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.
With 2018 likely to see US and Australian interest rates diverge, Australian investors are on the lookout for nascent signs of inflation, writes Richard Holden.
Despite employment growth, Australian wages remain stagnant in real terms as the economy starts 2018 with the same mix of positive and negative signs seen in 2017, writes Richard Holden.
