- The Australian Dollar appreciates following the PBoC’s rate cuts on Monday.
- The PBoC has reduced the 1- and 5-year Loan Prime Rates to 3.10% and 3.60%, respectively.
- The Aussie Dollar appreciated as domestic upbeat labor data has lowered the odds of a RBA’s rate cut this year.
The Australian Dollar (AUD) extended its winning streak against the US Dollar (USD) for the third consecutive session on Monday. The upside of the Aussie Dollar could be attributed to the rate cuts in China, its largest trading partner.
The People's Bank of China (PBoC) reduced the 1-year Loan Prime Rate (LPR) to 3.10% from 3.35% and the 5-year LPR to 3.60% from 3.85%, in line with expectations. Lower borrowing costs are anticipated to stimulate China's domestic economic activity, potentially increasing demand for Australian exports.
Australia’s upbeat employment data, released last week, has reduced the likelihood of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) implementing an interest rate cut this year. This outlook has bolstered the AUD, providing continued support to the AUD/USD pair.
RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser addressed the CBA 2024 Global Markets Conference in Sydney on Monday, expressing slight surprise at the strength of employment growth. Hauser noted that the labor participation rate is remarkably high and emphasized that while the RBA is data-dependent, it is not data-obsessed.
Daily Digest Market Movers: Australian Dollar appreciates due to diminishing odds of RBA rate cuts
- The US Dollar gained support as recent data highlighting the resilience of the US economy has dispelled speculation of a 50-basis-point rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed) in November. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut in November stands at 94.3%, with no possibility of a 50-basis-point cut.
- National Australia Bank revised its projection for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in a note last week. "We have brought forward our expectations for the timing of rate cuts, now anticipating the first cut in February 2025, instead of May," the bank stated. They continue to foresee a gradual pace of cuts, with rates expected to decrease to 3.10% by early 2026.
- On Friday, People's Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Pan Gongsheng stated that the Chinese central bank has "issued specific guidelines for stock buybacks and reloans to boost holdings, emphasizing that credit funds must not illegally flow into the stock market."
- China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 4.6% in the third quarter of 2024, slightly down from the 4.7% growth recorded in the second quarter but exceeding market expectations of 4.5%. On a quarterly basis, GDP rose by 0.9% in Q3 2024, up from 0.7% in the previous quarter but falling short of the 1.0% forecast. China’s Retail Sales in September increased by 3.2% year-over-year, outperforming both the expected 2.5% growth and the prior figure of 2.1%.
- US Retail Sales rose by 0.4% month-over-month in September, surpassing the 0.1% gain recorded in August and market expectations of a 0.3% increase. Additionally, US Initial Jobless Claims fell by 19,000 during the week ending October 11, the largest decline in three months. The total number of claims dropped to 241,000, significantly below the anticipated 260,000.
- The seasonally adjusted Employment Change in Australia surged by 64.1K in September, bringing the total employment to a record 14.52 million. This far surpassed market expectations of a 25.0K increase, following a revised rise of 42.6K in the previous month. Meanwhile, the Unemployment Rate remained steady at 4.1% in September, matching the revised figure for August and coming in lower than the anticipated 4.2%.
- Last week, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Deputy Governor Sarah Hunter reiterated the central bank's commitment to curbing inflation, emphasizing that although inflation expectations remain well-anchored, ongoing price pressures continue to present significant challenges.
Technical Analysis: Australian Dollar remains above 0.6700; barrier at nine-day EMA
The AUD/USD pair trades around 0.6720 on Monday. A technical analysis of the daily chart indicates that the pair is positioned below the nine-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), suggesting a short-term bearish bias. Additionally, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains below 50, confirming the prevailing bearish sentiment.
In terms of support, the immediate level to watch is the psychological barrier at 0.6700. A break below this level could exert downward pressure on the AUD/USD pair, pushing it toward the eight-week low of 0.6622, last seen on September 11.
On the upside, the AUD/USD pair may test the nine-day EMA at 0.6723, followed by the 50-day EMA at 0.6740. A break above the latter could support the pair to test the psychological level of 0.6800.
AUD/USD: Daily Chart
Australian Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Australian Dollar (AUD) against listed major currencies today. Australian Dollar was the strongest against the Canadian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.00% | 0.02% | -0.21% | -0.04% | -0.15% | -0.22% | 0.04% | |
| EUR | -0.01% | -0.06% | -0.28% | 0.01% | -0.18% | -0.33% | -0.04% | |
| GBP | -0.02% | 0.06% | -0.23% | -0.05% | -0.15% | -0.24% | -0.02% | |
| JPY | 0.21% | 0.28% | 0.23% | 0.15% | 0.05% | 0.01% | 0.18% | |
| CAD | 0.04% | -0.01% | 0.05% | -0.15% | -0.20% | -0.12% | -0.04% | |
| AUD | 0.15% | 0.18% | 0.15% | -0.05% | 0.20% | -0.00% | 0.14% | |
| NZD | 0.22% | 0.33% | 0.24% | -0.01% | 0.12% | 0.00% | 0.21% | |
| CHF | -0.04% | 0.04% | 0.02% | -0.18% | 0.04% | -0.14% | -0.21% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Australian Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent AUD (base)/USD (quote).
RBA FAQs
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) sets interest rates and manages monetary policy for Australia. Decisions are made by a board of governors at 11 meetings a year and ad hoc emergency meetings as required. The RBA’s primary mandate is to maintain price stability, which means an inflation rate of 2-3%, but also “..to contribute to the stability of the currency, full employment, and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people.” Its main tool for achieving this is by raising or lowering interest rates. Relatively high interest rates will strengthen the Australian Dollar (AUD) and vice versa. Other RBA tools include quantitative easing and tightening.
While inflation had always traditionally been thought of as a negative factor for currencies since it lowers the value of money in general, the opposite has actually been the case in modern times with the relaxation of cross-border capital controls. Moderately higher inflation now tends to lead central banks to put up their interest rates, which in turn has the effect of attracting more capital inflows from global investors seeking a lucrative place to keep their money. This increases demand for the local currency, which in the case of Australia is the Aussie Dollar.
Macroeconomic data gauges the health of an economy and can have an impact on the value of its currency. Investors prefer to invest their capital in economies that are safe and growing rather than precarious and shrinking. Greater capital inflows increase the aggregate demand and value of the domestic currency. Classic indicators, such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, employment, and consumer sentiment surveys can influence AUD. A strong economy may encourage the Reserve Bank of Australia to put up interest rates, also supporting AUD.
Quantitative Easing (QE) is a tool used in extreme situations when lowering interest rates is not enough to restore the flow of credit in the economy. QE is the process by which the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) prints Australian Dollars (AUD) for the purpose of buying assets – usually government or corporate bonds – from financial institutions, thereby providing them with much-needed liquidity. QE usually results in a weaker AUD.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE. It is undertaken after QE when an economic recovery is underway and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to provide them with liquidity, in QT the RBA stops buying more assets, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It would be positive (or bullish) for the Australian Dollar.
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