# Australia's central bank ready to act if lockdowns threaten economy

> The Reserve Bank of Australia stands ready to act if lockdowns threaten the economy. Westpac now sees a 2.6% contraction in the current quarter, with a rebound by Christmas as vaccination rates top 70%. Westpac forecasts 2021 growth of 2.4%, down from 3.2%. COVID disaster payments have reached 1.2 million people.

- Date: 2021-08-17 · published 2021-08-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: macro · region Australia · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/45801-australia-s-central-bank-ready-to-act-if-lockdowns-threaten-economy
- Commodities: [Australian Dollar (USD per AUD)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/AUDUSD.md)

## Why it matters

Weaker Australian growth reduces domestic demand for feed-linked meat and dairy, a modest bearish signal for regional feed use. The effect on global prices is small.

## Sources

- reuters.com: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-central-bank-ready-act-if-lockdowns-threaten-economy-2021-08-17/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.