AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
Australia’s consumer price index (CPI) accelerated to 2.1% p.a. in the June quarter of 2018 (Q2), reaching the lower end of the RBA’s target band of 2 to 3% over the cycle. In Q2, the biggest price increases were for automotive fuels, due to increases in global oil prices, and health services, driven by private health insurance premium increases on 1 April and a decrease in the private health insurance rebate. Core inflation (a less volatile measure than headline CPI which removes volatile and seasonal items) slowed slightly to 1.9% p.a.
The latest Australian pricing data confirms that producer prices (the ABS’ PPI) are, on average, rising more strongly than output prices for producers of Australian goods and services. Price growth in preliminary demand (+4.2% p.a.) and intermediate demand (4.1% p.a.) (that is, producer inputs) strongly outpaced price growth in final demand (+1.5% p.a.) (that is, producer outputs) in Q2 of 2018. This ‘growth gap’ between price rises for final products and price rises for preliminary and intermediate products confirms that business margins were further compressed in Q2 2018, as has been apparent in the pricing sub-indexes across Ai Group’s three performance indexes.
In other pricing data for Q2 2018, Australia’s import prices jumped higher in the June quarter (+3.2% q/q) driven by higher global oil prices, reflecting tight worldwide supply due to global production restrictions and capacity constraints. Export prices rose by 1.9% q/q and 6.6% p.a., driven by higher prices received for mineral fuel commodities (mainly gas export prices, since global LNG spot prices are partially pegged to oil prices).
Inflation reaches the lower end of RBA target band at 2.1% p.a. in Q2 2018
The headline consumer price index (CPI) accelerated to 2.1% p.a. in Q2 2018, reaching the lower end of the RBA’s target band of 2 to 3% over the cycle for the first time since March (Q1) 2017. In quarterly growth terms, headline CPI held steady at +0.4% in Q2 2018.
Core inflation (a less volatile measure than headline CPI which removes volatile and seasonal items) was slightly higher than headline inflation over the quarter (+0.5% q/q in Q2), but slower over the year to Q2 2018, at +1.9% p.a. Underlying inflation has accelerated since the low point of 2016 and is now slightly higher than the RBA’s mid-year (Q2 2018) forecast of 1.75%. Nevertheless, underlying inflation remains sluggish and just below the RBA target band of 2-3%.
Inflation was relatively weak across the board in Q2, with 62.1% of the items contained within the ABS’ ‘basket of goods’ showing price rises of less than 2.0% p.a. in Q2 2018 and 35.6% of items within the ‘basket of goods’ showing outright falls in price (i.e. deflation). Indeed, even for the handful of goods and services that saw stronger price increases, much of the upward pressure on prices in Q2 appeared to be come from temporary sources. For example, the global rise in oil prices increased automotive fuel prices by 6.9% q/q, lifting transport prices (+1.1% q/q and +2.9% p.a.) in Q2, while alcohol and tobacco prices (+1.6% q/q and 7.8% p.a.) helped push up CPI in Q2 because of the flow-on effect from a government tobacco excise tax increase on 1 March 2018. At the deflationary end, falling food prices dampened inflation in Q2. This fall was driven by an increased supply of seasonal produce including broccoli, capsicum, cauliflower, zucchini, avocados, kiwifruits, bananas, mandarins, oranges, lemons, apples and pears.
Inflation for goods and services with largely market determined prices (excluding volatile items & tobacco) remained weak in Q2 (+0.2% q/q and +1.1% p.a.), suggesting that most inflationary pressures are coming from largely government regulated or influenced pricing such as tobacco, utilities, health services and pharmaceuticals. This is a continuation of a longer-term trend (see Chart 2). The headline inflation index has risen by 62% since 2000, while prices for government administered services such as education and health have risen by 142% and 135%, respectively since 2000.
In contrast, items within the travel and transport services categories have risen more slowly than headline inflation and are probably cheaper in real terms today than they were in 2000 (that is, relative to real incomes).
Communication items, particularly telecommunication equipment and services, have experienced price deflation since 2000. All the price deflation for communication items has occurred since 2014, partially because of the growth in mobile data usage, which is making prices cheaper.
It is also worth noting that prices for health goods and services always rise in the first and second quarters of every year. Health price increases in Q1 are due to co-payment indexation rises for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) while price rises in Q2 are largely due to the annual increase in private health insurance premiums on 1 April. This year, the rise in health prices was also partially driven by a decrease in the private health insurance rebate, which increased the out-of-pocket expenses of health services to consumers.
Across the capital cities, annual inflation in Q2 2018 was again slowest in Perth (+1.1% p.a.) and fastest in Canberra (+2.8% p.a.). Annual inflation was stronger in the non-mining cities of Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and weaker in the mining-oriented cities of Brisbane, Darwin and Perth, reflecting differences in economic activity and demand across these cities (see Table 1).
