Reserve Bank of New Zealand expected on hold at its May 2024 meeting – preview

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand meeting is next week, May 22. Statement due at 2pm New Zealand time, which is 0200 GMT and 2200 US Eastern time on Tuesday.

ANZ have previewed the meeting, in summary:

• We expect the RBNZ to leave the OCR at 5.5% next week,
  reiterating that they remain in watch-worry-wait mode and that
  “interest rates need to remain at a restrictive level for a sustained
  period”.
• The data since the February MPS speaks to a clearly slowing economy,
  but also sticky inflation, with the Q1 forecast miss on non-tradable
  inflation the fourth in a row and the biggest yet. The RBNZ could take a
  glass-half-empty or glass-half-full view of things. But overall, we think
  confirmation that the economy is cooling as the Committee expects and
  requires will win the day. The data clearly signals a meaningful fall in
  domestic inflation ahead, with spare capacity steadily opening up.
• That said, we don’t expect they’ll be in any hurry to signal imminent
  cuts to an impatient market.

The next big immediate focus for the New Zealand dollar is the US CPI report on Wednesday, 15 May 2024.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.