RaoscaffResearch
Prediction Series · Lock · Issue P-156
Prediction Series · P-156

The Australian ceiling — ≤4.5%, locked at 91%.

91% probability Australia's September-quarter 2026 headline CPI rises at or below 4.5% year-on-year — a ceiling 0.7pt above the 3.8% June-quarter print, against a trend that has fallen from 4.6% in the March quarter. Resolves ~28 Oct 2026.

Type · Prediction Lock · inflation ceiling Locked · 2026-08-13 · before the September-quarter release Resolves · ~2026-10-28 · ABS Consumer Price Index, Australia (abs.gov.au) Scored · binary: September-quarter 2026 headline CPI ≤4.5% YoY yes/no
Australia September-quarter 2026 headline CPI · our locked ceiling
≤ 4.5%
annual CPI · vs 3.8% in the year to the June 2026 quarter

The ABS reported headline CPI rising 3.8% in the twelve months to the June 2026 quarter, down from 4.6% in the year to the March quarter, with trimmed-mean inflation steady at 3.6% and a 0.6% quarterly movement. Our ceiling sits 0.7pt above that print. Source: ABS, Consumer Price Index Australia, released 29 July 2026.

— 1 · The Locked Call

Australia's September-quarter 2026 headline CPI lands ≤4.5% YoY — P = 0.91.

We lock a binary: Australia's quarterly headline Consumer Price Index for the September 2026 quarter rises at or below 4.5% year-on-year, per the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Confidence 91%.

— 2 · Why it's nail-able

The annual rate has fallen from 4.6% to 3.8% in two quarters, and underlying inflation is steady.

Australian headline inflation fell from 4.6% in the year to the March 2026 quarter to 3.8% in the year to June, while trimmed-mean inflation held steady at 3.6% and the quarterly movement was a contained 0.6%. Our ceiling allows 0.7pt of re-acceleration against a clearly decelerating series. Confidence 91%, not higher, because Australian quarterly CPI is sensitive to administered price resets — electricity rebates, tobacco excise and rents — which can land in a single quarter. Scored on the QUARTERLY CPI release, not the ABS monthly CPI indicator, which is a separate series.

Locked on 2026-08-13 — scored against the ABS September-quarter 2026 CPI release.

RAOSCAFF locks P-156 on 2026-08-13, before the September-quarter release. Scored against Australia's September-quarter 2026 headline CPI annual rate versus a 4.5% ceiling.

Locked
2026-08-13 (commit timestamp on origin/main)
Resolves
~2026-10-28 — ABS Consumer Price Index, Australia, September 2026 quarter
Source
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Consumer Price Index Australia — quarterly headline CPI, annual movement (abs.gov.au)
Scored by
Binary: YES if the September 2026 QUARTER headline CPI annual movement is ≤4.5%; NO otherwise. The quarterly CPI headline annual rate — NOT the trimmed mean and NOT the ABS monthly CPI indicator, which are separate series.

Administered price resets — electricity rebates, tobacco excise, rents — can land in a single quarter and are the disclosed tail.