Australia’s monthly Consumer Price Index prints at 01:30 UTC on 26 August 2026, making it the focal point of the Asian session for Australian dollar traders.
What the Australian CPI measures
The CPI m/m tracks the change in the price of a basket of goods and services purchased by households, serving as the most closely watched gauge of consumer inflation. Markets follow it because inflation trends feed directly into the Reserve Bank of Australia’s policy considerations, which in turn shape expectations for the Australian dollar.
This release carries a forecast of 0.9%, a marked step up from the previous reading of -0.1%. The gap between the two figures is why the print is flagged high-impact: it captures a swing from a slight decline to a firm monthly gain in prices, at least on consensus.
How the Australian dollar pairs are trading
Heading into the release, the Australian dollar is softer across most crosses on our feed. AUDSGD is the biggest mover, down 0.36% at 0.90677, followed by AUDUSD off 0.29% at 0.71495.
AUDJPY is trading at 113.67, lower by 0.21%, while AUDCHF is down 0.14% at 0.57309. On the other side, the Aussie is marginally weaker against the euro and pound: EURAUD is up 0.08% at 1.6301 and GBPAUD is up 0.09% at 1.90532.
The number is watched for what it signals about the pace of Australian consumer inflation ahead of the RBA’s next decisions.
Descriptive market news from the ForexBullion Research Team. Not investment advice.
