No changes in the policy rate are expected at the last meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) monetary policy board for 2025, although inflation concerns are anticipated to drive a more hawkish tone in the post-meeting statement, ANZ Research said in a Friday report.
The broader economic activity is also expected to contribute to the hawkish tone, ANZ said. The central bank is likely to highlight signs that "uncomfortably high" inflation pressures have persisted into the December quarter and to again describe the labor market as "tight."
This likely hawkishness from the RBA will contrast with other central banks, with the US Federal Reserve expected to deliver a 25-basis-point cut, ANZ said. The analysts expect the cash rate to remain at 3.60% for an extended period.