Australian Dollar gains as RBA hikes interest rates by 25 bps to 4.6%
- Australian Dollar rises to near 110.70 against the Japanese Yen after RBA’s monetary policy decision.
- The RBA delivers its fourth 25 bps interest rate hike this year, pushing OCR to 4.6%.
- Investors seek cues regarding whether the RBA will keep the door open for further monetary tightening.
The Australian Dollar (AUD) attracts significant bids against its major currency peers after the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) monetary policy announcement. Against the Japanese Yen (JPY), the antipodean has jumped 0.25% to near 110.70.
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 Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.08% | 0.12% | 0.06% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 0.12% | 0.14% | |
| EUR | -0.08% | 0.03% | -0.02% | -0.02% | -0.07% | 0.04% | 0.04% | |
| GBP | -0.12% | -0.03% | -0.06% | -0.02% | -0.11% | 0.00% | 0.00% | |
| JPY | -0.06% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.03% | -0.06% | 0.05% | 0.06% | |
| CAD | -0.09% | 0.02% | 0.02% | -0.03% | -0.09% | 0.03% | 0.04% | |
| AUD | -0.01% | 0.07% | 0.11% | 0.06% | 0.09% | 0.11% | 0.12% | |
| NZD | -0.12% | -0.04% | -0.01% | -0.05% | -0.03% | -0.11% | 0.01% | |
| CHF | -0.14% | -0.04% | -0.00% | -0.06% | -0.04% | -0.12% | -0.01% |
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).
The RBA has hiked its Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.60%. This is the fourth quarter-to-a-percent interest rate hike by the Australian central bank this year. The RBA was expected to tighten monetary conditions further, as officials have signaled that further tightening would be needed due to elevated supply shocks and Artificial Intelligence (AI) boom-driven demand.
“Inflation risks are materialising from Middle East, excess demand at home,” RBA Governor Michele Bullock said last week.
Meanwhile, investors await remarks from RBA Governor Bullock regarding whether more interest rate hikes are coming in the remainder of the year.
According to analysts at ING, Governor Bullock is likely to press ahead with further tightening. ING argues that the case for additional action remains compelling, highlighting that “inflation concerns remain elevated, and even if crude prices decline, domestic fuel prices are set to remain sticky for longer.” The bank points out that “core CPI measures have all remained hot, the labour market is tight, and growth has proven stronger than expected,” reinforcing its view that the RBA will keep the door open to more rate hikes and that the Aussie should stay supported.
On Japan front, investors await the Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for September, which will be published on Friday. The CPI report is expected to show that inflation ex. Fresh Food accelerated to 2.4% Year-on-Year (YoY) from the previous reading of 1.8%.
RBA FAQs
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) sets interest rates and manages monetary policy for Australia. Decisions are made by a board of governors at 11 meetings a year and ad hoc emergency meetings as required. The RBA’s primary mandate is to maintain price stability, which means an inflation rate of 2-3%, but also “..to contribute to the stability of the currency, full employment, and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people.” Its main tool for achieving this is by raising or lowering interest rates. Relatively high interest rates will strengthen the Australian Dollar (AUD) and vice versa. Other RBA tools include quantitative easing and tightening.
While inflation had always traditionally been thought of as a negative factor for currencies since it lowers the value of money in general, the opposite has actually been the case in modern times with the relaxation of cross-border capital controls. Moderately higher inflation now tends to lead central banks to put up their interest rates, which in turn has the effect of attracting more capital inflows from global investors seeking a lucrative place to keep their money. This increases demand for the local currency, which in the case of Australia is the Aussie Dollar.
Macroeconomic data gauges the health of an economy and can have an impact on the value of its currency. Investors prefer to invest their capital in economies that are safe and growing rather than precarious and shrinking. Greater capital inflows increase the aggregate demand and value of the domestic currency. Classic indicators, such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, employment, and consumer sentiment surveys can influence AUD. A strong economy may encourage the Reserve Bank of Australia to put up interest rates, also supporting AUD.
Quantitative Easing (QE) is a tool used in extreme situations when lowering interest rates is not enough to restore the flow of credit in the economy. QE is the process by which the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) prints Australian Dollars (AUD) for the purpose of buying assets – usually government or corporate bonds – from financial institutions, thereby providing them with much-needed liquidity. QE usually results in a weaker AUD.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE. It is undertaken after QE when an economic recovery is underway and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to provide them with liquidity, in QT the RBA stops buying more assets, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It would be positive (or bullish) for the Australian Dollar.