Higher fuel prices, rising rental costs and increased electricity prices were the key drivers of Australia’s inflation rate rising 1.2% in the September quarter, which is unsurprising as these drivers have remained the sticky points in taming inflation. This week, we explore how a 25-basis points rate hike may impact investment portfolios, the cost-of-living, and Aussie companies.

In this week's wrap, Grady covers:

• (0:11) key drivers of Australia’s inflation rate,
• (0:34) economists expecting a rate hike,
• (1:16) the Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday,
• (2:20) what the rate hike will mean for investors and businesses
• (3:06) quarterly trading updates and results,
• (4:37) the best performing stocks in the ASX200,
• (5:44) the most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients, and
• (6:15) five economic news items to watch out for.