AUD/USD Forecast and News
AUD/USD weakens further as US Treasury yields boost US Dollar
The Australian Dollar extended its losses against the US Dollar for the second straight day, as higher US Treasury bond yields underpinned the Greenback. On Wednesday, the AUD/USD lost 0.26% as market participants turned risk-averse. As the Asian session begins, the pair trades around 0.6577.
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AUD/USD Technical Overview
Extra gains may lead the AUD/USD to retest its May high of 0.6647 (May 3), which comes slightly ahead of the March top of 0.6667 (March 8) and the December 2023 peak of 0.6871.
Meanwhile, if sellers regain control, spot may challenge the critical 200-day SMA at 0.6519 before hitting the May low of 0.6465 and the 2024 bottom of 0.6362 (April 19).
Looking at the bigger picture, while above the important 200-day SMA, further gains should remain in the pipeline.
On the four-hour chart, the selling impetus appears to have met some decent contention near the 55-SMA around 0.6560. Further downside targets the 200-SMA at 0.6522 ahead of the 100-SMA at 0.6508. On the upside, there is initial resistance at 0.6647, just ahead of 0.6667. In addition, the RSI bounced to around 48.
Fundamental Overview
Wednesday saw another daily advance in the US Dollar (USD), causing AUD/USD to add to Tuesday’s corrective decline and revisit four-day lows near 0.6560.
In the meantime, the Greenback managed to maintain its recovery in place this time, helped by increasing yields, while the broader macroeconomic landscape remained consistent with the expected commencement of the Fed's easing programme sometime before the year's end (probably September).
As the Australian dollar retraced on a daily basis, copper prices experienced another drop, while iron ore prices came under pressure after nearing the $120.00 mark per tonne for the first time since late February during the previous session.
Turning to domestic affairs, it is worth recalling that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its interest rate unchanged at 4.35% at its event early on Tuesday. Furthermore, the bank reiterated its neutral policy stance, stating that "the Board is not ruling anything in or out." The RBA revised its macroeconomic forecasts, projecting higher headline and trimmed mean inflation rates up to Q2 2025, primarily driven by ongoing service price inflation. Nevertheless, the bank anticipates inflation to return to the 2%–3% target range in the latter half of 2025 and to reach the midpoint by 2026.
During her subsequent press conference, Governor Michele Bullock maintained a balanced tone. Regarding rates, she mentioned that "we might have to raise, we might not," indicating the board's contemplation of rate hikes at this meeting.
Currently, the swaps market has largely discounted any further rate hikes over the next six months, with a decrease priced in for the subsequent six months.
Additionally, both the RBA and the Federal Reserve are expected to commence their easing measures later than many of their G10 counterparts.
With the Fed's commitment to tightening monetary policy and the potential for RBA easing later this year, sustained gains in AUD/USD are anticipated to be limited.
SPECIAL WEEKLY FORECAST
Interested in weekly AUD/USD forecasts? Our experts make weekly updates forecasting the next possible moves of the Australian Dollar-US Dollar pair. Here you can find the most recent forecast by our market experts:
AUD/USD: Interim top confirmed, 0.7000 at risk Premium
The AUD/USD pair kept falling in the last few days, reaching a fresh multi-week low of 0.7263 on Friday, to close the trading week a handful of pips above it.
AUD/USD Big Picture
AUD/USD Bullish Themes
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Editors' picks
EUR/USD stuck near midrange ahead of thin Thursday session
EUR/USD is reverting to the near-term mean, stuck near 1.0750 and stuck firmly in the week’s opening trading range. Markets will be on the lookout for speeches from ECB policymakers, but officials are broadly expected to avoid rocking the boat amidst holiday-constrained market flows.
GBP/USD holds below 1.2500 ahead of BoE rate decision
GBP/USD remains on the defensive around 1.2495 on Thursday during the early Asian session. Greenback edges higher for the third consecutive day, which weighs on the major pair. Traders turn to cautious mode ahead of the Bank of England interest rate decision later in the day, with no change in rate expected.
USD/JPY surges to near 155.50 as Fed expects to prolong policy rates
USD/JPY extends winning streak amid hawkish sentiment surrounding the Fed’s stance on monetary policy. Fed's Kashkari anticipates the prolonging of elevated rates and suggests that further rate hikes are not entirely ruled out. The Japanese Yen depreciated despite the potential for intervention by Japanese authorities.
Gold price drops amid higher US yields awaiting next week's US inflation
Gold remained at familiar levels on Wednesday, trading near $2,312 amid rising US Treasury yields and a strong US dollar. Traders await unemployment claims on Thursday, followed by Friday's University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey.
Oil posts modest gains around $79.00 on US crude stock draw
Western Texas Intermediate, the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $78.95 on Thursday. The black gold recovers losses after a surprise crude stock draw in the United States.
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AUD/USD YEARLY FORECAST
How could AUD/USD move this year? Our experts make an AUD/USD update forecasting the possible moves of the Aussie-US Dollar pair during the whole year. Don't miss our 2024 AUD/USD forecast!
