Australia Q3 Import Prices Drop for 2nd Straight Quarter

Australia’s import prices fell 0.4% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2025, exceeding market expectations of a 0.3% decline and easing from a 0.8% drop in Q2. This marked the second consecutive quarterly fall. Key contributors to the decrease included telecommunications equipment (-3.4%), as existing models were imported at lower prices, and general industrial machinery and equipment (-2.6%), driven by the Australian dollar’s appreciation against the U.S. dollar. Coffee, tea, cocoa, and related products also dropped 9.2%, following a reversal in cocoa prices, which are now recovering due to improved supply from West Africa and Ecuador. Offsetting the fall were petroleum products (3.5%) amid rising U.S. demand and Middle Eastern supply concerns, fertilisers (10.4%) on tight global supply and strong agricultural demand, and gold (3.1%) due to investor interest amid economic uncertainty.