Category Archives: Reserve Bank

Of razor gangs, budget cuts and the policy mix

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

In the Channel Nine series Underbelly Razor – as in real life – Sydney’s criminal matriarch Tilly Devine did not hesitate to wield the razor to keep her motley empire in line and protect it against incursion by rival gangs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Gillard Government, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

The true cost of NIMBYism

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

A home is the biggest purchase most Australians will make in their lifetime and yet most of us know very little about the forces that determine what types of homes are available to live in and what we must pay … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

Euro zone a car crash: best keep your eyes on the road

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

You know how most of the traffic created by a car crash is not the crash itself, but everyone slowing down to have a rubberneck? Well, the same thing can happen with economies. And fair enough, the unfolding car crash … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Budget, Currency, Employment, Gillard Government, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | 1 Comment

Don’t Panic! You’re all going to panic now, aren’t you?

Posted on September 26, 2011 by

IS THERE any more surefire way to induce widespread panic than the phrase “don’t panic”? Well, here goes anyway: DON’T PANIC. May as well leave panicking to the fickle souls trading daily in financial markets, if only because they are … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | 1 Comment

Whither house prices?

Posted on August 15, 2011 by

Want to hear some good news? Amid the sharemarket turmoil, street riots and other portents of impending apocalypse, relative calm has descended on the Australian housing market. Home affordability has improved.

Posted in Banks, Employment, Housing, Interest Rates, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

US credit rating downgrade explained

Posted on August 8, 2011 by

PERHAPS the most confusing thing about the first-ever downgrade to the credit rating of the United States government is the way it simultaneously says everything, and nothing, about the future of the world economy. In simple terms, a country’s credit … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Budget, Gillard Government, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | 9 Comments

Don’t be fooled by the whinging, we’re ok

Posted on August 1, 2011 by

We don’t like carbon taxes and we don’t like boats. Mention population growth and we’re at each other’s throats. We don’t like interest rate rises and we disdain debt. We can’t stomach liars and we never forget. Australians, it seems, … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavioural Economics, Employment, Housing, Inflation, Interest Rates, Reserve Bank | 3 Comments

Westpac’s Bill Evans’ BIG call on rate cuts

Posted on July 22, 2011 by

SMH 16-07-11: THE collapse in consumer sentiment and increasing risk of a European sovereign debt default have prompted Australia’s second-biggest bank to forecast the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates by one percentage point by the end of September 2012.

Posted in Banks, Inflation, Interest Rates, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

What next for your mortgage?

Posted on July 11, 2011 by

Interest rates are going up. No, wait! Interest rates are going down. Er, interest rates are staying on hold. Confused? The global financial crisis has claimed a new victim: the interest rate forecasting industry. Predicting monthly moves by the Reserve … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Gillard Government, Housing, Inflation, Interest Rates, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

let’s ditch tax returns

Posted on June 24, 2011 by

I’ve heard talk that there are some sick individuals in society who actually take pleasure in filling out their annual tax returns. For such people, July 1 looms like the opening day of the latest Harry Potter movie. It’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavioural Economics, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment