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US President Donald Trump.

EconomyWhy top economist warns populism will backfire

Top economist Shane Oliver has warned populist politics is likely to backfire through higher inflation and worsening inequality as governments across the developed world become increasingly interventionist.

Matt Mckenzie

Unemployment has dropped to 4.1 per cent.

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EconomyComments
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Hot jobs market latest headache for Reserve Bank

Homeowners face a nail-biting wait heading into the Reserve Bank’s February meeting after bumper jobs growth moved the chance of an interest rate hike to almost a coin toss.

Matt Mckenzie

KPMG economist Terry Rawnsley said home ownership was the ‘cornerstone of wealth accumulation in Australia’.

EconomyCommentsPremiumREVEALED: Generation crowned wealthiest property investors

It’s official — baby boomers are no longer the nation’s wealthiest property owners.

Matt Mckenzie

Signage outside the IMF headquarters in Washington on Oct. 12. MUST CREDIT: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg

EconomyGone in the blink of an AI

A tech wreck sparked by over-exuberance for artificial intelligence is among the top threats to an otherwise “resilient” global economy in the year ahead, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Matt Mckenzie

The RBA is uncomfortable about inflation, governor Michele Bullock says, dashing homeowners' hopes for more rate cuts.

EconomicsCommentsPremiumRate cuts off the table as inflation still above RBA target

Interest rate cuts are ‘off the table’ for 2026, with inflation not expected to hit the middle of the Reserve Bank’s target band until next year.

Cheyanne Enciso

Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti speaks to the media during a press conference outside Dumas House, West Perth, on Tuesday.

EconomyCommentsPremiumSaffioti warned WA cannot afford $4b ‘sugar hit’ splurge

Treasurer Rita Saffioti has been warned WA can not afford to keep indulging in sugar hit spending and should focus on those most in need, as the cost of government subsidies hits $4 billion this financial year.

Matt Mckenzie

Drone images of Perth Fremantle Bridge

EconomyPremiumWA beats nation in job vacancies

WA is the only Aussie region with more employment openings than a year ago, an encouraging sign for job-seekers that the State’s labour market will start 2026 in good nick.

Matt Mckenzie

RBA governor Michele Bullock has put hikes back on the table thanks to an uncomfortable bout of inflation.

EconomyCommentsGloomy start to year as consumers fret over jobs, rate hikes

Consumers have started the new year in a gloomy mood amid mounting concerns about job insecurity and whether the Reserve Bank will lift interest rates in the coming months.

Cheyanne Enciso

Western Australians have been revealed as the country’s most generous givers.

EconomyCommentsPremiumWhat tax data reveals about Australia’s generosity

Australia’s most generous State has been revealed with about $1155 handed over by each donor through the year.

Matt Mckenzie

Household spending lifted 6.3 per cent in the year to November. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

EconomyBumper consumer spending a sign of stronger economy

WA shoppers have led the charge as national consumer spending surged but economists worry the boom may push the RBA to raise interest rates later this year.

Matt Mckenzie

Monthly household spending figures for November will take in the pre-Christmas sales period. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

EconomyPremiumHopes Black Friday could sustain spending growth

Monthly household spending figures for November will be revealed on Monday, which will take in the period where pre-Christmas sales began.

Andrew Brown

NAB says consumers’ willingness to tighten belts further is wearing thin

EconomyCommentsAustralians have ‘cut-back fatigue’ amid high cost pressures

Australian consumers are feeling increasingly stressed about their finances amid renewed cost-of-living-pressures, yet new bank data suggests they are unwilling to tighten belts further.

Cheyanne Enciso

Iron ore is WA’s biggest industry with sales tallying more than $110 billion annually, close to a quarter of Western Australia’s output.

EconomyCommentsAnalysts point to iron ore as trade balance takes a hit

Major bank economists will keep a close eye on Australia’s giant iron ore sales amid a pricing dispute with China and a fall in the national trade balance.

Matt Mckenzie

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos - 09 DECEMBER 2025: RBA Governor Michele Bullock gives a statement after the RBA's Monetary Policy Decision to keep interest rates on hold. NewsWire / Christian Gilles

EconomyPremiumInflation dips but remains over RBA target

Economists hope slowing inflation in November might be just enough to “keep the rate hike wolves at bay” when the Reserve Bank next meets in February.

Matt Mckenzie

New cars of various brands are parked for export on the parking of a car terminal at the harbour of Duisburg, western Germany.

EconomyCommentsCar sales stall despite economic recovery

Economic recovery and lower interest rates did little to spark demand for new cars in 2025 with sales effectively flat for the year — but one low emissions option bucked the trend.

Matt Mckenzie

Australians have spent an estimated $86.8bn on their credit card. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

finance‘Debt hangover’: New year credit crunch

Australians will begin 2026 with a “national debt hangover” as a surging holiday spending has to be paid back in the new year.

Cameron Micallef

WA beef exports to China were $129m through 2025, according to DPIRD.

EconomyPremiumTrade beef to take a bite out of $130m WA exports

Fresh numbers reveal the size of Western Australia’s beef sales to China after the Asian giant slammed restrictions on trade of the meat.

Matt Mckenzie & Georgia Campion

People look at a photo of late US rapper Biggie Smalls aka The Notorious B.I.G by Barron Claiborne, which is among the work of hip-hop photographers. EPA/DAVID MCNEW

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Economy
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Why Biggie will be on Reserve Bank’s 2026 playlist

Rapper The Notorious B.I.G might have an insight into Reserve Bank boss Michele Bullock’s thinking as Aussie borrowers brace for bad news in the new year.

Matt Mckenzie

Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen’s Association chair and Yougawalla Pastoral Company operator Hayden Sale

TradePremiumFarmers assess damage from China trade beef

Western Australia’s beef industry is scrambling to understand the full impact of China’s shock restrictions on global meat trade, with a top Kimberley pastoralist warning it will not be good.

Matt Mckenzie & Georgia Campion

Flames surround molten gold poured into a mold during gold ingot production at a foundry. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg Bloomberg Creative Photos

MarketsPremiumMetals frenzy and tariff turmoil: Aussie stocks survive 2025

Australian shares posted a modest rise through 2025, despite an April bloodbath when US President Donald Trump took a baseball bat to the world economy.

Matt Mckenzie & Simone Grogan

William Pike on Starry Heights wins the $125,000 Blue Spec Drilling Boulder Cup (2116m) at the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Racing Club on Sunday.

EconomyPremiumBetting agency TAB sale ruled out amid racing review

Selling taxpayer-owned betting agency WA TAB has been ruled out amid a major review of funding for the State’s racing industry announced quietly on Tuesday.

Matt Mckenzie

Wealth inequality will be a problem until enough older Aussies get fed up with it, Saul Eslake says. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

EconomicsPremiumSelf-interest widening wealth gap between old and young

Bridging the gap in wealth between older and young Australians will require a major recalibration in housing attitudes and policies, a leading economist says.

Callum Godde

RBA governor Michele Bullock. The RBA kept the cash rate on hold two weeks ago.

EconomyCommentsRBA ready to hike with rate cut effects ‘yet to be seen’

The Reserve Bank of Australia believes the full impact of three interest rate cuts in 2025 is ‘yet to be seen’ as it prepares for the possibility of hikes next year, minutes from its December meeting show.

Cheyanne Enciso & Swati Pandey

RBA governor Michele Bullock.

RBAPremiumThree metrics on watch for chance of RBA rate rise

Australia’s central bank board discussed the circumstances under which it would have to pivot to interest rate hikes in 2026 as inflation risks shift to the upside.

 Swati Pandey