For the first time since September (Q3) 2016, most of the price pressures in Q2 2018 were driven by offshore factors during Q2 2018, rather than domestic influences. Prices for tradable goods and services (accounting for around 35% of the CPI basket) increased by 0.5% q/q in Q2 and 0.3% over the year. Prices for tradable goods and services are largely determined globally and are affected by movements in the exchange rate and in commodity prices (agricultural as well as resources). Key among these for Australian inflation in Q2 was the oil price, which pushed up automotive fuel prices in the quarter.
Prices for non-tradeable goods and services (accounting for around 65% of the CPI basket) increased by 0.3% q/q and 3.0% p.a. in Q2 2018. Prices for non-tradeable goods and services are largely determined locally by labour, rent and other local input costs. They include large categories of consumer spending such as housing, healthcare and education.
Across the ABS categories of goods and services, the main contributors to headline inflation in Q2 were price rises for transport (+1.6% q/q and +5.2% p.a.); alcohol and tobacco (+1.6% and +7.8% p.a.) and healthcare goods and services (+1.9% q/q and +2.2% p.a.). These categories together lifted consumer prices by 0.4% q/q. These strong quarterly rises were offset by price falls for food, non-alcoholic beverages and ‘recreation and culture’ items (see Chart 4).
Business margins further compressed in Q2 2018
The latest producer price indexes (PPI) indicate that on average, input prices are rising more strongly than output prices for producers of Australian goods and services. On average, producer prices for all final goods and services rose by just 0.3% q/q and 1.5% p.a. in Q2 2018 while intermediate prices rose by a much stronger rate of 0.9% q/q and 4.1% p.a. and preliminary prices rose by 1.1% q/q and 4.4% p.a. This ‘growth gap’ between (smaller) price rises for final products and (larger) price rises for preliminary and intermediate products indicates that business margins were further compressed in Q2 2018. These pricing trends – and their effects on business margins – have been evident in Ai Group’s Australian PMI, PSI and PCI in for some time.
For manufacturers, output prices rose faster than input prices in Q2 of 2018 but were slower over the year. The PPI data indicate pricing for manufacturers’ inputs increased by 2.3% q/q and 6.4% p.a., driven by input price rises for crude oil, aluminium and hydrocarbons in Q2 of 2018. Input price rises over the past year have been most severe in the petroleum and coal product (+39.3% p.a.), chemicals (+9.4% p.a.), pulp and paper (+9.5% p.a.), and primary metal (+9.3% p.a.) sub-sectors. Pricing for all manufacturing outputs rose by 2.6% q/q and 5.2% p.a. in Q2 2018 and were driven by prices received for outputs of alumina, petrol and paper. Output prices rises were most evident in the petroleum and coal product (+25.7% p.a.), primary metal (+14.6% p.a.), printing (+8.8% p.a.) and chemicals (+8.4% p.a.) sub-sectors. The rise in output prices in the primary metals sub-sector was driven by higher output prices for alumina production and aluminium rolling, drawing and extruding, jumping 57.2% p.a. and 55.7% p.a., respectively.
Energy input price indexes confirm that electricity input prices for manufacturers were 16.4% higher than one year earlier while gas prices were up 23.1% p.a. (see Chart 5). The most recent data continue to show the cumulative impact of energy price rises. Electricity input prices for manufacturers are at a new high; 80% higher than prices paid at the start of the decade. Gas prices have increased by 53% over the same period (Chart 6).
This sharp rise in energy prices has contributed to manufacturing input prices rising faster than output prices. Energy-intensive manufacturers are hardest hit by rising energy prices and their high trade exposure leaves them little ability to pass on cost increases to customers. For example, in the fabricated metal product sub-sector (the second largest employing manufacturing sub-sector) input prices have increased by 25% since 2010 while output prices have increased by only 11%. Most of the increase in input prices has coincided with the rise in gas prices available to industrial customers, which began to rise in 2016, peaking above $20/GJ in the first half of 2017. Since that time the gas prices offered have roughly halved from the most extreme levels of 2017, to around $10/GJ. Although much better than 2017, these price levels are still dramatically higher than the historic average and present a substantial challenge to more gas intensive businesses.
Import and export prices moved lower in Q2 2018
ABS trade price indexes indicate that both imports prices and export prices increased in Q2 2018. The depreciation of the Australian dollar against the United States dollar had an upward effect on import and export prices Q2 2018, when valued in Australian dollars. Over the year, export prices (6.6% p.a.) have risen slightly faster than import prices (+6.0% p.a.) (see chart 8).
Import prices rose by 3.2% q/q in Q2, driven by higher global oil prices, reflecting tight worldwide supply due to global production restrictions and capacity constraints. Australia is a net importer of oil, so the price of oil heavily influences the national import price index. Import prices for general industrial machinery also rose 3.3% q/q, reflecting rises in metal prices. Export prices rose by 1.9% q/q in Q2, driven by gas (natural and manufactured, +10.8% q/q). This was in response to strong demand for LNG in northern Asia and because the global LNG spot price is partially pegged to the oil price. Export prices also increased for cereals and cereal preparations (6.9% q/q), reflecting the impact on global pricing of dry weather globally in many wheat-growing regions.
