Skip to Content
News & Analysis at your fingertips.

We use a range of cookies to give you the best possible browsing experience. By continuing to use this website, you agree to our use of cookies.
You can learn more about our cookie policy here, or by following the link at the bottom of any page on our site. See our updated Privacy Policy here.

Free Trading Guides
Subscribe
Please try again
Select

Live Webinar Events

0

Economic Calendar Events

0

Notify me about

Live Webinar Events
Economic Calendar Events

H

High

M

Medium

L

Low
More View More
AUD Wilts Again As China Data Fall Short, Local Job Figures Eyed

AUD Wilts Again As China Data Fall Short, Local Job Figures Eyed

David Cottle, Analyst

Share:

What's on this page

Australian Dollar, China Retail Sales and Industrial Production Talking Points:

  • Chinese Industrial production rose well below expectations last month
  • Retail Sales missed forecasts considerably too
  • AUD/USD missed a step but was already under pressure

Join our analysts for live, interactive coverage of all major economic data at the DailyFX Webinars. We’d love to have you along.

An Australian Dollar already suffering from US-China trade war fallout didn’t lose much more traction Wednesday when a raft of Chinese economic data came in weaker than forecast.

April industrial production rose 5.4% on the year, much worse than both the 6.5% markets hoped for and the previous month’s 8.5% gain. Retail sales rose 7.2% when investors were looking for 8.6%. Urban fixed asset investment rose 6.1%, just below the 6.4% forecast by economists.

These numbers will perhaps only feed the view that China’s economy is suffering more than the US at present from rising tensions and may spur further worries about capital flight from the world’s second largest national economy. The Australian Dollar can act as the financial markets’ favorite liquid proxy for Chinese performance. It may have done so to some extent on Wednesday after the data, but its slide was quite moderate.

The Australian Dollar was hardly popular before the numbers, however, and their release simply took it back toward the day’s early lows.

Australian Dollar Vs Japanese Yen, 5-minute Chart.

AUD/USD’s daily chart doesn’t make comfortable reading for the bulls though. As a growth-sensitive unit, the currency has been hit hard by worries about further breakdown in trade relations between the two global heavyweights of China and the US.

Moreover, while the Reserve Bank of Australia surprised many by declining to cut interest rates this month, futures markets still reckon that the record low Official Cash Rate of 1.50% will head yet lower. At present two quarter-point cuts are priced in over the coming eighteen months, with the first expected in July.

Australian Dollar Vs Japanese Yen, Daily Chart

AUD/USD has duly remained well below the downtrend line which has barred the way higher for much of the time since early 2018. As risk appetite has waned this month, the Aussie has approached 2019’s lows. Without a significant revival in global optimism a retest of these seems inevitable.

The market may be on hold, effectively, until Thursday though. Official Australian labor market figures will be released, with markets now well aware of the central bank’s special focus on these numbers when it comes to setting monetary policy.

Resources for Traders

Whether you’re new to trading or an old hand DailyFX has plenty of resources to help you. There’s our trading sentiment indicator which shows you live how IG clients are positioned right now. We also hold educational and analytical webinars and offer trading guides, with one specifically aimed at those new to foreign exchange markets. There’s also a Bitcoin guide. Be sure to make the most of them all. They were written by our seasoned trading experts and they’re all free.

--- Written by David Cottle, DailyFX Research

Follow David on Twitter @DavidCottleFX or use the Comments section below to get in touch!

DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets.

DISCLOSURES