spending Indicator is often revised several months later so the plunge in spending in May won’t deter the Reserve Bank of Australia from hiking rates next month if inflation... 8th July 2024 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update RBNZ’s tightening bias is on its last legs We expect the RBNZ to leave rates on hold for a seventh consecutive time at its meeting next Wednesday. To be sure, the Bank will probably strike a hawkish tone out of an abundance of caution. However... 3rd July 2024 · 5 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Australia CoreLogic House Prices (Jun.) Australian house price gains softened just a smidge in June as housing demand held up reasonably well. However, as strained affordability takes its toll, we still think that house price growth will... 1st July 2024 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Falling vacancies starting to lift unemployment While the labour market held up initially as job vacancies started to fall, fewer job openings are now pushing up the unemployment rate in earnest and we expect it to rise from 4% now to 5% by 2026. 27th June 2024 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update RBA will only cut rates next year The RBA discussed another rate hike at today’s meeting and an upside surprise to Q2 inflation could force its hand at its August meeting. However, with capacity constraints easing and government... 18th June 2024 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Wage growth will undershoot RBA’s forecasts This year’s minimum wage increase will be a bit smaller than we had anticipated. And with the looser labour market putting downward pressure on wage growth among workers not covered by the minimum... 3rd June 2024 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Australia CoreLogic House Prices (May) While house price growth accelerated rather sharply in May, stretched affordability points to a renewed slowdown. Indeed, most leading indicators point to a renewed moderation in price growth. 3rd June 2024 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update RBNZ policy changes will ease lending standards The debt-to-income restrictions launched by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand today won’t restrict the flow of new mortgage lending. In fact, the concurrent easing of restrictions on loan-to-value... 28th May 2024 · 5 mins read
FX Markets Update AUD & NZD to outperform other G10 currencies We think the kiwi and the aussie strength will continue over the next couple of years as we expect they will be among the last developed economies to start an easing cycle. 24th May 2024 · 4 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update RBNZ signals rate cuts may have to wait Although it left rates unchanged at its meeting today, the RBNZ indicated that interest rates may have to stay higher for longer. However, we think the Bank is overstating the upside risks to the... 22nd May 2024 · 3 mins read
Global Economics Update What the latest US tariffs mean for the global economy We held an online Drop-In session today to discuss the Biden administration’s new tariffs on goods from China. This Update answers several of the questions that we received about the direct effects of... 15th May 2024 · 6 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Chalmers’ fight against inflation goes nowhere Treasurer Jim Chalmers has sought to present the 2024/25 Budget as one that strikes a balance between providing support to an ailing economy and keeping pressure off inflation. In our view, that’s... 15th May 2024 · 3 mins read