Sun, 31st Aug 2025

In this episode, Paige Estritori delivers the daily financial news, highlighting key issues and developments in the Australian financial sector. Estritori discusses stagnant wages with real wages 6.1% lower than their mid-2022 peak, suggesting that slow wage growth is negatively impacting Australians' purchasing power and could hinder economic recovery. Secondly, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is taking unprecedented legal action against Equity Trustees Superannuation over alleged negligence, endangering about $160 million in retirement savings. The episode also covers the surprising rise in CPI inflation, leading to delays in potential interest rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of Australia. Finally, life insurance premiums have increased markedly this year, specifically for group life policies, potentially impacting smaller firms and insurers with poor claims histories the most. The episode concludes with a mention of a major insurer resuming corporate life insurance outside superannuation.