|

AUD/USD: Upbeat inflation pleased Aussie bulls before Fed meets

  • Australian Dollar surged 50-pips to the intraday high above0.7200 after headline inflation rose by 1.8% over the year, beating the market forecast.
  • A rise in Australian inflation reconfirmed RBA's bullish bias conveyed earlier by the monetary policymakers.
  • AUD/USD aims for the 0.7215 resistance line that holds the gate for the pair's rally to 0.7290.

The Australian Dollar (AUD) recovered all of its Tuesday's losses and gained 50-pips towards marking the Wednesday's high of 0.7200 after the fourth-quarter inflation rose 1.8% y/y, beating the market estimates.

The Aussie became the only G10 currency appreciated across the board as the fourth quarter inflation numbers portrayed less of a challenge to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). The headline inflation figure rose to 1.8% over the year, beating 1.7% y/y market forecast. 

With the headline inflation confirming RBA's earlier bullish bias conveyed by board member Ian Harper, the Aussie buyers grabbed an opportunity with 50-pip gains.

Looking forward, the US Federal Reserve and the trade talks between the US and China are likely to offer near-term direction to Aussie as China is Australia´s largest trading partner.

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave the monetary policy unchanged on a meeting later on Wednesday while voicing its data-dependent approach. The press conference of the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell might also indicate insights to future policy path of Fed´s balance sheet normalization. The indications of a lower scale balance sheet normalization are expected to weigh on the greenback. 

AUD/USD 4-hour chart

The Australian Dollar heads towards seven-week-old descending resistance-line of 0.7215. Breaking 0.7215 can help the pair to extend its recovery in the direction to 0.7290 and then to the 0.7340-45 resistance-area.

On the downside, the recent low around 0.7140, followed by 0.7070 horizontal-line comprising late-December highs, can limit the pair's near-term declines. Should prices refrain to respect the 0.7070 support, the 0.7015 and the 0.6980 are likely following numbers to appear on the chart.

Author

FXStreet Team

Composed of a group of economic journalists and FX experts, the FXStreet content team produces and oversees all content published on FXStreet. It provides a purely journalistic approach to the Forex market.

More from FXStreet Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD climbs toward 0.7000 after strong China data dump

AUD/USD attracts follow-through buyers for the second straight day on Monday, extending last week's recovery toward 0.7000 in Monday's Asian trading. Strong Chniese Q3 GDP and activity data for September strengthen the pair's advance, following RBA Assistant Governor Chris Kent's hawkish remarks.

USD/JPY struggles near 158.00 amid hawkish BoJ, subdued USD

USD/JPY remains defensive near 158.00 in the Asian session on Monday, as the US Dollar remains depressed near a two-week low amid the recent decline in US bond yields. Furthermore, looming intervention risks underpin the Japanese Yen and weigh on the pair amid BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda's hawkish remarks. However, Fed rate-hike bets and geopolitical uncertainties could limit USD losses and the major.

Gold rangebound as easing October Fed bets clash with firm December hike pricing

Gold attracts some buyers at the start of a new week, though it lacks bullish conviction and remains below the $4,200 mark. US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s unwillingness to provide any cues on further policy moves led to a reduction in odds for policy tightening later this month. Moreover, the recent sharp retracement slide in US government bond yields from multi-year highs, which dragged the US Dollar to a two-week low, acts as a tailwind for the bullion.

Cardano risks 15% downside as retail demand, bullish momentum wane

Cardano (ADA) is trading above $0.2200 at press time on Monday, holding steady after a 12% decline the previous week. The altcoin is losing retail interest as the notional value of active ADA futures positions declines. The technical outlook for ADA suggests a downside bias following the bearish breakout below a near-term support trendline last week.

What to expect in the week ahead
Investors are still digesting last week’s price action as we start a new week. US stocks sold off sharply, with the Swiss and UK indices attracting inflows as tech sold off. Sovereign bonds, particularly Treasuries, rallied and acted as a safe haven as the AI trade suffered another bout of volatility.
Everyone's dumping Gold after hot US inflation. Here's why $4,100 could be a floor, not a cliff
Gold (XAU/USD) is recovering from a sharp sell-off triggered by hotter-than-expected United States (US) inflation data released on Wednesday. The precious metal briefly plunged toward $4,073 as investors increased their bets on further Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate hikes before recovering as US Treasury yields and the US Dollar (USD) reversed their initial gains.