Digital Finance Analytics (DFA) Blog

Australia is paying way too much for its home-grown gas, as the over-exporting of gas has driven East Coast gas prices 400% higher than historical average prices leading to higher inflation and a stalled energy transition. This is a huge impost on living standards via direct bill shocks and spills over to energy-intensive manufacturing, which … Continue reading "Gaslighting By The Gas Producers Exposed As Australians Pay!"

The latest monthly data on inflation from the ABS which came out today reported Annual growth in the non-seasonally adjusted monthly CPI lifted from 3.5 per cent last month to 3.6 per cent, above market expectations, while seasonally adjusted CPI is even higher at 3.8 per cent, and annual trimmed mean inflation (which removes food, … Continue reading "Danger! Inflation Traffic Accident Dead Ahead!"

This is an edited version of a live discussion, with Robbie Barwick, Research Director from the Australian Citizens Party as we discuss the newly released Senate report on Regional Branch Closures. Following their recommendations for making the provision of banking services and access to cash a fundamental right, and for considering a Public Bank, where … Continue reading "DFA Live Q&A Replay: Bank Branch Closures After The Senate Report: With Robbie Barwick"

Another week, another Rant from our Property Insider Edwin Almeida, as we look at the disruption in the property market, the fall out in terms of human impact and the weak responses from Government. https://www.ribbonproperty.com.au Note: there will be no Rant next week, due to potential power disruptions, but we will be back the following … Continue reading "Its Edwin’s Monday Evening Property Rant!"

The Senate published their Report into Regional Bank Branch Closures late last Friday. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Rural_and_Regional_Affairs_and_Transport/BankClosures/Report I will be discussing this on my live YouTube show on Tuesday with Robbie Barwick. https://youtube.com/live/NJnaqhARu90 But already, the award winning Journalist Dale Webster over at the Regional has written an excellent article: https://www.theregional.com.au/post/banks-blow-their-chance-to-self-regulate-by-betraying-trust Over the 13 hearings held across Australia … Continue reading "Bankers Lose Over Bank Branch Closures: But Now The Political Games Begin!"

Housing is in crisis in Australia, its too expensive and relative to population there is not enough of it. As I discuss with independent Journalist Tarric Brooker last week, though shockingly, we have built more homes per 100,000 people than Canada, The US and the UK. In other words, we have a greater proportion of … Continue reading "Peddling The Housing Supply Myth: Again…"

This is our regular weekly market update. The roller coaster ride continued again this week on the markets, as traders were dazzled by strong corporate results from NVIDA underscoring the power of the AI super cycle on one hand, and by really mixed data signals on the other thanks to a raft of better-than-expected purchasing … Continue reading "Macro Versus Company Returns; What’s Driving The Chaotic Markets?"

Another Friday chat with Tarric Brooker, as we look at the latest finance and property news, and the political context, as housing becomes more unaffordable, even as inflation remains untamed. What’s going on and is the Lucky Country running out of runway? Tarric’s slides are here: https://avidcom.substack.com/p/dfa-chart-pack-24th-may-2024 http://www.martinnorth.com/ Go to the Walk The World Universe … Continue reading "Plenty Of Snakes: Not Many Ladders: With Tarric Brooker…"

There is a three-way split across the country as inequality rises with mortgage holders and renters bearing the brunt of poor policy decisions for years, while older property-owning cohorts are doing just fine. I have been highlighting the growing gulf between households and now the Australian Productivity Commission has released their research paper “A Snapshot … Continue reading "Inequality Rules (Great For Some; Horrid For Most)!"

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand left the Official Cash Rate at 5.5% on Wednesday, saying that Restrictive monetary policy has reduced capacity pressures in the New Zealand economy and lowered consumer price inflation. Their statement on Monetary Policy had a decidedly hawkish tone, signalling rate cuts will be delayed until around August 2025, which … Continue reading "New Zealand Rates Held Higher For Longer As Hawks Fly!"