Comment on Australia took its interest rate medicine – and it has poisoned our living standards | Greg Jericho
Salvo@aussie.zone 1 day ago
The problem is that the RBA increased interest rates to discourage individuals from borrowing more. The problem is that We had already borrowed so much that the increase was crippling.
They should have only increased rates on new loans and reduced rates on existing loans.
ryannathans@aussie.zone 21 hours ago
That’s an interesting concept but not one the RBA has any control over. You’d have to freeze old loans somehow too to prevent people redrawing and consolidating debt into old facilities? And get all the banks to adopt it? What about international debt? Don’t think would be doable in practice
zero_gravitas@aussie.zone 21 hours ago
In the US, the vast majority of mortgages have a fixed rate over decades.
90% of mortgages are fixed-rate for 30 years according to this page: mortgagecalculator.org/…/how-many-years-mortgage-…
I don’t know the details of how that works, but yeah, it’s possible for the vast majority of home borrowers to be on fixed rates.
ryannathans@aussie.zone 14 hours ago
Fixed rate for the entire term? Fascinating
Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 5 hours ago
That’s a good deal if you get s good deal.
Taleya@aussie.zone 19 hours ago
not just the yanks, I have a mate from france I caught up with earlier this week who could not comprehend how a home loan had a variable rate. She thinks we’re all insane.