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Takeaway coffee sales plunge as fuel and living costs dent Australian spending. Is the economy next?

22 April 2026 at 00:00

The trend has been accelerated by the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving households – and cafe owners – glum, surveys suggest

For many coffee drinkers, takeaway orders are changing from a habitual purchase to an occasional treat, as elevated petrol prices and other living costs leave households feeling glum.

This rapid shift in behaviour has disappointed cafe owners and surprised economists, raising an uneasy question: if takeaway coffee sales are falling, is the economy next?

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© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Wall Street seems to have decided the recession risk is over. Can the Australian market do the same?

16 April 2026 at 15:00

Experts say US market ‘may have run ahead of itself’ while ASX 200’s more modest recovery is due in part to Australia’s reliance on fuel imports

One day the IMF warns of a global recession, the next day stocks on Wall Street hit a record high.

From looking at the complete U-turn in fortunes in America, you wouldn’t know the world was in the grips of an unprecedented energy shock.

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© Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

© Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

© Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

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