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June rates on hold, again

The Reserve Bank has kept interest rates on hold at a record low of 1.50 per cent at its June board meeting.

Tuesday’s decision was widely expected with 24 analysts polled by Bloomberg all agreeing a ‘hold’ decision was the most likely outcome, today.

This marks the ninth consecutive month that Australia’s official interest rates have been held at the ultra low levels of 1.50 per cent.

The decision comes just 24 hours before vital economic data on the state of the economy – Australia’s national accounts – are released. Forecasts are indicating tepid first quarter economic growth of just 0.3 per cent, figures which the RBA will be paying close attention to.

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However, financial markets are anticipating a future rate cut, if the heat in the Sydney and Melbourne housing markets, dissipates.

Future cut?

“While the cash rate has remained on hold in June, financial markets are starting to lean more towards a cut in official interest rates rather than a stable rate setting,” said CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless.

One of the key barriers to rate cuts – the heated markets of Sydney and Melbourne – have shown signs of slowing, he notes. “If this recent slowing develops into a more sustained trend, the RBA may be able to consider alternative scenarios to a steady cash rate.”


Also read: We need to fix the ‘property bubble’, now: Economist

The last time rates were cut was August 2016.

“The situation is very different now, with new macro prudential regulations dampening investment demand while mortgage rates have stepped higher, particularly for investors and interest only borrowers,” said Lawless.

“A longer trend of slowing value growth and overall softer housing conditions will lend further support to the notion that house price growth has moved through its cyclical peak and may take some pressure away from the RBA to keep rates steady.”

Here is the full statement from RBA Governor, Philip Lowe:

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent.

The broad-based pick-up in the global economy is continuing. Labour markets have tightened further in many countries and forecasts for global growth have been revised up since last year. Above-trend growth is expected in a number of advanced economies, although uncertainties remain.

In China, growth is being supported by increased spending on infrastructure and property construction, with the high level of debt continuing to present a medium-term risk. Commodity prices are generally higher than they were a year ago, providing a boost to Australia’s national income. The prices of iron ore and coal, however, have declined over recent months as expected, unwinding some of the earlier increases.


Headline inflation rates in most countries have moved higher over the past year, partly reflecting the higher commodity prices. Core inflation remains low, as do long-term bond yields. Further increases in US interest rates are expected over the year ahead and there is no longer an expectation of additional monetary easing in other major economies. Financial markets have been functioning effectively.

Domestically, the transition to lower levels of mining investment following the mining investment boom is almost complete. Business conditions have improved and capacity utilisation has increased. Business investment has picked up in those parts of the country not directly affected by the decline in mining investment.

Year-ended GDP growth is expected to have slowed in the March quarter, reflecting the quarter-to-quarter variation in the growth figures. Looking forward, economic growth is still expected to increase gradually over the next couple of years to a little above 3 per cent.

Indicators of the labour market remain mixed. Employment growth has been stronger over recent months, although growth in total hours worked remains weak. The various forward-looking indicators point to continued growth in employment over the period ahead.

Wage growth remains low and this is likely to continue for a while yet. Inflation is expected to increase gradually as the economy strengthens. Slow growth in real wages is restraining growth in household consumption.

The outlook continues to be supported by the low level of interest rates. The depreciation of the exchange rate since 2013 has also assisted the economy in its transition following the mining investment boom. An appreciating exchange rate would complicate this adjustment.

Conditions in the housing market vary considerably around the country. Prices have been rising briskly in some markets, although there are some signs that these conditions are starting to ease. In other markets, prices are declining. In the eastern capital cities, a considerable additional supply of apartments is scheduled to come on stream over the next couple of years.

Rent increases are the slowest for two decades. Growth in housing debt has outpaced the slow growth in household incomes. The recent supervisory measures should help address the risks associated with high and rising levels of indebtedness. Lenders have also announced increases in mortgage rates, particularly those paid by investors and on interest-only loans.

Taking account of the available information, the Board judged that holding the stance of monetary policy unchanged at this meeting would be consistent with sustainable growth in the economy and achieving the inflation target over time.