Australian Dollar weakens on renewed Iran tensions ahead of Fed minutes
- The Australian Dollar gives up its earlier gains after Donald Trump says the ceasefire agreement with Iran is over.
- Rising geopolitical tensions boost demand for safe-haven assets and support the US Dollar.
- Markets now await the Federal Reserve Minutes for fresh clues on the policy outlook.
AUD/USD falls to around 0.6920 on Wednesday at the time of writing, down 0.13% on the day after giving back its earlier gains. The Australian Dollar (AUD) comes under pressure as risk aversion intensifies after United States (US) President Donald Trump said that the memorandum of understanding with Iran aimed at establishing a ceasefire is now "over."
Trump also stated that he no longer wants to negotiate with Iran, while announcing trade measures against Spain and renewing his criticism of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). These remarks weighed on market sentiment and increased demand for safe-haven assets. S&P 500 futures are down more than 0.90%, while the US Dollar (USD) strengthens. Meanwhile, Oil prices advance as investors grow increasingly concerned about potential global supply disruptions.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated after US strikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure in response to attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The collapse of the memorandum has revived concerns about the security of this strategic waterway, through which a significant share of global Oil exports passes. Market participants fear that a broader conflict could keep energy prices elevated and trigger a fresh wave of inflationary pressures.
Earlier in the day, the Australian Dollar had found support after Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter reiterated that the central bank remains committed to bringing inflation back to target while maintaining sustainable employment.
Investors now turn their attention to the June meeting Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), due at 18:00 GMT. Markets will look for further insight into why policymakers chose not to provide explicit forward guidance on interest rates. During the post-meeting press conference, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Kevin Warsh said that policymakers agreed that forward guidance was not well suited to the current policy environment.
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 | 0.07% | 0.17% | 0.24% | -0.15% | 0.21% | -0.21% | 0.02% | |
| EUR | -0.07% | 0.09% | 0.19% | -0.23% | 0.14% | -0.27% | -0.05% | |
| GBP | -0.17% | -0.09% | 0.09% | -0.32% | 0.06% | -0.36% | -0.16% | |
| JPY | -0.24% | -0.19% | -0.09% | -0.41% | -0.03% | -0.46% | -0.25% | |
| CAD | 0.15% | 0.23% | 0.32% | 0.41% | 0.37% | -0.06% | 0.15% | |
| AUD | -0.21% | -0.14% | -0.06% | 0.03% | -0.37% | -0.41% | -0.25% | |
| NZD | 0.21% | 0.27% | 0.36% | 0.46% | 0.06% | 0.41% | 0.20% | |
| CHF | -0.02% | 0.05% | 0.16% | 0.25% | -0.15% | 0.25% | -0.20% |
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).
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