Finance
Finance
HSBC lifts first-half profit 23% to US$19.5bn, restarts buyback
Two figures cut through HSBC's first-half 2026 result: a US$19.5bn pre-tax profit and a 60% surge in the second quarter alone. Profit before tax increased by US$3.7bn, or 23%, to US$19.5bn in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Economy
Fuel excise cut ends 2 August, adding 16c a litre at the bowser
The number every driver needs to know this week is 16. That is the cents per litre returning to the price of petrol and diesel at midnight on 2 August, when the Albanese government's second and final fuel excise relief measure expires without replacement.
Banking
NAB and Westpac cut rewards and raise rates from 1 October
The number that matters most to anyone carrying a balance: NAB is lifting the variable purchase rate on the Rewards Platinum, Rewards Signature and NAB Qantas Rewards Premium cards from 20.99% to 22.49% p.a., effective 1 October 2026.
Banking
Macquarie cuts variable home loan rate to 6.04%
Macquarie Bank moved its advertised variable home loan rates without waiting for the Reserve Bank of Australia to act.
Finance
The best way to compare personal loans
Four of Australia's largest personal loan comparison platforms, Finder, Canstar, Money.com.au and RateCity, all publish disclosures acknowledging that commercial arrangements shape what borrowers see.
Finance
Loan comparison versus loan matching explained
Ask how to compare loans and you will be pointed at a comparison site. Loan matching is the channel that actually reflects what you can qualify for, and no lender pays to influence the order.
Economy
Cheap petrol hid it: underlying inflation stuck at 3.6%
Cheaper petrol did nearly all the work in June's inflation figures. Strip it out and the measure the Reserve Bank actually sets rates by has not shifted in two months, and the fuel relief that flattered the number has already expired.
Finance
Australia adds 76,300 jobs in June, putting fourth RBA rise in play
Employment rose by 76,300 people, or 0.5 per cent, to 14,823,300 in seasonally adjusted terms in June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics says. The unemployment rate held at 4.4 per cent, unmoved from the prior month.
Finance
Australian venture deals hit six-year low as record funds pile up
Australia's venture capital market produced $1.7 billion in announced startup funding across 64 venture rounds and five accelerator rounds in Q2 2026. That headline dollar figure looks healthy until the deal count lands on your screen.
