ICYMI – RBNZ cut its cash rate by 25bp, market consensus was for on hold

Earlier:

I’m glad I got my forecast the right way! RBNZ Governor Orr doesn’t wait around for a bazillion confirmations, he just goes and gets it done. A bit like Wheeler before him:

Reserve Bank of New Zealand from the statement:

  • sees
    official cash rate at 4.1% in September 2025 (pvs 5.4%)
  • sees TWI NZD at around 69.5% in September 2025 (pvs 71.0%)
  • sees official cash rate at 4.92% in December 2024 (pvs 5.65%)
  • sees official cash rate at 3.85% in December 2025 (pvs 5.14%)
  • sees annual CPI 2.4% by September 2025 (pvs 2.2%)
  • sees official cash rate at 2.98% in September 2027
  • Inflation is declining
  • Inflation returning into target band
  • Service inflation expected to decline
  • Pace of further easing will depend on commitee’s confidence that
    pricing behaviour remains consistent with a low inflation environment
  • CPI expected to remain target mid-point over foreseeable future

RBNZ from the meeting minutes:

  • Weakening
    in domestic economic activity observed in the July Monetary Policy
    Review has become more pronounced and broad-based
  • Members noted that monetary policy will need to remain restrictive
    for some time to ensure that domestic inflationary pressures continue
    to dissipate
  • New Zealand’s economic activity and near-term inflation indicators
    now resemble those in countries in which central banks have started
    cutting policy rates
  • The pace of further easing will thus be conditional on the
    Committee’s confidence that pricing behaviour is continuing to adapt
    to a low-inflation environment
  • A broad range of high-frequency indicators point to a material
    weakening in domestic economic activity in recent months
  • Recent indicators give confidence that inflation will return
    sustainably to target within a reasonable time frame
  • The output gap is now assessed to be more negative than was
    assumed in the May Monetary Policy Statement, indicating increased
    spare capacity
  • Headline CPI inflation expected to return to the target band in
    the September quarter
  • Committee agreed there was scope to temper the extent of monetary
    policy restraint
  • Alongside restrictive monetary policy, an earlier or larger impact
    of tighter fiscal policy could be constraining domestic demand
  • The Committee observed that the balance of risks has progressively
    shifted since the May Monetary Policy Statement
  • While domestic financial conditions remain restrictive, they have
    loosened over recent months
  • Broad range of indicators suggesting the economy is contracting
    faster than anticipated
  • Committee felt that the OCR track in the projection reflected its
    view on the policy strategy that would best deliver on its remit

The Bank quick to update its front page:

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com. Source