James Glynn

SYDNEY—Australia's inflation eased slightly in February, but remained well above the central bank's target range, keeping the door open for a further rise in interest rates.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has approved two public-speaking events by external members of its policy-setting board, breaking with past practice where messaging was left to the governor and other employees of the central bank.

Gov. Anna Breman said her immediate objective was to get inflation back to the midpoint of the central bank’s 1% to 3% inflation target.

New Zealand’s inflation rate came in higher than expected in the first quarter, underscoring concerns about the emergence of price pressures across the economy just as the Middle East energy shock was beginning to develop.

SYDNEY—-New Zealand's inflation rate came in higher than expected in the first quarter, underscoring concerns about the emergence of price pressures

Australia’s consumer prices jumped in the first quarter, hitting the highest level since September 2023, as the impact of the energy shock fed into the data.

The Reserve Bank of Australia delivered its third consecutive interest-rate increase, citing a deteriorating inflation outlook and warning of “plausible” scenarios where fuel-price pressures rise more than expected.

James Glynn is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires in Sydney.

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