The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut interest rates by 50 basis points in an unexpected move that should provide welcome relief to many homeowners. The reduction takes the official cash rate to 3.75 percent. Damian Smith CEO of financial comparison site RateCity called the RBA’s decision "a very big move". "They haven’t moved rates [...]

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Foreign investors have “very odd” views about Australian property and fret that housing prices may yet collapse, according to a senior Australian banking executive. “Overseas investors have a very odd set of views about Australian property prices,” Phil Chronican, ANZ’s chief executive of its Australian operations, said today. “They on one hand look at the [...]

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The board of the Reserve Bank of Australia has left the official cash rate at 4.25 percent for the second month in a row. The move was widely expected with inflation at the bottom of the RBA’s target band of 2-3 percent and global economic conditions improving. However, the news may not be met with [...]

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The decision of the “Big Four” banks to lift interest rates independent of the Reserve Bank has left mortgage holders bewildered and wondering “will they do it again?” “Whilst we are thankful that our banking industry is stable and profitable it seems like a cheap shot at mortgage holders, many of whom are already struggling,” [...]

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Making your home energy and water efficient not only assists the environment but can save you money over the long-term. Here are five water saving tips: Install water efficient shower heads Install water efficient tapware Install sprinkler watering systems with focus on efficiency Purchase water efficient washing machine Purchase water efficient dishwasher

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  The Board of the Reserve Bank meets tomorrow. In July last year Westpac forecast that the next easing cycle would total 100bps beginning near year’s end. Subsequently, the Board decided to ease the overnight cash rate by 25bps in both November and December. Based on current information, we continue to expect a further 50bps [...]

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AUSTRALIAN housing markets displayed a generally resilient performance in 2011, reflecting the inherent security of residential real estate in this country, particularly when compared with housing markets in similar open-market economies. The year was always set to be a period of correction for Australia’s housing markets following the unsustainable growth in house prices recorded through [...]

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The Reserve Bank has decided to keep interest rates on hold, despite fears of the Australian economy struggling outside the mining sector. With instability in the European markets and concerns over a double-dip recession in the US, the RBA decided to keep official interest rates at 4.75 percent. RateCity CEO Damian Smith said the decision [...]

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In recent weeks there has been much talk of lower interest rates. Whilst this is great news buyers shouldn’t be certain that the “talk” will lead to reality. What is interesting however is that much of the talk is coming from the banking sector. In fact some of the major financial institutions have already began [...]

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The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has spared borrowers an interest rate rise, leaving the cash rate at 4.75 percent in a widely expected move. The Reserve Bank last increased the overnight cash rate in November 2010 to 4.75 percent from 4.5 percent and most economists still expect a rate rise this year. “We expect [...]

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