Australian Dollar declines as US Dollar strengthens ahead of Nonfarm Payrolls
- Australian Dollar weakens as China’s December CPI rose 0.8% YoY, below the 0.9% forecast.
- Australia’s mixed November inflation keeps RBA policy uncertain, with attention shifting to the quarterly CPI later this month.
- The US Dollar strengthens on weekly labor data as traders remain cautious ahead of the US NFP report.
The Australian Dollar (AUD) declines against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday, remaining subdued for the third successive session. The AUD/USD pair remains subdued following the release of key economic data from China, a key trading partner of Australia.
China’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.8% year-over-year (YoY) in December, up from 0.7% in November but below the 0.9% forecast. On a monthly basis, CPI increased 0.2%, reversing November’s -0.1% reading. Meanwhile, China’s Producer Price Index (PPI) fell 1.9% YoY in December, improving from a 2.2% decline previously and slightly beating expectations of a -2.0% print.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported on Thursday that Australia’s Trade Surplus narrowed to 2,936M MoM in November, versus 4,353M (revised from 4,385M) in the previous reading. Exports fell by 2.9% MoM in November from a rise of 2.8% (revised from 3.4%) seen a month earlier. Meanwhile, Imports grew by 0.2% MoM in November, compared to a rise of 2.4% (revised from 2.0%) seen in October.
Australia’s mixed November Consumer Price Index (CPI) left the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) policy outlook uncertain. Focus now shifts to the quarterly CPI report due later this month for clearer guidance on the RBA’s next policy move. However, RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser said on Thursday that the November inflation data was largely as expected. Hauser added that interest rate cuts are unlikely anytime soon.
US Dollar gains amid solid labor market data
- The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the value of the US Dollar against six major currencies, is gaining ground and trading around 98.90 at the time of writing. The Greenback strengthens following the release of US weekly labor market data.
- Traders remain cautious ahead of the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report, which is expected to offer further insight into labor market conditions and the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) policy outlook. December NFP is forecast to show job gains of 60,000, down from 64,000 in November.
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a CNBC interview on Thursday that the Federal Reserve should continue cutting rates, arguing that lower rates are “the only ingredient missing” for even stronger economic growth and that the Fed should not delay.
- According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, Fed funds futures continue to price in about an 86.2% probability that the US central bank will keep rates unchanged at its January 27–28 meeting.
- The US Department of Labor (DOL) reported on Thursday that Initial Jobless Claims rose modestly to 208,000 in the week ended January 3, slightly below market expectations of 210,000 but above the previous week’s revised 200,000. Continuing jobless claims increased to 1.914 million from 1.858 million, indicating a gradual rise in the number of people remaining on unemployment benefits.
- The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported on Wednesday that the US Services PMI rose to 54.4 in December from 52.6 in November. This figure came in stronger than the expectations of 52.3.
- The US Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Employment Change showed an increase of 41,000 jobs in December, following a revised decline of 29,000 in November. The figure came in slightly below market expectations of 47,000. JOLTS Job Openings came in at 7.146 million in November. This reading followed the 7.449 million openings recorded in October (revised from 7.67 million) and came in below the market expectations of 7.6 million.
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported on Wednesday that Australia’s Consumer Price Index rose 3.4% year-over-year (YoY) in November, easing from 3.8% in October. The reading missed market expectations of 3.7% but remained above the RBA’s 2–3% target. It marked the lowest inflation since August, with housing costs increasing at the slowest pace in three months.
- Australia’s CPI was unchanged at 0% month-on-month (MoM) in November, matching October’s reading. Meanwhile, the RBA’s Trimmed Mean CPI rose 0.3% MoM and 3.2% YoY. Separately, seasonally adjusted Building Permits surged 15.2% MoM to a near four-year high of 18,406 units in November 2025, rebounding from a downwardly revised 6.1% fall previously. Annual approvals jumped 20.2%, reversing a revised 1.1% decline in October.
- The Australian Financial Review (AFR) suggested that the RBA may not be done tightening this cycle. The poll indicates that inflation is expected to remain stubbornly elevated over the coming year, fueling expectations of at least two additional rate hikes.
Australian Dollar tests lower channel boundary after breaking below 0.6700
AUD/USD is trading around 0.6690 on Friday. Technical analysis of the daily chart indicates that the pair is testing the lower boundary of the ascending channel pattern, suggesting a potential for a weakening of a bullish bias. The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 56.8 stays above the midline but has eased from recent peaks, indicating slower bullish impetus.
The immediate resistance lies at the nine-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) of 0.6700. A break above the short-term average would reinforce the bullish momentum, and the AUD/USD pair may rebound toward the target 0.6766, the highest level since October 2024, followed by the upper boundary of the ascending channel near 0.6850.
On the downside, the break below the lower ascending channel boundary would lead the AUD/USD pair to test the 50-day EMA at 0.6628. Further losses would open the downside toward 0.6414, the lowest since June 2025.
Australian Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Australian Dollar (AUD) against listed major currencies today. Australian Dollar was the weakest against the US Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.28% | 0.05% | 0.07% | 0.17% | 0.03% | |
| EUR | -0.02% | 0.03% | 0.28% | 0.03% | 0.05% | 0.15% | 0.00% | |
| GBP | -0.05% | -0.03% | 0.23% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.12% | -0.03% | |
| JPY | -0.28% | -0.28% | -0.23% | -0.22% | -0.21% | -0.12% | -0.26% | |
| CAD | -0.05% | -0.03% | -0.00% | 0.22% | 0.01% | 0.10% | -0.03% | |
| AUD | -0.07% | -0.05% | -0.02% | 0.21% | -0.01% | 0.10% | -0.04% | |
| NZD | -0.17% | -0.15% | -0.12% | 0.12% | -0.10% | -0.10% | -0.14% | |
| CHF | -0.03% | -0.01% | 0.03% | 0.26% | 0.03% | 0.04% | 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).
