mortgage rates

The year ahead. Good for the ACT, not bad for the nation

Peter Martin - June 30, 2008 - 1:27pm

The results of the Canberra Times mini-survey are in, and you can read them by clicking on the attached graphic.

Here's today's report:

The ACT will survive its present downturn, returning to economic strength in the year ahead, according to a survey of eight leading forecasters conducted by the Canberra Times.

But they expect the Australian economy as a whole to slow and both ACT and national

At last, the jobs market pauses for breath

Peter Martin - June 13, 2008 - 9:07am

Some people think this is a disaster.

Heat has come out of the Australian jobs market for the first time in nearly two years, raising the prospect that the Reserve Bank's program of interest rate rises is having the desired effect.

News yesterday that the number of Australians in jobs had dipped for the first time in 19 months sent the Australian dollar diving almost one complete US cent as

Governor Stevens: The slowdown we have to have

Peter Martin - June 14, 2008 - 6:33pm

Perhaps you were expecting Glenn Stevens to relent. To call off his talk about the need for high rates. He hasn't.

The head of the Reserve Bank has acknowledged that the Australian economy is slowing down but says it may have to slow more.

The speech, delivered to the American Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne yesterday, is seen as confirming that interest rates will remain high well into the

The ever-stronger Aussie - within sight of US$1.04

Peter Martin - May 28, 2008 - 1:29pm

The ANZ Bank says fair value would be US$1.12

The ANZ Bank has sharply revised up its forecasts for the Australian economy predicting at least one - and probably two - more official interest rate hikes before the end of the year.

The forecasts spell trouble for the Rudd government whose leader Kevin Rudd yesterday took responsibility for interest rate moves by telling Parliament that his