Cost-of-living relief to show up in inflation readout

Energy rebates handed out to all households are expected to influence monthly inflation figures due for release this week.

Wednesday's consumer price index from the Australian Bureau of Statistics is tipped to show a sharp decline in headline inflation as the federal government's power relief kicks in as well as lower default market offers in some states.

Signs of cooling inflation will be welcomed by the Reserve Bank of Australia but it has already indicated it plans to look through the temporary bill relief and focus on underlying inflationary pressures.

The central bank remains of the view underlying inflation is still too high and has hosed down expectations of a near-term interest rate cut, suggesting mortgage holders will be waiting until next year for repayment relief.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia economist Stephen Wu said the electricity rebates would make the July consumer price index, due on Wednesday, a "tricky release to interpret".

The bank was tipping a fall to 3.4 per cent, down substantially from 3.8 per cent in July.

Travel prices were another spanner in the works, Mr Wu said, with the timing of school holidays and northern hemisphere travel making movements hard to predict.

In addition, not all prices are measured in the monthly consumer price index, further complicating the readout. 

"We will look more at the granular data for price signals, rather than necessarily focus on where the headline print comes in," Mr Wu said.

ANZ economists were also expecting a sharp decline in headline inflation, to 3.3 per cent in July.

As well as the consumer price index, the ABS will start releasing data useful for economists forecasting gross domestic product.

Construction work done is scheduled for Wednesday and capital expenditure on Thursday.

Consumer activity will also be on show later in the week as retail sales figures are released for July.

In June, turnover rose 0.5 per cent, bolstered by shoppers taking advantage of end-of-financial-year sales.

Wall Street rallied on Friday as dovish remarks from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell solidified expectations the central bank will cut its key policy rate in September.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 462.3 points, or 1.14 per cent, to 41,175.08, the S&P 500 gained 63.97 points, or 1.15 per cent, to 5,634.61 and the Nasdaq Composite added 258.44 points, or 1.47 per cent, to 17,877.79.

Australian futures rose 41 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 7.129.

The S&P/ASX200 finished Friday at 8,023.9, down 3.1 points from Thursday, but up 0.7 per cent for the week.

The broader All Ordinaries dropped nine points, or 0.11 per cent, to 8,249.1.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store