|

Breaking: RBA cuts Official Cash Rate by 25 bps to 0.50%, AUD/USD jumps

At its March monetary policy meeting on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut its official cash rate (OCR) by 25bps to a record low of 0.50%, as they weighed in the coronavirus outbreak risks.

According to the latest Reuters poll, a majority of the 35 economists polled expected the central bank to maintain the status quo.

About RBA rate decision

RBA Interest Rate Decision is announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia. If the RBA is hawkish about the inflationary outlook of the economy and rises the interest rates it is positive, or bullish, for the AUD. Likewise, if the RBA has a dovish view on the Australian economy and keeps the ongoing interest rate, or cuts the interest rate it is seen as negative, or bearish.

FX implications

Despite the surprise rate cut decision by the RBA, the Australian dollar caught a fresh bid-wave and jumped nearly 30-pips, driving the AUD/USD pair back to 0.6570 region.

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

GBP/USD weakens below 1.3250 on UK political risks, BoE repricing

The GBP/USD pair trades in negative territory around 1.3245 during the early Asian trading hours on Wednesday. Traders await the UK political developments, focusing on potential leadership by Andy Burnham and adherence to existing fiscal rules. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey is set to speak later in the day. On Thursday, all eyes will be on the US jobs data for June.

EUR/USD declines to near 1.1400 as softer German inflation undercuts ECB hike bets

The EUR/USD pair loses momentum to near 1.1410 during the early Asian trading hours on Wednesday, pressured by receding bets for aggressive tightening by the European Central Bank (ECB). Traders will take more cues from the preliminary reading of the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices from the Eurozone and US Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index report, which are due later in the day.

Gold's path of least resistance remains to downside ahead of Warsh

Gold comes under renewed selling pressure early Wednesday and gives up $4,000 yet again. The US Dollar stands tall on surging USD/JPY, Mideast woes and hawkish Fed bets. Gold remains poised to crack November 2025 lows near $3,930 amid bearish technicals.

Bitcoin drops near $58K as ETF outflows surge, downside risks persist

Bitcoin could see a short-term relief from heavy selling pressure as quarter-end portfolio rebalancing could potentially revive spot BTC exchange-traded funds inflows, according to a K33 report on Tuesday.

Why a hawkish Bank of Japan could trigger the next Bitcoin sell-off

The Japanese Yen hits a 40-year low of 162.00 against the US Dollar, raising concerns about intervention or additional rate hikes by the Bank of Japan. BoJ may sell US Treasuries to buy back Yen, potentially pushing US bond yields higher and making Bitcoin less attractive to investors.

Kevin Warsh isn't expected to say much in Sintra: That's exactly why markets will listen

Financial markets could find an important catalyst in the enchanting, fairytale-like landscape of Sintra this week. The ECB Forum will, as it does every year, gather the crème de la crème of central banks. The new boss at the Fed, who has clearly said that the Fed should stop explaining everything, will need to talk – and traders should listen.