- The Australian monthly Consumer Price Index is foreseen at 2.3% in March.
- Quarterly CPI inflation expected to ease further below 3%, with core figures meeting RBA’s goal.
- The Reserve Bank of Australia will meet in mid-May to decide on monetary policy.
- The Australian Dollar eases vs its American rival after reaching a fresh 2025 high.
Australia will release multiple inflation figures on Wednesday and financial markets anticipate price pressures easing further at the beginning of 2025, paving the way for additional Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) interest rate cuts. The central bank is meant to meet to decide on monetary policy on May 19-20.
Back to data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will publish two different inflation gauges: the quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the first quarter of 2025 and the March monthly CPI, which measures annual price pressures over the past twelve months. The quarterly report includes the RBA Trimmed Mean CPI, policymakers’ favorite inflation gauge.
The RBA has maintained the Official Cash Rate (OCR) on hold at 4.10% when it met early April, after delivering a 25 basis points (bps) rate cut in February, the first one after the hiking cycle that began in 2022.
What to expect from Australia’s inflation rate numbers?
The ABS is expected to report that the monthly CPI rose by 2.3% in the year to March, easing from the 2.4% posted in February. The quarterly CPI is foreseen to increase by 0.8% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) and by 2.2% year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2025. Additionally, the central bank’s preferred gauge, the RBA Trimmed Mean CPI, is expected to rise by 2.9% YoY in Q4, easing from the 3.2% advance posted in the previous quarter.
Finally, the RBA Trimmed Mean CPI is forecast to increase by 0.7% QoQ, higher than the 0.5% previously posted. Still, the figures will fall within the RBA’s goal to keep inflation between 2 and 3%, which means the central bank could deliver additional interest rate cuts in the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, economic activity in the country, as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), picked up modestly in the last quarter of 2025, with GDP growing by 0.6% in real terms, surpassing the market expectations of 0.5% and marking the strongest performance since December 2022. The annual growth rate of 1.3% also exceeded the consensus forecast of 1.2%. The modest advance spooked the ghost of recession, albeit the economy is not yet out of the woods.
Finally, it’s worth adding that Australia’s GDP growth is projected to reach approximately 2.2% in 2025, according to the most recent forecasts from the RBA. Beyond the central banks’ inflation goal, tepid growth has been part of policymakers’ decision to trim interest rates, to help avoid a steeper economic setback.
Meanwhile, the United States (US) President Donald Trump started a global trade war. After announcing tariffs on neighbouring countries, Trump launched “reciprocal tariffs” on most trading partners. Australia fell into the 10% baseline levy while facing a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium exports into the US. However, most tensions lay between China and the US, with tariffs in the hundreds. China is Australia’s major trading partner, and the local economy may suffer the echoes of tensions between the world’s largest economies.
Additionally, concerns related to the trade war’s impact on the US economy keep the US Dollar (USD) on the back foot. The USD fell to fresh 2025 lows against most major rivals in April and retains its soft tone regardless of the market’s sentiment.
RBA Governor Michelle Bullock noted, “If there are large tariffs on China, Chinese trade will probably try to find other ways to find an outlet. Australia might even be a beneficiary of that. So we might, in fact, find some deflationary impacts for Australia if it rolls out that way.”
How could the Consumer Price Index report affect AUD/USD?
Inflation figures are, as usual, crucial. Easing inflationary pressures should fuel bets on an RBA rate cut in May.
Generally speaking, higher CPI figures would be bullish for the AUD amid expectations of a hawkish RBA. However, the opposite scenario is also valid: easing inflation could push policymakers towards a more dovish stance.
Heading into the CPI release, the AUD/USD pair trades around the 0.6400 mark, retreating from a fresh yearly high of 0.6450.
Valeria Bednarik, FXStreet Chief Analyst, says: “The AUD/USD pair is consolidating gains and despite intraday back and forth, the bullish case remains firm in place. Technical readings in the daily chart suggest the pair may correct lower, as technical indicators ease from their recent peaks near overbought readings. Still, the case for a bearish breakout remains far away.”
