- Australian Dollar (AUD) boosted by Trump’s softening tone & Chinese data
- US – Chinese relations in focus as China could go back on trade deal agreement
- US ISM manufacturing to show a slowing in the pace of contraction
- At 13:45 UTC, AUD/USD is trading +0.9% at US$0.6730
After rallying 2.4% across May, the Australian Dollar is on the rise again versus its US counterpart. The Australian Dollar US Dollar settled on Friday at US$0.6667 after stating the month of May at US$0.6511.
At 13:45 UTC, AUD/USD is trading +0.9% at US$0.6730. This is towards the upper end of the daily traded range of US$0.6649 – US$0.6772 as a combination of factors help lift the risk sensitive Aussie Dollar, whilst bringing the safe haven US Dollar lower.
President Trump’s mild approach on China, in a key speech on Friday, helped boost sentiment at the start of the week. Trump, as expected, removed Hong Kong’s special trade status. However, he didn’t apply any new tariffs to China. The market breathed a sigh of relief and risk appetite improved.
Encouraging Chinese data also helped lift the Aussie Dollar. Chinese manufacturing jumped back into expansionary territory. Meanwhile non -manufacturing activity beat forecasts at 53.6, indicating that domestic demand is picking up and the Chinese economy could be in recovery mode following the coronavirus lockdown.
Looking ahead US – China relations will remain under the spotlight after two state owned Chinese firm were instructed to halt purchases of US farm imports, putting the US – China trade deal at risk.
Investors will now look ahead to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s monetary policy announcement on Tuesday. No change in policy is expected. Investors will be listening carefully to see if the central bank is still expecting a long slow recovery. A more optimistic tone could lift the Aussie Dollar higher.
The US Dollar was trading weaker across the board as risk on sentiment hit demand for the traditional safe haven. For now, investors are focusing on the positives whilst shrugging off a rising number of protests in several US cities, which started following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police.
US ISM manufacturing PMI is now in focus with analysts expecting to see a slight slowdown in the pace of contraction in May to 43, up from 41.5 previously. Whilst this would be a step in the right direction, even if it is still deep in contraction.
