Australia's latest inflation figures have increased pressure on the RBA to lift interest rates again next Tuesday. Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve held rates steady, despite growing divisions among policymakers, and Big Tech earnings are putting the enormous investment in artificial intelligence under scrutiny. Here's the weekly wrap.

After the RBA’s rate hike to 4.60% and a run of soft data, this week is lighter on local releases but still telling

A run of local data this week and last showed the RBA’s rate hikes working their way through the economy.

The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate again this week, to 4.60%, its fourth increase this year, and one markets had firmly expected.

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The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates last week for the first time since 2023, and signalled another increase may follow before year-end.

If you've got $50 to invest and a share like CSL or Amazon costs hundreds of dollars, fractional shares and micro-investing apps promise a way in. But the two terms get used almost interchangeably online — and in Australia, the details vary a lot by platform and by market.

US inflation cooled for a second month running, easing fears that the Federal Reserve will need to raise rates next month and lifting shares to record highs. The relief has proved short-lived, though, as oil has pushed higher and bond yields have climbed to multi-year highs, already nudging shares back from those peaks. Closer to home, it is reporting season with the major banks lagging.

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A self-managed super fund (SMSF) can invest in a wide range of assets: cash and term deposits, Australian and international shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), managed funds and listed investment companies (LICs), property, and a limited set of alternatives.

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A self-managed super fund (SMSF) is a private super fund that you run yourself for your own retirement. It works as a legal trust: members contribute money, the trustees (usually the same people) invest it, and the savings are paid out as retirement benefits.