There are two interest rate hike decisions in the pipeline for today and later in the week. There are considerable risks behind both these decisions, writes Robert Gottliebsen.
Reserve bank
And then there were three waiting in the wings…
Call it the MIT Mafia, but there are now three senior officials at the Reserve Bank, including two leading candidates for the governorship, who all obtained their PhDs at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the US.
‘Rate rise looms’ mob should expect the unexpected from the RBA
One of the oddities of reporting on what the Reserve Bank and its senior officials say each month is that each utterance is treated as “new” news when in fact they are quite often part of a continuing narrative.
Commodity export prices the interest rate driving force
The acceleration in commodity prices for Australian exports is driving something unheard of, the second surge in our terms of trade and national income from the China boom in three years.
Inflation up, housing costs the driver
Thanks to the rising cost of housing, inflation is stirring, enough to get the Reserve Bank a little twitchy ahead of next Tuesday’s monthly board meeting.
Stevens opens up, and does the Coalition no favours
Glenn Stevens was slightly more expansive than normal yesterday, and the Opposition was the loser.
US Fed hints at rate rises: Stevens warns of comeback challenge
The US Federal Reserve is hinting the days of record-low interest rates may be over. Meanwhile, Australian’s Reserve Bank governor is warning of the challenges of an economy in expansion.
Consumers shrug off RBA’s rate hikes
Get ready for a rates rise. The level of rising confidence, taken with solid retail sales for November, good car sales, still strong demand for housing finance and surging overseas travel, have increased the odds of the RBA lifting rates.
C’mon, Kev, show some guts: tell us where we’re weak
We need more than just idle talk from a Prime Minister and a Treasury that knows what’s needed and should have the guts to issue a report pointing out our weak areas and suggesting what needs to be done.
Datapig: Banks just go on giving … less, that is
Reward points from the Big Four banks are costing us more every year, as the banks move the goalposts away as fast as we run towards them.
When a bank bailout is a bailout
It’s a sorry state of affairs when it takes a speech from a regulator to advance the case of Australia’s banks for lifting home-loan rates more than the Reserve Bank’s 0.25% increases.
The Dyer Index: Stevens’ sunny-side-up optimism could bite him
There wasn’t much left for Reserve Bank Governor, Glenn Stevens to say at today’s appearance before the the House of Reps Economics Committee.
RBA hedges its bets: next cut no certainty
An interest rate cut is still a chance at the April 7 meeting of the Reserve Bank board, but it might not be the certainty so many economists have been saying, writes Glenn Dyer.
Jitters battle retail sales as RBA holds steady
The RBA has opted to keep rates on hold, writes Glenn Dyer.
RBA goes for hardly any growth
The $42 billion of spending now being argued over in Canberra will go a long way to keeping the national economy from sliding into recession this year, writes Glenn Dyer.
RBA has done its dash on rates
The minutes of the Reserve Bank’s December meeting reveal it will be reluctant to cut interest rates again if the local economy remains resilient, writes Glenn Dyer.
How low can interest rates go? Economists tell
With the RBA cautious on another round of rate cuts, Crikey asked a group of senior economists to provide a pointer on central bank policy.
Crikey Clarifier: The Aussie dollar
Arlene wants to know — if the Oz economy is so much better than the USA one, why has our dollar dropped so much recently against the greenback? Crikey has the answers.
Rate cut contagion goes global
The extent of the global economic slump will be illustrated this week when central banks move to slash interest rates, writes Glenn Dyer.
RBA prepares to cut, and cut hard
The latest data from the Reserve Bank has lifted the chances of a big rate cut tomorrow, writes Glenn Dyer.
Private credit eases, rate cut firms
The latest private credit data means the Reserve Bank will almost certainly slash rates again next week, writes Glenn Dyer
Keen: Always look on the bright side … of economic data?
Our economic managers, caught in a crisis they didn’t see coming, are still using the same models that didn’t anticipate this mess, writes Steve Keen
Rate Cut Cup: Halfapercent tightens to firm odds-on
Halfapercent has tightened but Pointsevenfive, could be a late tip for the Rate Cut Cup at 2.30 pm this afternoon, writes Glenn Dyer.
