RBNZ: A pre-emptive 50bp cut – ING

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) announces monetary policy overnight (0200 BST), and both markets and consensus are leaning in favour of a 50bp rate cut. As discussed in our meeting preview, we agree, ING’s FX analyst Francesco Pesole.

RBNZ to take rates to neutral at a faster pace

“The RBNZ has to operate with quite limited information on inflation and the jobs market, on which official data is only released quarterly. The only hard data input since the surprise August 25bp cut has been the second-quarter GDP report, which showed negative growth. That may well be enough to add pressure on the RBNZ to take rates to neutral at a faster pace, especially after the 50bp cut by the Fed in September.”

“A half-point cut before seeing third-quarter inflation figures obviously requires substantial confidence in the disinflation process. We see high risks of headline CPI having moved below 2.0% in the third quarter, which would make the real rate uncomfortably high if the RBNZ doesn’t keep cutting.”

“Markets are pricing in 45bp for this meeting, and 91bp in total by year end. We think a 50bp will add more pressure on the underperforming NZD, which may be trading closer to 0.61 than 0.62 once we get to the US election risk event.”