Australian Dollar Gains, Lifted by Positive Data

The Australian dollar gained today, reaching new multi-year highs against a number of currencies, as economic reports released from Australia during the current trading session were relatively good.

The Westpac Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment logged a solid gain of 2.3% in February from the preceding month. The report was not entirely positive, though, as Westpac’s Senior Economist, Matthew Hassan, commented:

Despite another modest lift this month consumer sentiment remains below its October-November levels. At just below 100 the Index is in slightly pessimistic territory with consumers reporting family finances under pressure and a mixed outlook for the economy.

Meanwhile, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that seasonally adjusted new motor vehicle sales rose by 0.6% in January from December.

AUD/USD gained from 0.7662 to 0.7670 as of 13:18 GMT today, reaching the high of 0.7687 intraday. AUD/JPY rose from 87.54 to 87.80, trading near the highest level since December 2015.

If you have any questions, comments or opinions regarding the Australian Dollar,
feel free to post them using the commentary form below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 + four =