Australia is one week out from the RBA’s next interest rate decision — and the possibility of another rate hike is firmly in focus.

So what is the Reserve Bank actually watching?

RBA Chief Economist and Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter joins Sylvia Jeffreys to take us inside how the bank thinks about interest rates, inflation and the Australian economy — and bust some of the biggest economic myths along the way.
In this episode:

• What the RBA is weighing up ahead of its next rates decision
• Why interest rates affect far more than just mortgage holders
• Whether higher interest rates really push up rents
• Whether migration is adding to inflation
• How government spending factors into the RBA’s thinking
• What’s behind Australia’s housing downturn — and where prices could go from here
• Whether Australian households are showing signs of mortgage stress
• Why the RBA remains concerned about inflation

Plus, Sarah explains what happens behind the scenes before every interest rate decision — from the economic data her team analyses to the papers that land in front of the Monetary Policy Board.