AUD/USD trades firmly near 0.6500 as Powell’s dovish remarks underpin riskier assets
- AUD/USD holds onto gains near 0.6500 as Fed Powell’s dovish comments improve demand for riskier assets.
- Fed’s Powell argued in favor of reducing interest rates amid growing labor market concerns.
- Investors await RBA meeting minutes for fresh cues on the interest rate outlook.
The AUD/USD pair clings to gains near the key level of 0.6500 during the European trading session on Monday. The Aussie pair trades firmly as the appeal of risk-sensitive currencies has increased due to dovish commentary from Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole (JH) Symposium on Friday.
Australian Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Australian Dollar (AUD) against listed major currencies today. Australian Dollar was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.25% | 0.03% | 0.34% | 0.04% | -0.05% | -0.02% | 0.12% | |
| EUR | -0.25% | -0.22% | 0.02% | -0.18% | -0.23% | -0.28% | -0.13% | |
| GBP | -0.03% | 0.22% | 0.08% | 0.00% | -0.07% | -0.05% | 0.09% | |
| JPY | -0.34% | -0.02% | -0.08% | -0.24% | -0.35% | -0.28% | -0.09% | |
| CAD | -0.04% | 0.18% | -0.01% | 0.24% | -0.07% | -0.03% | 0.08% | |
| AUD | 0.05% | 0.23% | 0.07% | 0.35% | 0.07% | 0.02% | 0.16% | |
| NZD | 0.02% | 0.28% | 0.05% | 0.28% | 0.03% | -0.02% | 0.14% | |
| CHF | -0.12% | 0.13% | -0.09% | 0.09% | -0.08% | -0.16% | -0.14% |
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).
Fed Chair Powell stated at the JH Symposium that escalating risks to the United States (US) labor market are paving the way for interest rate cuts. He further added that the Fed could reduce interest rates quickly if employment risks start materializing in the economy.
“Downside risks to employment are rising, and if those risks materialize, they can do so quickly,” Powell said.
Economists had anticipated that Fed Powell would repeat his call of holding interest rates at their current levels for a long time until members get clarity about the magnitude of tariff effects on inflation and the economy.
Fed Powell’s dovish remarks weighed heavily on the US Dollar; however, it strives to gain ground after sliding to an almost four-week low. During the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades 0.2% higher to near 98.00.
In Australia, investors await the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) meeting minutes of August’s monetary policy, which will be published on Tuesday. In the policy meeting, the RBA reduced its Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.6%.
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 found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.
The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.