Australia’s inflation problem
Australia’s inflation genie is struggling to be put back in the bottle. The monthly CPI indicator for May was hotter than predicted. Headline inflation re-accelerated to 4%pa (from 3.6%pa in April), its fastest pace in 7-months with the 3-month and 6-month annualized run-rates also ticking higher. Positive base-effects were a factor but the detail under the hood would also be on the RBA’s radar given it has indicated limited tolerance for upside surprises. Notably, the disinflation across ‘goods’ prices looks to be stalling (‘goods’ inflation has held steady at 3.3%pa over the past few months, above its pre-COVID average). And...