RBA governor eager to play down housing risks
THE governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia has played down recent increases in mortgage rates by lenders such as Westpac.
Philip Lowe highlighted global risks to growth including a possible escalation of trade disputes and economic strains in emerging markets, and said the RBA was also watching out for a material lift in US inflation which could force the Federal Reserve to tighten policy at a faster pace.
Speaking at the RBA board dinner in Perth on Tuesday – hours after announcing the benchmark cash rate was on hold at an all-time low 1.50 per cent – Dr Lowe emphasised the need for policy to remain accommodative as the central bank awaits a revival in wage growth and inflation, which has undershot its two-to-three per cent target for more than two years.
Wage growth, on the other hand, is crawling near its slowest pace on record despite a strong jobs market.
“Many business people who I speak to recognise that a pick-up in overall wages growth would be a positive development from a macro perspective, although not from the perspective of their individual business,” Dr Lowe said. “So there is a tension there ... Our expectation is that wages growth will pick up from here, but the pick-up is likely to be only gradual.”
Lowe has remained patient on policy since taking the reins at the RBA in September 2016.
The central bank last cut rates in August of that year.
He signalled the next move was going to be an increase, al- beit not for some time.
The RBA has one eye on the country’s housing markets as tighter credit conditions take the heat off the once-booming sector, Lowe said without sounding alarmed about the trend.
He noted the recent increase in mortgage rates by banks in response to higher funding costs, but again played down its effects on the market.