Inflation in Australia remained in retreat in the final quarter of 2024, stoking the case for the central bank to join the global easing cycle by cutting rates at its coming meeting in February.

By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian consumer prices rose at the slowest pace in almost four years in the December quarter, while a pullback in housing costs helped cool core inflation and open the door to a cut in interest rates as early as next month.

The Australian economy is tipped to recover from the slowest growth rate outside of the pandemic in the past 33 years when mortgage holders finally get a rate cut in 2025, economists predict.