At its November 2026 meeting, the Monetary Policy Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.85%, and the question is now whether we're in for even more hikes in months to come.
In a recent address to a parliamentary committee in Sydney, RBA chair Michele Bullock said that the bank's Board has abandoned the "narrow path" mentality about taming inflation in favour of a more direct approach.
While the Board of the RBA has said that it anticipates inflation will start to cool by the end of 2027, another rate rise is still possible, especially if the Middle East conflict continues to drive oil and fuel prices up.
In the meantime, here's what economists at the nation's big four banks have to say.
When do the big four banks think rates will go down?
The RBA's Board will announce its next cash rate call for 2026 on Tuesday December 8, but in the meantime, here’s what the big four banks are forecasting.
ANZ: No further cash rate hikes in 2026
Economists at ANZ currently predict we'll see cuts again starting November 2027.
CommBank: No further cash rate hikes in 2026
Economists at CommBank currently predict we'll see cuts again starting from August 2027.
NAB: No further cash rate hikes in 2026
Economists at NAB currently predict we'll see cuts again starting from August 2027.
Westpac: No further cash rate hikes in 2026
Economists at Westpac currently predict we'll see cuts again from August 2027.
When does the RBA Board meet next?
The Board of the RBA changed its meeting schedule in 2024. Where it used to meet on the first Tuesday of each month, excluding January, it now meets eight times a year, for two days at a time. The rationale behind this altered schedule is to give the Board more time to consider its decisions. The meeting dates for the RBA Monetary Policy Board in 2026 are as follows:
- 2–3 February
- 16-17 March
- 4–5 May
- 15–16 June
- 10–11 August
- 28–29 September
- 2–3 November
- 7–8 December
The RBA’s next cash rate announcement is due on Tuesday December 8.






