Investing.com - The Australian dollar edged higher against its U.S. counterpart on Thursday, easing off a four-month trough as upbeat Australian employment data lent support fresh geopolitical concerns weighed on sentiment.
AUD/USD hit 0.6974 during late Asian trade, the session high; the pair subsequently consolidated at 0.6967, adding 0.15%.
The pair was likely to find support at 0.689, the low of September 7 and resistance at 0.7049, Wednesday’s high.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the number of employed people declined by 1,000 in December, compared to expectations for a 12,500 drop.
The number of employed people increased by 75,000 in November, whose figure was revised from a previously estimated gain of 71,400.
Australia’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.8% in December, confounding expectations for an uptick to 5.9%.
But investors remained cautious after a series of apparently coordinated gun and bomb attacks were carried out in the heart of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta Thursday morning. At least four people were killed.
Market particpants also continued to focus on the oil market as crude futures for February delivery hovered around 30$ after falling below that level on Tuesday.
The Aussie was higher against the euro, with EUR/AUD sliding 0.33% to 1.5582.