Macroeconomics
RBA Hits 4.60%: Which ASX Sectors Win and Lose as Rates Climb
Australia's central bank lifted the cash rate to 4.60%, its highest since 2011, with more tightening priced in. Here is how higher rates reshape valuations and which ASX sectors may hold up best.
Macroeconomic Report for the Week Ending 27 September 2026 – Australian Market Outlook
Australian shares weakened as persistent inflation, higher bond yields and softer domestic activity weighed on sentiment. Resource stocks showed relative strength, while the RBA’s September 29 rate decision and guidance remain key near-term market catalysts.
Macroeconomic Report for the Week Ending 20 September 2026 – Australian Market Outlook
Global markets were volatile as higher US rates and Saudi pipeline disruption lifted oil costs, strengthened the dollar and pressured risk assets. Australia faces slowing growth, persistent inflation and a cautious ASX, with healthcare resilient while materials, technology and real estate weakened.
Macroeconomic Report for the Week Ending 13 September 2026 – Australian Market Outlook
Global markets remained volatile as persistent inflation and geopolitical tensions reduced expectations of near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts. In Australia, high living costs, elevated fuel prices, weak consumer sentiment, and mortgage stress continue to constrain domestic demand, while the RBA maintains a cautious higher-for-longer policy stance.
.webp&w=828&q=75)
Macroeconomic Report for the Week Ending 6 February 2026 – Australian Market Outlook
Markets faced a “soft-landing but sticky” backdrop: growth held up, yet inflation and policy uncertainty kept risk elevated and dispersion high. The US stayed resilient but uneven as labour demand cooled and the Fed remained cautious. The ECB stayed meeting-by-meeting. Australia felt higher-for-longer, rotating into defensives.
Macroeconomic Report for the Week Ending 5 December 2025 – Australian Market Outlook
Global data point to a softening but still mixed growth backdrop, with US manufacturing in mild contraction contrasted against resilient services activity. Labour indicators such as ADP employment and continuing jobless claims show cooling private hiring and more challenging re‑employment conditions, reinforcing expectations of earlier and deeper Federal Reserve rate cuts. Core US PCE inflation is running at a steady, moderate pace, allowing the Fed to stay on hold while waiting for clearer evidence that inflation is durably converging to the target.