The Australian Dollar finds itself re-coupling with
risk appetite trends as the specter of interest rate cuts is chased off
by the Reserve Bank of Australia and investors are drawn to the highest
yields in the G10 FX space. The central bank poured cold water on stimulus expectations
last week, with RBA Governor Glenn Stevens saying that while an
“accommodative stance of monetary policy is appropriate,” it appeared
“prudent” to keep rates unchanged for now while the “substantial easing
of policy as a result of previous decisions” works its way into the
economy. Fourth-quarter GDP data reinforced the RBA’s position.
Looking ahead, the economic calendar is relatively
quiet. On the domestic front, the focus will be on February’s Employment
report. Expectations call for the economy to add 10,000 jobs, an
outcome broadly in line with recent trends that is unlikely to
materially change the outlook for monetary policy. A possible near-term
headwind may emerge from Chinese CPI figures released over the weekend.
The report showed the year-on-year inflation rate
unexpectedly accelerated to 3.2 percent in February, marking the highest
reading in 10 months. That could create concerns about policy
tightening that slows Chinese growth and hurts demand from Australia’s
largest trading partner. Follow-through seems limited however
considering the Beijing already unveiled measures to crimp the price
growth in the property market while introducing fiscal stimulus in its
2013 budget last week.
Sizing up the macro sentiment landscape, the
resilience of the US recovery in the face of headwinds from fiscal
retrenchment following the onset of “sequester” spending cuts as well as
lingering uncertainty in the Eurozone remain central themes. On the
former side of the equation, a somewhat lackluster US data docket in the
wake of last week’s robust ISM and NFP numbers is likely to allow
optimism to remain well-supported. Indeed, CPI and UofM Consumer
Confidence numbers are the only major standouts, with the former
expected to keep inflation at paltry 1.8 percent – thereby leaving Fed
stimulus expectations at status quo – while the latter produces the
third consecutive uptick. In the Eurozone, a meeting an EU leaders’
summit at the end of the week is unlikely to prove eventful as the core
issue at hand – the political upheaval in Italy – looks increasingly
likely to drag on until another election is held in the summer.
Source: Dailyfx
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