No, but consumer spending on black Friday is the top-line metric reported in the article.

And my point is that not spending on houses (combined with the bonus of fixed rate mortgages for those who got them before the rate hikes) means there's more cash around for so called "Yolo" expenditures.

No, however, Australian housing rent prices are now higher than mortgage repayments in some areas due to housing availability.

Also, those who have paid off their house, have been profligate during the recent sales.

The timing are co-incidental, but the media loves mixing correlation and causation.