RBA’s dovish stance set to be challenged

While the RBNZ this week hiked interest rates by 25bp and signalled that more is to come, the RBA remained dovish. That makes sense in light of the continued weakness in underlying inflation and wage growth, but we still think that soaring commodity prices will eventually prompt Australia’s union to demand higher wages amidst a tight labour market. The looming strike by the Transport Workers Union is a sign of things to come.