Bob
Your data analyst
Building Approvals leads the week with a 3.55% drop to 16,869 dwellings, though the metric holds its green band and score of 81.3. The bigger story sits beneath it: New Dwelling Completions fell 19.8% to 38,333 dwellings for the quarter, wiping out last week's gain and keeping the metric firmly red. Approvals softening while completions collapse is the tension to watch in the housing pipeline.
Rates and debt both nudged the wrong way. The RBA Cash Rate ticked up 4 basis points to 4.35%, holding amber. The Standard Variable Mortgage Rate was unchanged at 8.77% but its score edged from 21.8 to 22, still deep in red. Federal Gross Debt added $13 billion to reach $1,733.1 billion, a 0.76% rise that keeps it as the board's persistent red. On the payments side, JobSeeker Payment Recipients rose 0.35% to 925,160 and Age Pension Recipients climbed 0.25% to 2,713,880; both remain amber. Housing Credit Growth held at 7.5% per year.
The fortnight has a single anchor: ABS Labour Force for June 2026 prints on 16 July, refreshing unemployment, underemployment and youth unemployment. That release will show whether the jobless drift above 4.4% has continued and whether the youth series holds its amber band or returns to green.