Tag: interest rates

Interest Rates Update: Reserve Bank June Decision

The CPI data for April, released by the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) on 31 May surprised the markets. The increase in headline inflation despite a continued fall in the underlying rate, changed expectations more towards a June rate rise rather than a hold. But despite the April spike, there were still strong economic data and convincing reasons in favour of holding rates steady. Reading the actual statements from the RBA, including especially from the Governor Philip Lowe, rather than relying purely on media headlines, may be useful in getting a better understanding of what’s happening with rates. At this critical time of year with temporary full expensing ending and the new financial year about to start, business owners will no doubt value as much intel as possible to assist with finance decisions. In this update, we provide a rundown on the information available to date from the RBA – the decision release and an address by Dr Lowe. Noting... Read More Caret Right

From soaring inflation to disinflation. Latest CPI relevance for interest rates

How Disinflation Affects Commercial Finance Interest Rates Business Finance Australia covers off on the latest inflation figures from the ABS and the relevance of disinflation on commercial finance interest rates. Disinflation is the term which Michelle Marquardt from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) used to describe the two consecutive monthly figures of a lower inflation rate annually. From the peak of 8.4% reached in December 2022 and following a year of soaring rates, the ABS has now reported two monthly CPI data series of lower rates. January’s rate was a significant fall to 7.4%. A smaller drop was expected by the markets for February, possibly to around 7.1%. But the figures were much better than expected with the annual inflation to February 2023 at 6.8%. The result is extremely significant for interest rates as it comes less than a week ahead of the crucial Reserve Bank (RBA) Board meeting to make the April cash rate decision. This meeting and... Read More Caret Right

Pause or raise? RBA interest rates options for upcoming decision

With both a pause and a rise in interest rates possible at the next RBA meeting, Business Finance updates on rates to assist operators with finance decisions. The Reserve Bank (RBA) Board has announced ten rate rises consecutively since May of last year. But based on discussions at the RBA Board’s March meeting, a pause in those increases may be upcoming. There was discussion of a pause at the December meeting, as revealed in the minutes. Governor Philip Lowe backed that up at the time with remarks that all options were on the table. But the economic conditions prevailing by the February meeting meant the pause was not discussed. However, the minutes of the March RBA Board meeting do reveal that the option of pausing interest rate increases will be discussed at the upcoming April meeting. The optimism around that revelation may be moderated by the discussion at the same meeting, that it is likely that more increases will be... Read More Caret Right

RBA March Monetary Policy Statement – interest rates up but pause closer

As was expected, the RBA lifted interest rates a further 0.25% on 7 March meeting, said more increases likely but also indicated a pause was closer. The RBA Governor, Dr Philip Lowe made the ‘pause’ comments in a speech at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit, held the day after the RBA Board meeting. The content of that speech is informative as it expands on comments in the monetary policy statement and covers more ground. Comments and ‘ground’ which may be of assistance to business owners in the midst of making those vital acquisition decisions in the lead-up to the end of the financial year. Having as much intel as possible as to what may lay ahead in business conditions may provide be vital to those finance decisions. Interest rates are critical to commercial loans and with rates set to move higher, using an experienced broker to secure the cheapest rates can be an astute decision. The current cash rate is... Read More Caret Right

Secure a new vehicle from Hyundai Trucks at cheaper interest rates

Hyundai Trucks has new stock now available and buyers can source cheaper interest rate truck loans to make their purchase through Business Finance Australia. This will be a busy time for truck buyers as the end of financial year and the end of temporary full expensing looms. It could also be timely to purchase new vehicles with finance prior to any more rate rises. Securing the vehicles means finding a manufacturer and/or dealer with stock available for immediate delivery. Placing orders and having to wait beyond 30 June, may mean missing out on tax deductions in this financial year. Hyundai Trucks apparently have stock of some models and new models are coming soon. For operators in the market for a medium duty truck, the Hyundai range may be worth considering. Hyundai Trucks Models Now Available Operators requiring a refrigerated vehicle may consider those currently in stock at Hyundai dealers. These vehicles are ready for delivery and drive away so buyers can... Read More Caret Right

