inflation

An action-packed month of record dividends, soaring energy prices and rising inflation are all expected to be key trends this earnings season.

Consumer confidence is at crisis levels, but households aren’t acting to change spending patterns.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) board raised its official cash rate last week for a third consecutive month. The bank has adopted a dovish stance saying future hikes are “not on a pre-set path” and that the economy will likely slow as a result of these hikes.

With annual inflation running at 9.1 per cent, a 41-year high, and a raft of Federal Reserve rate rises to follow, the risk of a hard landing for the US economy has risen sharply. A growing chorus of economists has given up hope that the Fed will be able to engineer a soft landing given its latest predictions.

Last week’s effort by the Federal Reserve to curb inflation by raising US rates by another 75 basis points will likely see inflation decline in 2023 and will likely tip the economy into recession.

Headline inflation in Australia has soared to a historic high of 6.1 per cent driven by new dwelling purchases and rising fuel prices.

The technology sector has been the best performing sector since the GFC, returning over 300 percent since December 2008. The question is, where is tech likely to go over the next 6-12 months?

It’s pretty much guaranteed that the RBA will keep lifting interest rates in a bid to curb inflation. So, what does that mean for the Australian property market?

Last month’s higher than expected inflation reading confirmed what many had long feared. Australia is not immune to the rising price of goods as a result of massive stimulus efforts during the pandemic, higher energy prices, supply disruptions and labour shortages.

Inflation and rate rises are back on the table it seems, after this week’s US Federal Reserve Board meeting, Chairman Jerome Powell indicated that rate hikes could come in 2023, but no mention of when scaling back of bond buying would begin. His comments took markets by surprise signalling a change in policy sooner than…