Personal Finance

Between the September and November Board meetings, Australian equities fell around 5%. This decline occurred during a period in which the RBA's tightening cycle was continuing and global risk sentiment was being shaped by oil price rises, geopolitical developments, and concerns about AI-sector valuations.

The minutes of the RBA Board's 29 September 2026 meeting recorded that scheduled mortgage payments were about 10% of household disposable income in aggregate. This figure includes all households, not just those with mortgages, which means the burden on mortgage-holding households is higher when …

The September decision statement recorded that "The Board will increase interest rates again if that's what's needed to get inflation down." The minutes captured this as the Board remaining prepared to respond, "including increasing the cash rate target further if required." These are statements …

The following figures are a hypothetical illustration by this publication only. They assume a loan of $550,000, a 30-year term, principal and interest repayments, and full pass-through of each 25 basis point rate change. They are not actual lender rates, not RBA projections, and …

Three increases before the August pause took the cash rate from 3.60% at the start of 2026 to 4.35%. Each was a 25 basis point step, reflecting the Board's practice of moving in measured increments rather than larger adjustments. By mid-2026, the cumulative tightening …

Hunter described the effect of higher interest rates to interviewer Adam Hegarty: "It's not pain-free, it's not costless." She then contextualised the Board's choice: "but the cost of it is less using interest rates than it would be using other tools." Her assessment of …

The Board does not meet again after 8 December until 8-9 February 2027. This means the rate set on 8 December applies for approximately two months, covering the period many households find financially stretched. A rate change at that meeting would flow through to …