Inflation spiked to 3.8% in October, driven by higher electricity and food costs. Economist Warren Hogan is calling for the RBA to raise rates by at least 25 basis points - possibly 40bp to get the cash rate back to 4%.

Is Dr Deremith's famous "it's a no" prediction about to be proven wrong? A first interest rate rise in more than two years could be on the cards in 2026 after underlying inflation also increased to 3.3%, above the RBA's forecast of 3.2%.

In this Australian Investors Podcast episode, Owen Rask and Drew Meredith debate the RBA's next move, tackle whether retirees should even bother chasing alpha in their portfolios, and dissect two contrasting retail stories.

Collins Foods (KFC operator) is flying, but shares tanked. The company upgraded its profit outlook after delivering record first-half revenue of $750.3 million. They're now targeting year-on-year net profit growth in the mid-to-high teens (up from low-to-mid teens). Net profit rose 12.7% to $27.2 million, and they increased the interim dividend from 11¢ to 13¢. They are banking on the Banh Mi strategy to work!

Metcash is struggling. The IGA/Mitre 10 owner tumbled 9.2% to $3.36 after reporting just 0.1% revenue growth to $8.48 billion, missing expectations. Food earnings were resilient (EBIT up 3.5%), but liquor EBIT fell 11.4% and hardware dropped 4.2%.

Drew shares his first Tesla driving experience. They explore why data centres and energy are the future with Macquarie Tech's massive 47MW AI data centre opening. Plus: Property ETF strategies, when to shift to geared funds, and why tradies are earning $122k-$156k while we're stuck talking stocks.

If you like this Australian Investors Podcast episode, you'll love the series. Don't forget to subscribe for weekly shows on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Topics covered today:

Is an RBA rate rise coming? - Inflation hits 3.8%, Warren Hogan calls for 25-40bp hike, Dr Deremith says no

Should retirees chase alpha? - Portfolio strategy debate for retirement phase

Collins Foods crushes it - KFC operator upgrades profit outlook, record $750m revenue, mid-high teens growth

Metcash tumbles 9.2% - IGA/Mitre 10 owner misses revenue expectations, liquor and hardware weak

Drew drives his first Tesla - Full review and experience

Data centres & energy boom - Macquarie Tech's 47MW AI data centre, Sydney's only new AI capacity in 2026

Property ETF strategies - VAP vs GLPR vs Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (CLW)

When to shift to geared funds? - NDQ to GNDQ timing strategies

Tradie wages shock - Miners $156k/year, sparkies/plumbers $122k

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