Tag Archives: interest rates

RBA Cuts Rates by 50 Basis Points

1 May

The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut interest rates by 50 basis points in an unexpected move that should provide welcome relief to many homeowners. The reduction takes the official cash rate to 3.75 percent. Damian Smith CEO of financial comparison site RateCity called the RBA’s decision "a very big move". "They haven’t moved rates [...]

RBA Leaves Rates On Hold

6 Mar

The board of the Reserve Bank of Australia has left the official cash rate at 4.25 percent for the second month in a row. The move was widely expected with inflation at the bottom of the RBA’s target band of 2-3 percent and global economic conditions improving. However, the news may not be met with [...]

RBA Leaves Rates on Hold

7 Feb

The Reserve Bank of Australia board has kept interest rates on hold, leaving the official cash rate at 4.25 percent. The shock move comes as many parts of the economy continue to struggle with the side effects of the mining boom. Data published yesterday showed retail trade contracted 0.1 percent in December, traditionally the sector’s [...]

RBA Cuts Interest Rates by .25%

6 Dec

The Reserve Bank of Australia board has cut the official interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.25 per cent, giving mortgage holders and borrowers a pre-Christmas reprieve. The RBA announced the rate cut at 2.30pm AEDT today following the board’s final meeting for the year. It’s the second interest rate cut in as many [...]

December Rate Cut 50/50 Probability

6 Dec

Economists are divided on whether borrowers will get a second interest rate cut in as many months on Tuesday. Seven of the 14 economists surveyed by AAP say the RBA will cut the cash rate to 4.25 per cent from 4.5 per cent on December 6. On Melbourne Cup day, the Reserve Bank of Australia [...]

Australia’s Banks Pass On Rate Cuts

1 Nov

Australia’s biggest home lenders cut mortgage rates soon after the central bank reduced the cash rate for the first time since April 2009. Westpac took just 15 minutes to pass on the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) 0.25 percentage point rate cut in full on Tuesday. It will lower its standard variable home loan rate [...]

Reserve Bank Cuts Interest rates

1 Nov

Homeowners have been granted a long awaited reprieve, with the Reserve Bank opting to drop interest rates by 25 basis points. The cut continues what is becoming a tradition, with the Reserve Bank changing the cash rate on Melbourne Cup Day for the sixth year in a row. It is also the first time in [...]

RBA Leaves Rates on Hold – For Now

4 Oct

The central bank has decided to keep the cash rate unchanged this month and has opened the door for possible future cuts. The decision was expected, with all 15 economists surveyed last week by AAP predicting the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would keep rates on hold at 4.75 per cent on Tuesday. The central [...]

Interest Rates Stay on Hold

6 Sep

The Reserve Bank has decided to keep interest rates on hold, despite fears of the Australian economy struggling outside the mining sector. With instability in the European markets and concerns over a double-dip recession in the US, the RBA decided to keep official interest rates at 4.75 percent. RateCity CEO Damian Smith said the decision [...]

Double interest rate cut tipped for September

10 Aug

The clouds of economic gloom gathering over the US and Europe could have a silver lining for Australian borrowers – a double rate cut is now predicted for next month. After global shares sustained $2.5 trillion losses last week and US government had its credit rating cut by Standard & Poor’s late on Friday (US [...]