Aussie slides on prospect of US rate hike

Daily Currency Update

The AUD is lower this morning having given up a quarter percent amid higher US treasury yields and a hawkish Federal Reserve. Domestic employment data did little to move the AUD with unemployment rate edging higher, up to 3.8%, yet holding onto most of the decline seen in February when the rate fell from 4.1% to 3.7%. If we exclude January as a seasonal outlier the unemployment rate has tracked below 4% through the last two years, suggesting there is resilience within the labour force despite signs employment growth is stalling. This latest print does little to alter market expectations for RBA monetary policy and we are still looking toward a possible cut in Q4. Having tracked between US$0.6440 and US$0.6450, the AUD then fell through overnight trade amid the prospect of a potential US rate hike. Fed policy makers made clear that if inflation remained sticky and the data indicated a rate hike was needed to bring inflation back to target then that is what they would do. Having slipped below US$0.6420 the AUD tracked sideways into this morning’s open and currently trades at US$0.6419. With no domestic data on hand to drive direction we look to Japan CPI and UK retails sales as the only items of note on the macroeconomic calendar. US yields will continue to determine direction and we anticipate the AUD will remain on the back foot next week.