AUD/JPY drops to near 97.50 as traders expect BoJ to adopt hawkish stance
- AUD/JPY edges lower following the hawkish speech by the BoJ Governor Ueda in Parliament.
- The BoJ could raise interest rates further if its economic projections are accurate.
- The downside of the Aussie Dollar may be limited due to the hawkish RBA.
AUD/JPY halts its three-day winning streak, trading around 97.50 during the European hours on Monday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) gained ground against the Australian Dollar (AUD) as Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda delivered a hawkish speech in Parliament on Friday.
BoJ Governor Ueda said that the central bank could raise interest rates further if its economic projections are accurate. Additionally, recent Japan’s inflation data reinforced the BoJ’s hawkish stance on its policy outlook.
Japan's National Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.8% year-on-year in July, maintaining this rate for the third consecutive month and holding steady at its highest level since February. The National CPI excluding Fresh Food also rose by 2.7%, matching expectations and reaching its highest level since February.
However, the downside of the AUD/JPY cross could be limited as the Australian Dollar may gain ground due to the rising market optimism following the dovish speech from the US Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday.
The Aussie Dollar may also receive support from the hawkish sentiment surrounding the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) regarding its policy outlook. the recent RBA Minutes showed that the board members agreed that a rate cut is unlikely soon. Additionally, RBA Governor Michele Bullock expressed that the Australian central bank will not hesitate to raise rates again to combat inflation if needed.
Australian Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Australian Dollar (AUD) against listed major currencies today. Australian Dollar was the weakest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.09% | 0.15% | -0.27% | -0.04% | 0.30% | 0.29% | -0.25% | |
| EUR | -0.09% | -0.01% | -0.35% | -0.12% | 0.11% | 0.20% | -0.31% | |
| GBP | -0.15% | 0.00% | -0.47% | -0.17% | 0.11% | 0.14% | -0.36% | |
| JPY | 0.27% | 0.35% | 0.47% | 0.26% | 0.65% | 0.79% | 0.13% | |
| CAD | 0.04% | 0.12% | 0.17% | -0.26% | 0.32% | 0.36% | -0.19% | |
| AUD | -0.30% | -0.11% | -0.11% | -0.65% | -0.32% | 0.09% | -0.42% | |
| NZD | -0.29% | -0.20% | -0.14% | -0.79% | -0.36% | -0.09% | -0.51% | |
| CHF | 0.25% | 0.31% | 0.36% | -0.13% | 0.19% | 0.42% | 0.51% |
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).
Interest rates FAQs
Interest rates are charged by financial institutions on loans to borrowers and are paid as interest to savers and depositors. They are influenced by base lending rates, which are set by central banks in response to changes in the economy. Central banks normally have a mandate to ensure price stability, which in most cases means targeting a core inflation rate of around 2%. If inflation falls below target the central bank may cut base lending rates, with a view to stimulating lending and boosting the economy. If inflation rises substantially above 2% it normally results in the central bank raising base lending rates in an attempt to lower inflation.
Higher interest rates generally help strengthen a country’s currency as they make it a more attractive place for global investors to park their money.
Higher interest rates overall weigh on the price of Gold because they increase the opportunity cost of holding Gold instead of investing in an interest-bearing asset or placing cash in the bank. If interest rates are high that usually pushes up the price of the US Dollar (USD), and since Gold is priced in Dollars, this has the effect of lowering the price of Gold.
The Fed funds rate is the overnight rate at which US banks lend to each other. It is the oft-quoted headline rate set by the Federal Reserve at its FOMC meetings. It is set as a range, for example 4.75%-5.00%, though the upper limit (in that case 5.00%) is the quoted figure. Market expectations for future Fed funds rate are tracked by the CME FedWatch tool, which shapes how many financial markets behave in anticipation of future Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions.
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