APRA to limit high debt-to-income home loans to constrain riskier lending

New rules arrive to try and limit the impending damage the Home Guarantee Scheme is expected to induce, after Canberra pulled taxpayers into backing up risky first home buyer lending in an already frothy housing market

Breakfast briefing: Local rates and currencies get a reset

Pre-holiday data releases flood US markets, a mixed set; Singapore factories very busy; Hong Kong tragedy; Australian inflation rises unexpectedly; UST 10yr at 4.00%; gold up and oil firms; AU$1 = 65.2 USc;

CPI rose 3.8% in the year to October 2025

Inflation up unexpectedly, complicating the RBA's policy track. This is the highest inflation reading since the monthly data series began in April 2025

Most banks have four percent rates or higher for savers

Banks scramble to offer higher savings and term deposit rates as Macquarie Banks appetite for household deposits gathers momentum. We look at what is now available

Piling on the pressure

Suddenly, the tables have turned and household depositors who have good-sized balances are in a great position to negotiate much better rates for their funds

Stablecoins are inevitable

Lucrezia Reichlin applies the lessons of past financial innovations to predict where regulation of stablecoins is headed

Robots, humans and donkeys

No, AI probably won't take your (whole) job, but the future workforce will look different. Fortunately the labour force is already shifting in mostly the right direction. Policy and social changes are nonetheless needed, says Westpac's Luci Ellis

Can AI be Asia's next growth engine?

Asia’s growth model is under intense strain, and rapid population aging will only make matters worse. But Lee Jong-Wha thinks the key to maintaining its momentum will be adopting AI, building human capital, and a framework of enabling institutions

Risks and vulnerabilities

In its latest review of the financial system, APRA is seeing some signs of a pick-up in higher risk lending, particularly high debt-to-income borrowing by investors

IMF calls for increased indirect taxation (GST), reintroducing a resource revenue tax, and removing income tax exemptions

The IMF likes where Australia is at, but sees serious risks ahead. It wants to see "comprehensive tax reform" and "greater spending efficiency" to hold on to fiscal sustainability

Competitive pressure keeps term deposit rates rising

Macbank broadens its competitive savings account rates to term deposits, matching Commbank, NAB and ANZ

Record numbers of younger women want to leave the US

Gallup polling shows that the desire to migrate among younger American women has quadrupled in the past decade - that's now 26 mln women who want to leave

Years in the making, the first complete monthly inflation report is almost here

If we all pay more attention to 'bad news' than following the underlying trends, will the release of monthly CPI inflation data make the RBA's policy justifications harder to accept?

Ranking variable mortgage rates

Although comparing bank mortgage rates appears daunting, we have the tools to allow you to take charge of this yourself so that you can know you always get the best deal

AUD should appreciate against USD over the next few years, mainly because the USD will weaken

RBA rate cuts are fading to the horizon on inflation pressure, but the US Fed is expected to cut its policy rate twice more in this cycle, says Westpac's Luci Ellis

Westpac raises fixed home loan rates

The Red Bank is the next major to raise fixed mortgage rates, responding to upward pressure in wholesale money markets. The RBA will need to make their assessment soon too

ING makes a big play for savers

Competition for savers is really hotting up with one challenger bank now offering 5% as a welcome rate for new savers