Australian Dollar continues to lose ground amid Trump tariff threats on China

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• The Australian Dollar depreciates as traders await more clarity from Trump’s tariff policies.

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• The Australian Dollar faces challenges amid the increased likelihood of the RBA rate cut in February.

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• Traders await US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data later on Friday.

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The Australian Dollar (AUD) extends its losing streak against the US Dollar (USD) for the fifth consecutive day on Friday. The AUD/USD pair depreciates due to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump against China. Investors await more clarity from Trump’s tariff policies.

ANZ, CBA, Westpac, and now National Australia Bank (NAB) all anticipate a 25 basis point (bps) rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in February. Previously, the NAB had forecasted a rate cut in May but has now moved its projection forward to the February RBA meeting.

Easing inflationary pressures toward the end of 2024 have fueled speculation that the Reserve Bank of Australia could consider a rate cut in February. The RBA has maintained the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 4.35% since November 2023, emphasizing that inflation must “sustainably” return to its 2%-3% target range before any policy easing.

Australian Dollar depreciates due to increased hawkish tone surrounding Fed

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• The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the US Dollar’s value against six major currencies, trades above 108.00 at the time of writing. The US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), Personal Income/Spending, and the Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) will be in focus, which is due later on Friday.

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• The US Federal Reserve held its overnight borrowing rate steady in the 4.25%-4.50% range at its January meeting on Wednesday, as widely expected. This decision followed three consecutive rate cuts since September 2024, totaling a full percentage point.

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• The US Dollar strengthened after the Fed adopted a cautious tone. During the press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that the central bank would need to see “real progress on inflation or some weakness in the labor market” before considering any further adjustments to monetary policy.

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• Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary under Trump, stated that he aims to introduce new universal tariffs on US imports, starting at 2.5%. These tariffs could rise to as much as 20%, reflecting Trump’s aggressive stance on trade policies, consistent with his campaign rhetoric last year.

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• Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One early Tuesday, US President Donald Trump stated that he “wants tariffs ‘much bigger’ than 2.5%,” as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent proposed. However, Trump has not yet decided on the specific tariff levels.

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• The Reserve Bank of Australia released its January 2025 Bulletin, featuring a detailed analysis of how monetary policy changes influence interest rates in the economy and how fluctuations in interest rates impact economic activity and inflation.

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• Australia’s CPI rose by 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2024, matching the growth seen in the previous quarter but falling short of the market expectation of 0.3%. On an annual basis, CPI inflation eased to 2.4% in Q4 from 2.8% in Q3, also below the consensus forecast of 2.5%.

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• Australia’s Monthly CPI for December 2024 increased by 2.5% year-over-year, in line with forecasts and up from November’s 2.3%. This marked the highest reading since August but remained within the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) target range of 2% to 3% for the fourth consecutive month. The RBA’s Trimmed Mean CPI rose by 3.2% YoY, the slowest pace in three years, slightly under the expected 3.3% but still above the central bank’s target range.

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• Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated on Wednesday that "the worst of the inflation challenge is well and truly behind us." Chalmers further emphasized that "the soft landing we have been planning and preparing for is looking more and more likely," according to Reuters.

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• The AUD also faced challenges amid increased risk aversion due to tariff threats made by US President Donald Trump. President Trump announced plans on Monday evening to impose tariffs on imports of computer chips, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, and copper. The goal is to shift production to the United States (US) and bolster domestic manufacturing.

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Technical Analysis: Australian Dollar falls toward 0.6200 within descending channel

The AUD/USD pair hovers around 0.6210 on Friday, trading within the descending channel pattern on the daily chart, indicating a bearish bias. The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains below the 50 mark, further confirming the downside momentum.

The AUD/USD pair could target the descending channel’s lower boundary at 0.6170 level, followed by 0.6131—the lowest level since April 2020—recorded on January 13.

On the upside, immediate resistance is seen at the nine-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 0.6240, aligned with the descending channel’s upper boundary.

AUD/USD: Daily Chart