RBA's Kent said there are grounds to view current monetary policy as somewhat restrictive, but the key question is whether that restrictiveness is sufficiently strong.

China's National Bureau of Statistics said on Oct. 19 first‑nine‑months GDP exceeded 107 trillion yuan, up 4.6% YoY, in line with the government's full‑year growth target. Economic incremental output for the period totaled 5.7 trillion yuan, the largest first‑nine‑months increase in five years. The NBS spokesman said Q3 YoY growth rose 0.2 percentage point from Q2 and that, by some international agencies' estimates, a 4.6% YoY pace keeps China ahead of other major economies.

On Oct 18 local time President Macron, in a televised address, condemned violent incidents that occurred across multiple French cities on Oct 17, saying no justification exists for the actions. He said Prime Minister Le Cornu will chair a crisis response meeting on Oct 19 to coordinate rapid aid for affected businesses and residents.