AUD: Hawkish RBA hold to help AUD – ING

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

The Reserve Bank of Australia held rates unchanged and struck a moderately hawkish tone in the statement and press conference.

AUD/USD targets 0.68 in the fourth quarter

"Governor Michele Bullock reiterated increased concerns about price stickiness, despite admitting to monthly CPI volatility. The sturdy jobs market is also playing a role in the more hawkish assessment, in spite of non-negligible economic uncertainty."

"Markets are now pricing in only 10bp of easing for the November meeting and 13bp by December. Our call remains that the RBA should cut again in the fourth quarter, but risks are now more balanced. Expect even higher short-term rates and AUD sensitivity to incoming inflation and jobs market data."

"AUD has been one of our favourite currencies into this RBA meeting, and we think it has some further room to run, also in the crosses against currencies that have unattractive domestic central bank stories (CAD, above all). On AUD/USD, we still target 0.68 in the fourth quarter."

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

EUR/USD recovers modestly, stays below 1.1900

EUR/USD gains traction and edges higher toward 1.1900 in the second half of the day on Thursday. The US Dollar struggles to benefit from the upbeat employment data following an initial positive reaction, allowing the pair to find a foothold.

GBP/USD holds above 1.3600 after UK data dump

\GBP/USD moves little while holding above 1.3600 in the European session on Thursday, following the release of the UK Q4 preliminary GDP, which showed a 0.1% growth against a 0.2% increase expected. The UK industrial sector activity deteriorated in Decembert, keeping the downward pressure intact on the Pound Sterling.

Gold sticks to modest intraday losses as reduced March Fed rate cut bets underpin USD

Gold languishes near the lower end of its daily range heading into the European session on Thursday. The precious metal, however, lacks follow-through selling amid mixed cues and currently trades above the $5,050 level, well within striking distance of a nearly two-week low touched the previous day.

LayerZero Price Forecast: ZRO steadies as markets digest Zero blockchain announcement

LayerZero (ZRO) trades above $2.00 at press time on Thursday, holding steady after a 17% rebound the previous day, which aligned with the public announcement of the Zero blockchain and Cathie Wood joining the advisory board.

A tale of two labour markets: Headline strength masks underlying weakness

Undoubtedly, yesterday’s delayed US January jobs report delivered a strong headline – one that surpassed most estimates. However, optimism quickly faded amid sobering benchmark revisions.

Sonic Labs’ vertical integration fuels recovery in S token

Sonic, previously Fantom (FTM), is extending its recovery trade at $0.048 at the time of writing, after rebounding by over 12% the previous day. The recovery thesis’ strengths lie in the optimism surrounding Sonic Labs’ Wednesday announcement to shift to a vertically integrated model, aimed at boosting S token utility.