Australians hold some of the highest levels of mortgage debt in the world. This paper examines what is widely considered to be one of the strongest channels of monetary policy transmission into household spending – the effect of changes in mortgage payments when mortgage rates are linked to the short-term policy rate.

The recent period of high inflation has renewed concerns about the state of competition in the Australian supermarket sector, particularly in terms of the dominance of Coles and Woolworths. This paper assesses sales concentration and finds consumers display long lasting inertia in their choice of supermarket.