Rate of inflation eases but high building costs persist
The ABS data comes as the RBA Board prepares to meet on interest rates next week
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The rate of inflation has fallen to 5.6 percent, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.
Housing, food and non alcoholic beverages, as well as furnishings saw the greatest price increases, up 8.4 percent, 7.9 percent and 6 percent respectively. However, they were offset by automotive fuel, which fell by -8 percent, thanks to a stronger Australian dollar reducing the cost of importing oil, as well as increased oil production.
The fall in inflation of 5.6 percent over May continues the steady lowering of the CPI, which was recorded at 6.8 percent in April. The latest figures represent the smallest rise since April 2022.
The timing is potentially good news for mortgage holders, taking pressure off the RBA Board to further increase the cash rate when they meet next Tuesday.
The news was less promising for the construction industry, where sustained high labour and material costs have resulted in dwelling prices increasing 8.3 percent over the 12 months to May. However, the ABS noted the rate of growth had eased compared with July 2022 when the cost of building reached a record high increase of 21.7 percent.
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The penthouse unit at 80 Columbus Circle in Manhattan spans 8,000 square feet and once set a price record for the city.
2 minEight is definitely someone’s lucky number—especially when a few zeros are tacked on at the end.
The top-floor unit of the 80-storey 80 Columbus Circle in Manhattan is coming to market for the first time in more than 20 years and asking a nice round $80 million.
The full-floor unit spans over 8,000 square feet and is part of the Mandarin Oriental Residences above the hotel in the Deutsche Bank Center. It has eight rooms with eight ensuite baths, each with its own walk-in shower.
It last sold in 2005 for a hair under $30 million to cosmetics executive Sandie Tillotson, a founding member and senior vice president at the Utah-based Nu Skin Enterprises. She agreed to purchase the unit in 2001 while the complex was under development as the Time Warner Center.
Today, the six-bedroom apartment features spacious living areas and views from every room, including a close-up view of Central Park and panoramic 360-degree vistas stretching to the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, according to listing agent Eva J. Mohr of Sotheby’s International Realty.
“There are windows all the way around,” Mohr said. “The views are spectacular and there are no obstacles in front of the windows.
The apartment comes with a library and cinema, a primary bedroom with its own lounge, an oversized kitchen, a corner breakfast area with two glass walls and a utility room with caterer-level equipment and two sinks—one for prepping flowers and the other for bathing pets.
The 80th-floor unit has never been resold and was rarely used by the seller, according to information provided by the listing agency. The corresponding top-level unit in the complex’s second tower just sold. That unit once belonged to Related Companies boss Stephen Ross and sold for $50.7 million in an off-market deal last week.
“The one that went for $55 (sic) million was completely redone with marble and it was beautiful, but you don’t have the views,” Mohr said.
When Tillotson bought the property, the $30 million contract was a record price for a condominium, according to the New York Times. In 2005, the apartment was delivered as “8,200 square feet of raw space” and Tillotson brought her own team to do the interiors, the Times reported.
Tillotson’s Nu Skin is a seller of anti-ageing and wellness products that was founded in the 1980s and is active in more than 50 international markets, particularly in China. The publicly traded company has also recently expanded into India. Nu Skin has several thousand permanent employees at its Provo, Utah, headquarters as well as tens of thousands of salespeople worldwide.
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