Australian dollar bathes in jobs afterglow, helped by China stocks
By Stella Qiu
SYDNEY, Oct 18 (Reuters) -The Australian dollar extended gains on Friday following a solid jobs report while also getting a helping hand from China where stocks rose on the launch of support measures and slightly stronger-than-expected economic growth.
Markets have further pared the chance of a rate cut in Australia this year to just 25%, with a first easing not fully priced in until April 2025, after strong U.S. retail salespoured some cold water on bets of aggressive U.S. easing in the months to come. FEDWATCH
The Aussie AUD=D3 gained 0.2% to $0.6708, rising back above a key level of 67 cents. It gained 0.4% overnight even in the face of a strong dollar as strong domestic jobs numbers meant little chance of a year-end rate cut.
For the week, it is down 0.7%, marking the third straight week of losses.
Chinese data showed gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.6% in the third quarter, the slowest pace since early 2023, but retail sales, industrial output and investment data beat expectations in September.
The Chinese central bank announced the launch of a swap programme giving funds, insurers and brokers easier access to funding for stock buys. Regulators also announced the loan prime rate will be lowered 20-25 basis points next week.
The Aussie is often sold as a liquid proxy for the yuan, which also gained after those announcements. China is Australia's biggest trading partner for exports such as iron ore and coal.
Luci Ellis, chief economist at Westpac, however, said it is hard to see a lasting upside for iron ore exports from the stimulus measures.
"In the short term, the consolidation of China's steel industry favours the imported ore that Australia produces. But like the stimulus measures announced in recent weeks, these forces delay a near-inevitable slide in industries that have structural reasons to shrink. They do not create major avenues for additional growth for Australia."
The kiwi dollar NZD=D3 rose 0.1% to $0.6064, but is down 0.7% for the week. It is being pinned at a key technical level around $0.6050 after the soft inflation readings this week raised the prospects of even larger rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
Analysts at ANZ say the risk of a break lower cannot be discounted with U.S. bond yields rising and markets scaling back expectations for Fed cuts.
Bond yields tracked their U.S. counterparts higher.
Three-year Australian government bond yields AU3YT=RR rose 5 basis points to 3.866%, the highest since July 31, while 10-year yields AU10YT=RR jumped 8 bps to 4.321%, the highest since July 25.
Reporting by Stella Qiu; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
