Australian Dollar Shines Bright After Strong Jobs Data and Weak US Dollar

The Australian dollar had a reason to smile on Thursday as it climbed higher against the US dollar. Data showed that the Australian labor market remained tight, something that could result in higher inflation for a longer period.

The unemployment rate stayed low at 3.5% in March, beating the 3.6% expected by economists. This was coupled with the addition of 53,000 jobs in the month, a figure notably above the 20,000 anticipated and the 64,600 recorded previously. The underlying change in employment numbers was even more impressive, with part-time jobs declining by 19,200 but full-time jobs surging to 72,200.

The employment figures raised concerns about the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) monetary policy stance. The RBA has opted to keep the cash rate at a record low of 0.10%. The central bank is under pressure to act if there is a reacceleration of price pressures, which could lead to a headache for the RBA.

The market is now looking forward to the more accurate quarterly Australian CPI data, which will be released next week.

Australian Dollar Rallies on Weaker US CPI

The AUD/USD currency pair also got a boost from a weaker US dollar. The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for March came in slightly below expectations at 5.0% year-on-year, compared to the anticipated 5.1% and the previous 6.0%. This resulted in the dollar falling slightly against major currencies, including the Australian dollar.

Additionally, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes revealed that the bank has eased back from its aggressive hawkish posture during its last meeting.

While the Australian dollar was performing well, Cyclone Isla was expected to cross the Western Australian coastline late Thursday or early Friday. The cyclone’s path will be closely watched, but it is not expected to cause any lasting impact on the vast iron ore assets in the Pilbara region.