OCR should remain at 2.5%: Dickens
The Reserve Bank's current 2.5% official cash rate (OCR) may be close to the neutral rate at which it neither encourages nor hinders the economy from growing, says economist Rodney Dickens.
The current OCR rate is the lowest it's ever been, well below its 8.25% peak between July 2007 and July 2008.
"The evidence from the economy suggests that the current level of the OCR at 2.5%, while low by historical standards, may be close to the neutral rate," Dickens, managing director of Strategic Risk Analysis, says in his "alternative Monetary Policy Statement."
While some evidence suggests the neutral rate may be somewhat higher, "it could end up below 2.5% if the international situation deteriorates further," he says.
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