Interest Rate Bulletin December 2009

RBA Raises Official Cash Rate At its meeting today, the Board decided to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.75 per cent, effective 2 December 2009. Statement by Glenn Stevens, Governor Monetary Policy RBA The global economy has resumed growth. With economic policies remaining expansionary, growth is likely to continue next year, though it will probably be modest in the major countries, due to the continuing legacy of the financial crisis. In China and Asia generally, where financial sectors are not impaired, recovery has been much quicker to date and prospects appear to be for good growth in 2010. Financial markets have improved considerably during 2009, not with standing periodic setbacks, and capital flows into Asia and other emerging market regions have been picking up. Read More >>

Cheaper to buy or rent?

Buying property is becoming cheaper than renting in many suburbs across Australia, according to research by property pricing specialist RP Data. It was found that in 94 metropolitan and regional suburbs, the monthly cost of rental outstrips the monthly mortgage repayment on both houses and units. Read More >>

Clear of Christmas debt

If ever there was a popular time to go into debt, Christmas is the choice of many. According to a Reserve Bank report, Australians have more than $1.9 trillion in outstanding debt, 61 per cent of which is made up of consumer debt. The festive season may well blow-out this already inflated figure unless we fast reign-in our spending. Read More >>

Seize the Day

You have been thinking about buying a property for some time, but you cannot bring yourself to take the first step. Although you know the benefits it will bring, you keep putting your decision off because you are afraid of the risks involved. Read More >>

The Gift of Giving

Many of us spend a fortune on gifts at Christmas but ignore one of the most simple and effective ways to renew the true spirit of the festive season - to give without expecting anything in return. Find out what you can do and give a little this festive season. Read More >>

Interest Rate Bulletin November 2009

RBA Raises Official Cash Rate At its meeting today, the Board decided to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.5 per cent, effective 4 November 2009. Statement by Glenn Stevens, Governor Monetary Policy RBA The global economy has resumed growth. With economic policy settings likely to remain expansionary for some time, the recovery is likely to continue during 2010 and forecasts have been revised higher. The expansion is generally expected to be modest in the major countries, due to the continuing legacy of the financial crisis. Prospects for Australia's Asian trading partners appear to be noticeably better. Growth in China has been very strong, which is having a significant impact on other economies in the region and on commodity markets. For Australia's trading partner group, growth in 2010 is likely to be close to trend. Read More >>