RBNZ on track for third straight interest rate cut in November amid falling inflation and cooling economy
- The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is set to lower its key interest rate by 50 bps to 4.25% on Wednesday.
- The RBNZ is expected to front-load due to the economic recession and as inflation falls back into the target band.
- The New Zealand Dollar could see a big reaction to the RBNZ’s updated forecasts and Governor Orr’s press conference.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) will announce its interest rate decision on Wednesday at 01:00 GMT. The central bank is widely expected to cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by another 50 basis points (bps) from 4.75% to 4.25%.
A Reuters poll of 30 economists found 27 favoring a 50 bps rate reduction at the November policy meeting. The RBNZ cut the OCR by 25 bps during its August meeting and implemented an additional 50 bps reduction in October.
What to expect from the RBNZ interest rate decision?
Economists expect the RBNZ to front-load rate cuts due to the gloomy economic outlook and as inflation falls back into the central bank’s target range between 1% and 3%.
New Zealand’s economy skirted another recession after Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined 0.2% in the second quarter (Q2) from the previous quarter’s revised 0.1% growth. Economists expected a 0.4% contraction in the reported period, while the RBNZ projected a 0.5% drop.
Meanwhile, NZ Stats showed on October 16 that New Zealand’s annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.2% in Q3, aligning with market forecasts and marking a sharp slowdown from the 3.3% growth in Q2.
By front-loading, the RBNZ can move into less restrictive territory, alleviating the pressures of higher borrowing costs on households and businesses. Following its October meeting, the central bank said in the policy statement that “economic activity in New Zealand is subdued, in part due to restrictive monetary policy.”
With a 50 bps rate cut fully priced in, markets will pay close attention to the language of the Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) and the updated economic projections for fresh signals on future rate reductions.
How will the RBNZ interest decision impact the New Zealand Dollar?
Another downward revision to the OCR in the updated projections for this year and the next could reaffirm dovish expectations. The RBNZ currently forecasts the OCR at 4.92% in Q4 2024.
In this case, the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) will come under intense selling pressure, with sellers targeting levels unseen since November 2022 around 0.5750
The NZD could rally hard if the RBNZ surprises with a 25 bps rate cut or maintains the OCR forecasts. The NZD/USD could regain 0.5900 and beyond on an unexpected hawkish move.
Dhwani Mehta, FXStreet’s Senior Analyst, offers a brief technical outlook for trading the New Zealand Dollar on the RBNZ policy announcements: “The downside risks remain intact for the NZD/USD after a Death Cross was confirmed on the daily chart last Friday. Adding credence to the bearishness, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) stays vulnerable below the 50 level.”
“If buyers defy bearish pressures, the initial resistance is seen at the 21-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 0.5920, above which the 0.6000 round level will be tested. Further up, the confluence zone of the 50-day SMA, 100-day SMA and 200-day SMA near 0.6060 will be a tough nut to crack for them. Alternatively, failure to defend the October 2023 low of 0.5772 will threaten the November 2022 low of 0.5741,” Dhwani adds.
Economic Indicator
RBNZ Press Conference
Following the Reserve Federal´s economic policy decision, the Reserve Bank Governor gives a press conference regarding monetary policy. His comments may influence the volatility of NZD and determine a short-term positive or negative trend.
Read more.Next release: Wed Nov 27, 2024 02:00
Frequency: Irregular
Consensus: -
Previous: -
Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) holds monetary policy meetings seven times a year, announcing their decision on interest rates and the economic assessments that influenced their decision. The central bank offers clues on the economic outlook and future policy path, which are of high relevance for the NZD valuation. Positive economic developments and upbeat outlook could lead the RBNZ to tighten the policy by hiking interest rates, which tends to be NZD bullish. The policy announcements are usually followed by Governor Adrian Orr’s press conference.
Central banks FAQs
Central Banks have a key mandate which is making sure that there is price stability in a country or region. Economies are constantly facing inflation or deflation when prices for certain goods and services are fluctuating. Constant rising prices for the same goods means inflation, constant lowered prices for the same goods means deflation. It is the task of the central bank to keep the demand in line by tweaking its policy rate. For the biggest central banks like the US Federal Reserve (Fed), the European Central Bank (ECB) or the Bank of England (BoE), the mandate is to keep inflation close to 2%.
A central bank has one important tool at its disposal to get inflation higher or lower, and that is by tweaking its benchmark policy rate, commonly known as interest rate. On pre-communicated moments, the central bank will issue a statement with its policy rate and provide additional reasoning on why it is either remaining or changing (cutting or hiking) it. Local banks will adjust their savings and lending rates accordingly, which in turn will make it either harder or easier for people to earn on their savings or for companies to take out loans and make investments in their businesses. When the central bank hikes interest rates substantially, this is called monetary tightening. When it is cutting its benchmark rate, it is called monetary easing.
A central bank is often politically independent. Members of the central bank policy board are passing through a series of panels and hearings before being appointed to a policy board seat. Each member in that board often has a certain conviction on how the central bank should control inflation and the subsequent monetary policy. Members that want a very loose monetary policy, with low rates and cheap lending, to boost the economy substantially while being content to see inflation slightly above 2%, are called ‘doves’. Members that rather want to see higher rates to reward savings and want to keep a lit on inflation at all time are called ‘hawks’ and will not rest until inflation is at or just below 2%.
Normally, there is a chairman or president who leads each meeting, needs to create a consensus between the hawks or doves and has his or her final say when it would come down to a vote split to avoid a 50-50 tie on whether the current policy should be adjusted. The chairman will deliver speeches which often can be followed live, where the current monetary stance and outlook is being communicated. A central bank will try to push forward its monetary policy without triggering violent swings in rates, equities, or its currency. All members of the central bank will channel their stance toward the markets in advance of a policy meeting event. A few days before a policy meeting takes place until the new policy has been communicated, members are forbidden to talk publicly. This is called the blackout period.