Dollars & Sense cover image

Dollars & Sense

Walking the inflation tightrope

May 30, 2024
Economist Greg Jericho discusses the challenges of managing inflation in Australia, emphasizing the risks of a rate rise in the current economic climate. He explores the impact of 'sticky' inflation on demand and delves into what policymakers can do to address the issue.
25:37

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Stable but 'sticky' inflation at 3.5-3.6% prompts concern among economists, highlighting the importance of maintaining balance to prevent a deep recession.
  • Rising prices impact consumer behavior, leading to a shift towards cheaper products despite stable inflation rates, raising questions about the effectiveness of interest rate adjustments.

Deep dives

Inflation Trends and Concerns

Inflation rates have been hovering around 3.5% to 3.6%, leading to concerns among economists despite being stable. The concept of 'sticky' inflation, where prices neither rise nor fall significantly, has emerged. The Reserve Bank's inflation target of 2-3% is viewed as arbitrary, with discussions on whether a slight decrease to 2.9% would significantly improve the situation. Economists are analyzing if inflation is stabilizing or accelerating, as stable inflation is crucial for economic health.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode