Macbank raises its fixed home loan rates

Facing pressures from wholesale money markets, and its own aggressive fundraising from households, Macquarie Bank has raised most fixed home loan rates, covered by rising real estate activity demand

Jobless rate falls to 4.3%

Another very strong set of employment data with total jobs expanding by 42,200 and full time jobs expanding by +55,300

Breakfast briefing: Moving on, ignoring vital risks

US gets ready to move past shutdown, but damaged; Japanese machine tool orders zoom; Malaysia retail rising; India inflation at record low; UST 10yr at 4.06%; gold rises and oil falls hard; AU$1 = 65.4 USc;

Brand collaborations: A shortcut to relevance in China

Mark Tanner says magic happens in China when brands collaborate in unexpected, fearless ways that likely wouldn't happen in the West

Rapid recovery

Roy Morgan says trust in banking and finance industries – including all ‘big four’ banks – increased significantly over the last 12 months

NAB joins Commbank in offering 4% for a one year term deposit

Big banks battling Macbank's voracious retail deposit appetite choose high one year rates to retain and grow their household term deposit flows. ANZ and Westpac will need to respond soon

Commbank defends its household deposit base with a higher term deposit offer

Under pressure from Macquarie, there is a serious reordering of household deposit loyalty underway. Commbank has found a way to avoid the worst of it, and has upped other key rate to prevent leakage

What is the gold price telling us?

Jim O'Neill consider both the bullish and bearish case for the yellow metal and markets carry it to record highs

Is Bessent right about the Fed?

Willem Buiter consider the US central Bank's failings in light of recent criticism from the US secretary of the Treasury

RBA holds again, even as inflation worries mount

RBA holds again but starts to worry about inflation pressure they can no longer ignore. They are hoping those pressure are transitory

Shifting around to maintain competitiveness

Two challenger banks tweak variable rates to keep them competitive and meaningfully lower than the big four pillar banks

Review: the Apple Watch Ultra 3 smartwatch

The biggest and baddest Apple watch, the Ultra 3, is the company's best smartwatch

Below the surface of China’s slowing retail growth

Mark Tanner says Chinese consumers are saving more of their paychecks, bruised by their losses in residential property. Conspicuous consumption is lower but there are still many bright spots, especially related to 'experiences'

China needs a consumption target

Stephen Roach thinks the next Chinese five-year plan should set a goal of raising household spending to 50% of GDP by 2035

Tariffs, fiscal concerns … and gold to the rescue

A gold analyst says a portfolio that includes gold adds resiliency, and the diversification benefits remain as relevant as ever amid raging political & economic crosscurrents

How do banks assess you for a home loan? And how do you work out what you can afford?

An RMIT expert runs through the process of getting a home loan. Ama Samarasinghe says the key to staying stress-free is to budget for reality, not hope

Can you save by converting to a fixed rate home loan?

We look at the rationale for converting your variable rate mortgage to a fixed rate. There are good savings if you do that now, even if the RBA makes another rate cut before the end of 2025