empty
11.05.2023 01:11 PM
AUDUSD: Attempt to break the downward trend turned to fiasco

When a currency ignores the negatives and rises sharply on the positives, there is a sense that it is ready to break the downward trend. Good news from the Australian labor market, rumors that the Reserve Bank will continue the monetary restriction cycle, support from iron ore, and stability of the Chinese yuan allowed AUD/USD to soar above 0.67. Meanwhile, the pair grew faster after the Fed's May meeting and U.S. inflation statistics than it fell on American employment. Is it really ready to change the trend?

Record low Australian unemployment rates, the first local budget surplus since 2008, and an unexpected resumption of a cash rate increase in May after a pause in April breathed new life into the "Aussie." According to materials presented for Bloomberg, the RBA considered options for increasing borrowing costs to 4.8%, significantly higher than the current 3.85%. In two out of three scenarios, such a high level of cash rate was foreseen to return excessively high inflation to target. This would make the Reserve Bank almost the leading "hawk" among the G10 currency issuers.

Dynamics of Central Banks' base rates

This image is no longer relevant

However, it is unlikely that Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe and his colleagues are ready to go that far. Inflation is starting to slow down. This is a global trend. The Fed is ready to stop monetary restriction, fearing a recession. The RBA faces the specific risk of breaking something. In my opinion, May's cash rate hike is the penultimate, if not the last. The market is overestimating the Reserve Bank's capabilities.

The same can be said regarding China's economy, Australia's main trading partner. Investors believed that its rapid recovery after COVID-19 would become a catalyst for strengthening the yuan and related proxy currencies. However, the stability of USD/CNY is deceptive. It is more related to the weakening of the U.S. dollar than to the strength of the yuan. The trade-weighted exchange rate of the Chinese currency continues to decline. This indicates an overestimation of the potential for recovery of the Chinese economy.

Dynamics of the trade-weighted yuan index

This image is no longer relevant

The rebound of iron ore, a key component of Australian exports, from its lowest level since the start of 2022, should be viewed with a degree of skepticism. Yes, in April, the import of this raw material increased by 5% to 90.44 million tons, but the "bearish" trend remains in force. And this creates headwinds for the "Aussie."

This image is no longer relevant

Thus, the Australian dollar's trump cards are not as strong as they seem. Meanwhile, its American counterpart is gradually spreading its wings due to the Fed's firm intention to keep the federal funds rate at a plateau, at least until the end of the year. The market did not believe this and paid the price.

Technically, a Broadening Wedge pattern formed on the AUD/USD daily chart. The formation of rising highs and lows speaks of a fierce battle between "bulls" and "bears." Although, it seems that the sellers are winning. The pair's inability to return above 0.6755 is a reason to open shorts.

Marek Petkovich,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

USD/CHF. Analysis and Forecast

Today, the USD/CHF pair retraced part of its decline from a new weekly low recorded during the Asian session and has temporarily paused its downward movement, stopping short

Irina Yanina 12:26 2025-07-10 UTC+2

Market dupes sellers

The split within the Federal Reserve, NVIDIA's successes, and a successful auction of 10-year US Treasury bonds allowed the S&P 500 to ignore the tariff chaos. Donald Trump announced tariffs

Marek Petkovich 12:02 2025-07-10 UTC+2

What to Watch on July 10th: Fundamental Event Overview for Beginners

Macroeconomic Report Analysis: There are very few macroeconomic publications scheduled for Thursday, and none of them are expected to be significant. So what could traders focus on today? The second

Paolo Greco 09:07 2025-07-10 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview on July 10, 2025

On Wednesday, the GBP/USD currency pair maintained its downward movement, which is corrective in nature and could end at any moment. The price remained below the moving average line

Paolo Greco 07:26 2025-07-10 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview on July 10, 2025

The EUR/USD currency pair continued to trade very calmly on Wednesday. The pair maintained a slight downward bias, as we've noted in all of our recent articles. However, the current

Paolo Greco 07:16 2025-07-10 UTC+2

USD/CAD. Analysis and Forecast

Today, the USD/CAD pair is showing signs of recovery, rising toward the 1.3700 level and approaching the weekly high reached earlier. Fundamental factors point to bullish dominance and the potential

Irina Yanina 12:46 2025-07-09 UTC+2

Markets unfazed by Trump's new tariff threats

Donald Trump's bark is louder than his bite. Markets have grown so accustomed to his rhetoric that the S&P 500 barely flinched at the White House's latest threat to slap

Marek Petkovich 11:53 2025-07-09 UTC+2

AUD/USD. Analysis and Forecast

The AUD/USD pair is holding steady at current levels with a bullish bias but limited movement following the release of inflation data from China—Australia's key trading partner. In June

Irina Yanina 11:35 2025-07-09 UTC+2

USD/JPY. Analysis and Forecast

On Wednesday, the Japanese yen extended its decline for the third consecutive day, pushing the USD/JPY pair to a new two-week high above the key 147.00 level during the Asian

Irina Yanina 11:23 2025-07-09 UTC+2

Consumer lending in the US is slowing down

According to data, consumer lending in the U.S. grew at its slowest pace in three months in May amid a decline in outstanding balances on credit cards and other revolving

Jakub Novak 10:43 2025-07-09 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.