HOUSEHOLDS – ECONOMIC ASPECTS – AUSTRALIA

Treasury in warning on saving raids

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 25-Oct-18

Australia’s household savings rate fell to one per cent in June, compared with 2.5 per cent one year earlier. Treasury secretary Phil Gaetjens has told the Senate economics committee that it is likely to fall further as low wages growth forces consumers to use more of their savings. Treasury expects economic growth to continue to be bolstered by consumer spending, but Alan Oster of National Australia Bank says the bank’s own data indicates that consumer spending is not as strong as official figures suggest. Meanwhile, independent economist Saul Eslake says falling asset prices are likely to prompt consumers to reduce their spending.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

IMF warns on debt and high house prices

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 11-Oct-18

The International Monetary Fund’s latest global financial stability report notes that Australia is one of several advanced economies where the rising cost of house prices is a concern. The IMF also expressed concern that the household debt-to-GDP ratio is rising in Australia and a number of other countries. Australia’s household debt-to-GDP ratio is currently around 122 per cent, while the nation’s household debt-to-income ratio is close to 200 per cent.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

RBA flags risk of record household debt

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 2 : 18-Jul-18

The minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s board meeting for July indicate that although the central bank expects to begin tightening monetary policy, it is in no hurry to do so. The minutes also show that high levels of household debt continues to be a concern for the central bank. It noted that while an increase in the cash rate could be expected to reduce consumer spending, the high level of debt means a rate cut may not necessarily result in increased spending.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Half of minimum wage workers are rich

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Feb-18

An analysis of Household Income & Labour Dynamics in Australia data by the Melbourne Institute has concluded that 13 per cent of people on the minimum wage live in households that have the nation’s highest incomes. The analysis suggests that a large proportion people on the minimum wage are students in the 21-34 age group and in many instances live with their parents. The Melbourne Institute also concluded that just 21 per cent of workers live in households for which the minimum wage is the sole source of income.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Why the RBA will hike interest rates

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Original article by Karen Maley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 6-Feb-18

Ellerston Capital’s Tim Toohey expects the Reserve Bank to increase official interest rates by 125 basis points over the next three years, beginning in the second half of 2018. He says the prospect of higher interest rates will have relatively little impact on consumers, despite rising household debt, arguing that the net worth of Australian households has risen strongly over the last decade. Meanwhile, he attributes a slump in retail spending in the September 2017 quarter to the Federal Government’s changes in the rules on voluntary superannuation contributions rather than negative consumer sentiment.

CORPORATES
ELLERSTON CAPITAL PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

UBS warning on household debt

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 19-Jan-18

New figures show that Australia’s household debt-to-income ratio has risen by three per cent to a record 199.7 per cent, which UBS notes is one of the world’s highest. The increase is largely due to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ decision to include the debt of self-managed superannuation funds in the key indicator for the first time. UBS has forecast that the debt-to-income ratio will peak at around 205 per cent, and it has warned that rising household debt may affect demand for housing credit and the earnings of major banks. However, UBS is upbeat about the outlook for non-bank lenders.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

Public sector costs squeeze households

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Jan-18

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ latest household expenditure survey shows that consumers’ spending on essential services has risen by 23 per cent since 2009-10. Electricity, education and childcare are among the services for which household expenditure has risen sharply over the last six years. Meanwhile, household spending on food has increased by 15 per cent over this period, while there has been 46.9 per cent growth in expenditure on holidays.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Australian households’ net wealth now over eight trillion dollars and growing

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Nov-17

Roy Morgan Research’s newly released report "Superannuation and Wealth Management in Australia" shows that Australian households have increased their net wealth by 42.1%. over the last four years, from $5.703 trillion to $8.135 trillion. The report also shows that currently 53.1% of household net wealth is made up of equity in owner-occupied homes, up from 48.1% in 2013. Superannuation, Pensions/Annuities in total now account for 27.4% of the total, down from 28.6% in 2013. The other components of net wealth, which include bank accounts, managed funds (excluding superannuation) and direct investments, have fallen from 23.3% in 2013 to 19.5% in 2017. The report is unique because it looks at superannuation in the context of all other assets and debt that make up the true financial position of Australian households, rather than the usual single product or "silo" approach.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

IMF jitters over ‘high’ Australian debt

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 6 : 16-Oct-17

Household debt in Australia now exceeds GDP by 23 per cent, prompting the International Monetary Fund to express concern about the nation’s vulnerability to "risk premium shocks". The combined debt of governments, business and households in Australia is now 147 per cent higher than GDP, compared with just 87 per cent a decade ago. The IMF’s data also shows that the combined debt of Group of 20 nations has risen by $US60trn to $US135trn since the global financial crisis.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)

Debt binge stifles jobs and growth: IMF

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 4-Oct-17

The International Monetary Fund has warned that policies which encourage consumers to increase their debt in the near-term have a negative effect on economic growth in the longer term. The IMF’s modelling concludes that a five per cent increase in the household debt-to-GDP ratio results in a 1.25 per cent fall in real GDP three years later. Australia’s household debt-to-income ratio now exceeds 190 per cent.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA