Technical analysis – AUD/USD rebound gets blocked by 50-day SMA

AUD/USD retraces 61.8% of the July-August selloff.
But meets tough resistance at 50-day SMA.

Raffi Boyadjian XM

AUDUSD has surged by around 4.5% from the August 5 low of 0.6347 but the recovery has hit a snag at the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) in the 0.6635 region. After two days of unsuccessful attempts to overcome this barrier, the price has now slipped below the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of the July-August slump at 0.6625.

The technical indicators remain positive but are sending mixed signals about the near-term price action. The stochastic oscillator is in the overbought region and trending lower, suggesting some losses could be on the cards. But the RSI is ticking up just above 50, signalling that the recovery has more to go.

If the bulls manage to clear the 50-day SMA, the next key hurdle is likely to be the 0.6700 level, which corresponds with the 78.6% Fibonacci. Surpassing this would turn the focus to July’s seven-month high of 0.6798 when it came just shy of the 0.6800 mark.

However, if the upswing runs out of steam, there’s likely to be some support at the 20-day SMA, which is slightly below the 50% Fibonacci of 0.6572. Slipping below this level could accelerate the declines towards the 38.2% Fibonacci of 0.6519.

All in all, AUDUSD’s rebound seems secure for now, but a climb above the 50-day SMA is needed to shift the short-to-medium-term outlook to bullish, while a drop below the 20-day SMA could switch the pair back to bearish mode.

Author

Raffi Boyadjian

Mr Boyadjian graduated from the London School of Economics in 1999 with a BSc in Business Mathematics and Statistics. Following graduation, he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Business Recoveries team, where he was responsibl

EUR/USD hits two-day highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD picks up pace and reaches two-day tops around 1.1820 at the end of the week. The pair’s move higher comes on the back of renewed weakness in the US Dollar amid growing talk that the Fed could deliver an interest rate cut as early as March. On the docket, the flash US Consumer Sentiment improves to 57.3 in February.

GBP/USD reclaims 1.3600 and above

GBP/USD reverses two straight days of losses, surpassing the key 1.3600 yardstick on Friday. Cable’s rebound comes as the Greenback slips away from two-week highs in response to some profit-taking mood and speculation of Fed rate cuts. In addition, hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill are also collaborating with the quid’s improvement.

Gold climbs further, focus is back to 45,000

Gold regains upside traction and surpasses the $4,900 mark per troy ounce at the end of the week, shifting its attention to the critical $5,000 region. The move reflects a shift in risk sentiment, driving flows back towards traditional safe haven assets and supporting the yellow metal.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP rebound amid risk-off, $2.6 billion liquidation wave

Bitcoin edges up above $65,000 at the time of writing on Friday, as dust from the recent macro-triggered sell-off settles. The leading altcoin, Ethereum, hovers above $1,900, but resistance at $2,000 caps the upside. Meanwhile, Ripple has recorded the largest intraday jump among the three assets, up over 10% to $1.35.

Three scenarios for Japanese Yen ahead of snap election

The latest polls point to a dominant win for the ruling bloc at the upcoming Japanese snap election. The larger Sanae Takaichi’s mandate, the more investors fear faster implementation of tax cuts and spending plans.

XRP rally extends as modest ETF inflows support recovery

Ripple is accelerating its recovery, trading above $1.36 at the time of writing on Friday, as investors adjust their positions following a turbulent week in the broader crypto market. The remittance token is up over 21% from its intraday low of $1.12.