February RBA Meeting Minutes reveal uncertainties re interest rates and inflation

The uncertainties discussed by the RBA Board at its February around interest rates and inflation may present reason to expedite new asset purchases with finance. These uncertainties were detailed in the Minutes of the 7 February meeting which were posted to the Reserve Bank website on 21 February. While most will obtain information on RBA decisions through media reports, it can often be worthwhile referring directly to the source documents to gain a better perspective and greater insights. Meeting minutes contain a lot more detail and cover a wider range of topics than are included in the statement issued by the Board to announce its monthly interest rates decisions. This additional information may be beneficial to business owners and operators in acquiring a more broad-based view of the outlook for their sector or the Australian economy in general. Most importantly, the minutes may offer a greater understanding of the RBA’s thinking and reasoning around interest rates. Rates are key to... Read More Caret Right

Inflation Rate, Interest Rates and now the Unemployment Rate for businesses to consider

Release of the latest unemployment rate and increases in interest rates may prompt businesses to act to upgrade equipment and vehicles with commercial loans. Australians have been swamped with the stats, data and rates over the past month or so. While inflation rates and interest rates will be of greatest interest to individuals, the employment situation can be of critical importance to many business operators. The conditions in the labour market have been a key impact on the ability for many businesses to operate to full capacity. Affecting output, productivity, profitability, supply and potentially pricing. The labour market has been tight for quite some time, so any signs of an easing may be good news for many and reason to get moving with plans that have been on hold. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the unemployment rate data on February 16th and it showed an increase. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) had included a rise in unemployment... Read More Caret Right

Prospects for interest rates with latest inflation increase

Prospects for more interest rates rises were possibly strengthened with the latest November CPI data from the ABS revealing continuing inflationary pressures. The CPI data for the year to November was published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last week and shows the October drop in inflation was short-lived. In November inflation rose again by 0.4% to bring the current rate back to the September figure of 7.3%. These newest figures are in line with the outlook from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) for inflation to edge even higher. The Board’s outlook was upped from the previous 7.75% to a peak in 2022 of 8%. The newest data covers November so the December figures are awaited to see what the annual rate is and if it is a peak. The December Quarter CPI data along with the monthly figures for December are due to be published by the ABS on 25th January. The timing is proving a busy... Read More Caret Right

RBA discusses both halting and hiking interest rates. So what’s next?

With the minutes of the RBA December meeting revealing the Board considered a larger hike and a hold, businesses may wonder what’s ahead for interest rates in 2023. Since the first of this current cycle of interest rate rises in May 2022, the RBA Board has constantly included a remark that further interest rate rise would be expected. But when delving further than the media release statement and into the more detailed minutes of the meeting, greater insights into the Board’s decision-making process is revealed. But sometimes more information is not always helpful. The December board meeting minutes detail the arguments that were discussed for returning to the earlier larger rate hikes of 0.5%, of continuing the run of 0.25% increases and holding the cash rate steady at the 2.85%. The possibility of a stop to rate rises would be good news while another large increase could put plans for acquiring assets with finance into limbo. One economics reporter described... Read More Caret Right

RBA Continues with Interest Rates Increases

Pressure mounts on businesses to seek cheaper interest rate business and asset finance as the RBA continued increasing interest rates with its December decision. The RBA December decision to raise the cash rate again makes it the eighth consecutive increase this year. Raising the cash rate from that historic low 0.1% to the now 3.1% over those eight increases. Quite a significant amount of increases in a relatively short time. A fact which has been acknowledged by RBA Governor Philip Lowe in recent remarks and statement. The cash rate is now at its highest in around 10 years. The repercussions through lending markets has been increases in interest rates by banks and non-bank lenders. But those increases can vary across and within different loan markets and for finance applicable for different industry sectors. Taking this all into consideration along with high inflation, the tight labour market and rising costs, the importance of understanding what’s happening with interest rates and having... Read More Caret Right

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FAQs
Business Finance FAQs

Yes, subject to the specific guidelines of individual brokers. Many brokers will offer services to all types and sizes of commercial set-ups while some may specialise in working for only some types of operations. Some brokers may also specialise in certain industry sectors or with specific financial products.

