Aussie Rebounds, Employment Data Looms
The Australian dollar is in positive territory on Wednesday. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6488, up 0.54%. The Australian currency slid 1.18% on Tuesday, following the stronger-than-expected US inflation report.
Hot US Inflation Sends Aussie Sharply Lower
The Australian dollar suffered its worst one-day performance on Monday since October 2023, sinking 1.16%. This was due to the US inflation report, which fell from 3.4% to 3.1% but was higher than the market estimate of 2.9%. Core CPI remained unchanged at 3.9%, above the market estimate of 3.7%.
The markets reacted to the inflation reading by paring expectations of a March rate cut to just 4%, compared to 16% prior to the report, according to the CME FedWatch tool. In December, the odds of a rate cut in March were above 70%, but strong US data and the Fed’s pushback against a March cut have virtually wiped out the chances of a March move. The markets have fully priced in an initial cut in June but if the economy shows signs of weakness, a May cut is also possible.
Will Australia’s Labor Market Rebound?
Australia releases January employment data on Thursday. The economy lost 65,100 jobs in December, with full-time employment sliding by a massive 106,600, as part-time jobs rose 41,400. We should see a rebound from these very soft numbers, with the market estimate for employment change standing at 30,000. The reading could have a significant impact on interest rate policy, as the central bank has said that its rate decisions will be data-dependent.
Australia will also release inflation expectations on Thursday. The RBA will be watching carefully, as inflation expectations can translate into real inflation. Inflation expectations were unchanged at 4.5% in January and are expected to ease to 4.3% in February.
AUD/USD Technical
- AUD/USD is testing resistance at 0.6478. The next resistance line is 0.6514
- 0.6419 and 0.6383 and providing support