An Adventure in Economic Wonderland Comes to an End
Australia’s central bank is deploying its monetary firepower in ways that once seemed unfathomable. A 28-year expansion is at risk.
It was starting to get a little dark.
Photographer: Chelsea Lauren/WireImageOne of the biggest repercussions from the Covid-19 outbreak in Australia ought to be the end of its island mentality. A near three-decade expansion fed a myth of invincibility that now seems to be coming to an end. Luckily, central bank chief Philip Lowe never fully bought into this hype, and has rightly accelerated plans that he'd been considering for some time to restore the economy. Let’s hope he’s not too late.
On Thursday, the Reserve Bank of Australia deployed its remaining conventional monetary ammunition to offset a slowdown, amid predictions that gross domestic product would shrink this quarter and next. The RBA cut its main rate to almost zero, announced it will try to hold the three-year government bond yield at about 0.25% and unveiled a raft of support for banks. The federal government — long averse to the idea of prolonged deficits, and convinced surpluses equate to economic awesomeness — has also pledged to do its part.