Rates on hold, cut still possible; ASIC warns on private credit; Maldives bans smoking

Wednesday 5 November 2025 The Reserve Bank leaves interest rates on hold, with little clear direction about whether there’ll be any more rate cuts.  * The corporate regulator, ASIC, criticises private credit players in a benchmark review of financial markets.  * The federal government will force electricity suppliers to provide three free hours of energy to households each day.  * Microsoft’s mega-deal with a largely unknown Tasmanian data centre operator.  * The Maldives becomes the first country in the world to outlaw cigarette smoking. Join our free daily newsletter here [https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup]. And don’t miss the latest episode of How Do They Afford That? [https://fearandgreed.com.au/how-do-they-afford-that-sugar-mamma-canna-campbell/] - this week, is it time to fix your interest rate? Get the episode from APPLE [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-do-they-afford-that/id1644255235], SPOTIFY [https://open.spotify.com/show/1EW5WRlRh7MovSBNkk6dG8?si=b2203ec2fa934a14], or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/ [https://fearandgreed.com.au/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.