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economy

AI Productivity Tools Come with Strings

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Mortgage Stress Dropped – Building a Buffer Still Matter
More businesses use AI tools to boost productivity, but they come with strings. These AI tools can expose sensitive data if used without controls. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has warned that cloud-based AI systems introduce specific cyber security risks for small businesses, particularly when sensitive data is uploaded without safeguards. The biggest exposure points ...
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RBA Reviewing Card Fees

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Card Payment Costs Under Review
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is reviewing card fees – and many businesses don’t realise how much they’re leaking. The RBA’s Payments System Board is progressing its review of merchant card payment costs and surcharging, including whether interchange caps should be reduced and how commercial cards are treated. One concern is that without further action, any fee reductions may not f...
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RBA Expects Small Businesses Cash Flow to Ease

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
RBA expects small business relief ahead
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) expects cash flow pressures on small businesses to ease. This is because recent rate cuts begin to flow through to lower borrowing costs and improved financial confidence. In its latest Financial Stability Review, the RBA said smaller firms are likely to feel the benefits sooner, particularly those with variable-rate loans secured against property. Becaus...
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Unemployment Rate Rose to 4.5%

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Unemployment Rises as Hiring Slows
Australia’s job market is showing clear signs of cooling as the unemployment rate rose to 4.5% in September. That is up from 4.3% in August and 4.0% a year earlier, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. While businesses are still hiring, job creation isn’t keeping pace with population growth. Over the past year, employment grew by 1.3%, but the number of unemployed people jumped...
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Businesses Urged to Boost Productivity

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Businesses Urged to Boost Productivity as Wages Rise
As wages rise faster than prices, giving households more spending power, businesses are urged to boost productivity. Average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults hit $2010 in May 2025, which was 4.5% higher than the year before, and significantly more than the 2.1% annual inflation rate recorded in the June quarter. However, Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox st...
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Home Loan Refinance Has Surged

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Home Loan Refinance Has Surged
Hom Loan refinance has surged as an enormous number of Australians have been refinancing their home loans this year. In the June 2025 quarter, the number of mortgages that were refinanced with external lenders was 0.8% higher than the March 2025 quarter and a striking 20.9% higher than June 2024, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.   This surge in refinancing coinc...
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RBA Cautiously Optimistic on Inflation

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
RBA Cautiously Optimistic on Inflation
Why the RBA is cautiously optimistic on inflation comes down to recent data showing Australia’s cost-of-living pressures have eased further, with inflation continuing to cool. This gives the central bank reason to be hopeful, while still remaining careful in its outlook. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported headline inflation at 2.1% in annual terms – the lowest rate since 2021 and ...
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Rate Cut Driving Property Price Growth

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Rate Cut Driving Property Prices Growth
“This February’s rate cut was a clear turning point for driving the growth of property price.” said Cotality research director Tim Lawless – and the numbers back him up. National property prices rose 0.6% in June, marking the fifth consecutive month of growth. Over the past five years, the national median has increased by 44.3%, despite several dips along the way. Mr Lawless said the lat...
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Office Vacancies Affecting Parking Rates

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Office Vacancies Affecting Parking Rates
Fluctuations in office vacancies across the country are affecting parking rates in many areas. Australia’s parking market reflects wider economic shifts, with city-to-city differences revealing where office markets are recovering – and where they’re still struggling. Brisbane has overtaken Sydney as the country’s most expensive city for casual parking, with average daily rates of $80.84, ac...
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Consumers Cautious with Spending

Posted on by Laze Spasevski
Consumers Cautious with Spending
Based on the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, consumers are cautious with their spending, leading to challenging conditions for businesses. Household spending in April was just 0.1% higher than the month before, while retail spending was actually 0.1% lower, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This cautious spending behaviour is ref...
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