The Rate Debate
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Ep 53: It's time for a change
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After years of sharp analysis and spirited debates, Co-Head of Fixed Income Darren Langer and Investment Manager Jessica Ren sign off for the very las...
Ep 52: Uncertain RBA overshadowed by US election
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 52 of The Rate Debate, Co-Head of Fixed Income Darren Langer and Investment Manager Jessica Ren dive into the US election’s potential out...
Ep 51: The rest of the world is changing, so why aren't we?
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The big question remains: will Australia follow the Fed’s lead or stick to its current path?In Episode 51 of The Rate Debate, Co-Head of Fixed Incom...
Ep 50: Australia to be at the back end of a major regime change - but that's not a bad thing for investors
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Co-Head of Fixed Income Darren Langer and Investment Manager Jessica Ren celebrate the 50th episode of The Rate Debate. With 50 insightful...
Ep 49: A statement of ifs and buts
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pundits of Australia's economy expect the central bank will maintain its default rhetoric of “vigilance against inflation risks”. However, gi...
Ep 48: Central bank independence is still alive
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA is, and continues to remain an independent central bank, committed to openness, transparency, and accountability. Despite this, perceptions in...
Ep 47: RBA loosens its grip: the end of a tightening era?
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA has scrapped any hints of potential further hikes, sparking speculation on whether it will continue to be open on hiking, despite pivoting to ...
Ep 46: New regime, same outcome
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA may have started its new regime of two-day meetings and press conferences to improve transparency, yet the outcome remained the same as it was...
Ep 45: Is Australia set for a soft or hard landing in 2024?
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA has granted a festive reprieve for mortgage holders, keeping interest rates on hold in line with expectations after inflation continued to slo...
Ep44: Is “funflation” fuelling rising interest rates?
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA delivers a Melbourne Cup rate hike to curb persistent inflation. Rising energy and service costs are contributing factors, but the post-pandem...
Ep 43: What’s driving higher bond yields?
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
September was a tough month for the fixed-rate bond market, but on the flip side, credit spreads narrowed. In this month’s episode of The Rate Debat...
Ep 42: Inflation has peaked
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Outgoing Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe finished his tenure as he began by keeping rates on hold as inflation cools. With inflation past its peak,...
Ep 41: Uncertainty abounds in the face of economic challenges
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Amidst ongoing economic uncertainties, the RBA has seen fit to keep rates on hold for a consecutive month and wait to see how the lagging effects of 1...
Ep 40: The winners and losers
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA has paused on hiking rates (for now) creating some big winners and losers. This month Darren is joined by special guest Roy Keenan, Co-Head o...
Ep 39: Monetary policy changing the goalposts
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australia has been delivered another rate hike in an attempt to "quash" inflation. This month Darren debates with special guest Tim Toohey, ...
Ep 38: Mixed signals from RBA creating market confusion
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hitting the economy with surprise after surprise, the RBA takes another fresh assault to tackle inflation head-on by taking the cash rate to 3.85%. Co...
Ep 37: Did the RBA fuel the fire or douse the flames?
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the RBA's massive rate "U-turn" and their insistence that we are in the final stage of the hiking cycle, has it come too late t...
Ep 36: How many times can the RBA say "just one more time"?
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After hiking for the tenth consecutive month, the RBA has Australia questioning whether its repeated actions to combat inflation will cause an oversho...
Ep 35: Is the RBA setting monetary policy in the rear-view mirror?
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At its first meeting for 2023, the RBA hiked rates for the ninth consecutive month to urgently tame inflation, telling the market to expect more to ...
Ep34: 2023 predictions on the economy, inflation, and the fixed-rate mortgage cliff
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA delivered an eighth-straight rate hike to hit a 10-year high to round out a tumultuous 2022. In the final episode of The Rate Debate for th...
Ep33: Storm clouds continue to gather in global markets
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA hiked rates for the seventh consecutive month as it seeks to stifle inflation. Global central banks continue aggressive monetary tightening de...
Ep32: Are central banks at risk of blowing up markets?
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA hiked rates for the sixth consecutive month. With lead indicators showing signs of inflation coming off the boil and European banks starting t...
Ep31: No sign of a pause from the RBA as the risk of mortgage stress intensifies
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s central bank has now raised interest rates five months in a row. It’s the most aggressive tightening cycle since 1994. With more hikes...
Ep 30: Can the RBA thread the needle?
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After hiking for the fourth consecutive month, the RBA’s tone has shifted to suggest a pause at the September meeting is possible, reflecting in par...
Ep29: Leading indicators warn of global recession
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Central banks state they are not seeing signs of a recession as they continue hiking rates to curb spiralling inflation. But, with forward indicators ...
Ep28: Has the RBA hit panic mode?
