|

AUD/USD declines as US trade policy uncertainty fuels volatility

  • AUD/USD retreats from its earlier rebound and trades around 0.7080 at the start of the week.
  • Uncertainty over US trade policy revives volatility in the FX market.
  • Expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts limit the US Dollar’s upside potential.

AUD/USD trades around 0.7080 on Monday at the time of writing, down 0.05% on the day, after briefly rising above the 0.7100 level during the Asian session. The pair reverses its short-term trajectory as the Australian Dollar (AUD) weakens against most of its major peers, amid renewed trade uncertainty and investor repositioning.

The US Dollar (USD) shows broader signs of fatigue, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) hovering near 97.60, slightly lower on the day. The Greenback remains pressured by doubts surrounding the consistency of US trade policy, following the Supreme Court’s decision to curb the scope of certain tariff measures. The ruling has reignited questions about regulatory visibility and the credibility of economic policy direction in Washington.

In response, US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 15% global tariff on imports to maintain pressure on trading partners. This move sustains a risk-averse environment and fuels defensive flows, providing partial support to the US Dollar while increasing volatility in cyclical currencies such as the Aussie.

Meanwhile, expectations of monetary easing continue to weigh on the Greenback. Markets still price in the possibility of at least two additional 25 basis point rate cuts from the Federal Reserve (Fed) by year-end, against a backdrop of moderating growth and softer forward-looking indicators. Recent data, including weaker-than-expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures and softer Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) readings, reinforce this cautious outlook.

On the Australian side, a still-hawkish stance from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could help limit the Aussie’s losses. Stronger-than-expected economic releases support the view that the central bank maintains a tightening bias in order to contain persistent inflationary pressures. This relative policy divergence between the RBA and the Fed helps contain downside pressure on AUD/USD, although the pair remains highly sensitive to shifts in global sentiment and trade developments.

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 New Zealand Dollar.

USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHF
USD-0.11%-0.15%-0.12%-0.07%0.05%0.02%-0.04%
EUR0.11%-0.04%-0.04%0.05%0.16%0.12%0.07%
GBP0.15%0.04%0.02%0.08%0.20%0.17%0.11%
JPY0.12%0.04%-0.02%0.08%0.19%0.16%0.11%
CAD0.07%-0.05%-0.08%-0.08%0.12%0.08%0.03%
AUD-0.05%-0.16%-0.20%-0.19%-0.12%-0.04%-0.11%
NZD-0.02%-0.12%-0.17%-0.16%-0.08%0.04%-0.06%
CHF0.04%-0.07%-0.11%-0.11%-0.03%0.11%0.06%

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).

Author

Ghiles Guezout

Ghiles Guezout is a Market Analyst with a strong background in stock market investments, trading, and cryptocurrencies. He combines fundamental and technical analysis skills to identify market opportunities.

More from Ghiles Guezout
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD holds rebound near 0.6900 on US-China trade optimism

AUD/USD holds the rebound near 0.6900 in the Asian session on Monday. Mixed China's inflation data for October fails to provide any inspiration to the Chinese proxy, the Australian Dollar, but China's extension of the suspension of 24% tariffs on US goods and reduced US-Iran tensions help the Aussie pair cling to recovery gains.

USD/JPY retreat in sync with USD, appraches 158.00

USD/JPY is back in the red at the start of the week on Monday, eyeing the broad US Dollar retreat amid easing US-Iran tensions. Traders also resorting to profit-taking following the blockbuster US Nonfarm Payrolls data-led rally. US CPI report is next in focus.

Gold rises amid US-Iran peace deal hopes, softer US Dollar

Gold price recovers some lost ground above $4,020 during the early European trading hours on Monday. The prospects of diplomacy in the US-Iran conflict and weaker US Dollar (USD) boost the precious metal.

Solana: Persistent ETF outflows extend downside risk in SOL

Solana trades below $90 on Monday, ticking higher after over 3% losses below a long-term support trendline the previous day. SOL has been steadily declining over the last five weeks, aligning with five straight weekly outflows from Solana-focused Exchange-Traded Funds totaling over $150 million.

Economics week ahead

This week, attention turns to Tuesday’s CPI report, with no year-over-year readings available because of last October’s shutdown-related data gap. We expect headline and core inflation to clock 0.28% and 0.21% month-over-month, respectively. Softer core inflation would offer some relief after September’s upside surprise but should still leave our call for a December rate hike intact.

US Dollar breaks below 101.50 as Democrats sweep Congress
The US Dollar (USD) comes under heavy selling pressure on Wednesday, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) falling around 0.5% to trade near 101.35 after sliding below the 101.50 level. The Greenback retreats to its lowest level in four weeks as investors reassess the political and economic outlook following the Democratic Party's sweeping victory in the United States (US) midterm elections.