- Australian inflation rose at a slower pace in the second quarter of the year.
- Upbeat United States data boosted demand for the Greenback as the Fed looms.
- AUD/USD established a fresh July low at 0.6449 amid broad US Dollar strength.
The Australian Dollar (AUD) trades at fresh July lows against its American rival, hovering around 0.6450. The US Dollar (USD) attracted strong buying interest following the release of upbeat macroeconomic figures, ahead of the Federal Reserve (Fed) monetary policy announcement.
Earlier in the day, Australia reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.7% QoQ in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, easing from the 0.9% posted in Q1, also below the 0.8% anticipated. Furthermore, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) favourite inflation gauge rose by less than anticipated in the same period. The RBA Trimmed Mean CPI rose 0.6% and 2.7% on a quarterly and annual basis, respectively. Markets were expecting an increase of 0.7% QoQ and 2.7% YoY.
Finally, the monthly CPI rose by 1.9% YoY in June, down from the 2.1% posted in May. The AUD/USD pair fell with the news and pierced the 0.6500 level.
United States (US) data came in next. The country reported that the private sector added 104K new job positions in July, according to the ADP Employment Change report, beating the expected 78K. Additionally, the preliminary estimate of the Q2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP), showed that the economy expanded at an annual rate of 3% in the second quarter, much better than the 2.4% anticipated or the -0.5% from Q1. Finally, the core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index rose by 2.5% in the same quarter, down from the 3.5% posted in the three months to March.
Coming up next is the Fed. The central bank is widely anticipated to keep interest rates on hold. Chair Jerome Powell will explain the decision in a press conference which will follow the announcement. Market players anticipate questions about when the central bank will deliver a rate cut, given solid macroeconomic data.
Also, speculative interest will be looking for US President Donald Trump’s comments, as he would not cope well with the anticipated Fed’s decision. Trump has already called for a rate cut, posting on Truth Social:
2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! “Too Late” MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!
Technical perspective: challenging July lows
The AUD/USD pair pressures the 0.6450 area, with additional slides on the docket. The pair accumulates five consecutive days of declines and has most of the week below the 20-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), while technical indicators head firmly south within negative levels, in line with additional declines ahead.
The immediate support level is June 24 low at 0.6437, followed by the 0.6400 mark. Resistance comes at around 0.6470, followed by the 0.6500 price zone.
Economic Indicator
Gross Domestic Product Annualized
The real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Annualized, released quarterly by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, measures the value of the final goods and services produced in the United States in a given period of time. Changes in GDP are the most popular indicator of the nation’s overall economic health. The data is expressed at an annualized rate, which means that the rate has been adjusted to reflect the amount GDP would have changed over a year’s time, had it continued to grow at that specific rate. Generally speaking, a high reading is seen as bullish for the US Dollar (USD), while a low reading is seen as bearish.
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