AUD/USD drops to 0.6800 neighbourhood, multi-day low post-RBA meeting minutes

The AUD/USD pair drifts lower for the third successive day on Tuesday and drops to a multi-day low, closer to the 0.6800 round-figure mark during the Asian session.

The Australian Dollar (AUD) weakens a bit following the release of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) meeting minutes, which showed that argument between a rate hike and a pause was finely balanced. The board, however, decided the case for an immediate hike was stronger as the balance of risks to inflation had shifted to the upside since the May meeting. The RBA reaffirmed its willingness to do what was necessary to bring inflation to target over a "reasonable" timeframe. This, however, does little to impress bullish traders or lend any support to the AUD/USD pair.

Even reports that China is considering a broad stimulus package to bolster economic support and a move by the People's Bank of China (PBoC), to cut one-year and five year Loan Prime Rates (LPRs) this Tuesday, fails to lend any support to the Aussie. The US Dollar (USD), on the other hand, gains some positive traction for the third successive day and builds on its recent bounce from over a one-month low amid a goodish pickup in the US Treasury bond yields. Apart from this, a softer risk tone benefits the safe-haven buck and exerts pressure on the AUD/USD pair.

With the latest leg down, spot prices have now retreated nearly 100 pips from the 0.6900 neighbourhood, or the highest level since February 2023 touched last Friday. However, it will still be prudent to wait for strong follow-through selling before confirming that the recent upward trajectory witnessed since the beginning of this month has run out of steam. Traders might also prefer to wait on the sidelines ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony on Wednesday and Thursday, which might provide fresh clues about the future rate-hike path.

Technical levels to watch