Expert Analysis of the RBA's March 17 Rate Decision

FundMonitors.com

March 2026

Chris Gosselin, CEO of FundMonitors.com, spoke with Nicholas Chaplin, Director and Portfolio Manager at Seed Funds Management, and Renny Ellis, Director & Head of Portfolio Management at Arculus Funds Management, about the RBA's decision to raise interest rates by 0.25% in March. Both described the move as premature, noting the narrow 5-4 board vote reflected significant internal disagreement. They argued that last month's rate rise had yet to flow through to the economy, and that the board was relying on last year's inflation numbers prior to the release of the February figure due next week. In a nutshell, the decision to raise rates in March, rather than wait 6 weeks until the meeting scheduled for May 4th and 5th, was premature. The discussion also considered the role of rising oil prices and geopolitical developments, with both suggesting the RBA may have acted too quickly given the uncertain economic outlook.