Interest rates may be rising, but Reserve Bank deputy governor Michele Bullock is confident most borrowers will be able to cope.

One reason for her confidence is that "household balance sheets are in very good shape", because the average household is ahead on their mortgage and has considerable equity in their home.

If you’re wondering whether it’s cheaper to buy or rent, a new report has answered that question.

It’s currently cheaper to buy 27% of homes in Australia, according to PropTrack, although the numbers vary significantly from state to state:

Australia recorded a national vacancy rate of just 1.0% in June, according to SQM Research, which means the rental market is strongly favouring property investors.

Over the past 12 months, the vacancy rate has fallen from 1.7% to 1.0%. As a result, there is now only one vacancy for every 100 rental properties.

Demand for new vehicles is outstripping supply, according to the latest monthly sales report from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

A total of 94,383 new vehicles were sold in May, which was 6.4% fewer than the year before.

The Australian Taxation Office has said it will pay close attention to the work expenses that people claim in their tax returns.

Assistant commissioner Tim Loh said if you claim more working-from-home expenses than in a typical work year, the ATO would expect to see a corresponding reduction in working-from-office expenses such as clothing, parking and tolls.