Digital Finance Analytics (DFA) Blog
"Intelligent Insight"
From The Conversation. We are used to being able to pay for things with legal tender. Other than in special circumstances, refusing to accept cash can have legal consequences. The Currency (Restrictions on the Use of Cash) Bill 2019 at present before the Senate seeks to make it an offence to use “too much cash” … Continue reading “Limiting cash payments to $10,000 is more dangerous than you might think”
In the RBA’s Governor’s speech last night there was a reference to lower wages growth for longer, referring back to an earlier outing by Guy Debelle, Deputy Governor. Debelle’s speech at Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) National Conference revealed at least to me that the RBA has no real idea as to why wages … Continue reading “Wages Lower For Longer”
During the election campaign then-opposition leader Bill Shorten repeatedly claimed that everything was going up. Via The Conversation. “Childcare is up 28%, out of pockets to see the doctor up 20%, specialists … up nearly 40%,” he said. And then the punchline: “everything is going up, except your wages.” Statistically, it wasn’t true. The official … Continue reading “Real Disposable Income Stalled Since 2009 – HILDA”
RBA Governor Philip Lowe spoke at CEDA today. He signals more rate cuts, their potential limited impact and the need for other strategies to move towards higher levels of employment. Underemployment makes an entrance – finally! We have been talking about this for years. Today, I would like to explain why this is so and … Continue reading “RBA Penny Drops On Underemployment (Just A Decade Late)”
RBA’s Luci Ellis, Assistant Governor (Economic) spoke yesterday “What’s Up (and Down) With Households?“. We examined the conundrum that labour markets are strong, yet the economy is weaker. The disconnect is the household sector – which of course DFA examines closely in our surveys. One of the most interesting comments relates to household spending slowing, … Continue reading “Household Finances According To The RBA”
Welcome to the Property Imperative weekly to the sixteenth of February 2019 – our digest of the latest finance and property news with a distinctively Australian flavour. Watch the video, listen to the podcast, or read the transcript. The data fest continued this week, with more evidence of weaknesses appearing in the global economy, … Continue reading “Lines In The Sand – The Property Imperative Weekly 16 February 2019”
As the dust settles following the final Royal Commission Report, its clear that the recommendations have carefully avoided the root cause of the wells of pain which the hearings revealed. In fact the force of evidence from those hearings will be what sits in the memory, not the final report. Perhaps some of this was … Continue reading “RC – But What Of The Structural Issues?”
Welcome to the Property Imperative weekly to the second of February 2019 – our digest of the latest finance and property news with a distinctively Australian flavour. Watch the video, or read the transcript. As we wait for the public release of the Royal Commission Banking report on Monday, the slew of local data … Continue reading “Falling, Falling and The Phony War – The Property Imperative Weekly 02 Feb 2019”
Fitch published their Global Home Housing And Mortgage Outlook for 2019. The story appears to one of falling values in some major centres and more uncertainty economically and politically. For Australia, they expect a national peak-to-trough home price drop of 12% in Australia with Sydney and Melbourne posting larger declines in 2019. They say overheated … Continue reading “Fitch Housing Outlook, Risks To The Downside”
From The Conversation. … And yes, it comes out of wages. Want more to retire on? In its long-awaited final report on the efficiency and competitiveness of Australia’s leaky superannuation system, Australia’s Productivity Commission provides a roadmap. Weeding out scores of persistently underperforming funds, clamping down on unwanted multiple accounts and insurance policies, and letting workers … Continue reading “Productivity Commission finds super a bad deal”