'No excuses': Mortgage holders should expect interest rate relief: survey
Share and Follow

An avalanche of expert opinion is tipping the Reserve Bank of Australia to slash interest rates at its meeting next week.

The results of a new Finder survey found 91 per cent of the 34 economists and experts canvassed believed the central bank will authorise a 25-basis-point cut which would bring the official cash rate down to 3.60 per cent.

If banks pass this on in full, a homeowner with a $500,000 mortgage will save $2884 per year compared with what they were paying at the start of the year before the RBA started cutting the cash rate.

Mortgage holders across Australia are widely anticipating a cut to interest rates when the RBA meets next week. (Angus Gray) (Nine)

A widely-anticipated reduction failed to materialise last month, when the cash rate remained on hold at 3.85 per cent, stunning mortgage owners.

But the experts say the RBA board has no excuses not to make a cut when it wraps up the two-day meeting next Tuesday.

They point out there are no more barriers to a reduction, with falling inflation and a softening labour market.

One of the few dissenting voices was Stella Huangfu, of the University of Sydney, who is expecting a hold.

She says annual CPI inflation is still within the upper band of the RBA’s target range at 2.7 per cent.

Also, following two rate cuts, central bankers may want to pause and assess the economic situation, she says.

Head of consumer research at Finder Graham Cooke says banks will be under pressure to pass on in full any cash rate cut.

“If the RBA doesn’t cut next week, they are risking an all-out attack on their legitimacy in the eyes of many homeowners,” he said.

Mortgage holders paying more than 5.5 per cent on their home loans after any reduction, were probably forking out too much, says Cooke.

Looking ahead, four in five panellists expect the RBA to hold the cash rate next month.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Nationals Party Members Decide to Withdraw Support for Net Zero Initiative

The Nationals are expected to ditch support for net zero after grassroots…

UN Urges Probe into Alleged Fatalities in Tanzania Election Protests as Opposition Reports High Casualties

Tanzania’s main opposition party said on Friday hundreds of people had been…

Dutch Centrist Rob Jetten’s Narrow Victory Demonstrates Populists Can Be Defeated

Dutch centrist party D66 won the most votes in this week’s general…
Croatia will re-introduce compulsory military service for its male nationals from early next year.

Is Your Passport on the List? Discover If You Could Be Drafted for Military Service

Croatia is set to reinstate mandatory military service for its male citizens…

Victoria’s Landmark Treaty Milestone: What’s Next in the Journey Toward Reconciliation?

Victoria has become the first state to pass legislation enabling a Treaty…
China's Xi in the limelight at Pacific summit with Trump conspicuous by his absence

Xi Takes Center Stage at Pacific Summit as Trump Sits Out

Pacific leaders, including China’s President Xi Jinping, have converged in South Korea…
Displaced families from el-Fasher at a displacement camp where they sought refuge from fighting between government forces and the RSF, in Tawila, Darfur region

WHO Reports Multiple Wave Assault on Darfur Hospital by Militia Forces

A group of armed assailants reportedly killed at least 460 individuals during…
Christmas decorations line a supermarket.

Christmas Creep: Why Holiday Promotions are Starting Sooner Than Ever in 2023

As the year winds down, it feels like the festive spirit is…