All eyes are on the RBA after the Fed fired the starting gun on rate cuts
It's going to be another big week in macro, with the RBA's rate decision on Tuesday the headline event and big speeches to watch from Peter Dutton and Joe Hockey.
The Reserve Bank board meets a day before the monthly inflation read is due to be published.
Both the latest underlying inflation rate and the central bank's view of the economy, including how governor Michele Bullock responds to questions about the US Federal Reserve's 50 basis point rate cut last week, will be topics of scrutiny.
Here’s what you need to know about the key economic data releases this week.
Rates decision
What: RBA September board meeting and press conference
When: Tuesday 24 September 2024
What to expect: There is no expectation from the experts about any change to the 4.35% rate this week, with most economists expecting the first rate cut in February 2025 (though markets are now pricing in a rate cut before the end of the year, with the excitement driven by the US easing). Notably, on Thursday following better than expected jobs data, analysts at the Commonwealth Bank pushed back their earlier expectations of a November rate cut to December 2024 and noted they are alert to the risks of a later cut in February.
