Inflation falls to lowest levels in 17 months
The news comes ahead of the RBA Board meeting on interest rates next Tuesday
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Further interest rate hikes may well be at an end with news that the inflation rate has fallen to its lowest levels in 17 months.
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released today shows the consumer price index (CPI) for July came in at 4.9 percent seasonally adjusted, down from 5.4 percent in June. Markets had widely forecast a CPI of 5.2 percent.
Housing accounted for the most significant rise, up 7.3 percent, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages, which increased by 5.6 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, the price of automotive fuel fell by -7.6 percent.
While the fall in the rate of inflation rate is good news for borrowers as the RBA approaches its monthly board meeting next week, there was further news for the property market, with the price of new dwellings rising by 5.9 percent, the lowest annual rise since October 2021.
However, rental demand remains strong, with rent prices up 7.6 percent in the 12 months to July 2023.
The RBA expects inflation to reach a more manageable 2-3 percent range by mid 2025.
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Starbucks is making another major leadership change just one week after new CEO Brian Niccol started his job.
Michael Conway, the 58-year-old coffee chain’s head of North America, will be retiring at the end of November, according to a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The decision came only six months after Conway took on the job. His position won’t be filled. Instead, the company plans to seek candidates for a new role in charge of Starbucks’ global branding.
The chief brand officer role will have responsibilities across product, marketing, digital, customer insights, creative and store concepts.
“Recognizing the unmatched capabilities of the Starbucks team and seeing the energy and enthusiasm for Brian’s early vision, I could not think of a better time to begin my transition towards retirement,” wrote Conway in a statement.
Conway has been at Starbucks for more than a decade, and was promoted to his current job—a newly created role—back in March, as part of the company’s structural leadership change under former CEO Laxman Narasimhan.
The coffee giant has been struggling with weaker sales in recent quarters, as it faces not only macroeconomic headwinds, but also operational, branding, and product development challenges.
Narasimhan was taking many moves to turn around the business, but faced increasing pressure from the board, shareholders, and activist investors.
One month ago, Starbucks ousted Narasimhan and appointed Brian Niccol, the former CEO at Chipotle, as its top executive. The stock has since jumped 20% in a show of faith for Niccol, who started at Starbucks last week.
When he was at Chipotle, Niccol made a few executive hires that were key to the company’s turnaround.
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