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The Big Picture
Australian house prices fall for sixth consecutive month. Brisbane and Sydney led the way, falling 1.5% and 1.4%, respectively, in September. Capital city house prices are down 6.4% since their March peak and are closing in on the record decline of 8.2%. Declining prices will be exacerbated by the RBA’s rate hike this week, which is expected to keep even more buyers out of the market. (Guardian | AFR)
Half of first home buyers accessing 5% Deposit Scheme. Nearly 103,000 first home buyers accessed the scheme in the past year, saving them $1.4 billion in lenders mortgage insurance. While the scheme saves lenders having to pay for LMI, first home buyers using the scheme are estimated to pay banks an additional $24 billion in interest by 2030 due to their larger mortgages. (Guardian | Green Left)
Card surcharge ban comes into effect. From 1 October, in-person and online businesses can no longer add a surcharge for card payments. This comes after an RBA review of the Australia’s payment network found removing the surcharges would improve competition, but small businesses say they will just pass on fees from payment companies via higher prices. (SBS | News)
US SEC looks to open up private markets to retail investors. Following Trump’s push for private market democratisation, the Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed amendments that would further open private markets to retail investors, citing high demand for better retail access to private markets. (SEC)
Inflation jumps across Eurozone. Price levels outpaced expectations across major European economies, with France, Italy, Germany and Spain seeing inflation rise to 3.4%, 4.1%, 3.3%, and 5.0%, respectively, driven by rising energy and fuel prices. The European Central Bank, which has an inflation target of 2%, is under pressure to raise rates again following their September rate hike. (Reuters)
Companies in the news
Micron beats expectations as revenue nearly quadruples. The US-based memory maker’s stock is up over 500% in the past year as AI boosts demand for memory. Quarterly data centre revenue was the highlight, soaring 1,042% to US$18 billion. Micron is forecasting quarterly revenue of US$61.5 billion for next quarter, a 13% increase, and has a revenue backlog of US$150 billion. (CNBC)
Transurban splashes $4.5bn on Sydney toll roads. The multinational toll road operator is purchasing additional equity in the M7, NorthConnex and WestConnex from the Canada Pension Plan in an effort to boost earnings. WestConnex is one of Transurban’s best investments, with traffic increasing 4.4% in FY2026. (AFR)
Ampol bets big on EVs with $225m Evie purchase. The petrol refiner and retailer will add roughly 1,030 charging bays from the Evie network acquisition as EV sales surged in the past year. EV sales surpassed petrol car sales for the first time in August, yet Australia has significantly fewer charging stations than Europe and China on a per-car basis. (AFR)
Google releases advanced Argon AI model. The tech giant claims Argon matches or beats Anthropic and OpenAI models on coding and cyber security benchmarks, and will be available to select companies and governments for cyber defence. (FT)
BMW axes 20% of managers in AI push. BMW Group will cut its divisions and divisional managers by 20% next year, with similar reductions further down, using AI to streamline management. Board chair Milan Nedeljković said agentic AI would make the company leaner and faster amid fiercer competition. (Capital Brief)
Coffee lovers, avert your eyes: Instant coffee is on the rise
Inflation is hitting everyone, including the more than five million Australians that visit a cafe daily. Despite Australia’s sophisticated coffee culture, Nestle says cappuccino sachets and soluble instant coffee have been the fastest-growing parts of the market.
The average price of a flat white from an Australian cafe is now around $6, and it’s not like cafes are ripping off customers: Roughly half of coffee businesses fail. As inflation remains sticky, Aussies are turning towards instant alternatives, which cost as low as 12 cents per cup. (ABC)
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Ask An Adviser: Investing Your First $5,000
Financial adviser Matt Ingram from Northhaven had some advice for new investors looking for tips on where to get started.
How would you invest your first $500 today?
Matt: With a small amount like that, I'd focus on keeping things simple and building a solid foundation rather than trying to chase big gains. A single, broadly diversified ETF is the easiest way to do that, something like Betashares Diversified All Growth ETF (DHHF), which gives you exposure to thousands of companies across the globe in one trade. It may not be flashy, but it gives your portfolio a strong base and reduces the risk of a single investment hurting your overall returns.
You could choose to put the money into a company you like the look of, and if it performs well, you might make a few hundred dollars down the track. But at the same time, a small drop in price could be enough to make a first-time investor feel discouraged, which is why starting with diversification makes more sense.
Once you have that core in place, you can gradually explore individual stocks, thematic ETFs, or other assets. But the first step is really about learning how investing works and giving yourself a foundation to build on rather than chasing short-term gains.
Want to work with an adviser like Matt to get started investing? Fill out the form on our website and we’ll match you with one of our hand-picked advisers to help you get started.
