Australian Dollar vs US Dollar (AUD/USD) edged lower after weaker-than-expected Australian employment data triggered renewed pressure on the currency pair. The downside move remains supported by its continued trading below all major moving averages, reflecting a persistent bearish technical structure.
Highlights
- Australia's Unemployment Rate increased to 4.7% in August from 4.6%, dampening expectations for additional Reserve Bank of Australia rate hikes.
- AUD/USD saw heavy selling and extended its decline against the US Dollar following the labor market data.
- AUD/USD trades below key moving averages with strong downside momentum, expected to consolidate between $0.6866 and $0.6942 in the near term.
RBA rate hike bets fade as unemployment rise weighs on sentiment
Recent Australian employment data showed an increase in the Unemployment Rate to 4.7% from 4.6% in August. This development reduced expectations of further rate hikes by the Reserve Bank of Australia, which contributed to heavy selling pressure on AUD/USD. The labor report directly undermined sentiment and led the pair to extend its retreat against the US Dollar.
Bearish momentum persists as all trend signals align lower
AUD/USD currently trades below the 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day moving averages, with the short-, medium-, and long-term trend structure reflecting ongoing pressure from sellers. The near-term ceiling is now set at $0.6909 and the near-term floor at $0.6866, with the Ichimoku Kijun at $0.7023 confirming a bearish trend. Daily momentum is negative, with the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and Average Directional Index (ADX) both signaling strong selling pressure. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands at 39.47, reflecting a 'Sell' bias, while the Stochastic RSI is deep in the overbought zone at 85.50. Commodity Channel Index (CCI) and Awesome Oscillator (AO) remain neutral, and Bull/Bear Power (BBP) shows buyers with a slight upper hand intraday. The pair is trading at $0.6904, slipping 0.71% after opening nearly flat, currently positioned near the session low. Intraday volatility stands at 0.68%. The technical tone is weak, with indicator signals and intraday movement aligned to the downside except for BBP, which shows a divergence amid lingering pressure.
Earlier, analysts noted that AUD/USD was under sustained bearish pressure as technical signals remained weak despite policy support from the Reserve Bank of Australia. The latest downside breakout, triggered by disappointing labor market data, reinforces the bearish trend, making a close watch on the $0.6866 support crucial for assessing further downside risk in the coming days.