Rates & Credit

Australia is moving the opposite way to the US on rates. That gap could squeeze borrowers, lift political heat and test the economy. But where does it end?

Inflation was already proving sticky. Now the oil shock is threatening to push petrol, freight, building inputs and borrowing costs higher at the same time. For property investors, the real risk is not just dearer fuel. It is the prospect of rates staying high for longer just as sentiment weakens.

The government’s low-deposit push has helped more buyers get through the door. But in a softer market, that same policy could turn the entry-level segment into the first place investors see stress.

A new wave of property optimism is colliding with weak building numbers, stretched affordability and renewed rate anxiety. That tension could decide who gets locked out, and who adjusts fast enough to stay in the game.

A divided RBA board has raised a bigger question than the hike itself: was this really about Middle East tension, or did Australia’s own inflation problem leave the bank with nowhere else to go?

A fresh political blame game is building around interest rates, but the real question for households is simpler: is government spending still making the RBA’s job harder?

A stronger Australian dollar looks like good news. For investors with US shares, offshore cash or travel plans, the reality is more complicated.

A fresh RBA hike, sticky inflation and an oil-driven global shock have changed the 2026 property script. The headline may look flat, but that is not how the next phase is likely to feel on the ground.

Higher rates are biting hard in one part of Australia. In another, they may be doing the opposite.

A quiet change in bank policy can do more to the market than a loud headline. This week, Westpac Group brands have put 15-year...

Serviceability buffers, cash flow drag and sloppy sequencing can cap you after property one. Here’s how investors keep lenders saying “yes”.

Credit is the real risk lever. As lending tightens, the “borrow big and hope” strategy gets exposed fast. Here’s how to invest defensively without sitting on your hands.

A 0.25 per cent hike doesn’t just lift repayments, it hits confidence, cools demand and exposes investors with no buffer.

How rising inflation shifts the playing field for property investors and how you can seize the advantage