RBA’s Bold Move: Bullock Drops Rates and Drops a Hint That Could Change Your Financial Future—Are You Ready to Act?

Ever wondered if interest rates have a personality? Well, Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock just gave them a little trim — cutting the key rate by 25 basis points to 3.6%. Now, while most folks anticipate rate moves like clockwork, Bullock’s up front, taking questions in a fresh, more transparent format that’s got the markets buzzing. Is this just a one-off snip, or are back-to-back cuts on the horizon? She doesn’t rule anything out, watching house prices and market volatility like a hawk, all while signaling that the board’s taking it meeting by meeting. For those invested in Aussie dollars or just intrigued by the twists and turns of monetary policy, this update isn’t just a number — it’s a narrative shaping Australia’s economic future. Curious to dive deeper into Bullock’s take and what’s next for the RBA? LEARN MORE

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock is speaking at the press conference, explaining the reason behind trimming the key interest rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.6% in the August policy meeting.

Bullock is taking questions from the press as part of a new reporting format introduced by the central bank this year.

For RBA Bullock’s press conference live stream, please follow here

Key quotes from the RBA press conference 

Forecasts imply cash rates might need to be lower for price stability.

Dont put a lot of emphasis on neutral rate.

Board will take things meeting by meeting.

No promises on what the RBA will deliver on rates if financial markets face volatility bout.

Have been watching house prices.

Would not rule out back to back rate cuts.

Will assess rates at every meeting.

Policy is forward looking, assumes we can continue to lower rates.

This section below was published at 04:30 GMT to cover the Reserve Bank of Australia’s monetary policy announcements and the initial market reaction.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) board members decided to lower the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.6% from 3.85%, following the conclusion of the August monetary policy meeting.

The decision came in line with the market expectations.

Summary of the RBA monetary policy statement

Inflation has continued to moderate.

The outlook remains uncertain.

Policy decision unanimous.

Maintaining price stability and full employment is the priority.

Underlying inflation will continue to moderate to around the midpoint of the 2–3 per cent range, with the cash rate assumed to follow a gradual easing path.

There is a little more clarity on the scope and scale of us tariffs and policy responses in other countries, suggesting that more extreme outcomes are likely to be avoided.

Board remains cautious about the outlook.

Monetary policy is well placed to respond decisively to international developments if they were to have material implications for activity and inflation in Australia.

Labour market conditions remain a little tight.

Labour market conditions have eased further in recent months.

Cut due to underlying inflation continuing to decline back towards the midpoint of the  2–3 per cent range and labour market conditions easing slightly.

There are also uncertainties regarding the lags in the effect of recent monetary policy easing and how firms’ pricing decisions.

Core inflation seen settling around 2.5% out to end 2027.

RBA downgrades estimate of Australia’s long run productivity growth to 0.7% from 1.0%.

Trend GDP growth now seen around 2.0%, down from 2.25%.

Lower productivity to cut around 0.3pp from growth in gap, consumption and incomes.

Sees slower long-run growth in supply capacity of economy and wages.

Lower income growth will weigh on tax revenues, government spending.

Judge some tightness remains in labour market, unemployment forecasts unchanged.

Labour market has eased a little, leading indicators point to stable outlook.

Lowers forecasts for GDP growth and consumption out to 2027, inflation outlook unchanged.

Forecasts trimmed mean inflation 2.6% end 2025, 2.6% end 2026, 2.5% end 2027.

Forecasts CPI at 3.0% end 2025, 2.9% end 2026, 2.5% end 2027.

Forecasts GDP growth at 1.7% end 2025, 2.1% end 2026, 2.0% end 2027.

Forecasts Unemployment Rate 4.3% end 2025, 4.3% end 2026, 4.3% end 2027.

Forecasts Wage Price Index 3.3% end 2025, 2.9% end 2026, 2.9% end 2027.

Forecasts based on technical assumption of cash rate at 3.4% end 2025, 2.9% end 2026, 3.1% end 2027.

