The tension caused by the new U.S. administration's aggressive efforts to revise tariffs has also affected Australia. According to NAB, business conditions showed slight improvement in February, with modest increases in trading conditions and profitability. However, there was a significant decline in business confidence, which dropped by 6 points, largely negating the improvement made in January. This brought confidence below the long-term average and back into negative territory.
Revised data indicated a quarter-on-quarter growth of 0.6% and a year-on-year increase of 1.3%, which slightly exceeded the expectations of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Private consumption grew by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter, which is an improvement over previous quarters, but still insufficient to drive overall economic growth.
For the RBA, the incoming data appears neutral. The rate forecast suggests one more rate cut in May, with a projected final level of 3.1% by 2026. This forecast aligns with market expectations for the Federal Reserve's rate in 2026, indicating no clear driver for future rate divergence. At least for now, this minimizes the likelihood of significant movements in either direction.
U.S. President Trump responded to Canada's introduction of an import tax on electricity from the U.S.—which the Canadian government imposed as a retaliatory measure—by raising tariffs. Duties on Canadian steel and aluminum have now reached 50%. Markets reacted with a decline, and this downturn is likely to spread across the entire commodities sector. Selling anything in the U.S. is becoming increasingly complex, and where else can exports go if not to the U.S.? While Australia does not face a direct threat, there is an indirect risk of declining activity in the mining sector and a potential overall drop in exports, which is a negative outlook for the Aussie.
Net short positions on the AUD increased by $134 million over the reporting week to -$3.034 billion, with positioning remaining bearish. The calculated price is above the long-term average, offering hope for a corrective upward movement.
The AUD/USD currency pair is currently trading in a sideways range, with the nearest resistance level at 0.6400/20. This target, which was identified last week, remains unachieved. The Australian dollar is lacking the internal momentum necessary for a resurgence, and additional pressure arises from rising concerns about a possible U.S. recession, which is heavily impacting commodity currencies. We anticipate that trading will remain range-bound, with a slightly increased likelihood of a slow movement towards the 0.5400/20 level. However, a strong rally is not expected.
