THE DISTILLERY: Rates lather

Monday, August 1st, 2011

The commentariat works itself into a sweat over the RBA's interest rate outlook, but finds little agreement. 28 Jul 2011 7:25 AM View full post on WBC | RSS Business News Feed | Business Spectator

THE DISTILLERY: Rates fever

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Some fevered jotters appear desperate to grab a headline ahead of the RBA's monthly board meeting. 6 Jun 2011 7:08 AM View full post on WBC | RSS Business News Feed | Business Spectator

Lower your banking aspirations

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

As the RBA touts a new era of slower credit growth, banks still expect returns in the high teens. How can these forecasts be reconciled? 25 Mar 2011 10:23 AM View full post on WBC | RSS Business News Feed | Business Spectator

Our banks’ savings grace

Friday, March 18th, 2011

The RBA's Guy Debelle believes household deleveraging and faster deposit growth will be ongoing trends. That's great news for banks that struggled with wholesale funding during the crisis. 16 Mar 2011 10:23 AM View full post on WBC | RSS Business News Feed | Business Spectator

Mining boom the focus for the RBA

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

The Reserve Bank of Australia says it is closely watching for a pick-up in the resources boom ahead of its next move on interest rates. View full post on ABC News: Business

Flood uncertainty keep rates on hold

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Interest rates have stayed on hold as expected, with the uncertainty over the economic impact of the floods weighing on the RBA's decision. View full post on ABC News: Business

Housing finance tumbles

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

According to the Bureau of Statistics, the number of owner occupied housing finance commitments fell 7.9% in January, seasonally adjusted. The market was expecting a 2% rise over the month, and the fall does not seem to fit with a supposed boom in construction. Including investment housing, but excluding re-financings, the number ...

Consumers confused ?

Friday, January 21st, 2011

The Westpac – Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index increased marginally to 117.3 in March from 117.0 in February. The survey was conducted in the week where the RBA increased the official cash rate by 0.25%, and the news about the 0.9% GDP growth for the December quarter came out. Oddly, consumer’s opinions ...

Banks gouging ? Really !

Monday, January 17th, 2011

The mainstream media were busy today putting the boot into the banks based on their reading of an article in the latest RBA Bulletin. The article, Recent Developments in Banks’ Funding Costs and Lending Rates, is full of lovely, luscious detail on funding mixes, margins and the like, but it seem ...

Tight job market to keep RBA on its toes

Saturday, December 25th, 2010

The job market is expected to be a closely watched feature of the economy in 2011. View full post on ABC News: Business