Australian Economy

According to Cotality, 2026 began with Australians required to dedicate a near-record share of their income to servicing a new mortgage. Since then, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has increased the official cash rate three times to 4.35%, the same level as the prior peak.

Via the ABS come capex intentions.

The media and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen were busy crowing about renewables supposedly helping lower the Default Market Offer (DMO) electricity prices, which were released this week by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released CPI inflation data for April, which retraces some of the spike observed last month as petrol prices fell 7% and public transport subsidies lowered transport prices.

Via Westpac.

Last week’s April labour force report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the nation’s unemployment rate rose to 4.5%, its highest level since November 2021 and well above the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) forecasts.

Australians are experiencing the perverse situation whereby they have seen the sharpest decline in real wages in living memory, a trend not forecast to improve in the forward estimates.

This month’s federal budget announced that the capital gains tax (CGT) regime would return to the pre-1999 indexation method.

With data from six of the major pollsters now under our belt, we can begin to assess how the budget was received through the lens of where Australians are dedicating their primary votes.

Since late last year, the U.S.

It’s now official: Australia is running three simultaneous self-reinforcing shocks.

The Budget papers show that the federal government’s total spending on disability in the 2027 financial year will come in at $98.1 billion, despite its efforts to curb the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) growth.

In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s construction sector experienced a sharp rise in construction insolvencies.

(Feature Image: Bearing the sharp edge of the insurance cycle. Credit: Drazen Zigic/Getty Images) The aggregate commentary on Australian commercial insurance markets through 2026 reads as cautiously optimistic, with several lines softening and capacity gradually returning.

Australian new car sales have hovered above 1.2 million annually since late 2023, albeit having retraced from their June 2024 peak.

My biggest problem with the federal budget’s changes to the capital gains tax was that they could discourage the formation of new businesses and venture capital, thereby stifling entrepreneurship, investment, and productivity at a time when business investment is already near historical lows.

In trading, comprehending price action patterns on the silver charts is essential.

It’s been a busy week in the wake of the Federal Budget, and the 2026 CGT shake-up is easily the biggest topic in my inbox.