Headlines via Reuters:
- war in Ukraine was a major new source of uncertainty
- the board will not increase the cash rate until actual inflation is sustainably within the 2 to 3 per cent target band
- while inflation had picked up, members agreed it was too early to conclude that it was sustainably within the target band
- Australian economy remained resilient and spending was expected to pick up further after the omicron outbreak.
- the board is prepared to be patient as it monitors how the various factors affecting inflation in Australia evolve
- war in Ukraine and the associated increase in energy prices had created additional uncertainty about the inflation outlook.
- there were uncertainties about how persistent pick-up in inflation would be given recent developments in global energy markets and ongoing supply-side problems
Since the meeting we've had Governor Lowe speak... these minutes not adding anything much new.
- RBA Governor Lowe spoke earlier today ... edging more hawkish (or at least less dovish)
- RBA Governor Lowe says its plausible the cash rate will rise later this year
- RBA Gov. Lowe says not clear high CPI will be sustained, still need wage growth above 3%
Full text is here:
Minutes of the March 2022 Monetary Policy Meeting of the Reserve Bank Board
At the same time we have had data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Australia - Q4 2021 House Price Index
4.7% q/q and 53.7% y/y
- priors 5% q/q and 21.7% y/y
We get monthly data on house prices so this is very, very stale.