Breaking: RBA hikes rates to 4.6%

Thank you for following along with us this afternoon for our coverage on the Reserve Bank’s sixth cash rate decision for 2026.The RBA has increased the cash rate by 25 percentage points to 4.6%, marking the fourth cash rate hike of the year and the first since May.Jump to key updates4:00pm Rate hold option had been on the table, RBA says 3:15pm RBA flags fears for housing market 2:30pm RBA hikes the cash rate to 15-year high of 4.60% 1:28pm Australia’s four big banks expecting a hike 12:29pm Housing market value continues to slide RBA Governor Michele Bullock. Picture: NewsWire/Christian GillesThank you for following our coverage of the RBA’s cash rate decision4:30pmThank you for following along with us this afternoon for our coverage on the Reserve Bank’s sixth cash rate decision for 2026.To recap, the cash rate has been raised to 4.6% with governor Bullock attributing the decision to a mixture of pressure from the ongoing Middle East conflict, the AI investment boom, and ongoing domestic capacity pressures. Today’s decision marks the fourth cash rate hike of the year and the first since May.The next decision on the cash rate – the penultimate for 2026 – is only five weeks away an...