- The AUD/USD corrects from 0.6500 while the Chinese private sector faces pressure due to the highest tariffs by the US
- Both the manufacturing PMI and Caixin’s services grew moderately in April.
- The Fed is expected to maintain stable interest rates on Wednesday.
The Aud/USD torque runs abruptly at about 0.6450 in the European session on Tuesday from the maximum of five months of 0.6500 registered on Monday. The Australian pair goes back since the Australian dollar (Aud) does not yield as its peers due to a slowdown in business activity in China.
Australian dollar Price today
The lower table shows the percentage of change of the Australian dollar (AUD) compared to the main currencies today. Australian dollar was the strongest currency against the Swiss Franco.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | Aud | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.01% | -0.24% | -0.36% | -0.03% | 0.27% | -0.11% | 0.42% | |
| EUR | 0.01% | -0.24% | -0.36% | -0.02% | 0.27% | -0.10% | 0.43% | |
| GBP | 0.24% | 0.24% | -0.13% | 0.21% | 0.53% | 0.13% | 0.69% | |
| JPY | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.13% | 0.32% | 0.63% | 0.33% | 0.80% | |
| CAD | 0.03% | 0.02% | -0.21% | -0.32% | 0.29% | -0.09% | 0.47% | |
| Aud | -0.27% | -0.27% | -0.53% | -0.63% | -0.29% | -0.38% | 0.19% | |
| NZD | 0.11% | 0.10% | -0.13% | -0.33% | 0.09% | 0.38% | 0.56% | |
| CHF | -0.42% | -0.43% | -0.69% | -0.80% | -0.47% | -0.19% | -0.56% |
The heat map shows the percentage changes of the main currencies. The base currency is selected from the left column, while the contribution currency is selected in the upper row. For example, if you choose the Australian dollar of the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US dollar, the percentage change shown in the box will represent the Aud (base)/USD (quotation).
The signals of moderate growth in economic activities in China weigh strongly over the Australian dollar, given the significant Australian dependence on its exports to Beijing.
The data managers index (PMI) manufacturing and services of Caixin for April have shown that companies face pressure due to the consequences of the highest tariffs of the president of the United States (USA) Donald Trump. The activities in both sectors, manufacturing and services, expanded at a moderate rhythm. China’s exports to the US face an import tariff of 145%, limiting US companies to buy from their Chinese commercial partners.
At the national level, the firm expectations that the Bank of the Australian Reserve (RBA) will reduce its official cash (OCR) rate at the policy meeting later this month have also pushed the Aud down.
Meanwhile, the US dollar (USD) has recovered most of its intradic losses and has become almost flat, with investors focused on the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve (Fed), which will be announced on Wednesday. The dollar index (DXY), which follows the value of the dollar against six main currencies, bounces from the minimum of 99.50 to about 99.75.
According to the CME Fedwatch tool, the operators have completely discounted that the Fed will maintain stable interest rates in the range of 4.25% -4.50% per third consecutive meeting.
US dollar FAQS
The US dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the “de facto” currency of a significant number of other countries where it is in circulation along with local tickets. According to data from 2022, it is the most negotiated currency in the world, with more than 88% of all global currency change operations, which is equivalent to an average of 6.6 billion dollars in daily transactions. After World War II, the USD took over the pound sterling as a world reserve currency.
The most important individual factor that influences the value of the US dollar is monetary policy, which is determined by the Federal Reserve (FED). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and promote full employment. Its main tool to achieve these two objectives is to adjust interest rates. When prices rise too quickly and inflation exceeds the 2% objective set by the Fed, it rises the types, which favors the price of the dollar. When inflation falls below 2% or the unemployment rate is too high, the Fed can lower interest rates, which weighs on the dollar.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more dollars and promulgate quantitative flexibility (QE). The QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is an unconventional policy measure that is used when the credit has been exhausted because banks do not lend each other (for fear of the default of the counterparts). It is the last resort when it is unlikely that a simple decrease in interest rates will achieve the necessary result. It was the weapon chosen by the Fed to combat the contraction of the credit that occurred during the great financial crisis of 2008. It is that the Fed prints more dollars and uses them to buy bonds of the US government, mainly of financial institutions. Which usually leads to a weakening of the US dollar.
The quantitative hardening (QT) is the reverse process for which the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvote the capital of the wallet values ​​that overcome in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US dollar.
Source: Fx Street
I am Joshua Winder, a senior-level journalist and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in covering news related to the stock market and economic trends. With more than 8 years of experience in this field, I have become an expert in financial reporting.
