Aussie dollar trades below US$0.64
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Daily Currency Update
The Australian dollar is weaker this morning when valued against the Greenback currently trading at 0.6411 at the time of writing. The Aussie dollar fell on Friday below 0.6400 as riskier assets faced pressure due to heightened geopolitical risk across financial markets. Last week on the local front Australia's unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.8 per cent after 6600 jobs were lost in March, a stronger-than-expected result that will likely end any chance of a mid-year interest rate cut. The jobless rate, revealed today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, is only a marginal increase on last month's surprisingly low figure of 3.7 per cent and slightly better than market forecasts of a larger rise to 3.9 per cent. A tight labour market means the Reserve Bank is unlikely to pull the trigger on an interest rate cut until towards the end of the year. Looking ahead to this week and today we will see the release of the Flash Manufacturing PMI. A survey of about 400 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories. On Wednesday the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) which is expected to increase from 0.6% to 0.8% for the last quarter. Consumer prices account for a majority of overall inflation. Inflation is important to currency valuation because rising prices lead the central bank to raise interest rates out of respect for their inflation containment mandate. Finally, on Friday we will see the release of the Producer Price Index (PPI).Key Movers
The US dollar Index (DXY) is currently trading at 106.09, a mild loss from its recent peak of 106.35. Despite this, the index remains geared toward testing its November 1 high of 107.10. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits was unchanged at a low level last week, pointing to continued labor market strength that is driving the economy. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits were unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 212,000 for the week ended April 13, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Labor market resilience, together with elevated inflation have led financial markets and some economists to expect that the Federal Reserve could delay cutting interest rates until September. A few economists doubt that the U.S. central bank will lower borrowing costs this year.The Pound Sterling tumbled against the US dollar during the mid-North American session on Friday after a volatile trading day due to geopolitical risks. The GBP/USD currently trades at 1.2367, down 0.49%. British Retail Sales showed signs of stagnation during the European session in March compared to February’s reading. Analysts were expecting sales to grow 0.3% MoM, which came at 0%, while core sales tumbled from 0.3% to -0.3%. On an annual basis, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that sales rose by 0.8%, which is up from a drop of -0.3% in February.
Expected Ranges
- AUD/USD: 0.6300 - 0.6500 ▼
- AUD/EUR: 0.5900 - 0.6100 ▼
- GBP/AUD: 1.9150 - 1.9350 ▲
- AUD/NZD: 1.0800 - 1.1000 ▲
- AUD/CAD: 0.8700 - 0.8900 ▼