Official Cash Rate (OCR) decisions and current rate
The Reserve Bank uses monetary policy to maintain price stability as defined in the Policy Targets Agreement (PTA). The current PTA requires the Bank to keep inflation between 1 and 3
Official Cash Rate unchanged at 1.75 percent
Release date: 08 November 2018
Tena
The Official Cash Rate (OCR) remains at 1.75
There are both upside and downside risks to our growth and inflation projections. As always, the timing and direction of any future OCR move
The pick-up in GDP growth in the June quarter was partly due to temporary factors, and business surveys continue to suggest growth will be soft in the near term. Employment is around its maximum sustainable level. However, core consumer price inflation remains below our 2
GDP growth is expected to pick up over 2019. Monetary stimulus and population growth underpin household spending and business investment. Government spending on infrastructure and housing also supports domestic demand. The level of the New Zealand dollar exchange rate will support export earnings.
As capacity pressures build, core consumer price inflation is expected to rise to around the mid-point of our target range at 2
Downside risks to the growth outlook remain. Weak business sentiment could weigh on growth for longer. Trade tensions remain in some major economies, raising the risk that trade barriers increase and undermine global growth.
Upside risks to the inflation outlook also exist. Higher fuel prices are boosting near-term headline inflation. We will look through this volatility as appropriate. Our projection assumes firms have limited
We will keep the OCR at an expansionary level for a considerable period to contribute to maximising sustainable
Meitaki, thanks.
Adrian Orr
Governor, Reserve Bank of New Zealand I Te Pūtea Matua