Australia’s Inflation Outpaces Market Predictions in December
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures showed the consumer price index jumped 3.8 percent annually through December—a sharp acceleration from November's 3.4 percent reading over the preceding 12-month period.
Quarter-over-quarter data indicated a 0.6 percent CPI increase during 2025's closing three months.
An Australian broadcasting agency had reported Wednesday morning that analysts anticipated quarterly CPI expansion of 0.7 percent alongside a 3.5 percent yearly gain.
The inflation figures carry significant weight for monetary policy decisions, with ABC noting the data would likely shape whether the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) implements rate hikes when its Monetary Policy Board convenes Tuesday for its inaugural 2026 session.
The trimmed mean—the RBA's preferred gauge of core inflation—registered 3.3 percent growth in the December year-on-year period, climbing from November's 3.2 percent mark and breaching the central bank's 2-3 percent target corridor, ABS data showed.
November projections from the RBA had forecast December's annual CPI growth at 3.3 percent with trimmed mean expansion of 3.2 percent.
Michelle Marquardt, head of prices statistics at the ABS, stated Wednesday that housing costs drove headline inflation's annual trajectory through December, with food and non-alcoholic beverages plus recreation and culture sectors following as secondary contributors.
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