Australian Dollar Outlook Remains Bullish on Interest Rate Expectations

Fundamental Forecast for Australian Dollar: Bullish

- RBA Minutes Spurs Speculation For Further Rate Hikes
- Westpac Leading Index Improves for Third Month
- Australia Export Prices Weaken Further in Third Quarter

The Australian dollar rose to a fresh yearly high of 0.9326 against the greenback and the higher-yielding currency may continue to appreciate going into the following month as investors speculate the Reserve Bank of Australia to tighten policy throughout the second-half of the year. Credit Suisse overnight index swaps shows market participants are pricing a 131% chance for a 25bp rate hike in November and expect the central bank to raise borrowing costs by more than 200bp over the next 12-months, and the Aussie may continue to retrace the sell-off from the previous year as policy makers hold and improved outlook for the economy. The Reserve Bank of Australia Minutes said that the “very expansionary setting of policy was no longer necessary” as the $1T economy skirts the global recession, and went onto say that it may be “imprudent” for the central bank to hold the interest rate at the 49-year low as policy makers maintain their dual mandate to ensure price stability while fostering full-employment. Moreover, the central bank held a hawkish tone and said keeping borrowing costs at “very low levels” could raise the risks for inflation, and said that the “trough in inflation was significantly higher than earlier thought.” Moreover, RBA Assistant Governor Philip Lowe stated that the rebound in economic activity would “gradually lead to a normalization of interest rates,” and said that the country is likely to have “a higher average exchange rate than we’ve had over the past couple of decades.” However, the central bank expects the marked appreciation in the Australian dollar to temper the risks for inflation, and the central bank may adopt a wait-and-see approach over the remainder of the year as the outlook for global growth remains uncertain.

Nevertheless, the economic docket for the following week is likely to spark increased volatility for the Australian dollar and may drag on the exchange rate as market participants anticipate price pressures to weaken further in the second-half of the year. Economists forecast consumer prices to grow at an annual pace of 1.2% in the third quarter after rising 1.5% during the three-months through June, while producer prices are project to fall to an annualized rate of 0.5% from 2.1% in the second-quarter. At the same time, private-sector credit is anticipated to increase 0.2% in September following the 0.1% rise in the previous month, while bank lending is expected to grow at an annualized pace of 2.0% from the previous year. As a result, the slew of mixed data may leave the AUD/USD confined in a narrow range as investors weigh the outlook for future policy but nevertheless, as risk trends continue to dictate price action in the currency market, a rise in risk appetite may lead the high-yielding currency to hold above 0.9300 over the following week.