Underlying inflation measures · Australia

Australia RBA Trimmed Mean CPI YoY

The Australia RBA Trimmed Mean CPI YoY is an alternative measure of underlying inflation in Australia, built to strip out one-off price jumps without simply dropping whole categories.

Importance
Medium
Released
Monthly
Next release
Currency
AUD · Australian dollar
Central bank
The Reserve Bank of Australia

Latest figures

The latest release for SEP, published on 28 October 2026, came in at 3.6%, in line with the consensus of 3.6%, up from 3.5% the time before.

A result in line with the consensus usually causes little reaction: it was already priced in.

Over the last 12 releases it ranged from 3.2% to 3.6%, averaging 3.4%.

Nov 2025: 3.3%Jan 2026: 3.2%Jan 2026: 3.3%Feb 2026: 3.4%Mar 2026: 3.3%Apr 2026: 3.3%May 2026: 3.4%Jun 2026: 3.6%Jul 2026: 3.6%Aug 2026: 3.6%Sep 2026: 3.6%Oct 2026: 3.6% Nov 2025Oct 2026
Actual results; the short line on a bar marks the consensus.
ReleasedForActualConsensusPrevious
28 Oct 2026SEP3.6%3.6%3.5%
30 Sep 2026AUG3.6%3.6%3.6%
26 Aug 2026JUL3.6%3.5%3.6%
29 Jul 2026JUN3.6%3.7%3.6%
24 Jun 2026MAY3.6%3.5%3.4%
27 May 2026APR3.4%3.4%3.3%
29 Apr 2026MAR3.3%3.3%3.3%
25 Mar 2026FEB3.3%3.4%3.4%
25 Feb 2026JAN3.4%3.3%3.3%
28 Jan 2026DEC3.3%3.3%3.2%
7 Jan 2026NOV3.2%–3.3%
26 Nov 2025OCT3.3%3%3.2% ®

See it in the economic calendar →

Why it matters

the Reserve Bank of Australia watches these measures to judge whether inflation is broad-based. When they agree with the headline, the trend is real; when they diverge, a few items are distorting the picture.

How it is calculated

A trimmed mean removes the items with the largest and smallest price changes (for example the top and bottom 15% by weight) and averages the rest; a weighted median takes the price change in the middle of the distribution. Other variants hold mortgage interest costs fixed or use common components.

What changes mean

  • A trimmed mean or median near the target is the clearest sign that inflation is under control.
  • When the headline jumps but these do not, the move is likely temporary.

Higher than expected: A higher figure than expected makes the Reserve Bank of Australia more likely to keep rates high or raise them: it tends to support the Australian dollar and push bond yields up, and is often a weight on stocks.

Lower than expected: A lower figure than expected gives the Reserve Bank of Australia room to cut or hold rates lower: the Australian dollar tends to soften and bond yields to fall.

A short history

Trimmed means were developed in the 1990s (Bryan and Cecchetti at the Cleveland Fed); the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Bank of Canada give them a central place in their policy.

Questions

What is the Australia RBA Trimmed Mean CPI YoY?

The Australia RBA Trimmed Mean CPI YoY is an alternative measure of underlying inflation in Australia, built to strip out one-off price jumps without simply dropping whole categories.

What was the latest Australia RBA Trimmed Mean CPI YoY?

3.6% for SEP, published on 28 October 2026 (consensus 3.6%, previous 3.5%).

When is the next Australia RBA Trimmed Mean CPI YoY?

On Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 00:30 UTC.

Educational content only, not investment advice. Figures are the published results as recorded by our calendar; market reactions described are typical, not guaranteed.