Westpac survey results signal growing sense of ‘helplessness’ while Jim Chalmers faces growing pressure to rein in spending Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Confidence among mortgaged households has crashed to its lowest level in more than three decades amid a growing sense of “helplessness” about the economy, even as a dramatic shift in financial markets suggests there is now a strong chance of a Reserve Bank rate cut by this time next year. The latest Westpac survey showed its consumer sentiment index sinking again in November to reach a four-year low, amid deepening pessimism about the near-term prospects for the economy . Continue reading...