Finder’s Economic Positivity Index

Tracking the outlook Finder's panel of economic experts.

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Saranga Sudarshan

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Key takeaways

  • Finder’s Economic Positivity Index rose by 2 percentage points.
  • 13% of Finder’s panel on average had a positive view of the economy.

The index was mixed this month, with housing affordability and household debt confidence improving, while employment sentiment weakened and wage growth and cost of living held steady.

Optimism around jobs fell sharply to 0%, down from 7% the previous month, while confidence in wages held steady at 17%.

Sentiment on housing affordability strengthened further, with optimism rising to 38% from 27%.

Optimism on household debt lifted to 10% from 3%, while cost of living remained unchanged at 0%.

Finder's Graham Cooke highlighted that, "Economic sentiment has weakened over the past six months, with the positivity average falling from 9% in November 2025 to 13% in August 2026, the lowest level on record. A brief rise to 12% in February 2026, driven by stronger employment expectations, was quickly reversed as confidence in both jobs and wage growth declined again in March. The downturn coincides with a renewed increase in the RBA cash rate, which reached 4.35% in August 2026, with back-to-back rate hikes adding further pressure on households."

What is the Finder Economic Positivity Index?

Finder's Economic Positivity Index is a monthly measure of how the economists on Finder's RBA cash rate panel view the outlook for the Australian economy across 5 broad categories. It provides a snapshot of the consensus positive sentiment of economic experts on the Australian economy as a whole over the next 6 months.

The index is collated from over 3,400 responses to Finder's RBA cash rate survey since March 2018. It is produced by analysing data collected across 5 categories:

  • Employment
  • Wage growth
  • Housing affordability
  • Cost of living
  • Household debt

Each category is measured with a question that asks whether the economist has a positive, neutral or negative outlook over the following 6 months. These responses are then collated into a consensus opinion, then averaged to form the final positivity index.

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Saranga Sudarshan is an experienced analyst specialising in consumer finance research, data analysis and market intelligence. Formerly a research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, he holds a PhD in political philosophy from the University of St Andrews, as well as a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Sydney. Saranga was an Analyst at Finder from 2022 to 2024. See full bio

Saranga's expertise
Saranga has written 20 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Personal finance
  • Data analysis
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