The Australian Bureau of Statistics is due to publish September inflation Wednesday, during the Federal Reserve’s meeting and before the Reserve Bank of Australia’s next rate decision, placing a fresh price reading between two major policy events.
FXStreet’s Oct. 26 market note said AUD/USD was above 0.7000 in Asia after retreating from its highest point in a month. The outlet listed 0.7033 as the pair’s 100-day simple moving average.
The ABS calendar sets the September Consumer Price Index release for 11:30 a.m. AEDT (12:30 a.m. UTC) Wednesday, Oct. 28. In the 12 months to August, CPI inflation was 4.0%, up from 3.5% in the 12 months to July; trimmed mean inflation was 3.6%, unchanged from July. The August headline reading was above the RBA’s 2%-3% annual inflation target.
The RBA raised its cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.60% on Sept. 29, effective Sept. 30. In an interview recorded Oct. 21 and published Oct. 25, Assistant Governor (Economic) Sarah Hunter said the Board had raised rates four times in 2026. Asked if that was enough, she replied, “Unfortunately, not quite yet.”
Hunter pointed to an overseas oil shock feeding into some Australian prices and domestic spending beyond levels the economy could sustainably support. She said mortgage holders face higher repayments, while renters remain exposed to inflation’s broader effects. For historical examples, she pointed to price controls in other countries during the 1970s and Australia’s early-1980s wage freeze, arguing neither delivered lasting low inflation.
On Oct. 22, RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser said quarterly inflation was likely to come in above the bank’s August assumption. FXStreet separately reported an Australian dollar decline that day. EconoTimes previously covered Hauser’s inflation warning.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 27-28. At its Sept. 16 meeting, it raised the federal funds target range to 3.75%-4.00%. The Bureau of Economic Analysis is due Thursday, Oct. 29, to publish its advance estimate of third-quarter 2026 gross domestic product and its September Personal Income and Outlays report, which includes the PCE price index.
The RBA lists its next cash rate update for 2:30 p.m. AEDT (3:30 a.m. UTC) on Nov. 3.
