AUD/USD holds early gains near 0.6920 amid weakness in US Dollar
- AUD/USD clings to early gains near 0.6920 amid a weakened US Dollar.
- Investors await the Fed's new Chairman’s announcement, expected this week.
- The RBA is expected to raise interest rates on February 3.
The AUD/USD pair grips early gains and trades 0.35% higher to near 0.6935 during the European trading session on Monday. The Aussie pair demonstrates strength as the US Dollar (USD) is under extreme pressure at the start of the week.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.34% | -0.24% | -1.44% | -0.14% | -0.41% | -0.40% | -0.80% | |
| EUR | 0.34% | 0.10% | -1.11% | 0.20% | -0.08% | -0.06% | -0.46% | |
| GBP | 0.24% | -0.10% | -1.20% | 0.10% | -0.18% | -0.16% | -0.56% | |
| JPY | 1.44% | 1.11% | 1.20% | 1.33% | 1.05% | 1.07% | 0.66% | |
| CAD | 0.14% | -0.20% | -0.10% | -1.33% | -0.27% | -0.25% | -0.66% | |
| AUD | 0.41% | 0.08% | 0.18% | -1.05% | 0.27% | 0.02% | -0.38% | |
| NZD | 0.40% | 0.06% | 0.16% | -1.07% | 0.25% | -0.02% | -0.40% | |
| CHF | 0.80% | 0.46% | 0.56% | -0.66% | 0.66% | 0.38% | 0.40% |
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 US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
During the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, is down 0.35% to near 97.10.
The US Dollar slumps on expectations that the White House could reveal the name of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) new Chairman this week. The event would be unfavorable for the US Dollar as investors expect decisions by the new Fed’s Chair will be biased towards United States (US) President Donald Trump’s economic agenda.
This week, investors will also focus on the Fed’s monetary policy announcement on Wednesday. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the Fed will leave interest rates unchanged in the current range of 3.50%-3.75%.
Meanwhile, the Australian Dollar (AUD) trades higher as market speculation for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to raise interest rates in the February meeting has intensified. Traders see a 60% chance that the RBA will hike borrowing rates next week, Reuters reported.
However, expectations for the RBA’s interest rate outlook could be influenced as Australia’s Q4 Quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) data is scheduled to be published on Wednesday. The CPI report is expected to show that inflationary pressures grew at a faster pace.
Central banks FAQs
Central Banks have a key mandate which is making sure that there is price stability in a country or region. Economies are constantly facing inflation or deflation when prices for certain goods and services are fluctuating. Constant rising prices for the same goods means inflation, constant lowered prices for the same goods means deflation. It is the task of the central bank to keep the demand in line by tweaking its policy rate. For the biggest central banks like the US Federal Reserve (Fed), the European Central Bank (ECB) or the Bank of England (BoE), the mandate is to keep inflation close to 2%.
A central bank has one important tool at its disposal to get inflation higher or lower, and that is by tweaking its benchmark policy rate, commonly known as interest rate. On pre-communicated moments, the central bank will issue a statement with its policy rate and provide additional reasoning on why it is either remaining or changing (cutting or hiking) it. Local banks will adjust their savings and lending rates accordingly, which in turn will make it either harder or easier for people to earn on their savings or for companies to take out loans and make investments in their businesses. When the central bank hikes interest rates substantially, this is called monetary tightening. When it is cutting its benchmark rate, it is called monetary easing.
A central bank is often politically independent. Members of the central bank policy board are passing through a series of panels and hearings before being appointed to a policy board seat. Each member in that board often has a certain conviction on how the central bank should control inflation and the subsequent monetary policy. Members that want a very loose monetary policy, with low rates and cheap lending, to boost the economy substantially while being content to see inflation slightly above 2%, are called ‘doves’. Members that rather want to see higher rates to reward savings and want to keep a lit on inflation at all time are called ‘hawks’ and will not rest until inflation is at or just below 2%.
Normally, there is a chairman or president who leads each meeting, needs to create a consensus between the hawks or doves and has his or her final say when it would come down to a vote split to avoid a 50-50 tie on whether the current policy should be adjusted. The chairman will deliver speeches which often can be followed live, where the current monetary stance and outlook is being communicated. A central bank will try to push forward its monetary policy without triggering violent swings in rates, equities, or its currency. All members of the central bank will channel their stance toward the markets in advance of a policy meeting event. A few days before a policy meeting takes place until the new policy has been communicated, members are forbidden to talk publicly. This is called the blackout period.
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