RBA Assistant Governor Hunter says risk of inflation expectations drifting higher is elevated, and the Middle East conflict is a clear external shock, adds recent rise in oil prices is particularly challenging to navigate

The comments from RBA Assistant Governor Hunter highlight heightened inflation expectations amid external shocks like the Middle East conflict and rising oil prices.

Newsquawk StaffPublished 18 May 2026, 23:33 UTCOn the live feed at 23:13 UTC — 1 more headline followed before this page went public

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Says:

Shock has come against a backdrop of elevated capacity constraints and domestic cost pressures, and their research suggests pass-through will be faster and more extensive.
Expects firms will pass through higher oil prices relatively quickly and noted their forecasts assume that the Gulf conflict gets resolved soon.
Sees inflation risk on both the upside and downside.

Context

This sentiment suggests more volatility and uncertainty around the inflation outlook, potentially influencing the RBA's future policy decisions and impacting the AUD and fixed income markets.

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