Low inflation and painful wage growth mean the Reserve Bank has extended its freeze on interest rates for an almost unprecedented 18th straight meeting.
Data from Australia and overseas, including the fluctuations in the US stock market, point to a tricky balancing act for policy makers, writes Richard Holden.
The odds are that we get through 2018 without war, mass capital flight, or a housing crash. But all the risks are medium probability, warns Richard Holden, and the consequences could be dire.
The US economy looks to be improving but Richard Holden warns that Australia is on shaky ground with low interest rates, high household debt and the Aussie dollar on the rise again.
The RBA leaves rates on hold, Australia gets a GDP growth spurt from pre-election spending, and the IMF lays the groundwork for a lowering of global growth expectations, writes Richard Holden.