Bednarik adds: “The AUD/USD pair should find initial near-term support in the 0.6340 region, with further slides exposing the 0.6280 price zone, where a bullish 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) converges with a flat 100 SMA. It would take a break below this area to anticipate a steeper slide towards the 0.6200 mark. A bullish extension beyond the year high should result in AUD/USD testing sellers’ determination around the 0.6500 figure.”
Australian Dollar FAQs
One of the most significant factors for the Australian Dollar (AUD) is the level of interest rates set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Because Australia is a resource-rich country another key driver is the price of its biggest export, Iron Ore. The health of the Chinese economy, its largest trading partner, is a factor, as well as inflation in Australia, its growth rate and Trade Balance. Market sentiment – whether investors are taking on more risky assets (risk-on) or seeking safe-havens (risk-off) – is also a factor, with risk-on positive for AUD.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) influences the Australian Dollar (AUD) by setting the level of interest rates that Australian banks can lend to each other. This influences the level of interest rates in the economy as a whole. The main goal of the RBA is to maintain a stable inflation rate of 2-3% by adjusting interest rates up or down. Relatively high interest rates compared to other major central banks support the AUD, and the opposite for relatively low. The RBA can also use quantitative easing and tightening to influence credit conditions, with the former AUD-negative and the latter AUD-positive.
China is Australia’s largest trading partner so the health of the Chinese economy is a major influence on the value of the Australian Dollar (AUD). When the Chinese economy is doing well it purchases more raw materials, goods and services from Australia, lifting demand for the AUD, and pushing up its value. The opposite is the case when the Chinese economy is not growing as fast as expected. Positive or negative surprises in Chinese growth data, therefore, often have a direct impact on the Australian Dollar and its pairs.
Iron Ore is Australia’s largest export, accounting for $118 billion a year according to data from 2021, with China as its primary destination. The price of Iron Ore, therefore, can be a driver of the Australian Dollar. Generally, if the price of Iron Ore rises, AUD also goes up, as aggregate demand for the currency increases. The opposite is the case if the price of Iron Ore falls. Higher Iron Ore prices also tend to result in a greater likelihood of a positive Trade Balance for Australia, which is also positive of the AUD.
The Trade Balance, which is the difference between what a country earns from its exports versus what it pays for its imports, is another factor that can influence the value of the Australian Dollar. If Australia produces highly sought after exports, then its currency will gain in value purely from the surplus demand created from foreign buyers seeking to purchase its exports versus what it spends to purchase imports. Therefore, a positive net Trade Balance strengthens the AUD, with the opposite effect if the Trade Balance is negative.
RBA FAQs
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) sets interest rates and manages monetary policy for Australia. Decisions are made by a board of governors at 11 meetings a year and ad hoc emergency meetings as required. The RBA’s primary mandate is to maintain price stability, which means an inflation rate of 2-3%, but also “..to contribute to the stability of the currency, full employment, and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people.” Its main tool for achieving this is by raising or lowering interest rates. Relatively high interest rates will strengthen the Australian Dollar (AUD) and vice versa. Other RBA tools include quantitative easing and tightening.
While inflation had always traditionally been thought of as a negative factor for currencies since it lowers the value of money in general, the opposite has actually been the case in modern times with the relaxation of cross-border capital controls. Moderately higher inflation now tends to lead central banks to put up their interest rates, which in turn has the effect of attracting more capital inflows from global investors seeking a lucrative place to keep their money. This increases demand for the local currency, which in the case of Australia is the Aussie Dollar.
Macroeconomic data gauges the health of an economy and can have an impact on the value of its currency. Investors prefer to invest their capital in economies that are safe and growing rather than precarious and shrinking. Greater capital inflows increase the aggregate demand and value of the domestic currency. Classic indicators, such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, employment, and consumer sentiment surveys can influence AUD. A strong economy may encourage the Reserve Bank of Australia to put up interest rates, also supporting AUD.
Quantitative Easing (QE) is a tool used in extreme situations when lowering interest rates is not enough to restore the flow of credit in the economy. QE is the process by which the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) prints Australian Dollars (AUD) for the purpose of buying assets – usually government or corporate bonds – from financial institutions, thereby providing them with much-needed liquidity. QE usually results in a weaker AUD.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE. It is undertaken after QE when an economic recovery is underway and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to provide them with liquidity, in QT the RBA stops buying more assets, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It would be positive (or bullish) for the Australian Dollar.