Global trade uncertainty has had little discernible impact on Australian economy as yet.

AUD/USD reaction to the RBA interest rate decision

The Australian Dollar drops in an immediate reaction to the RBA’s decision. The AUD/USD pair attacks 0.6500, down 0.12% on the day, as of writing.

This section below was published on August 11 at 22:45 GMT as a preview of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) policy announcements.

• The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to lower the interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.60% in August.
• The focus will be on RBA Governor Michele Bullock’s press conference and updated economic forecasts.
• The Australian Dollar braces for a big reaction to the RBA policy announcements.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is expected to announce a 25 basis points (bps) cut to the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 3.6% from 3.85% following the conclusion of its August monetary policy meeting on Tuesday. The decision will be announced at 04:30 GMT.

The Monetary Policy Statement will be accompanied by the quarterly economic forecasts. RBA Governor Michele Bullock’s press conference will follow at 05:30 GMT.

As the rate cut is fully baked in, the Australian Dollar (AUD) braces for intense volatility on any surprises offered by the central bank’s updated projections or Governor Bullock’s comments during the press conference.

RBA set to lower interest rate, what’s next?

Following the surprise interest rate hold in July, in a rare split decision of six to three, the Reserve Bank of Australia now seems on a clear path to lower the OCR on Tuesday as inflation has recently slowed more-than-expected and the Unemployment Rate has hit a three-and-a-half-year high.

The Minutes of the RBA’s July meeting showed that the majority of the board wanted to wait for more information, including quarterly price data, to confirm inflation was slowing.

The headline Consumer Price Index rose 0.7% in the second quarter compared with the previous three-month period, nudging the annual pace down to 2.1% from 2.4%, registering the lowest reading in more than four years and approaching the lower bound of the central bank’s 2% to 3% inflation target.

Meanwhile, the Unemployment Rate rose to 4.3% in June, up from 4.1% in May, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data. Other details of the jobs report showed that employment increased by 2,000 people in June, but the number of officially unemployed people jumped by 33,600.

Markets predict the RBA to continue cutting its benchmark rate to 3.10% or lower by early next year.

However, the updated economic projections and/or the vote split could offer fresh surprises on the central bank’s path forward on rates.

Uncertainty in the RBA’s communication remains high after the April shake-up that shifted rate-setting power entirely to a new nine-member Monetary Policy Board (MPB).

The changes to the MPB resulted in the July surprise outcome, shocking markets.

How will the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision impact AUD/USD?

Speaking at the press conference after the July policy decision, RBA Governor Michele Bullock explained that the bank could no longer offer guidance because the rate decision was up to the board alone and it could not be pre-empted.

However, Bullock did note that markets “can expect rates to decline if inflation slows as expected” and that the policy decision “will be based on our forecasts of future inflation.”

Therefore, if the central bank lowers its inflation and growth forecasts, it could ramp up the odds of further rate cuts, fuelling a fresh downtrend in the AUD.

On the contrary, if Bullock downplays risks to the economy due to US tariffs and reiterates that “a measured, gradual approach to monetary policy easing is appropriate,” Aussie buyers could regain control.

Dhwani Mehta, Asian Session Lead Analyst at FXStreet, highlights key technical indicators for trading AUD/USD following the policy announcement.

“AUD/USD is seeing increased downside risks heading into the RBA showdown, having faced rejection near the 0.6550 level on several occasions. Adding credence to the bearish potential, the 21-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) has cut the 50-day SMA from above, confirming a Bear Cross on the daily chart. Still, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains above the midline.”

“A dovish cut by the RBA could reinforce the selling interest, sending AUD/USD to challenge the August 5 low of 0.6450, where the 100-day SMA closes in. Failure to resist above that level could threaten the August low of 0.6419, below which the 0.6350 psychological barrier will come into play. Conversely, buyers need a decisive break above the 0.6550 threshold to revive the recovery toward the 0.6600 mark. The next topside target is aligned at the July 24 high of 0.6625,” Dhwani adds.