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Westpac predicts house price boom but no more OCR cuts

Saturday 11th of May 2019

Westpac economists previously predicted the Reserve Bank would cut the OCR twice, once this year, and again next year. Yet the bank's team of economists have changed their mind, and now believe rates will be on hold until 2022. 

Most economists, including those at ANZ and Kiwibank, expect the Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee to cut the OCR once again this year. 

However, Westpac economists, led  by Dominick Stephens, say the government's recent move to rule out Capital Gains Tax, coupled with an expected house price boost from the OCR cut, will strengthen the economy.

The economists said: "The RBNZ itself is 50/50 on whether another OCR cut will be required, meaning some form of downside surprise would be required to actually prompt a cut. At this stage, we don’t think there is a high likelihood of that happening."

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