|

AUD leads G10 and eyes 0.6800 – BBH

AUD/USD is leading G10 currencies in early 2026, approaching resistance at 0.6800, supported by inflation tracking above the RBA’s target range. The RBA’s pause in easing, coupled with expectations of rate hikes and improving capacity utilization, underpins a constructive outlook for the Australian Dollar (AUD), BBH FX analysts report.

RBA signals end of easing, hikes priced for 2026

"AUD leads G10 currencies in the new year, with AUD/USD eyeing next resistance at 0.6800. Australia inflation eased in November but remains above the RBA’s 2-3% target range. Headline CPI was 3.4% y/y (consensus: 3.6%) vs. 3.8% in October and the policy-relevant trimmed mean CPI matched consensus at 3.2% y/y vs. 3.3% in October. Headline and trimmed mean inflation are tracking the RBA’s December projection of 3.3% and 3.2%, respectively."

"At its last December meeting, the RBA stressed it’s done easing, warning 'the risks to inflation have tilted to the upside'. RBA cash rate futures imply nearly 50bps of hikes to 4.10% in 2026 which bodes well for AUD. For now, this seems reasonable given modest excess demand in the economy. The NAB measure of capacity utilization has improved above its long-term moving average, suggesting businesses are using more of their available productive capacity to meet demand."

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

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.

More from FXStreet Insights Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD clings to gains near 1.3400

GBP/USD retreats after reaching a three-week high above 1.3430, challenging the 1.3400 yardstick on Thursday. Although easing political uncertainty in the UK helps the quid limit its downside, escalating tensions in the Middle East support the Greenback, keeping Cable under scrutiny.

EUR/USD faces resistance around 1.1450

EUR/USD keeps the bid bias although it seems to have met a tough hurdle around 1.1450 on Thursday. The pair’s advance follows the bearish tone in the US Dollar despite escalating tensions in the Middle East and a broad-based cautious stance from market participants.

Gold flirts with two-day highs, approaches $4,130

Gold stages a modest rebound on Thursday, setting aside a three-day losing streak and managing to surpass the $4,100 mark per troy ounce. However, steady geopolitical tensions have revived concerns over persistently high global inflation, reinforcing expectations of higher rates across the board and somewhat curtailing the yellow metal’s upside potential.

Bitcoin stalls as mixed ETF flows, renewed US-Iran tensions cap upside

Bitcoin trades at $63,000 on Thursday, recovering slightly after facing rejection near $64,000. Renewed geopolitical uncertainty has dampened risk appetite, limiting BTC upside potential.

Japan may be changing its Yen strategy, but markets don’t look scared
Japan may be changing its intervention playbook, but that might not be enough to rescue the battered Yen. With USD/JPY hovering at four-decade highs, the currency’s weakness is being driven less by speculative pressure and more by a powerful structural force: the wide US-Japan rate gap.
Bye, forward guidance: How to trade when central banks choose silence

Central banks have spent years telling markets what might come next. Now, traders face the possibility that they say a lot less. From the Federal Reserve to the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, policymakers are pushing back against forward guidance.