If Your Feet Are in an Oven and Your Head Is in the Freezer, on Average You Probably Feel Quite Comfortable.

The Challenges of Inflation Control by the RBA

That’s the problem with averages. And it is a problem worth remembering when it comes to the task ahead of the RBA as they try to bring inflation down.

Understanding the Consumer Price Index

The RBA targets the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI gives an indication of general price changes by measuring price changes across a wide range of things that consumers buy. These changes are then weighted according to how much of each thing a household buys. The result is known as a ‘weighted average.’ The CPI, then, measures average price rises.

This means that by targeting the CPI the RBA faces the ‘feet in the oven, head in the freezer’ problem. Specifically, the RBA has a contractual arrangement with the Treasurer to try to bring the CPI down within a range of 2-3%. The problem lies in the fact that to achieve this target, the RBA just needs to get average price rises down to 2-3%. It does not need to keep all price rises below this level.

The Australian Experience and Global Factors

Now, think about Australia’s experience over the last four years. We have literally had fires, floods, and a plague. The global economy is also being buffeted by the financial implications of a war involving a major oil producer. All of these things have inevitably led to shortages of things that people need to buy, like petrol, food and accommodation. And those shortages drive prices up in these areas.

People can’t really cut back on purchases like petrol, food and accommodation. So, if prices in these areas continue to rise, then the RBA has to make sure that we spend a lot less on other things that are often described as ‘discretionary.’

Now think about the fact that, in the 12 months to March 2023, median capital city rents rose by 22%. And rent accounts for about 6% of the total CPI, so it is quite significant. As we show above, to offset something that increases by so much, the average price of everything else has to fall if the average increase is to be less than 3%.

The Role of Interest Rates in Addressing Inflation

The only tool that the RBA has to address inflation is the rate of interest. The general idea of interest rates is that if they rise, fewer people will take on new loans. This slows down the rate at which money moves through the economy, leaving people with less money to spend on discretionary items.

Of course, higher interest rates affect existing loans as well, but in this case, the higher rates do not slow down spending as much because the higher expense that borrowers experience is offset by the higher income that lenders experience.

This makes the RBA’s task even more difficult. There are a lot of prices that they cannot influence at all. In addition, their main tool is very limited in the influence that it can have on the CPI anyway. This might explain why, even after 12 rate rises, inflation is not coming down very quickly.