Does the PM and his government need to focus on bread-and-butter issues such as the cost of living, and big companies rethink their commitment to important social issues?

A recent survey shows the Reserve Bank’s interest rate policy is set to grinch the festive season, with owners of restaurants and cafes to feel the pinch the most.

The RBA is doing its darndest to bring inflation down. Meanwhile the federal government is working against the inflation fight by increasing wages for migrant workers. Why is this so?

After 11 years of loss-making, Virgin Australia is now in the black but will the headwinds Qantas is copping delay its return to the stock market?

Just when oil prices were heading in the right direction to help beat inflation, along comes this terrible terrorist action by Hamas against Israel.

Are retailers, hospitality, tourist businesses and all those selling consumer discretionary goods and services experiencing the same issues about costs, labour supply and interest rates that are squeezing builders? If so, the RBA must be very careful about more rate rises.

Retailers bracing for a tight Christmas could mean rate rises are starting to work and no more rises are needed.

The biggest challenge to find workers is in the white-collar sector, where 50% of professions suffer a gross undersupply. This puts inflationary pressure on wages, which doesn’t help put the lid on rate rises.

1.57 million Australians are at risk of mortgage stress and the number of borrowers in the “extreme risk” category is at a record high. When will this mortgage misery end?

Is this new tax change set to be Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ first step in his goal to preserve savings in “an equitable and sustainable way”?

It’s good to see China taking down its trade barriers against Australia, given how important the country is to our exports and jobs. But more needs to be done before China becomes the international citizen it should be.

Just when rate worriers were thinking the RBA was over with rate rises, along comes August’s inflation rise that has the media speculating more hikes could be ahead.