
Australia's Monthly Inflation Cools, Boosting July Rate-Cut Bets
A gauge of Australia's monthly inflation cooled faster than anticipated in May, moving close to the bottom of the Reserve Bank's 2-3% target and bolstering the case for further interest-rate cuts.
The Consumer Price Index indicator advanced 2.1%, compared with economists' estimate of a 2.3% gain, data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday. The headline figure has now been inside the RBA's target for 10 months.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Australia cashes in on record sheep prices as meat exports surge
By Peter Hobson CANBERRA (Reuters) -Australian sheep farmers are cashing in on record-high sheep prices, as rising global demand for lamb and mutton fuels a boom in exports from the world's top sheep meat supplier. Prices are likely to rise further in the coming years as production in New Zealand, Australia's biggest sheep meat export rival, stagnates, analysts said. "We've seen waves of higher and higher pricing as export demand and our market share has grown," said Matt Dalgleish, a livestock and meat analyst at consultants Episode 3. While there will be seasonal price volatility, he said, "until the underlying pressure of limited supply and strong growth in demand changes, there should be more good times ahead for Australian producers." Australia last year exported 702,000 metric tons of lamb, mutton and goat meat worth $3.6 billion, almost 200,000 tons more than in 2019, previously the biggest export year. Shipments in the first four months of this year were 10% higher than during the same period in 2024, Australian trade data show. Processors' need for animals pushed the price of heavy lambs to record highs of nearly A$11 ($7.14) a kilogram last week, up 50% from the same time last year, according to a national price indicator compiled by industry body Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA). China is the biggest importer of sheep meat. Other major buyers include the United States, Britain, the European Union and the Middle East. Rising incomes and populations are fuelling demand for sheep meat, and high beef prices, especially in the United States, are encouraging people to switch to lamb and mutton, Dalgleish said. Helping Australia take advantage of that growth is an ongoing decline in New Zealand's sheep industry. The two countries account for more than 80% of global sheep meat exports, according to MLA. The number of sheep in Australia grew in recent years, allowing farmers to better supply processors, but New Zealand's flock has shrunk every year since 2012, according to the country's statistics agency - something New Zealand farmers say is partly due to the conversion of grazing land to pine forests that earn carbon credits. "New Zealand is the other major global exporter," said Angus Gidley-Baird, an analyst at Rabobank. "Its production is stagnating or retracting. So any growth in global demand is Australia's opportunity for the taking." ($1 = 1.5399 Australian dollars) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Major tax change impacting millions
Millions of Aussie small businesses are being warned to pay their tax bills on time or they will be slugged with a fee, compounding daily. In changes to taxation laws coming into effect on July 1, interest charged by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), which is set at 11.17 per cent compounded daily, will no longer be tax deductible. This means businesses who previously didn't have to worry about the debt due to it being tax deductible in the next financial year, would now have to pay their tax bill plus any interest owed. CA ANZ tax expert Susan Franks warns the approximately 2.6m small businesses in Australia this change will substantially increase the real cost of falling behind on tax obligations, particularly for small businesses already operating on tight margins. 'Small businesses currently hold the majority of the ATO's outstanding tax debt, and this change will make that debt even more expensive,' said Ms Franks. 'Previously, small businesses may not have been concerned about accumulating interest on tax debt, as it was deductible at tax time. 'But from 1 July 2025, small businesses could find themselves in a difficult situation and if not managed carefully, interest owed to the ATO could quickly exceed the amount of tax they were originally meant to pay.' The change comes into effect as the tax office tries to recoup the $45bn owed to them by small businesses. ATO assistant commissioner Anita Challen reminded taxpayers to pay in full and on time to avoid general interest charges accruing on overdue debts. 'These changes will mean it will cost more to carry a tax debt and, while taxpayers won't feel this change until next tax time, ATO general interest charge is currently charged at 11.17 per cent and compounds daily making it so important to get on top of your tax obligations,' Ms Challen said. 'If you have a tax debt you've been putting off paying – now is the time to pay.' The changes to the tax law comes as separate data sent from CreditorWatch shows more than 30,000 businesses across Australia owe the tax office at least $100,000. Since April 2022, the ATO has disclosed business tax debts to credit reporting bureaus, such as CreditorWatch, if they owe more than $100,000 and the business has not responded to outreach in two months. CreditorWatch says this is not a full list of businesses that owe more than $100,000 but worryingly 15,635 individuals or sole traders currently owe the tax office at least six figures. The ATO urges any businesses that are unable to pay their tax liabilities to get in contact with the taxation office. 'If you cannot pay on time and in full, you should also discuss your financial position with your accountant or finance provider to understand if there are alternative methods of funding payment of tax debts that might have a lower interest rate,' Ms Challen said. ' If you are considering obtaining third party financing to pay your tax debt, you should discuss the tax implications with your registered tax agent or adviser.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Baird Cuts Fiserv (FI) PT to $225 Ahead of Q2 2025 Results, Cites Recent Acquisitions
Fiserv Inc. (NYSE:FI) is one of the best technology stocks according to Wall Street analysts. On June 18, Baird adjusted the price target for Fiserv to $225 from $250, while maintaining an Outperform rating on the shares. This revision was made as the firm updated its model in anticipation of Fiserv's Q2 2025 results. In Q1 2025, the company reported a revenue growth of 5% year-over-year to generate $5.13 billion, with its Merchant Solutions segment growing by 5% and Financial Solutions by 6%. EPS increased by 22% to $1.51. Fiserv affirmed its full-year 2025 outlook, expecting organic revenue growth of 10% to 12% and adjusted EPS between $10.10 and $10.30, which would represent growth of 15% to 17%. A programmer coding on a laptop in the center of a creative workspace. In March, Fiserv acquired Payfare Inc., which is a Canada-based program management solutions provider for instant access to earnings, and CCV Group BV, which is a Netherlands-based point-of-sale payment solutions provider. In April, Fiserv reached agreements to acquire Pinch Payments NZ Limited, which is an Australia-based payment facilitator solutions provider, and Money Money Serviços Financeiros SA, which is a Brazil-based fintech for small businesses to access working capital. Fiserv Inc. (NYSE:FI) provides payments and financial services technology solutions internationally. It operates through the Merchant Solutions and Financial Solutions segments. While we acknowledge the potential of FI as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio