The Australian Dollar (AUD) edges lower following the release of mixed economic data from Australia and China’s NBS Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) on Thursday. However, hawkish expectations for the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) policy outlook continued to support the Aussie Dollar and limit the downside of the AUD/USD pair.
In September, seasonally adjusted Australian Retail Sales rose by 0.1% month-over-month, falling short of the expected 0.3% and significantly down from the 0.7% growth seen in the previous month. On a quarterly basis, Retail Sales increased by 0.5% in Q3, rebounding from a 0.3% decline in the prior quarter.
The US Dollar (USD) gains some traction as market caution lingers amid uncertainty surrounding the upcoming US presidential election. The Greenback, however, encountered headwinds as the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annualized expanded by 2.8% in Q3, below 3.0% in Q2 and forecasts of 3.0%.
Traders are now focusing on upcoming key US data releases: PCE inflation data on Thursday and Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) on Friday.
AUD/USD hovers near 0.6570 on Thursday. The daily chart shows a short-term bearish trend as the pair trades within a descending channel. The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) is trending lower and sits just above the 30 level, reinforcing the bearish sentiment.
On the support side, the AUD/USD may test the lower boundary of the descending channel around 0.6510, followed by the key psychological level of 0.6500.
For resistance, the AUD/USD pair challenges the upper boundary of the descending channel near 0.6580, with another psychological barrier at 0.6600. A breakout above this could open the path toward the nine-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 0.6608.
The table below shows the percentage change of Australian Dollar (AUD) against listed major currencies today. Australian Dollar was the weakest against the Swiss Franc.
USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USD | 0.07% | 0.12% | 0.02% | 0.10% | 0.00% | -0.05% | -0.06% | |
EUR | -0.07% | 0.06% | -0.07% | 0.03% | -0.06% | -0.13% | -0.13% | |
GBP | -0.12% | -0.06% | -0.12% | -0.02% | -0.12% | -0.18% | -0.18% | |
JPY | -0.02% | 0.07% | 0.12% | 0.07% | -0.01% | -0.12% | -0.09% | |
CAD | -0.10% | -0.03% | 0.02% | -0.07% | -0.09% | -0.16% | -0.16% | |
AUD | -0.00% | 0.06% | 0.12% | 0.00% | 0.09% | -0.07% | -0.09% | |
NZD | 0.05% | 0.13% | 0.18% | 0.12% | 0.16% | 0.07% | 0.00% | |
CHF | 0.06% | 0.13% | 0.18% | 0.09% | 0.16% | 0.09% | -0.00% |
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).
The Retail Sales data, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a monthly basis, measures the value of goods sold by retailers in Australia. Changes in Retail Sales are widely followed as an indicator of consumer spending. Percent changes reflect the rate of changes in such sales, with the MoM reading comparing sales values in the reference month with the previous month. Generally, a high reading is seen as bullish for the Australian Dollar (AUD), while a low reading is seen as bearish.
Read more.Last release: Thu Oct 31, 2024 00:30
Frequency: Monthly
Actual: 0.1%
Consensus: 0.3%
Previous: 0.7%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
The primary gauge of Australia’s consumer spending, the Retail Sales, is released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) about 35 days after the month ends. It accounts for approximately 80% of total retail turnover in the country and, therefore, has a significant bearing on inflation and GDP. This leading indicator has a direct correlation with inflation and the growth prospects, impacting the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) interest rates decision and AUD valuation. The stats bureau uses the forward factor method, ensuring that the seasonal factors are not distorted by COVID-19 impacts.