On Tuesday, Australia's Reserve Bank chose stillness over pressure, holding the cash rate at 4.35 per cent for the second meeting in a row. The decision spared millions of mortgage holders a fourth rate rise in a single year — a year that had already tested the limits of what ordinary households could absorb. In the long arc of monetary policy, this pause is a small thing; in the lives of families weighing groceries against repayments, it is the difference between endurance and collapse.
RBA holds rates steady at 4.35% as relief washes over mortgage-stressed households
Millions of Australian households experiencing financial stress from accumulated rate rises, with concerns about meeting basic expenses including food and housing.