AUD/USD Forecast and News
AUD/USD plunges to near 0.6400 as weak Aussie GDP boosts RBA dovish bets
AUD/USD plummets to near 0.6400 as the Australian Dollar weakens after slower-than-expected Australian Q3 GDP growth. Soft Aussie Q3 GDP data has boosted expectations for RBA interest rate cuts in April 2025. The US Dollar gains higher ahead of Fed Powell’s speech.
Latest Australian Dollar News
AUD/USD Technical Overview
The AUD/USD pair dives more than 1% to near the round-level support of 0.6400 in Wednesday’s European session. The Aussie pair plummets as the Australian Dollar (AUD) has been hit hard by weaker-than-projected domestic output data for the third quarter of this year.
Fundamental Overview
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the Australian economy surprisingly expanded at a slower-than-expected pace of 0.8% compared to the same quarter of the previous year against the 1% growth seen in the previous quarter of this year. Economists estimated the annualized Q3 GDP growth of 1.1%. On a quarterly basis, the Australian economy expanded by 0.3%, slower than expectations of 0.4% but faster than the former reading of 0.2%.
Weak Q3 GDP data has boosted the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) dovish bets. Growing concerns over Australian economic growth have prompted expectations that the RBA could start reducing interest rates from its policy meeting in April 2025.
Meanwhile, a slight upside move in the US Dollar (USD) has also weighed on the Aussie pair. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, rises to nearly 106.60 ahead of Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at 18:45 GMT. Fed Powell is expected to provide cues about whether the central bank will continue easing its monetary policy further in its meeting on December 18.
In today’s session, investors will also focus on the United States (US) ADP Employment Change and the ISM Services PMI data for November.
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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Latest AUD Analysis
Editors' picks
EUR/USD stays defensive near 1.0500 amid French political jitters
EUR/USD is battling 1.0500 in the European session on Wednesday. The pair trades with caution amid renewed US Dollar buying and French political uncertainty as the government faces a no-confidence vote in a busy day ahead. Markets await US data, Fed Chairman Powell's speech.
GBP/USD struggles to reclaim 1.2700 ahead of US data, Powell
GBP/USD fluctuates in a tight channel below 1.2700 on Wednesday. The pair reverses dovish BoE Governor Bailey's remarks-led drop as traders reposition ahead of US ADP Jobs data, ISM Services PMI report and Fed Chair Powell's speech.
USD/JPY clings to intraday gains around mid-150.00s ahead of Fed’s Powell
USD/JPY gains strong positive traction on Wednesday, though the upside potential seems limited. Less dovish Fed expectations push the US bond yields higher and undermine the lower-yielding JPY. December BoJ rate hike bets and subdued USD demand might cap the pair ahead of Fed’s Powell.
Gold price treads water near $2,640, Fed Chair Powell's speech eyed
Gold price attracts some sellers following an intraday uptick to the $2,650 supply zone in the early European session on Wednesday. The precious metal, however, remains confined in a familiar range held over the past week or so as traders seem reluctant to place aggressive directional bets ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech.
Crude Oil fails to hold $70 with surprise build in US stockpile ahead of OPEC+ decision
Crude Oil briefly popped above the $70 round level this Wednesday before reversing, with traders getting nervous over geopolitical tensions and OPEC+ set to act. On the geopolitical side, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to drag the Middle East into a war if Israeli hostages are not released by Hamas by the time he takes office in January. Meanwhile, OPEC+ might be surprising friends and foes with a possible six-month delay of its production normalization output, Bloomberg reports.
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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).