Australian Dollar dips as firm US labor data, risk aversion support US Dollar
- AUD/USD trades near 0.6900 after China's manufacturing data meets expectations.
- A resilient US labor market and geopolitical tensions continue to support the US Dollar.
- Investors now await the US ADP employment report and the ISM Manufacturing PMI ahead of the Nonfarm Payrolls report.
AUD/USD trades lower on Wednesday, hovering around 0.6900 at the time of writing, down 0.31% on the day as the US Dollar (USD) benefits from renewed demand amid a cautious market environment.
The Australian Dollar (AUD) remains under pressure after China's RatingDog Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) came in at 51.7 in June, matching market expectations and easing slightly from 51.8 in May. The data follows the official PMIs released a day earlier, which showed manufacturing activity continuing to be weighed down by sluggish domestic demand, limiting support for the Australian currency.
Meanwhile, the US Dollar is supported by higher US Treasury yields and a broader risk-off mood. The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that job openings rose to 7.594M in May, the highest level in two years, reinforcing the view that the US labor market remains resilient and supporting expectations for a more hawkish stance from the Federal Reserve (Fed).
Geopolitical uncertainty surrounding talks between the United States (US) and Iran is also boosting demand for safe-haven assets. Difficulties in advancing negotiations continue to fuel concerns that tensions in the Middle East could persist, providing additional support for the Greenback.
In Australia, expectations for further interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) continue to fade. Markets now assign only a limited chance to additional tightening this year, although the minutes of the central bank's latest meeting indicated that monetary policy still needs to remain restrictive to contain inflationary pressures.
Market participants now turn their attention to the US ADP Employment Change report and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing PMI, due later on Wednesday. These releases could shape expectations for the Federal Reserve's (Fed) next policy steps ahead of Thursday's closely watched US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report.
Australian Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Australian Dollar (AUD) against listed major currencies today. Australian Dollar was the strongest against the Euro.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.24% | 0.14% | 0.08% | 0.13% | 0.32% | 0.00% | 0.20% | |
| EUR | -0.24% | -0.11% | -0.17% | -0.10% | 0.09% | -0.25% | -0.04% | |
| GBP | -0.14% | 0.11% | -0.06% | 0.00% | 0.18% | -0.14% | 0.08% | |
| JPY | -0.08% | 0.17% | 0.06% | 0.04% | 0.24% | -0.11% | 0.11% | |
| CAD | -0.13% | 0.10% | -0.00% | -0.04% | 0.20% | -0.16% | 0.07% | |
| AUD | -0.32% | -0.09% | -0.18% | -0.24% | -0.20% | -0.35% | -0.11% | |
| NZD | -0.01% | 0.25% | 0.14% | 0.11% | 0.16% | 0.35% | 0.23% | |
| CHF | -0.20% | 0.04% | -0.08% | -0.11% | -0.07% | 0.11% | -0.23% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Australian Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent AUD (base)/USD (quote).