Ebury Weekly Analysis: Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Chinese Yuan (CNY) | Ebury
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AUD
A broadly weaker US dollar, the easing of restrictions in China and expectations of a more rapid pace of tightening by the RBA boosted the Australian currency last week. The Australian dollar was one of the best performing currencies in the G10, briefly rallying through the 0.71 level against the US dollar this morning.
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s May meeting minutes showed that the board is prepared to raise rates by larger increments at upcoming meetings in order to tame inflation. The minutes also showed that inflation is expected to increase further in the near-term, which has raised expectations in favour of more aggressive tightening. The latest economic data supports these expectations, with Australia’s unemployment rate falling to 3.9% in April, the lowest since August 1974.
The most important event for AUD this week will likely be the release of the May preliminary PMIs on Tuesday, which are expected to remain in expansionary territory. On Friday, April retail sales will be published.
CAD
The Canadian dollar ended the week modestly higher against the US dollar as Canadian inflation reached a three-decade high, although the currency underperformed most of its G10 peers.
Canada’s April inflation surprised to the upside, reaching a 31-year high of 6.8%. The rise in commodity prices, mainly due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, continues to pressure inflation higher. But this is not the only reason and it seems that price pressure is spreading to more components, as core inflation rose to a record high of 5.8%. This data reinforced expectations of another 50 basis point hike at the Bank of Canada’s June meeting, which has continued to provide a bit of support for the Canadian dollar.
On Thursday, March retail sales will be published. Aside from that, CAD is likely to be driven by events elsewhere.
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CNY
Last week was a turning point for the yuan, with the USD/CNY pair returning to early-May levels amid a weaker US dollar and improving headlines out of China. News on the Covid front has taken a turn for the better. Shanghai has begun lifting some of its restrictions, with the city set to exit lockdown at the start of next month. Beijing has also continued to resist calls for a lockdown, despite another increase in virus caseloads.
Last week’s 15 basis point cut to the PBoC’s 5-year loan prime rate, a reference rate for mortgages, has also raised hopes of an economic revival. The scale of the rate adjustment was larger than expected, and suggests China is serious in its efforts to support the struggling housing sector. Sentiment toward China received an additional boost from President Biden’s suggestions that the US may lift some of the Trump-era tariffs. The noises in that regard have been getting louder in the past few weeks, but the decision itself is not an easy one considering the geopolitical landscape in Asia and doubts about benefits to Americans from such a change.
This week we’ll focus primarily on news from China’s Covid front as well as any headlines from president Biden’s trip to Asia, a first since he took office.
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