Why have Australian living standards “fallen” and how do we fix it?

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Key points Falling real wages and a surge in tax and interest payments over the last five years have led to a slump in Australians’ living standards. But a broader

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2025-26 saw lots of noise but strong returns (again) – can it continue?

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Key points While we saw a long list of worries over the last year, 2025-26 saw another financial year of strong returns. Risks around Iran and oil, various other geopolitical

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Weekly economic and market update – week ending 3 July, 2026

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Investment markets and key developments Global shares saw strong gains over the last week as the oil price remained down, inflation fears subsided and slower US payrolls removed some pressure

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North simplifies estate planning and intergenerational wealth transfer with estateXchange partnership

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North, one of Australia’s leading retirement and investment platforms, has partnered with estateXchange to provide advisers, beneficiaries and professional representatives with access to a secure, digital solution that simplifies the

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Weekly economic and market update – week ending 26 June, 2026

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Investment markets and key developments The past week saw global shares fall with tech shares under renewed pressue on concerns about an AI bubble and valuations, with reports that a

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Teflon share markets – 5 reasons they’re so resilient despite lots of worries  

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Key points Despite lots of threats over the last 18 months share markets have proved to be remarkably resilient. This likely reflects a combination of: President Trump’s desire for shares

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Weekly economic and market update – week endng 19 June, 2026

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The past week saw good news with the US and Iran at last signing (at least electronically) a peace deal that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While a deal

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Advisers reveal how lifetime income has taken longevity risk “off the table” – as AMP’s solutions pass $21bn

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Financial advisers say lifetime income solutions are changing retirement conversations by giving clients greater confidence to spend, improving access to the Age Pension and helping turn accumulated savings into a

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The RBA undertakes a hawkish pause – we continue to expect a further rise in rates

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Key points After three consecutive rate hikes the RBA left rates on hold at 4.35% at its June meeting. However, the RBA retained a tightening bias noting that inflation Is

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Weekly economic and market update – week ending 12 June, 2026

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Investment markets and key developments The past week saw another round of gyrations regarding whether there will be a US/Iran deal to end the war or not driving volatility in

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