Welcome to the first RBA Rate Announcement of 2024, a year that heralds a fresh and insightful approach to our economic updates! This year, we’re thrilled to announce a dynamic new partnership: Ben will be teaming up with Evan Lucas for all future RBA insights. With this powerhouse duo at the helm, you can bet we’re diving far beyond the basics.

Evan Lucas isn’t just any analyst; he’s a titan in the world of economics (and he’s appeared multiple times on our show!) As the author of the best selling book, “Mind Over Money: Why Understanding Your Money Behaviour Will Improve Your Financial Freedom,” Evan brings a wealth of experience as a market strategist and a fervent passion for investment. His keen insights promise to enrich our understanding of Australia’s economic landscape like never before.

Together, Ben and Evan will take us on a deep dive into the undercurrents and nuances of Australia’s economy, shedding light on the forces shaping our future.

In this month’s video, they tackle several pivotal topics:

• The Global Giant – Dissecting the US Economy: The US economy acts as a barometer for the global financial climate. Our experts dissect its latest GDP growth rates and Federal Reserve decisions to uncover how these factors ripple across the globe, impacting Australia directly.
• Navigating the Waters of Global and Domestic Inflation: The spectre of inflation has loomed large over economies worldwide. Ben and Evan explore whether inflation remains a pressing concern or if recent trends suggest it’s receding into the rearview mirror. #Finally
• Employment Data – Decoding the Numbers: The duo delves into the complexities of employment data, advocating for a closer look at underutilization rates as a more telling indicator of the job market’s health than traditional metrics might suggest.
• Forecasting Australia’s Economic Voyage: Armed with data and insights, our hosts chart the course of Australia’s economic journey through 2024. They assess the potential challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, asking: will we navigate calm seas or face turbulent waters?

Will 2024 be a year of contrasts? As we look ahead, Ben and Evan discussed whether 2024 will unfold as a year marked by starkly different halves. What will the coming months bring for the RBA’s cash rate, market dynamics, and property trends?

Now, what are you waiting for? Let’s delve into this month’s update!

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the final Economic and RBA report for this year! In this edition, Ben delves into crucial topics:

• Has the US concluded its Interest Rate tightening cycle?
• Unpacking the Governor’s recent slide deck on inflation and the signals outlining the problem.
• In the extensive property update, Ben recaps the 2023 Property Market and shares initial insights on the ten Macro forces shaping different property markets in 2024. Stay tuned for this at the end of the update!

And folks, anticipate more charts in this edition compared to our previous release too. We recommend checking out the video version of this release here: www.thepropertycouch.com.au/rba-cash-rate-dec-2023

Before we get started, we’ve recently unveiled two brief videos on property selling. If the rate hikes are impacting your cash flow, explore these videos below:

• Why Now Is NOT the time to sell here >
• Three things to consider before selling your property here >

Now, let’s delve into this month’s update!

Note: Apologies for the technical glitch occurring at the 7-second and 5-minute marks of the video. Rest assured, our team is actively addressing this issue and working towards a swift resolution. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Hey folks, welcome to the November Economic and RBA update. This time around, Ben got his sight set on a few key things:

• RBA’s November Board Meeting: We’ve all been eagerly waiting to see if the RBA is going to hike the cash rate again. This could mark the 13th time they’ve done it in this upward cycle. Find out more in this episode!
• Inflation Rant: Hold onto your hats because Ben got a bit of a rant brewing about inflation.
• Property Market Scoop: Of course, last but not least, the most popular part of Ben’s RBA updates…. the latest data on the property market!

But before we dive into all that, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room – the heightened geo-political tensions and the Middle East conflict. This isn’t just a humanitarian crisis; it’s also making waves in the global economy.

All this uncertainty and instability is putting a damper on global economic confidence, sentiment, and investment. Plus, it’s affecting oil supply, prices, and trade, which is basically throwing a wrench into the works of the world economy.

Let’s cross our fingers for some speedy resolutions in the Middle East and Ukraine to ease these troubles. But for now, the world is feeling jittery. With all this geopolitical drama, the inflation scare, and the rising cost of debt, both the stock and bond markets are rollercoaster rides. Stock markets are taking a double-digit dip, and there’s more downside risk ahead if these issues continue to weigh on developed economies.

We know these aren’t uplifting news to share, but it’s important to acknowledge the economic consequences tied to these global events.

 

And folks, if you’re feeling the pinch with those rate hikes and worried about your cashflow in the next few months, we’ve got a couple of handy resources for you:

A) MoneySTRETCH Tool on Moorr:

This cool tool lets you play around with different scenarios and see how they impact your cashflow and savings right away. For example, you can check out what a 2% bump in your loan might do to your cashflow and figure out how long your current spending can keep going. And the best bit is… This tool is free! Just create your free account on Moorr and away you go 😉.

Learn more about MoneySTRETCH here >

 

B) Free Finance Checkup with our Award-Winning Crew:

If your loan payments are eating up a big chunk of your budget and you haven’t looked into it lately, it might be time to chat with your broker or banker.
Don’t have a broker? Our sister company, Empower Wealth recently snagged the Australian Brokerage of the Year award from the Australian Mortgage Awards, and they would be thrilled to assist you! The initial consultation is free and there’s no obligation to engage after that as well so if you’re keen, please don’t hesitate to learn more about them below.

Learn more about Empower Wealth’s Mortgage Broking services here >

 

Alright, what are you waiting for? Let’s jump into the data for this month!