|

AUD/USD turns a blind eye toward weak Aussie wage price inflation

  • AUD/USD sees little action even though key Aussie data missed estimates. 
  • The wage price index declined to 0.2% in the second quarter. 
  • Risk-on is likely helping the AUD avoid losses. 
  • Big gains look unlikely as US yields are rising. 

AUD/USD remains sidelined near 0.7145 following the release of the dismal Aussie wage-price inflation data. 

Wage price index, an indicator of labor cost inflation and of tightness in the labor market, rose 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the April to June period, missing expectations for 0.3% rise following the first quarter’s 0.5% increase. 

The decline in wage-price inflation validates the Reserve Bank of Australia's dovish stance. The central bank’s recently released quarterly statement of monetary policy revealed that policymakers expect wage growth to remain subdued for some time. As such, household spending is likely to remain anemic. 

Even so, the AUD bears are staying on the sidelines, as the broader market sentiment has turned positive in the last 24 hours, courtesy of the positive coronavirus vaccine news, renewed hopes for an additional fiscal stimulus, and signs of stabilization in the virus cases in Australia’s Victoria state. 

However, big gains may remain elusive, as US yields are rising in the USD-positive manner. Notably, the 10-year yield jumped by most in over two months on Tuesday as investors sold bonds in anticipation of a surge in debt issuance by the US government and American corporations. A record $38 billion bond auction is due on Wednesday. 

In addition, gold, one of Australia’s top exports, fell by most in seven years on Tuesday, having recently rallied to a record high of $2,081. Also, the Reserve Bank of Australia is reportedly planning to boost the size of its bond purchases on Wednesday as a part of its yield curve control program. 

Technical levels

AUD/USD

Overview
Today last price0.7144
Today Daily Change0.0001
Today Daily Change %0.01
Today daily open0.7143
 
Trends
Daily SMA200.7123
Daily SMA500.7002
Daily SMA1000.67
Daily SMA2000.6708
 
Levels
Previous Daily High0.719
Previous Daily Low0.7134
Previous Weekly High0.7244
Previous Weekly Low0.7076
Previous Monthly High0.7228
Previous Monthly Low0.6876
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%0.7155
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%0.7169
Daily Pivot Point S10.7121
Daily Pivot Point S20.71
Daily Pivot Point S30.7065
Daily Pivot Point R10.7177
Daily Pivot Point R20.7212
Daily Pivot Point R30.7233

Author

Omkar Godbole

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

More from Omkar Godbole
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD holds losses below 1.1850 ahead of FOMC Minutes

EUR/USD stays on the back foot below 1.1850 in the European session on Wednesday, pressured by renewed US Dollar demand and reports that ECB President Lagarde will step down before the end of her term. Traders now look forward to the Minutes of the Fed's January monetary policy meeting for fresh signals on future rate cuts. 

GBP/USD defends 1.3550 after UK inflation data

GBP/USD is holding above 1.3550 in Wednesday's European morning, little changed following the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) data release. The UK inflation eased as expected in January, reaffirming bets for a March BoE interest rate cut, especially after Tuesday's weak employment report. 

Gold retains bullish bias amid Fed rate cut bets, ahead of Fed Minutes

Gold sticks to modest intraday gains through the early European session, reversing a major part of the previous day's heavy losses of more than 2%, to the $4,843-4,842 region or a nearly two-week low. That said, the fundamental backdrop warrants caution for bulls ahead of the FOMC Minutes, which will look for more cues about the US Federal Reserve's rate-cut path. 

Pi Network rally defies market pressure ahead of its first anniversary

Pi Network is trading above $0.1900 at press time on Wednesday, extending the weekly gains by nearly 8% so far. The steady recovery is supported by a short-term pause in mainnet migration, which reduces pressure on the PI token supply for Centralized Exchanges. The technical outlook focuses on the $0.1919 resistance as bullish momentum increases.

Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England

Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple face downside risk as bears regain control

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple remain under pressure on Wednesday, with the broader trend still sideways. BTC is edging below $68,000, nearing the lower consolidating boundary, while ETH and XRP also declined slightly, approaching their key supports.