RBA Governor Philip Lowe said today that “it’s likely we’re going to see interest rates at their current level for years”. “We do face a world where there’ll be a shadow from the virus for quite a few years,” he added”. “People will be more risk-averse, they won’t want to borrow, in Australia we’re going to have lower population dynamics.”
He also said the 7.1% unemployment in Australia was a “misleading indicator” because many people had already given up looking for jobs. Work hours were also lower than they would want. “We just don’t know what constitutes full employment in terms of an unemployment rate,” he said. “We should be seeking to get to full employment however we define that in terms of unemployment, underemployment and hours worked.”
Regarding the Australian Dollar, he’d “like a lower” one, with “lower unemployment and slightly higher inflation”.
