|

AUD/USD sees play into the low side, 0.6540 proving a sticky level

  • The Aussie is on the low side, but tussling with the US Dollar on Wednesday.
  • Market sentiment soured on US data releases, dragging the AUD into lower bids.
  • Aussie PMI figures due in the early Thursday market session.

The AUD/USD is wobbling on Wednesday, grinding around the 0.6540 level as market sentiment pushes and pulls the US Dollar (USD), leaving the Aussie (AUD) hung up in the middle of the tug-of-war.

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)  Governor Michele Bullock hit newswires early Wednesday, highlighting that inflation remains a challenge for Australia, with price pressures consistently on the high side. The RBA is struggling to reign in inflation with policy measures without hampering the Australian domestic economy.

RBA’s Bullock: More substantial monetary policy tightening is right response

On the US data side, US Initial Jobless Claims came in below expectations, printing at a five-week low of 209K versus the expected 225K. Continuing Jobless Claims also declined to 1.84 million.

US weekly Initial Jobless Claims decline to 209K vs. 225K expected

Overall market volatility is on the high side for the mid-week as investors grapple with the rate cycle outlook. USD consumers are bracing for long-running inflation to overshoot the Federal Reserve's (Fed) target of 2%, according to the University of Michigan's (UoM) 5-year Consumer Inflation Expectations Survey for November. The UoM's consumer inflation outlook sees 5-year inflation at 3.2%, above the Fed's target band, and investors are having to once again readjust their outlook on when they can expect the Fed to begin cutting rates.

AUD/USD Technical Outlook

The AUD/USD kicked Wednesday trading off with a dip into 0.6527 before rallying back towards the day's high bids near 0.6570, and the pair is struggling near the 0.6540 level heading towards Wednesday's market close.

Yesterday's swing high into 0.6589 and subsequent decline sees a technical rejection from the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) firming on the charts, and the next stage for sellers will be to drag the AUD/USD back down into the last swing low near 0.6350.

AUD/USD Daily Chart

Author

Joshua Gibson

Joshua joins the FXStreet team as an Economics and Finance double major from Vancouver Island University with twelve years' experience as an independent trader focusing on technical analysis.

More from Joshua Gibson
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD holds losses below 1.1850 near nine-day EMA barrier

EUR/USD extends its losses for the second successive session, trading around 1.1840 during the early European hours on Tuesday. The 14-day Relative Strength Index momentum indicator at 53 (neutral) signals consolidation with a modest upside lean.

GBP/USD drops below 1.3600 after weak UK jobs report

GBP/USD is seeing a fresh selling wave, giving up the 1.3600 level in Tuesday's European trading. The United Kingdom employment data showed worsening labor market conditions, bolstering bets for a BoE interest rate cut next month. This narrative is weighing heavily on the Pound Sterling. 

Gold adds to intraday losses as risk-on mood offsets dovish Fed and subdued USD demand

Gold attracts some follow-through selling for the second straight day and dives to over a one-week low, around the $4,858 area, heading into the European session on Tuesday. The commodity, however, quickly recovers to the $4,900 mark as traders opt to await more cues about the US Federal Reserve's (Fed) rate-cut path before placing fresh directional bets.

Pi Network rallies ahead of its first anniversary

Pi Network trades above $0.1800 at the time of writing on Tuesday, recording nearly 5% gains so far. On-chain data indicate that large wallet investors, commonly known as whales, have accumulated approximately 4 million PI tokens over the last 24 hours.

The week ahead: Key inflation readings and why the AI trade could be overdone

It is likely to be a quiet start to the week, with US markets closed on Monday for Presidents Day. European markets are higher across the board and gold is clinging to the $5,000 level after the tamer than expected CPI report in the US reduced haven flows to precious metals.

Stellar mixed sentiment caps recovery

Stellar price remains under pressure, trading at $0.170 on Tuesday after failing to close above the key resistance on Sunday. The derivatives metric supports the bearish sentiment, with XLM’s short bets rising among traders and funding rates turning negative.