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Bitunix analyst: The Reserve Bank of Australia raises rates to 4.60%, inflationary pressures extend the global tightening cycle
BlockBeats news,September 29, global inflationary pressures have once again attracted attention. The Reserve Bank of Australia announced a rate hike of 25 basis points to 4.60%, and said it may further tighten policy if necessary. Although Australia's consumer and housing markets have cooled somewhat, economic growth and inflation remain above expectations. In addition, the conflict in the Middle East has driven up energy prices,AI demand has driven up the prices of technology products, making it difficult for the central bank to ease monetary policy prematurely. This reflects the fact that when energy and technology demand jointly drive up costs, inflation may still limit the scope for global rate cuts even as economic activity gradually slows.
The commodities market is showing deeper supply risks. Deutsche Bank pointed out that the United States is continuing to stockpile copper amid tariff expectations, squeezing spot supplies available to other regions. In an extreme scenario, the bank estimates that if the stockpiling trend continues, copper prices could rise to 2027 in the second quarter of 22,050 USD per metric ton, but this is not the base-case forecast. What truly warrants attention is that global reported inventories do not equal freely circulating supply; when inventories are locked in by a particular market, spot shortages may push up prices even without a substantial increase in demand, further increasing cost pressures on power-grid construction,AI data centers, and manufacturing.
For financial markets, these two developments share a common transmission mechanism: rising energy and raw-material prices may delay the decline in inflation, forcing central banks to maintain higher interest rates for longer. If companies simultaneously face higher financing and input costs, the discounting pressure on future earnings valuations will also increase. Going forward, market attention should not focus solely on whether central banks will cut rates; it should also monitor whether energy prices, industrial raw-material supplies, and long-term bond yields come under pressure at the same time. If cost-driven inflation persists while economic growth gradually slows, global markets will face the dual challenge of stubborn inflation and persistently high funding costs, which may also constrain liquidity and valuations of risk assets.
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