Reserve Bank of Australia policymakers discussed only two options for its interest rate decision in February, either a quarter point or a half percentage point hike, completely abandoning the option of leaving rates unchanged as there was a risk that inflation could persist at an uncomfortably high level, minutes of the session held on February 7, revealed Tuesday.
Arguments favoring a 50 basis point increase stemmed from the concern that prices and wages data are exceeding expectations and there is a risk that high inflation would be persistent.
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May 08, 2026 15:50 ET Manufacturing and services sector survey results and labor market data from main economies were the highlight on the economics news front this week. Factory orders and jobs report dominated the news flow in the U.S. Similarly, industrial production data from German garnered attention in Europe. In Asia, purchasing managers’ survey results from China and the central bank decision from Australia were in focus.