3 Big reasons the Australian dollar is so low
That extra stimulus in the economy would have counteracted the Bank of England’s measures to try to slow the rate of inflation. Already struggling in poor economic conditions, the British pound went into freefall last week after the UK government announced tax cuts for higher earners that were to be funded by borrowings. Some of our other trading partners are having a much rougher time of it than Australia. They are seeing their currencies fall while ours is stronger against them. “Our members in the importing community have had a really rough three years — they’ve had COVID-related supply chain crises, that flows into sky high shipping rates, and also our biosecurity agency is quite chronically challenged. This chart shows that even in a year that hasn’t been particularly strong for the USD, it has been performing relatively well against the AUD.
- “The difference [in the USD/AUD exchange rate] went from around about 74, 75 cents in the dollar, down to a couple of days ago, we [saw] about 63, 64 cents.
- CBA economists have predicted a much more tepid recovery over the next 12 months.
- In April, 0.736; May, 0.705; June, 0.702; July 0.686; a slight increase in August to 0.696; and back down significantly to 0.667 for the month of September.
- And against the USD–which has even higher interest rates and inflation than Australia–the AUD has been falling at a steady rate (with some brief increases) for the better part of the last year or so.
- Zaman notes that ANZ expected the Australian dollar would appreciate towards the middle of the year.
Speaking to Forbes Advisor, ANZ’s head of FX research Mahjabeen Zaman explains why—despite the market stress occurring globally—the US dollar remained at such a strength during 2022. Nevertheless, the good times were not to last, and by February the Australian dollar had dipped back down again to the 0.68 USD mark, before sliding further to 0.66 USD by early July. And yet, it still had further to go, with the dollar dropping by more than 1% this week to a 10-month low of 63.58 US cents. Providing access to our stories should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or product, or to engage in or refrain from engaging in any transaction by Forbes Advisor Australia. In comparing various financial products and services, we are unable to compare every provider in the market so our rankings do not constitute a comprehensive review of a particular sector.
Australian dollar sinks to 29-month low on ‘rising risk’ of global recession, ASX drops 1.4 per cent
The latest figures from the ABS showed that inflation in Australia in the last quarter between March and June increased by cbs viacom merger 0.8%. Prices were 3.8% higher than a year before when the country was in the early stages of the first national lockdown.
- Global wheat prices rise sharply after a UN-brokered deal to ship grain out of Ukraine ended last month, with effects on inflation and food security.
- The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index fell by 0.2 per cent last week to a 20-month low of 90.5 points.
- And our interest rates remained much higher than the rest of the developed world, which also attracted vast amounts of global capital seeking out a decent return.
- At one stage this week, it fell below 64 US cents as global investors struggled to work out the best place to park their funds amid policy ructions around the world.
- They include concerns about how the ongoing pandemic will influence China’s economic growth and therefore its demand for Australia’s commodities, like iron ore.
Inflation changes interest rates because central banks aim for only moderate inflation. If inflation gets too high, then central banks tend to increase interest rates to cool prices down again. The Australian dollar has been dropping in value due to global economic factors. Without a strong global outlook, the demand for Australian dollars falls, which in turn affects its value negatively.
Global wheat prices rise sharply after a UN-brokered deal to ship grain out of Ukraine ended last month, with effects on inflation and food security. Australia may be a major trading nation, shipping vast amounts of minerals, energy and food to the rest of the world, but we are a relatively small economy. However, he noted, recent declines in the Australian dollar against the greenback have been much less on a trade-weighted basis.
AUD to USD: Six-Month Forecast
It would also be the Fed’s fourth rate hike of that magnitude, as it desperately tries to bring down inflation, which has risen to a 40-year high. The former chair of the ACCC says taxes must rise if the federal government wants to deliver the essential services Australians demand. The Australian dollar fell as low as 63.23 US cents on Monday afternoon, its lowest level in two-and-half years.
The Australian Dollar’s Outlook in 2022
The greenback, meanwhile, extended its rally, benefiting from a safe haven bid overnight on the back of softer US data releases and risk averse trading, which was similarly evident across equity markets. The inaction was “in the context of the government’s imposition of Level 4 COVID restrictions on activity across New Zealand,” the central bank said. Although price pressures in Australia have come off peak levels, annual inflation still remained uncomfortably high. The current annual inflation rate in Australia is 7.8%, according to ABS data released on 25 January 2023. The Australian dollar (AUD) hit an over four-month high against the US dollar (USD) in January 2023 as greenback weakness extended into the new year on expectations of slower interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve (Fed).
Terms and Conditions
Barrenjoey chief economist Jo Masters said further increases in US interest rates would not pose a risk of materially higher inflation if the Australian dollar maintained its strength against other major trading partner currencies. Mind you, the central bank is fully cognisant that exchange rates shift, but views it a mug’s game to try to predict them. Instead, they base each quarterly set of predictions on the Aussie dollar’s value at the time. Other central banks – such as the Bank of England earlier this week and the US Federal Reserve next month – have started to raise interest rates or soon will.
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Whether it’s a good time for you to buy Australian dollars will depend on your own research. But activity indicators will be a guide to the extent that demand and hence inflationary pressures are abating,” said ANZ Research. Data from Westpac, the Australian dollar was 0.738 cents to the US dollar how to buy telcoin in March 2022. At the time of writing on 14 April, AUD/USD stood at about 0.673, having retreated slightly from the 0.7 range – its highest level since late August 2022. Oil prices are still near a five-week high, despite Brent crude futures slipping 0.8 per cent, to $US97.17 a barrel.
The US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) releases the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth on an annualized basis for each quarter. After publishing the first estimate, the BEA revises the data two more times, with the third release representing the final reading. Usually, the first estimate is the main market mover and a positive surprise is seen as a USD-positive development while a disappointing print is likely to weigh on the greenback.
Two batches of weak data – from modest wage increases to an uptick in the jobless rate – have reinforced expectations lately that the RBA’s work is done. And so, should a stronger dollar come to pass, some of the pressure on the RBA to lift interest rates this year and beyond could ease. If so, those on variable mortgage rates might have cause to celebrate – perhaps with an overseas holiday. In other words, Australian rocks and other commodities are in demand, and hence the Aussie dollars needed to acquire them.
Market participants usually dismiss the second and third releases as they are generally not significant enough to meaningfully alter the growth picture. The US Dollar Index (DXY) continues to strengthen, propelled by robust macroeconomic data from the United States (US), trading at its highest levels since December. This surge in the US Dollar (USD) is attributed to the positive performance of US Treasury yields over an impending US government shutdown. This has reduced the demand for Australian dollars and pressured the exchange rate lower. There are 3 main reasons the Australian dollar is so low and they are all have one thing in common – China. China is Australia’s largest trading partner, not just for commodities like iron ore and coal but also for our other important exports like tourism and education.
The drop in commodity prices is also acting as a limiting factor on the upside potential of the AUD/USD pair. Australia’s monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) has rebounded from July’s reading, which could be attributed to the increasing energy prices. This expected increase in inflation has raised anticipations of another interest rate hike best rsi settings by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). However, the AUD failed to gain traction despite positive Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures. As ANZ head of FX research Mahjabeen Zaman explained, it was anticipated that the AUD to USD exchange rate will fluctuate around its current levels before eventually appreciating in the second half of 2023.