Jump to content

Australian dollar boosted by surprise RBA hike to 0.35%. Where to for AUD/USD?


MongiIG

1,981 views

The RBA moved the cash rate to 0.35% after CPI overshoot; the statement made it clear that more hikes are coming and rates lift-off initially supported AUD/USD, but headwinds remain.

1651556653336.jpgSource: Bloomberg
 
Daniel McCarthy | Strategist, | Publication date: Tuesday 03 May 2022

The Australian dollar found support after the RBA raised the cash rate target to 0.35%, an increase of 0.25% from 0.1%. The market had anticipated a move of 0.15%, although several analysts scoped out 0.25% or possibly 0.40% in the aftermath of accelerating inflation.

A move of 0.25% is seen as neutral, against the backdrop of the current federal election campaign. Moving rates by 0.25% has been the standard measure since the inflation targeting regime was mandated in 1993.

The Aussie rallied into the RBA announcement as exporters spent the morning buying AUD toward 0.7090 in anticipation of a hike. It raced up to 0.7140 immediately after the announcement and has since settled back toward 0.7100.

The larger-than-expected bump in rates is hot on the heels of a blistering CPI number last week.

In the statement released immediately after the decision, high inflation combined with evidence of wage growth led to the RBA saying, ‘it is appropriate to start the process of normalising monetary conditions.’

Speculation will now begin to grow on what level the cash rate needs to be to provide normal monetary conditions. In any case, more rate rises are coming, the speed and scope of which is up for debate.

The RBA anticipates headline inflation to hit 6% by the end of this year. With this in mind, they said, “This will require a further lift in interest rates over the period ahead.”

For the Aussie, this may lend near term support, but the Federal Reserve will be making a decision for US rates on Wednesday. A 50 basis-point hike is expected and could see US dollar strengthening resume its recent trend.

According to data from the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), there is over AUD 1 billion of option expiries with a strike at 0.7100 between now and next Monday.

The delta hedging of these options could see unusual price action. Depending on how much naked exposure there is, 0.7100 may act as somewhat of a magnet for the price.

The week ahead in Australia will see retail sales on Wednesday, followed by the trade balance and building approvals on Thursday.

1651556456485.pngSource: TradingView


This information has been prepared by DailyFX, the partner site of IG offering leading forex news and analysis. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.

0 Comments


Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...
us