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With rates on the rise, higher inflation and wages below expectation, has Australia's central bank panicked by hiking rates by 50bps, the largest...
Ep27: Is the RBA risking a recession to solve inflation?
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA hikes rates by 25bps, with more set to come in 2022 as Australia’s central bank attempts to keep a grip on inflation. With oil and commodity...
Ep26: How high and how fast can rates go?
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA expects to see economic data that will drive them to hike interest rates earlier than expected. Markets have already jumped the gun and priced...
Ep25: RBA flags global uncertainty, remains patient on rate hikes
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA continued to keep rates on hold this month even though Inflation picked up more quickly than they expected. The length of time it took to reso...
Ep24: RBA ends QE and pushes back on rate hike
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA announced an end of QE and kept interest rates on hold as they wait to see stronger wage growth. If inflation continues to rise faster than fo...
Ep23: The reopening trade to determine economic growth in 2022
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the key factors that will make or break the case for the RBA tightening in 2022 will be the reopening trade. Will consumers start spending heav...
Ep22: Bond market loses confidence in the RBA's forward guidance
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the RBA seemingly MIA last week, the market was left to its own devices. Not surprisingly, bond yields spiked as multiple rate hikes were priced ...
Ep21: Is the heat coming off the housing market?
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While the RBA maintained its view of holding rates until at least 2024, Australia’s central bank has now acknowledged the need to curtail the housin...
Ep20: Is the RBA banking on a rebound?
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA expects a material slowdown in economic growth in September, but is forecasting a bounce-back in December that will stretch into the first hal...
Ep19: RBA sees Delta impact as a temporary phenomenon
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA continues to be optimistic despite the current state lockdowns, forecasting the economy to bounce back quickly once the virus is contained. Is...
Ep18: The market versus the RBA – is a hike before 2024 likely?
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA is sticking with their timing of 2024 before they look at an increase in interest rates. The market believes that inflation will be back soone...
Ep17: Could an increase in interest rates derail the housing market?
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The market has seen a small increase in fixed-rate mortgages from some of the banks. Is this the beginning of a tightening cycle and has the Austral...
Ep16: Are we heading for a debt trap?
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The government's policies have been focused on spending and have encouraged Australians to borrow more, driving strong credit growth. However, th...
Ep15: Is the free ride over?
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA’s stimulus policies have boosted the economy post COVID-19 driving increases in house prices, retail sales, and employment but is this a dou...
Ep14: What’s driving interest rates higher?
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bonds experienced their fastest sell off since 2009, resulting in the largest one month rise in 10-year yields. Given the economic outlook is looking ...
Ep13: Could housing be the good news story for 2021?
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone loves a good housing story and it’s looking like 2021 could become a best seller. But at what cost? According to the numbers, we’re still...
Ep12: Could house prices top 20% growth in 2021?
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If anyone questioned the power of low interest rates to drive house prices in Australia, they only need look back at 2020. Despite COVID-19, the reces...
Ep11: The RBA finally unleashes the bazooka
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If the RBA cutting rates is the entrée for markets this week, then the outcome of the US election is the main course and dessert rolled into one. Tun...
Ep10: Has the RBA gone too far by not going far enough?
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Despite some industry heavyweights predicting a rate cut, the RBA kept rates on hold for October. What three reasons do Darren Langer and Chris Rands ...
Ep9: Talk is cheap
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past few weeks, the RBA has started to change its narrative, suggesting that while negative rates are extremely unlikely, they’re not off t...
Ep8: Is Australia ready for more monetary stimulus?
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With Aussie bonds in high demand across the world, a growing demand for a more aggressive fiscal response from the Australian government, and a rise i...
Ep7: A sting in the tail
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is the RBA too concerned with front end rates that are aimed at helping the banking sector at the expense of the taxpayer who, ultimately, will be pic...
Ep6: Out of step
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the RBA’s recent monetary and fiscal intervention, a recession still seems to be on the cards. Why is the RBA so unwilling to follow along w...
Ep5: Credit crunch or crisis?
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With an expected 10% contraction in GDP, rising unemployment, and inflation at the lowest level we’ve seen in decades, how has COVID-19 impacted cre...
Ep4:The RBA’s buying spree
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The RBA has been buying up big, purchasing around $36bn in government and semi-government bonds throughout March. But when is enough, enough and can t...
Ep3: Special Edition: The RBA Announcement
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In response to the coronavirus epidemic, the RBA cut the cash rate to 0.25% on 19 March and announced a number of QE measures. In the long run, will t...
Ep2: Down, but not out
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On 3 March 2020, the RBA cut rates by 25 basis points to 0.50% in response to the coronavirus. But have they cut too early? And what happens if market...
Ep1: Introducing The Rate Debate
04 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus, ongoing bushfires and global trade deals, Darren Langer and Chris Rands introduce their new podcast The Rate D...