AUD/USD FORECAST 2024
The Australian Dollar (AUD) started 2023 on a high note, though slumped closer to its post-pandemic low against the USD during the latter part of the year. The currency clawed back some of its steep declines during the final two months of 2023, and the outlook seems sunnier in the wake of the prevalent bearish sentiment surrounding the Greenback. Read more details about the forecast.
MOST INFLUENTIAL POLITICAL EVENTS IN 2024 FOR AUD/USD
Will the Fed will achieve a soft landing? The current market pricing for a more aggressive policy easing by the central bank next year might have already set the stage for a disappointment and favours the USD bulls. This should allow the USD to resume the prior uptrend witnessed since July 2023 and keep a lid on a runaway rally for the AUD/USD pair.
The upcoming US Presidential election could also play a key role in influencing the USD price dynamics and driving the aussie.
About AUD/USD
AUD/USD, The 'Aussie'
The AUD/USD pair, also called the “Aussie”, tells the trader how many US dollars (the quote currency) are needed to purchase one Australian dollar (the base currency). This currency pair is also known as the "Aussie". Together with the New Zealand Dollar and the Canadian Dollar, the AUD is a commodity currency, that is a currency whose country's exports are largely comprised of raw materials (precious metals, oil, agriculture, etc.).
The interest rates set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) have been among the highest of industrialized countries and the relatively high liquidity of the AUD has made it an attractive tool for carry traders looking for a currency with the highest yields. These factors made the AUD very popular among currency traders.
AUD/USD CORRELATIONS
Australia is a big exporter to China and its economy and currency reflect any change in the situation in that country. The prevailing view is that the Australian Dollar offers diversification benefits in a portfolio containing the major world currencies because of its greater exposure to Asian economies.
This correlation with the Shanghai stock exchange is to be added to the correlation it has with gold. The pair AUD/USD often rises and falls along with the price of gold. In the financial world, gold is viewed as a safe haven against inflation and it is one of the most traded commodities.
ORGANIZATIONS, PEOPLE AND ECONOMIC DATA THAT INFLUENCE AUD/USD
The AUD/USD news can be seriously affected by the decisions taken by these organizations and people:
- Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) that issues statements and decides on the interest rates of the country. Its president is Michele Bullock.
- Australian Government and its Department of Finance that implement policies that affect the economy of the country.
- The US Government: events as administration statements, new laws and regulations or fiscal policy can increase or decrease the value of the US Dollar and the currencies traded against it, in this case, the Australian Dollar.
- Fed, the Federal Reserve of the United States whose president is Jerome Powell. The Fed controls the monetary policy, through active duties such as managing interest rates, setting the reserve requirement, and acting as a lender of last resort to the banking sector during times of bank insolvency or financial crisis.
In terms of economic data, as for most currencies, the AUDUSD traders have to keep an eye on:
- GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country. It is a gross measure of market activity because it indicates the pace at which a country's economy is growing or decreasing. Generally speaking, a high reading or a better than expected number is seen as positive for the AUD, while a low reading is negative.
- Inflation measured by key indicators as the CPI (Core Price Index) and the PPI (Production Price Index), which reflect changes in purchasing trends.
- Current Trade Balance, a balance between exports and imports of total goods and services. A positive value shows trade surplus, while a negative value shows trade deficit. If a steady demand in exchange for AUD exports is seen, that would turn into a positive growth in the trade balance, and that should be positive for the AUD.
Michele Bullock
Michele Bullock is an Australian economist who is currently governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. She commenced as governor on 18 September 2023, and is the first woman to hold the role. She is Chair of the Reserve Bank Board, Payments System Board and Council of Financial Regulators. Prior to her current role, Ms Bullock was the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Michele Bullock RBA's Profile and Wikipedia
Jerome Powell
Jerome Powell took office as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in February 2018, for a four-year term ending in February 2022. His term as a member of the Board of Governors will expire January 31, 2028. Born in Washington D.C., he received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University in 1975 and earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1979. Powell served as an assistant secretary and as undersecretary of the Treasury under President George H.W. Bush. He also worked as a lawyer and investment banker in New York City. From 1997 through 2005, Powell was a partner at The Carlyle Group.
Jerome Powell Fed's Profile and Wikipedia
RBA NEWS & ANALYSIS
FED NEWS & ANALYSIS
ASSETS THAT INFLUENCE AUD/USD THE MOST
- Currencies: NZD and JPY (New Zealand and Japan are important regional partners of Australia). Other important group of influent pairs includes: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD.
- Commodities: The most important is Gold, as already explained above, but also Iron Ore and Natural Gas.
- Bonds: GACGB10 (Australian Government Bonds Generic Yield 10 Year), GNZGB10 (New Zealand Government Bond 10 Year) and T-NOTE 10Y (10 year US Treasury note).
- Indices: S&P/ASX 200 (stocks of the Australian Securities Exchange), S&P/TSX Global Gold Index (includes producers of gold and related products at the Toronto Stock Exchange).