Reserve Bank of Australia
Finance
Core inflation hits year-high, lifting September rate hike odds
The monthly CPI indicator released on 26 August put the trimmed mean at 0.5 per cent for July 2026, the largest single-month rise in the core measure over the past year, against a market consensus of 0.3 per cent.
Finance
RBA bans card surcharges from October 2026
Every payment terminal in Australia must stop adding a surcharge to eftpos, Mastercard and Visa transactions from 1 October 2026, and the Reserve Bank expects most small merchants to be better off.
Finance
Small business loans sit 3 points above the cash rate
Small business borrowers pay about three percentage points more than the headline cash rate, and most of that gap has nothing to do with what the Reserve Bank decides on the day.
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
Economists split on August RBA rate hike
The Reserve Bank of Australia left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% at its 16 June 2026 meeting, following three increases already delivered in 2026. The decision was unanimous, a deliberate pause rather than a pivot.
Technology
RBA flags AI data centres as inflation and labour risk
The Reserve Bank of Australia has identified the AI data centre construction boom as a new source of inflationary pressure, straining skilled tradespeople and pushing up construction costs across the broader economy.