|

AUD/USD trades at fresh-monthly highs above 0.7400

  • AUD/USD breaks above 0.7400 for the first time in a month.
  • Risk-on market sentiment turn investors towards riskier assets boosts the AUD.
  • US Initial Jobless Claims dropped below the 300K mark.

The Australian dollar climbs 0.58% is trading at 0.7423 during the New York session at the time of writing. The market sentiment is upbeat, portrayed by European and US equity indexes in the green. Positive US macroeconomic data concerning the labor market and prices paid for US producers boost the investors’ risk appetite.

DXY breaks below 94.00, underpinned by falling US T-bond yields

The US Dollar Index that measures the greenback’s performance against a basket of six rivals is sliding 0.03%, at 93.99, while the US T-bond 10-year yield struggles to hold to previous day levels, sits at 1.526%, down almost two and a half basis points.

Data-wise, the Australian economic docket featured the employment report, which showed that the economy droped worse-than-expected 138K jobs in September, while the Unemployment Rate rose to 4.6%.  

On the US front, the US Initial Jobless Claims came at 293K better than the 319K foreseen by analysts, delivering positive news regarding the labor market while increasing the chances of the Federal Reserve reduction to the pace of the Quantitative Easing.  Further, the US Producer Price Index rose by 8.6% less than the 8.7% estimated, while excluding food and energy, expanded 6.8% lower than the 7.1% expected.

That said, positive news during the day benefited risk-sensitive currencies, like the Aussie, which reclaimed the 0.7400 thresholds. However, seesawing market sentiment due to changing economic conditions could put a lid on the AUD/USD.

AUD/USD Price Forecast: Technical outlook

Daily chart

The AUD/USD is trading above the 100-daily moving average (DMA) at 0.7416, whereas the 200-DMA is above the spot price, indicating the major trend is tilted to the downside. However, momentum indicators with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 64, pointing higher, suggests that the near-term trend is tilted to the upside.

For AUD/USD buyers to resume the upward trend, they need a daily close above the 100-DMA. In that outcome, the first resistance would be the September 3 high at 0.7478.  A breach of the latter could expose crucial support levels, the July 6 at 0.7599 and then the psychological 0.7700.

Author

Christian Borjon Valencia

Christian Borjon began his career as a retail trader in 2010, mainly focused on technical analysis and strategies around it. He started as a swing trader, as he used to work in another industry unrelated to the financial markets.

More from Christian Borjon Valencia
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630

EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.

GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320

GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.

Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200

Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP pare gains despite increasing hopes of upcoming Fed rate cut

Bitcoin is steadying above $91,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Ethereum remains above $3,100, reflecting positive sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy meeting on December 10.

Week ahead – Rate cut or market shock? The Fed decides

Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.

Ripple faces persistent bear risks, shrugging off ETF inflows

Ripple is extending its decline for the second consecutive day, trading at $2.06 at the time of writing on Friday. Sentiment surrounding the cross-border remittance token continues to lag despite steady inflows into XRP spot ETFs.