Central bank · AUDUsual scheduleLive week from the calendar

RBA rate decision: release time and what it moves

Reserve Bank of Australia. The second day of the meeting, usually a Tuesday, with no fixed time. What it is, what traders watch and how the WhitePips rules treat trading around it.

  • Eight meetings a yearhow often
  • 2:30 PMSydney time
  • Redusual calendar rating

RBA on this week's calendar

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Times in your own time zone and in New York; releases already out are dimmed. Red is high impact, Amber medium; the ratings are the calendar feed's.

Central bankAUD

What RBA is

RBA rate decision

The Reserve Bank of Australia sets the cash rate, Australia's main interest rate. It has met eight times a year since 2024, announces at 2:30 PM Sydney time and holds a press conference an hour later.

Every other meeting comes with the Statement on Monetary Policy and new forecasts. The Australian dollar also follows China's economy and commodity prices, so the decision is one driver among several.

When it comes out

Published by
Reserve Bank of Australia, Monetary Policy Board
How often
Eight meetings a year, over two days
Usual day
The second day of the meeting, usually a Tuesday
Usual time
2:30 PM Sydney time: 03:30 UTC during Australian daylight time (October to April), 04:30 UTC the rest of the year, which is the night before in New York; the Governor's press conference follows at 3:30 PM
On the calendar as
Cash Rate, RBA Rate Statement, RBA Press Conference
Usual rating
Red

What traders watch

The cash rate decision

Against the market's pricing.

The statement's guidance

Whether the Board sounds closer to a cut or a hike.

The forecasts

Inflation and unemployment paths in the quarterly statement.

On MetaTrader 5Pip value, lots and commission

Symbols RBA moves

The WhitePips symbols that usually react most to RBA. Each page has the pip or point value, a lot-size example and the commission on every plan.

AUDUSDAustralian dollar / US dollarAUDJPYAustralian dollar / Japanese yenAUDNZDAustralian dollar / New Zealand dollarEURAUDEuro / Australian dollarAUS200Australia 200

Futures on Volumetrica: 6AAustralian dollar

Trading Rules, section 11In the rules' own words

Trading RBA at WhitePips

CFD plans Every plan, every stage

News trading is permitted on every CFD plan. You may open, hold and close positions before, during and after economic releases on every CFD plan, in the evaluation and once funded. There is no restricted window around a release on a CFD account, and no profit is removed because a trade was placed around news.

News straddling is not permitted. On every CFD plan, you may not open straddled, offsetting or hedged exposure on the same or correlated instruments within 15 minutes before or after a scheduled Red or Amber (high or medium impact) economic event, a company earnings release, or a major geopolitical announcement, where the purpose is to capture the volatility of the event rather than to take a view on its outcome. Placing a buy and a sell (or a buy stop and a sell stop) on the same instrument, or opposite positions on correlated instruments such as EURUSD and USDCHF, so that whichever way the price jumps one side profits, is straddling. A single position, or positions in one direction, taken on your own view of the release is not.

Trading Rules, sections 11.1 and 11.2. Each straddle is detected and referred to the risk desk, never penalised automatically.

Futures plans One Step funded, Instant

Futures plans. On the futures plans news trading is permitted during the One Step evaluation. On a funded futures account (One Step funded and Instant) no trade may be opened or closed from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact release; a position opened before the window may be held through it. Profit from such a trade is removed and the loss stays. The first and second violations are warnings, and the third is referred for compliance review. A news trading violation never ends an account automatically. The releases are those marked as high impact in the economic calendar shown in the dashboard or notified to you.

Trading Rules, section 11.4.

CFD plans: no straddling−15 min to +15 minFunded futures: no trade opened or closed−2 min to +2 minRBA
−20 min−15−2+2+15+20 min
A single position taken on your own view, before or after the release, is fine on every CFD plan. On a funded futures account a position opened before the two-minute window may be held through it.

Section 11 of the Trading Rules News trading, explained

QuestionsShort answers

RBA: questions

What time is RBA released?

2:30 PM Sydney time: 03:30 UTC during Australian daylight time (October to April), 04:30 UTC the rest of the year, which is the night before in New York; the Governor's press conference follows at 3:30 PM. The second day of the meeting, usually a Tuesday.

How often is RBA released?

Eight meetings a year, over two days. The second day of the meeting, usually a Tuesday. The exact dates are set by the Reserve Bank of Australia; the dashboard's economic calendar shows the coming week.

Can I trade RBA on a WhitePips account?

On every CFD plan, yes: news trading is allowed in the evaluation and once funded. What is not allowed is straddling, opening both directions (or offsetting positions on correlated instruments) within 15 minutes either side of a Red or Amber release to catch the spike; the risk desk reviews it. On a funded futures account, no trade may be opened or closed from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact release.

Which markets move most on RBA?

On the WhitePips platforms: AUDUSD, AUDJPY, AUDNZD, EURAUD, AUS200, and on futures 6A.

What time is the RBA decision in New York?

2:30 PM Sydney time is 10:30 PM or 11:30 PM the evening before in New York, and 12:30 AM or 1:30 AM depending on the time of year, because Australia and the US change their clocks in opposite seasons.

CFDs and futuresNo time limit

Put the numbers to work

Every plan, size and price, with the rules printed before you buy. News trading is allowed on every CFD plan.

See the plansTrading calculator