A softer tone for risk appetite meant the AUD was slightly weaker late in the local session Thursday but remains within its recent range as dealers wait on the results of a French debt auction due later. Paris is seeking to raise up to EUR8.0 billion in a scheduled tender which traders say will set the tone ahead of a slew of euro-zone government bond auctions planned in the first quarter.
At 0500 GMT, the AUD was trading at US$1.0325, down from where it sat late Wednesday at US$1.0350. Against the JPY, the AUD changed hands at Y79.2155, down from Y79.36.
News flow was light during local trade. Profit takers sent the Aussie a touch lower after November’s trade figures disappointed. The seasonally adjusted trade surplus came in at A$1.38 billion compared with a surplus of A$1.42 billion in October, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figure was lower than analyst expectations of a surplus of A$1.65 billion.
EasyForexNews Research Team