Citi Says Clients Raising Questions About RBA’s Independence
- Citi sees risk of political fallout ahead of RBA rate meeting
- Government respects RBA independence, treasurer’s office says
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) building in Sydney.
Photographer: Brent Lewin/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Citigroup Inc.’s Australia economics team said it’s fielding questions from clients about “possible political pressure” on the Reserve Bank ahead of a potential interest-rate increase at next week’s meeting.
Citi’s Josh Williamson, in a research note Tuesday, pointed to the risk of “political fallout” after Treasurer Jim Chalmers said last week that hotter third-quarter consumer prices didn’t represent a “material change” to the inflation outlook.