RBA stays hand on cash rate

RBA governor Glenn Stevens shocked market participants in February by electing to cut the cash rate to its current historical low.

In notes from the RBA's March board meeting, Mr Stevens said it was "appropriate to hold interest rates steady for the time being".

BT chief economist Chris Caton correctly predicted the central bank would stay its hand in April.

"There's another cut out there, but May makes more sense [because it is] post-Consumer Price Index," Mr Caton said.

But Westpac chief economist Bill Evans, who correctly called the February cut, expected the RBA to cut again today.

"We have consistently argued that the case has already been made for a second rate cut to follow the February move," Mr Evans said.

The RBA Shadow Board, run by the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA) at the Australian National University, unanimously recommended that rates stay on hold in April.

"The Shadow Board recommends with confidence that the cash rate be held at its current level of 2.25 per cent," a statement by CAMA said.

The [Shadow] Board attaches a 64 per cent probability to this being the appropriate policy setting," it said.

Written by Staff Reporter

Last Updated: 07 April 2015

Published: 07 April 2015