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2 months ago | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Flora C.Y. Lee |Josh Wall |Marina Gainulina
Imagine you’re a migrant recently landed in Australia. You’re excited about what opportunities this great country has in store for you. But it soon becomes clear that without local experience it’s not easy to find work, and it’s an expensive place to live too. Many new arrivals find themselves in this position – short of cash and needing to pay the bills - and that’s where scammers lie in wait ready to prey on the vulnerable.
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2 months ago | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Flora C.Y. Lee |Josh Wall |Luci Ellis
Inflation eased by more than expected in the December quarter prompting Westpac Economists to bring forward their forecast for an RBA rate cut to as soon as February. The headline consumer price index (CPI) cooled to an annual rate of 2.4 per cent, below the mid-point of the RBA’s 2-3 per cent target band, while the trimmed mean – closely watched by the RBA as a measure of underlying inflation – fell to 3.2 per cent. Both results were a shade below the forecasts of Westpac economists.
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Jan 21, 2025 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Flora C.Y. Lee |Josh Wall |Pat Bustamante
From Coffs Harbour to Bendigo, Australia’s regions are seeing strong growth in business credit despite the prevailing economic headwinds, underlining their attraction as places to live and work. Westpac’s lending to businesses in regional areas has increased 12.4 per cent over the past two years, outpacing growth of 11.3 per cent in metro areas, according to the bank’s lending data.
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Jan 20, 2025 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Flora C.Y. Lee |Josh Wall
The latest sell-off in the Aussie is more about the strength of the U.S. dollar rather than anything specific to Australia, she notes - the A$ has only declined by about 5 per cent against a trade-weighted basket of currencies since October.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Flora C.Y. Lee |Josh Wall |Matthew Hassan
As well as the ongoing unsettled global backdrop, it is possible that consumers were reacting to news around the Australian dollar’s sharp drop against the US dollar, which resulted in some negative headlines about the outlook for interest rates and the broader economy. The sub-index showing consumers’ assessment of their finances compared with a year ago reversed gains seen in December, falling 7.8 per cent in the month to 77.7. The decline was particularly marked for outright homeowners.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Josh Wall |Flora C.Y. Lee |Luci Ellis
A dovish shift in the RBA’s language following its December Board meeting suggests that a rate cut as soon as February cannot be ruled out. The Reserve Bank of Australia left the cash rate on hold at 4.35 per cent at its final meeting of the year, as expected, but said it’s gaining confidence that inflation is declining in line with its expectations.
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Jun 25, 2024 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Josh Wall |Flora C.Y. Lee |Sarah Williamson
“Mark is a diehard farmer, and we found we had quite complimentary skills,” says Felicity.
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Jun 19, 2024 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Josh Wall |Flora C.Y. Lee |Sarah Williamson
The Reserve Bank of Australia left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35 per cent at its June Board meeting, as expected. The Board continues to rule nothing in or out in terms of future policy action, but the tone of the statement and comments from Governor Michele Bullock suggested a step up in concerns about the upside risks to inflation. “Uncertainty” was a noticeable feature of the statement - the word cropping up more times than in any other statement of the past six months.
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Jun 16, 2024 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Josh Wall |Flora C.Y. Lee |Sarah Williamson
As end of financial year approaches, cost of living pressures are prompting many Australians to review their income needs and rein in expenses as part of their financial planning. BT’s Technical Services team fields over 8,000 queries from financial advisers each year. Based on the most popular advice themes advisers have raised with us recently, here are some EOFY tips for everyone from retirees to new parents, high-net-worth individuals, and those with self-managed super funds. 1.
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Jun 13, 2024 | 
westpac.com.au | James Thornhill |Josh Wall |Flora C.Y. Lee |Sarah Williamson
Enhanced security features on Westpac’s banking app and online banking are helping to reduce scam losses, as the bank unveils further measures to protect consumers and small business customers. Scam losses were down by almost a third in the first half of FY24 compared with the same period a year earlier, with the bank saving customers over $120 million in potential scam losses, according to internal data.
