One for the economics geeks: What’s the last 22 years of unemployment and inflation data in Australia tell us about NAIRU and the Phillips Curve?

Apologies to any others, but if you’re not a dyed in the wool economics tragic read no further. Back in uni days (over 30 years ago now) the old Phillips Curve theory was still being tossed around (although with modifications from the 1950’s original) and it’s always been something I’ve …read more

Benign inflation plot confirms room for a rate cut next week

The headline CPI inflation measure for the second quarter has been released in line with market expectations. CPI was up by 0.4% for the quarter and up just 1% over the course of the year (the lowest annual plot since the second quarter of 1999). The average of the two …read more

Cost of Living falls further still

After the release last week of the low CPI numbers, and the RBA’s subsequent decision to cut rates by 25 bps yesterday (see below), it comes as no surprise to see the quarterly Cost of Living Indexes confirming the lack of any inflationary pressure. The COL Indexes are designed to …read more

Surprise drop in inflation puts the spotlight back on possible rate cut

Today’s release of first quarter CPI has shocked the market with a reading much weaker than had been expected. Headline CPI fell by 0.2% q/q (against expectations of a 0.2-0.3% rise) for an annual rate of just 1.3% (expected around 1.7%). The more closely watched Trimmed Mean (+0.2% q/q, +1.7% …read more

Cost of Living Indexes show no signs of price pressures

  The ABS Cost of Living Indexes for the fourth quarter show price increases running at a slightly higher rate than in the previous quarter. The COL Indexes are designed to answer the question “By how much would after tax money incomes need to change to allow households to purchase …read more

CPI data confirms no price pressures

Today’s release of the CPI data for the final quarter of last year simply confirms what we have all known for some time; there is no real pressure on prices at present. The CPI for Q4 was up 0.4% q/q for an annual increase of 1.7%; a modest increase from …read more

Inflation falls. Core flirting with the bottom of the RBA range

Today’s release of CPI data for the third quarter showed inflation falling once again. The headline CPI rose by just 0.5% q/q (+0.7% Q/q previously) while the annual rate remained stable at +1.5%. However, the measures that the RBA watch, namely Trimmed Mean and Weighted Median, were each up just …read more

Cost of Living Indexes tick up slightly in Q2

The ABS Cost of Living Indexes for the second quarter show something of a rebound quarter/quarter due to the unwinding of a sharp fall in the cost of transport seen in the previous quarter. The COL Indexes are designed to answer the question “By how much would after tax money …read more

Inflation nudges slightly higher than expected

Today’s ABS release of CPI data this morning shows Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose 0.7% in the second quarter of 2015 (after a 0.2% increase in the first quarter) for an annual change of 1.5% (up from 1.3% in the previous quarter). While this remains well below the RBA’s target …read more

Cash Rate cut to 2%; no surprise to anyone

As had been almost universally expected, the RBA today decided to shave another 25 basis points off the official Cash Rate to take it to a new low of 2.0%. In the press release announcing the decision (available here) the Board notes that commodity prices remain low, and CAPEX is …read more

© Conus Business Consultancy Services 2026

Website created by RJ New Designs