Commercial loans all offer tax deductible elements. These vary with the different products including Chattel Mortgage, Leasing, Rent to Own and Commercial Hire Purchase. Interest payments are all tax deductible. With Leasing and Rent to Own the repayments are tax deductible. With Chattel Mortgage a tax benefit is realised through depreciation.

The interest rates vary with the different funding products. Rates will change across the market with changes in the cash rate by the Reserve Bank. Rates will differ depending on the individual application and credit rating. Rates can vary for equipment in different industries. Credit providers will advertise their best rate for good credit rating applicants.

Yes. Having a current ABN is an essential requirement to be eligible for commercial funding products. Additional documentation on the financials of the operation and other details will be requested as part of the application process. If not all documents are available, ABN holders may seek No Doc or Low Doc options.

The same products apply across all industries and types of operations. But the funding offers can vary across different industry sectors for some credit products. This may occur with equipment and machinery in particular. Interest rates on equipment funding may be different from one industry to another. This may be due to risk assessment of the sector or the individual guidelines of a particular lender. Vehicle funding interest rates would be less subject to industry variations.

The type of credit product best suited to a commercial enterprise will depend on:- accounting method used; balance sheet approach; approach to tax; and financial objectives. The most popular options are Vehicle Leasing and Chattel Mortgage. Operators are advised to discuss choice of product for suitability with their accountant.

Cash flow support may be sought through an Overdraft Facility or a Secured or Unsecured Funding Option. All may be sought to support an operation with ongoing expenses to support cash flow.

New start-ups with an ABN are eligible to apply for all types of commercial loans. As most will not have all the documents for the application, they may seek No Doc and Low Doc options through specialist providers and brokers. Funding can be sought for vehicles, trucks, equipment and other purposes.

To be eligible for commercial loan, applicants must hold an ABN and identification are essential requirements. GST registration is not essential. A selection of documentation, docs, is requested. This may include tax returns, BAS returns, trading figures, bank statements, balance sheets and annual accounts.

Refinancing may be considered for many types of commercial funding arrangements. These may include asset acquisition funding, overdrafts as well as general secured and unsecured arrangements. Refinancing may be sought for a range of purposes including to achieve a lower interest rate, restructure repayment schedule or as part of a business-wide review of financials.

In general terms, any equipment which is for use in a commercial operation may be eligible for commercial funding. The ATO sets out eligibility for tax deductible asset acquisitions. The type of equipment will vary depending on the industry. It can include heavy machinery and equipment right through to general equipment such as computers, IT and photocopiers. Lenders may have their own guidelines as to what equipment they will fund.

Commercial financing is available through major and second tier banks and a wide range of non-bank lenders. Brokers offer services to assist operators to source funding to suit their requirements.

Rates are offered following an assessment of the application. The rate will be based on the credit rating of the applicant, the amount being applied for, aspects of the goods or purpose of the funding and other aspects. Rates offered vary across the lending market and are subject to the individual guidelines of the credit provider. Changes to monetary policy by the Reserve Bank can impact the interest rates market.

Features and structure of commercial loans should be assessed in relation to the accounting methods and objectives of the company. Consulting with an accountant can assist with this process. The best option is the one that suits the individual objectives and goals.

No. ABN holders and sole traders that are not incorporated are still eligible for commercial loans. Some lenders will have guidelines around application approvals. Small enterprises may seek a credit provider that accepts applications from their type of operation or seek assistance from a broker.